Schedules, routines, and lists... oh my!

I happened upon this blog, A bowl full of lemons that challenges its readers to weekly organizing challenges and, before I got sick, had planned on joining in! Well, I'm resting on the couch and decided to make use of this time by better organizing my weeks.

Part of having a meaningful home life is routines. If chaos rules your home, it makes it much more difficult to carve out time for meaningful moments, let alone let them happen spontaneously, because you're too busy playing 'catch up' in all that has fallen behind. I'm all about having a meaningful home life and the best way to achieve that is a little organization!

Enter the latest challenge - create a schedule and routine as well as kid's schedules. So, here I am again... ready to tweak my schedules and routines, improve upon my systems and make our home life flow more readily in order to have room and time for meaningful moments!

Of course, routines and schedules are not to lock you in and suffocate. They are to help make use of your time better by providing direction.

Won't you join me and A bowl full of lemons in taking these fun challenges to improve your home life?

Here's my weekly routine:

Monday – Laundry; Home school; Staff meeting; small group bible study
Tuesday – Upstairs cleaning; Home school; Projects (Science or Baking), Scouts
Wednesday – Downstairs – cleaning; Home school; Projects (Art or Movie); Scouts
Thursday – Laundry; Home school; Kaary-appt.; Library day; Piano lessons
Friday – Home school Co-op; Laundry; Family night
Saturday – Family Fun day OR Home day; OR Various activities
Sunday – Church; Rest; Youth group

Here are the boys' daily schedules:
Josh and Jake’s schedule:
7:00 – 7:15 – Wake, make bed, get dressed, turn on Cami’s lights and feed her
7:15 – 7:50 – Morning devos, Breakfast, prayer
7:50 – 8:00 – Morning chores (clean up breakfast table; bring down laundry hampers and sort, etc.)
8:00 – 10:15 – School; Fridays - CHILL
10:15 – 10:30 – Break; Fridays - CHILL
10:30 – 12:00 – School; Fridays - CHILL
12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch; Fridays - CHILL
12:30 – 1:30 – School; Fridays - CHILL
1:30 – 2:00 – Afternoon chores; finish up in remaining school work or projects
2:00 – 4:00 – Free time
4:00 – 4:30 – Scouts study time; help with dinner prep
4:30 – 5:30 – Free reading; help with dinner prep; garden/yard chores
5:30 – 6:00 – Dinner;
6:30 – M- Small group; Tu. – Jake- Scouts; Weds. – Josh – scouts; Thursday – 6p.m. – Piano lessons
7:30 – get ready for bed
8:00 – free reading time for Josh and Jake in bed
8:30 – Bedtime – Jake
8:45 - Bedtime - Josh