It’s the last day the boys will be going to daycare. Which is sad in so many different ways.

It’s sad because we will miss our dear daycare lady as she has been so wonderful with the boys. She has watched Zane for over 3 years and this is going to be such a big change.

It’s sad because they will have less little friend time as they loved spending time with their friends at daycare.

It’s sad because I was hoping that this day would mean that I was staying home with them. But no they will now just be seeing Granny more.

It’s sad because when they went their I didn’t have to worry about schedules and them eating. They had their own schedules when they went to daycare and it worked.

It’s sad because Granny days are hard on the boys. Their schedule is always off. They are tired, cranky, and hungry when I get home and it’s hard to deal with that when you have worked all day.

But hopefully this means one more step towards me staying home and the little ones getting on a good schedule and we can do more fun things together.

Some days I feel like the world is falling in on me as I try and deal with the disorganization that lives in my house. I’m not a supermom or a superwife or a super-housekeeper. But I try. And so far we have all survived.

I’ve been trying really hard to get more organized. I realized that the disorganization that lives in my house is making me go crazy. If I feel overwhelmed with the way the house is I just don’t feel like doing anything. Which becomes a never ending cycle that makes it really hard to not be depressed and unproductive.

I’m a list and schedule kinda person, but sometimes I get off course. Okay more than sometimes, a lot. I want to find a system that will work for me and my family. Maybe you do to and maybe you will join me in my quest.

I’ve decided to do this small series on organization because it seems some of my readers were interested in my post about my Google Calendar. And also because that is one main goals I’m trying to get accomplished before we get swept up into the holiday season. So I hope you will enjoy these posts and participate with me.

One thing that has really helped me feel more motivated is doing a list of 3 MIT (Most Important Tasks) for the day. I find that once I get even one of these items off my to do list I feel more motivated. Sometimes I get even more than the three items done. But if I only get the three things done for the day I don’t feel guilty or discouraged at the end of the day I feel accomplished.

Later this week I will write more about my MIT and how I do my to do lists and the tools I use to do this.

I learned about MIT from simplemom this is a great blog if you haven’t read it before.

Here is what I have been working on. Making a Zaney schedule, which wasn’t hard because he has made up a schedule of his own since he was teeny. We don’t live by the schedule and we are very flexible with the schedule but once I wrote it down I realized it was amazing how set it was.

Zane’s Schedule

9:00 Breakfast N’ Cartoons
10:00 Errands or Outside Time
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Lesson or Prep Time
2:00 Say Bye Bye to Daddy
2:30 Activity Time and Snack
4:00 Nap
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Playtime
9:00 Bedtime

Of course we never set our Errand Time up at a certain time but we ussually head out the door about this time. Also now if we don’t have errands I will make a point of getting him some outside time or let him play in the garage. (We have a power wheels and trampoline in the garage for rainy days.)

Lesson Time, Prep Time and Activity Time will be new. Before we just let him have free play but he is starting to enjoy playdoh and coloring so much I think he is ready to try Lesson and Activity Time out with me.

I have created a weekly schedule also which is so much easier now with my part-time schedule. Here is the weekly schedule I have created for us:

Week 1
Mondays: Work/Prep/Errand Day
Tuesday: Science Day
Wednesday: Craft Day
Thursday: Work Day
Friday: Work/Errand Day

Week 2
Mondays: Work/Prep/Errand Day
Tuesday: Bible Day
Wednesday: Kitchen Day
Thursday: Work Day
Friday: Work/Errand Day

I will probably never work on Tuesdays (which are a half day) and Wednesdays (because it’s Dr. Y and his schedule is lighter). It looks like they will always have me on Thursdays. I will still have some fluctuation on Mondays and Fridays but that is easy to work around. Zane usually goes and sees Granny those days anyways and I suspect she will want to keep her Zaney Days even if I am off. I will probably get my grocery shopping and house work done on Granny Days.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays will become our fun lesson/activity days. Now I want to mention that this is all about being flexible my schedule may change or just disappear if Zaney doesn’t love it, but I think he will love it.

ABC Learning

I have watched on Esme’s blog all the fun things she does with her mom with ABC Learning and I have decided to try and do a smaller adaptation of the same thing. (I think Esme’s Mommy should start a club of ABC Mommies.) I can’t do as many of the fun things they do but I can adapt it so we can do some.

If you would like to learn more about the Alphabet Approach Esme is doing you can find it here.

For me I always like things to have a theme it makes it easier for me to get things done. The alphabet seems to work so well (26 letters and 52 weeks in a year = 2 weeks on each letter) and we can do so much with it. I have already started creating an idea list that I will slowly build. Tomorrow we will be trying out our first lesson day.

Organization

I have created a Google Document to start creating an idea list/lesson plan. I have created a simple template for each day that as ideas and words come to me I start adding them.

LETTER X

Songs:

Week 1

Tuesday: Science Day
Word – Lesson (Craft/Link)

Wednesday: Craft Day
Word – Lesson (Craft/Link)

Week 2

Tuesday: Bible Day
Word – Lesson (Craft/Link)

Wednesday: Kitchen Day
Word – Lesson (Craft/Link)

Since we always read before bed I am also going through his books to pull out books that are associated with that weeks letter. I also found this really cute letter caterpillar that I am going to try and have him color before each new letter and then put them together as we go. I remember doing something similar to this with my mother when I was little. I got a paper link with a word written on it everytime I learned a new letter and then we made the chain go all the way across the livingroom I got a treat. Even now that is a vivid enjoyable memory for me.

So tomorrow we will be trying this out and we may even try videoing the experience to see how that works. I will tell you more about the letter A but it’s late I’m off to bed.

All the things I do wrong as a mother:

• I give him juice (and sometimes when I’m in a hurry I don’t even water it down)
• I let him talk in his crib every morning, not rushing in there at the first peep
• I let him sleep in our bed as a baby
• We don’t eat organic
• Sometimes we still give him a sippy cup of milk in his crib at night
• I gave him soy formula
• I let him have a binky (& two at night one in the hand and one in the mouth)
• I let him have a cupcake for his birthday
• I don’t read and research every single product I give him
• I used plastic bottles
• I USE plastic plates, spoons, forks, and sippy cups
• I don’t make sure he is getting 24oz. of milk everyday
• He gets all of his vacinations
• My toddler eats hot dogs more than once a week (his favorite meal)
• I let my baby Cry it Out
• I gave him Cough Medicine when he was sick on Christmas
• We believe in punishments in our house
• I’m horrible at giving him his fluoride and making him brush his teeth
• We don’t live and breathe on his schedule
• And lastly I let him watch cartoons

I’m sure at least one if not all of those horrible things I do will ruin my little guy. But you know what, I love him, I don’t stress about it, and I know God loves our little one and will protect him from all of my mistakes and wrong doings. Sometimes you just have to face the fact you may not be the perfect mommy, but you are doing your best and they won’t remember your mistakes.

Did I mention that I didn’t rush to the sink and wash off his binky everytime it hit the floor?