Teachable Tuesday: A Schedule

You know, it’s difficult to stick by a daily schedule with little ones: they change their sleeping and eating habits every month (sometimes every week! sometimes every day!).

So, for the first year of Lia’s life, I’ve resisted a formal schedule and have enjoyed the freedom and flexibility. But as she nears her big One-Year birthday, her sleeping and eating schedule is more regular and I think we’re ready to ease into a more structured day.

Not to mention, my days were becoming a flurry of trying to accomplish everything – and I mean no-rest-for-the-weary-EVERYthing – on my to-do list and yours!  My brain had become one giant check list.  I could see that if I kept that up, my family would easily get lost in my never-ending agenda.

So, over the past few weeks, I’ve had to calm down a bit, re-prioritize, and seek the Lord’s wisdom for the best use of our time. Some people create schedules in order to accomplish more; I needed to create a schedule to accomplish less – rather, to accomplish enough.

Of course, I was inspired to put it all in writing by my cousin, Katie at The Mommy Factor, by Crystal at Biblical Womanhood and the Mahaney’s at Girl Talk.

So first, I determined the most important occasions in our day: healthy meals, Scripture, worship music, reading, playing, and serving. (At this point, I’m not as concerned about following a school-type curriculum as I am about developing my relationship with the girls, encouraging their relationship with each other and the Lord, and teaching them how to serve their family and their neighbors.)

Then, I sketched out a generous plan that works best for us and keeps us focused on our goal: to love God and to love other people. I chose my favorite parts of any day and fit them all together into our ideal every-day schedule.

So, here’s what I came up with:

For the Most Part, Let’s Do This:

5 – 7 a.m. Personal devotions

7 – 9 a.m. dress, girls up, breakfast

9 – 9: 30 a.m. scripture, worship music

9:30 – 10 a.m. logic play (puzzles, blocks, etc.)

10 – 11 a.m. Lia naps; Vivienne reads and plays

11 – 12 p.m. errands or chores

12: 30 – 1 p.m. lunch

1 – 3 p.m. naps/ quiet time; reading aloud

3 – 4 p.m. play together (outside!) or visit neighbors

4 – 5 p.m. Listen to King’s Kid’s Club on the radio (artwork); Laura prep dinner

5 – 5:30 p.m. clean house together

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. play piano & instruments while waiting for Ryan!

I do the laundry when the basket is full, iron when we are looking straggly, and clean before we have visitors. The way I figure it, if our house ever becomes too dirty, we aren’t having enough people over!

Teachable Tuesday is designed to share teaching ideas that specifically connect a child’s heart with God’s. What are you teaching this week?


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6 responses to “Teachable Tuesday: A Schedule”

  1. Sarah Hoover Avatar

    Laura, I think you have boundless energy! My poor kiddos at this point are subject to at least three video’s a day! I wish I had your energy and stamina! Maybe after baby, nursing, I’ll have some sort of energy…let’s see, that’s only 13 months away!

    I love your schedule though…I want to emulate it! Lord help me!

  2. erin marie Avatar
    erin marie

    woooooooooooo! I am doing the same thing Laura! I have been creating a schedule for my life as well. love it. wonderful. keep up the good work. brovo. your a champ!

    sorry I have not been on here for a while… I am gona work it in to my Schedule!

  3. kyla Avatar

    This is a wonderful post! And it’s so nice to get back to a “scheduled” routine after having little ones. It helps to keep you focussed AND sane. 😉 Great schedule!

  4. Carisa Avatar

    Laura, I got your comment on my blog but can’t find an email for you, can you get it to me so I can send you my reply? 😉 Carisa

  5. Natalie Avatar

    Well our attempt at a Teachable Tuesday isn’t great, but I am trying to teach the girls how to live more simply. We recently packed away A LOT of their toys and it really has worked. Vivi used to shovel her toys from place to place and now she just enjoys them like she is supposed to. It’s nice to take one toy and move it into a room without any toys and she has a blast.

  6. Katie Avatar

    Thanks for the plug, Laura!=) It is SO hard getting a baby on a schedule, isn’t it? Especially when she’s teething! Your blog is so encouraging to me, and I can’t wait to try some of your ideas with Hannah when she’s old enough! Can you believe our girls are already almost 1?!

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