Weekly Rhythms

"What day is today, Bug?" I asked my sweet little girl.

"Tasty Tuesday!" she replied, "and we're going to make bread and butter today!"

This is our first week using a weekly rhythm and I am astonished at how well it is going!

We made a rain stick with materials we had at home and just ate a lunch of fruit smoothies and homemade bread and butter.

My little two-year-old bug can already tell me the days of the week, and she's really enjoyed the simple projects we've done.

Here's our rhythms for each day:

Music Monday: Make instruments/play guitar/sing/dance

Tasty Tuesday: Cook something child friendly

We-Create Wednesday: Art or craft project

Things to Know Thursday: More focused learning project (ABC's, etc.)

Freestyle Friday: Field trip or random fun project. This may change to "farm friday" if I can make contact with an organic farm to go pick some produce each week (we live in a very rural area).

We haven't gotten to the weekend yet, but will eventually add to those days as well. I love, love, love having a flexible plan for the day!

Our Morning Routine

Our morning routine is a work in progress, but it's definitely a start. Most of it starts from flylady.com!

1. Wake up and cuddle... sing some Bob Marley to my Bug (Don't worry, about a thing) ;)
   
   
2. Stumble to the kitchen and make some coffee for myself, chocolate milk for Bug.
   
   
3. Let her watch TV while I check e-mail.
   
   
4. Take a shower if I'm not going to the gym (child care is only from 9-11) or get dressed for exercise.
   
   
5. Get Bug dressed and ready to roll.
   
   
6. Make the bed, swish and swipe the bathroom counters and toilet, and start a load of laundry.
   
   

This gets us to breakfast... I want to add some yoga in, too, but haven't been able to make it fit without feeling too rushed.

A Daily Rhythm

Figuring out this whole stay-at-home mom thing has been really tough for me.

I want to be organized, but strict schedules just don't fit with my personality or parenting style. I can't even tell you how many times I tried, and failed, to follow some google-found schedule another parent or guru created. Flylady.com has been helpful with the cleaning, but hasn't quite addressed other parts of my day. So, most of the time, I have been just plain frustrated.

Recently, though, I discovered the Waldorf philosophy on parenting and education, and it really resounds with me. I'm still learning the basics, but I love their idea of rhythm in the home.

A daily rhythm provides predictability to the day, but is also flexible enough to accomodate real life... unexpected events, illness, or just plain fatigue. I've realized that rhythm, or lack of it, is my main problem. I just don't naturally do things in a consistent, steady way.

It relies on the idea of breath. During the day, events are structured to expand or contract. And, there is an emphasis on maintaining a peaceful, unhurried pace to the day.

For the first time, I really thought about what was important to me in a day, what needed to happen every day, and how I could juggle the responsibilities of home, family, and my part-time work.

So, I finally have a routine! It's really simple, and based on times that I'm almost always home. I have a morning routine, a routine for each meal time, and a before-bed routine. I also have weekly rhythms... things I do on the same day each week most of the time. It helps me be more centered, balanced, and productive without feeling like a task master.