1-2-3-4-5-6:30

routine is important.
i stink at routine and so i want my children to learn this habit while they are young.
i have been trying to learn to live by a schedule for years.
years.
i do have a schedule for house cleaning that i talk about here, creation cleaning.

i recently heard a talk where Sister Julie Beck told about her mother (who had 11 children) waking them all up by saying 1-2-3-4.
they knew that 1 meant, kneel to pray.  2 meant read their scriptures.  3 meant make their bed.  4 meant get dressed.

last night, we taught our own children a modified plan... 1-2-3-4-5-6:30
1- get up with a smile
2- kneel to pray
3- make your bed
4- get dressed
5- read your scriptures (our scriptures are all upstairs in the living room where we have morning devotional)
and do all of that before
6:30- when we have family prayer and scripture study.
This morning i rolled out of bed and knelt to pray, forgetting that Lily had joined me in the middle of the night.
i knelt right on her head.  oops.

i loved seeing my cute kids curled up on the couch studying their scriptures this morning.
they love knowing exactly what they should be doing when they wake up.

When i write a plan for MY day that also includes EVERY child in my family, it works.
Instead of just writing "clean the house" from 10-12am.  I write "clean the house", bigger kids at school, little kids playing puzzles, coloring in coloring books, reading.
That way i have a plan for them and i don't feel frustrated that they are distracting me.
I plan table activities for them to do while i'm cooking dinner.
This is the blank chart that i print out... i found it here.

i filled out my 'homeschool' schedule twice.
first, i did every day of the week.  then, i did a separate line for each person in our family.
it feels so nice to have a plan and to SEE on paper why my afternoons are a bit hectic.

 have a great day!