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Here is what it looked like last time I wrote about this, in the Spring of 2010. My little guy wasn't even one year old at that time, so things have definitely changed. Let's check in and see what the evening routine is like at our house these days.
As usual, all the times are "ish". If there is one thing I've learned, it's that schedules are necessary, but so is flexibility.
5:00 - Get home with the boys. Start to prepare dinner. The boys play.
5:45 - Eat dinner with the boys. Now that everyone is able to feed themselves, I'm actually able to eat, although I do find myself popping up a lot. (more milk, dropped spoon, forgot the dressing...)
6:15 - Clean up or Playtime. The boys usually play together while I clean up the kitchen. Sometimes there's a dance party. Sometimes we chase or wrestle or tickle. Sometimes we build and knock down buildings. I make sure to fit in some playtime every day. If we're having leftovers, I can do it before dinner. Other times, I take some time after dinner and postpone cleanup until after they're in bed.
6:45 - Bathtime. Still doing them together, and right now every other night, depending how messy they were during the day. Brush teeth, put on pajamas.
7:15 - Little guy's bedtime. I read a couple short picture books, sing a song, and say good-night. May he always be so easy.
7:15 - 7:45 - Big boy's storytime. We have been reading a few chapters each night. In-between chapter books, sometimes he'll want to go back to picking out a few picture books.
7:45 - 8:15 - Quality time with the internet - email, blog, reader...maybe make a phone call.
8:15 - 8:45 - Clean up (if I wasn't able to finish earlier), prepare lunches for the next day.
8:45 - Sit down! Enjoy a mug of ice cream with a little TV.
9:15 - 9:45 - Head to bed. Read.
10:30 - 11:00 - Lights out.*
*This is too late. I wake up at 5:45, so I average less than seven hours of sleep each night. I need eight. At least. I need to cut something out of this routine so I can get to bed earlier. I'm eyeing that half-hour I often spend at the computer. If you start seeing less of me here, it hopefully means I'm getting more sleep.
Mary - This is why I relate to your posts so much! We have virtually the same schedule. My kids now have the same bed time, so we made a change to the routine. Now hubby and I each have 1:1 reading time with one child and we trade very other night. We still do bath together, but then we split up for stories. It took some adjusting, but now I love that quality time with each of them. I don't know how you find the energy to blog...I tried and it was just too much! Luckily I can enjoy yours.
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