At the time of writing this, it’s late November. The days are long and warm but not too stinking hot (yet). We’re winding down for the year, but also ramping up for Christmas so I wanted to find a nice balance that maintained our love of slow days, but also helped us to see through our focus we had set.
Here’s what I came up with:
Here’s what is actually happening with rough times:
Before 7.30 – quiet screen time
I am not a morning person and thankfully neither are the kids. I have no guilt in admitting that they wake up before me almost every single day. They happily chill and watch something on their tablet or they snuggle into bed with me and wake me with cuddles. Either way I’m happy but I’m usually not out of bed before 7am. I’m sure as the mornings heat up and that Queensland sun belts in on me in the morning, that will change.
Breakfast
I was leaving out an activity for the kids on the kitchen table at night, but I’ve noticed they really aren’t in the head space to jump into something straight away. Instead they prefer to eat their breakfast and discuss what we’re doing with the day. While they’re eating I’m usually putting the dishes away, making a coffee, straightening up the kitchen and trying to make my brain switch on.
Chores
After breakfast, we all focus on our getting ready for the day. The kids brush their teeth (I do mine the second I roll out of bed), we all get dressed, make our beds and I put a load of laundry on and sometimes vacuum if the floor needs it. I think put on some ambience music. Always instrumental but it really changes with the mood of the house on the day. The kids have their favourites and will sometimes request ones.
Outside Play
Once the washing machine has finished, we head outside and while I hang the washing, the kids play in the sandpit, on their cubby, on the trampoline or sometimes they jump on their bikes and ride around the top paddock. Sometimes, they end up getting really into imaginative play in their bedrooms though and they’re happy staying there. I really like to leave them while they’re settled.
Projects
At about 9.00, we sit down outside to work on their projects. I’ll make a fresh coffee first, leaf blow the veranda and make the kids a hot chocolate or kid coffee (warm milk with honey). Sometimes they’re just not interested in their Project and want to keep playing which is totally cool. I try and entice them a few times, but if they really aren’t interested I just follow their lead and make myself busy with a book, or I potter and tidy.
Games & Flash Cards
This time of our day has become our all time favourite. The kids love it and I love it even more. We start off by playing a board game. Mr 7 loves chess and Rumikub and when Miss 4 wants to play, we usually pull out UNO or alphabet bingo. We also tend to grab something for morning tea during this time, so I’m going to become more intentional about preparing a fruit plate for our game time.
Flash cards have changed everything for us. Mr 7 is really good at mental math but gets confused and overwhelmed when he has to look at a piece of paper with too many equations on it. So, I made up some multiplication flash cards. For now, we’re working on our 2 multiplication because I want him to be lightening fast at recalling them. I’m not convinced rote memorisation is the best method, but for now it’s working and he is loving it. The cards I made have the multiplication equation on top, the addition equation on the bottom and the answer on the back. I call out the question, he answers, then I ask Miss 4 which number comes before and after whatever the answer is. It’s a great way to involved both of them and they don’t have to sit still – the more movement, the better.
Then we move onto his focus word flash cards. While reading his chosen book, any words that he struggles with, I write down on a piece of paper, laminate it in an ID pouch and add it to our collection of focus words. I considered following the sight word program that the schools use, but it just seems so boring and disconnected. Mr 7 has been reading One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish on repeat for about a month now and seeing his reading improve first hand is incredible. Every time he breezes past one of his focus words, I make a big deal about it, we find the flash card, add a sticker to it and put it aside.
Miss 4 is practising reading her numbers and I’ve just started on phonics with her. I made her some alphabet flash cards with hint pictures and we saw the name of the letter and the sound it makes. She just wants to do what her bubba (that’s what she calls her brother) does so sometimes she’s into it, sometimes she isn’t. At this age, it’s just about keeping her busy while Mr 7 focuses.
Lunch
We eat lunch whenever we start feeling hungry so that can be anytime between 11 and 12. Some days we will go out after our game time, but lately we’ve been really enjoying staying home. Lunch at this time of year is sandwiches or wraps. I really want to use this time while we’re all at the kitchen table to try Story Journaling which again is something Sara from Happiness Is Home does, but so far the kids reject the idea every time I suggest it. I might just do it one day without asking and see how they go. The basic idea is to read a story or listen to an audiobook while drawing, painting, writing or crafting. Sounds super fun!
Handicrafts
This has kind of snuck in for us after lunch time where we gather on my bed to do some hand sewing. The kids are working on some Christmas ornaments at the moment and they’re getting pretty good. We play fun Christmas music and sometimes we chat, sometimes we’re silent. It’s just a really nice way to wind down and let our food settle.
Quiet / Rest Time
I am a Mumma that needs her time to rest and reset before tackling the afternoon and although neither kid still naps, we all really enjoy and crave our quiet time. Sometimes we lay on my bed and watch a movie together, sometimes the kids lay together to watch their tablets, sometimes they go to their own rooms. This time is our screen time and it gives us a chance to chill, be still, rest our mind and bodies. Not going to lie – sometimes I fall asleep.
Research
Research absolutely has not been happening the way I kind of imagined it, but I’m okay with that. The kids aren’t really at the age of independent research anyway. So for now, I pull out some of our Non-Fiction books and we read through them until the kids get bored and wander off. I actually want to do this over afternoon tea.
Between 3.00 and 4.00
Hubby gets home anytime between 3 and 4 which means the kids are outside following him around while he feeds and tops up water for all the animals and waters the gardens and his greenhouse. Mr 7 waits all day for this time with his Dad and I absolutely love it for them. Miss 4 will float between Hubby and I and I know she feels a little lost during this time so I’m going to find something her and I can do during this time to really connect the same way the boys do.
And that’s it. That’s the rhythm we’re working with at the moment as we come into Summer and I just know it will change as the weather warms up and we have to seek cool and rest more during the heat of the day.
Now make it your own.
Like I said, no family is the same and no family will have the same natural flow and energy to their days so make sure you really zone in on your family and see what their natural rhythm is. I promise there is one there that maybe you haven’t noticed before.
If you can identify it and then build on that, it will feel very natural for your whole family, while ensuring you’re staying on top of your goals.
