blueprint: Having a planned day!

I often get asked the question, how do I manage to do all that I do in a day. The answer is simple, I plan!

With school and work back in session I have no other option but to be prepared.

Trust me, this is no easy task! With two totally opposite girls, that always want to do totally different things and momma still has to work!- Yeah, It’s definitely a challenge but with a well put together schedule anything is possible.

I can’t simple give you a schedule of what we do and how we do it because everyday is different “adventure” depending on the day of the week. But here are a very things that I do to keep my sanity and keep the girls on track and confident about the day.

Prepare: Sundays are wash days, hair days and get ready for the week days- basically everything day to prepare for the week. Sunday night the girls pick out their clothes and we label them Monday thru Friday.

This will give us more time in the morning so we aren’t scrambling looking for clothes. When kids are rushed in the morning its affects their day at school & we are trying to RAISE CONFIDENT KIDS, RIGHT? (But believe me, we still have those hectic morning)

-I found those cute closet tags at Sweet Bella -

Be organized: I usually do their hair at night and wrap it but it’s a must that the scarf ALWAYS comes off. So I keep all the hair essentials in a little basket so everything is in one place and easy to find.

Have a routine: To get them up and going, I use an app called “My Routine”. I place it in front of the girls and they follow the routine. It gives them so many minutes to complete a task (I give them a few more minutes then it will typically take them to complete a task, so they won’t feel rushed and they feel confident that they are achieving the goal set.

Remind yourself: My alarm on my iPhone is a life saver. I program it every week and it just keeps me reminded of what I have to do & when I have to do it. Putting it together was a little time consuming, but it saves me valuable time now.

Breathe: The girls are off to school & Mommy is off to work. I miss them dearly but they absolutely love going to school. They each have a best friend (that they also see outside of school) & it gives me a break to have some social time with grown ups and for them to have that social interaction with their peers. It also gives me time to prep for the afternoon. (A mommy job is never done)

Now after school… This is where our schedule really becomes a big deal. Before the week starts, we write out what we are scheduled for, for the week. We write it on an old white board- nothing fancy. We also set a goal for the week. This gives them a little incentive. Since we praise the effort made & hard work put forth, not the end result, they always have something to be excited for!

Don’t make unnecessary trips: With active girls, I must keep them hydrated and eating healthy. Kaylei is a health food junky & KaMari absolutely loves working out – she would seriously run a mile and do cardio for fun (I hit the lotto with these two).

Every week I buy fresh fruit and vegetables and wash and package them. KaMari loves fruit and Kaylei loves raw vegetables. This saves time & money because I don’t have to make the trip to the store while we are on the go.

Remember to PREPARE. Whatever activities the girls have for the day, it’s planned for. All bags (cheer, dance, sports, etc) are packed for the week.

When KaMari figures out what day of the week it is, she grabs the bag for the activity she has in the afternoon. Pretty simple- all her workout clothes are kept in the bag with everything else she needs. The bags go into the car in the morning and we are ready to go. KayLei is still a work in progress :-)

If they have anything that they’re working on or anything I want to teach them at home, it is laid out in the morning. It saves us time when we get home instead of having to get everything out.

KaMari is in second grade and her teacher has a strict policy on reading every night. So, her book & index cards are left opened and ready to read as soon as she settles in for bed. She is encouraged to highlight words she doesn’t know, write them on the index cards and find the definition. She writes them on the index cards so that she can review them during the week. This allows her to become comfortable & confident with the words she’s learning.

Know your children's interest: Pick out books, activities, etc that your kids love. KaMari is a mine crafter (if that's even a word) so i buy books and activities that relates to her interest. The time it would take you to try and force them to read something or do something that they are not interested, is too much time wasted.