Our New Normal

School is back in session and this year school brings a new freedom for me as a mother. Last year I would drop Benjamin off at school at 7:30 ish then go home then take Caleb to preschool at 8:30. In the afternoon I would wake Elijah up from his nap, go get Caleb at school at 1:00 and then go home only to turn around and pick Benjamin up at 2:30. I spend my entire day in the car, or at least it felt that way. This year with Caleb in school with Benjamin, I drop both boys off at 7:30 and I pick them both up at 2:30. This new normal has changed my life. I am not just saying this to say "yay my kids are in school" I am serious when I say it has changed things. I am a better mom because of this new schedule. I can drop them off at school and come home and do my devotions and my exercise, eat breakfast, get dressed for the day, work for my dads office from home, grocery shop, do laundry, and get all my cleaning done before having to go to school to pick them up. Elijah gets his nap in on time and doesn't have to be woken up either. This allows me to spend the rest of my day focused on the boys.

There is 95% less yelling, fighting and battling in our house. Every few days it will get a little crazy, but for the most part it is really nice. I have established an amazing routine that works for our family and allows me to be a calm mom. I am not so frazzled at the end of the day that I don't want to put my kids to bed, or I don't want to read to them because I am too worn out. I seriously am enjoying it. So here is what our schedule looks like most days. (I am still working out the timing, but this is the jist of it)

Get home from school, play clothes on, get a snack from the snack baskets and go outside until 4:30 or 5:00 (it kind of depends on if they have more homework to do or not)

Clean the backyard, come in and have reading time for 30 minutes. Then we have chore time (take out recycling, take out trash in all the bathrooms, clean the bathroom, clean the toy room etc.

After cleaning it is time for homework. Caleb does his at the kitchen table so I can help him, and Benjamin does his in his room and brings it to me to check. This is when I also start dinner prep and get that going.

Depending on how long it takes them to finish their homework, they may be able to watch 1 tv show before dinner. Dinner is around 6:30, then its bath time. If they didn't watch TV earlier this would be their tv time (if they have not lost the privileged during the day for fighting or something like that. )  Bedtime is at 7:30 and usually Brad reads to the boys. They are currently going through the chronicles of narnia series. If Brad is working late or something, I will read to them.

So this is pretty much our every afternoon. It is working so well. On top of this I have noticed a HUGE change in Caleb. He is much more compliant, less fighting, less potty talk, and less needing to have all the attention on him. He is just more calm all around. It has made an amazing difference in our lives. We have even sat down quite a few times to have dinner at the table together.

As the school year was approaching, I saw a mom post how she was so sad the school year was starting and that she hated to have her kids leaving (granted her kids are not little) but it kind of made me feel awful that I was so excited my kids would be starting school. Not that I want them gone all day, but now I know that I am a much better mom when I am not having to battle them all the time. When I can get my "mom and wife duties" done for the day before they are home, so I can focus on them and what they need. I really like our new normal. I feel like the boys are so much happier as well. There has been a lot of freedom from our new normal!