Routines

Almost everyone I know has one or two must-have items they just can’t leave the house without.  Lip chap and hand cream are on top of my list!

Now, when I travel with my two (sometimes high maintenance) children, there are a few things I just can’t forget to take along with me.  2-3 extra pairs of clothes, pajamas, their tooth brush, fluoride free tooth paste, diapers (up until we cut them out completely), wipes, socks, noise machine, monitor, their hats incase its sunny, rain boots incase it rains, sweatshirt if it gets cold, medicine incase they get sick, stroller and of course some toys to keep them occupied.

It throws me off when something is missing.  No matter how many times I travel to my mom’s house with my family, the same list is repeated over and over again in my head.  My parents think I over do it with the amount of stuff we bring along when we stay for the weekend.  I know they never used a sound machine or a monitor and I don’t even think I as a child had set naps or bedtime.  Fortunately, we turned out great, as my mother says!

However, if I didn’t have a routine for my children, I think I would go crazy!  They go to bed at the same time every night (especially on weeknights and when we don’t have company over) and I have a good idea as to what time they will wake up in the morning.  I know what time to serve dinner and I know exactly what books to read to them before they fall asleep.  Keeping a routine and trying our best to be consistent with it helps everyone.  My children work well with a routine and it definitely helps my husband and I as well.

There are days that don’t go as we plan, but it happens and we accept it as it is.  Maybe I didn’t have a routine while growing up, but for my family and I that’s what works.  When my children get adequate amounts of sleep, my husband and I sleep.  This makes everyone MUCH more content in the morning.  When we stick to routine, there are no surprises (or tantrums).