Child Care
I've been silent this week because we're getting ready for our trip. It's very, very busy, but I also smile a lot thinking about meeting Mikola next week. Wow, NEXT WEEK!Here's a blog I wrote several days ago, figuring I could use it now when my schedule is full with trip preparations:
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When we returned from Ukraine three years ago, our case worker advised us to run our home on a strict schedule--like an orphanage. Luckily, Jonathan and I require a fair amount of organization ourselves, so it also helps us to run a tight ship.
To assist the family members who will be taking child care shifts in the next weeks, I'm sending them information about what Jonathan and I do in a typical day. The schedule below does not include events like medical appointments, tutoring, confirmation, sports practices and games, music lessons and rehearsals, Ukrainian school, etc. But it does give the "skeletal" schedule around which all the extra activities revolve.
I hesitate to put all of this on the blog, since it's rather tedious. But several people have asked how we handle things at home with five kids. Here's part of the answer:
Schedule
Basic School Day
6:00 am
Rise, empty dehumidifier in basement, change the towels in the kitchen and bathroom, let Dakota out, give him a treat, change his water
6:10 am
Make lunches, cook breakfast
7:00 am
Wake up the children, ask them to get dressed
7:15 am
Eat breakfast altogether
7:30 am
Brush teeth
7:45 am
Leave for school with all children
8:00 am
Drop off Paul, Adam, and Rachel at Grace (8:00 is not a fixed time, school starts at 8:25)
8:10 am
Drop off Sarah and David at Garfield (bell rings at 8:15 am)
Noon
Feed Dakota (between 10:00 and 2:00) one-half of his food, let him out
2:45 pm
Pick up on Sarah and David on Garfield’s large playground, David is released only when you’ve checked in
3:00 pm
Pick up Paul, Adam, and Rachel near Grace’s playground (back of school)
3:15 pm
Put backpacks and lunch boxes away, eat snack altogether
3:30 pm
Start of free time
4:30 pm
Start homework with Sarah and David
5:30 pm
Supper (time varies as needed), feed Dakota remainder of food, give him meds, let him out
6:15 pm
Family devotions
6:30 pm
Help clear table (each child carries 3 things to kitchen, last child eating clears the rest)
6:35 pm
Chore (done together)
7:00 pm
Start homework (if meal goes past 7:00 pm, we skip the chore)
8:00 pm
David--Bath, brush and floss teeth, choose school clothes, lay them on red couch
8:30 pm
Sarah--Bath, brush and floss teeth, choose school clothes, lay them on red couch
9:00 pm
Sarah and David--Bedtime, Goodnight routine in bedroom (song, prayer, goodnight kiss)
9:00 pm
Rachel--Bath, brush and floss teeth, choose school clothes, lay them on red couch
9:15 pm
Adam--Bath, brush and floss teeth, choose school clothes, lay them on red couch
9:30 pm
Paul--Bath, brush and floss teeth, choose school clothes, lay them on red couch
10:00 pm
Paul, Adam, and Rachel--Bedtime, Goodnight routine
in bedroom (goodnight kiss, if they let you!)
Bedtime
Let Dakota out, give him a treat
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And I should add, fall in bed exhausted!
posted by Stahlkes @ 10:08 AM
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