Scheduling the road ahead.

As the good Lord would have it, in a few weeks, I will be switching jobs.


You see, in a few weeks, Stuart will begin his student teaching; thus, he will be in the classroom all day every day.  And thus, I will loose my babysitter. 


Basically, what this means is that instead of Stuart watching G-love while I'm at work part time, I will now be home with her almost the entire week!


I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited.


Fridays, Georgia will likely spend a half-day with her 'Nan' or Aunt Brynn (don't you love how you can volunteer family for such babysitting?) and Saturdays, she will spend a half-day with Stu, Nan & Papa, Aunt Brynn and Uncle Brandon (and cousins!) or Auntie Tye and Uncle Ty.  Either way, I'm sure she'll more than enjoy herself!  She has so many wonderful family members and friends who would eagerly scoop that ray of sunshine into their arms!


Alas, this new schedule also means that we'll be incredibly poor.  Cutting down on hours means cutting down on our budget.  Dangit.  Those rules of logic really get ya sometimes, don't they?

Regardless of monetary losses (and we thought it couldn't get any tighter!), I am so thankful to be home with Georgia more and for Stu to almost be in the final quarter of his schooling!  And as much as I hate to wish time away, June can't come soon enough! 


Which leads me to the point of this post.


Since G-love and I will be house bound four days a weeks without Dad, I've got to ensure we make and adhere to a proper schedule.  Not only for her boredom's sake, but also for my sanity.  Sure, it's lovely to lounge around in pajamas an extra hour instead of rushing off to the office - but if I view this mothering and keeping of the home as my job, then lounging around in my pajamas sure isn't going to help anything.

I want to ensure I have scheduled play time!  And fun time!  And outside time! We've been battling the boredom with this nasty weather and I don't want to spend too much time watching Curious George, just because we don't have anything else to do.


Thus, the daily schedule is born.  For Mama.  For baby.  For sanity everywhere.


Okay, so the daily schedule isn't actually born yet.  I haven't configured out just how it will work best yet, but rest assured, it's in the works.  I would love any advice you seasoned Mamas have about scheduling with little ones.  I know I'd like to include two 'out of house' trips per week - be it to the grocery store, the library, or the park, as well as a scheduled outside time each day (usually a walk in the afternoon to get some fresh air).  


I'd also like part of the schedule to include getting up early (I love the morning time, it's my favorite!) which allows me to spend time reading my Bible, praying, having uninterrupted conversations with my dear husband, drinking coffee (priorities, people!) and getting ready before Georgia wakes up.  I'm much more productive if my hair is done (and pulled out of my face), my makeup is on, teeth are brushed, I have clothes on, etc.  Because she usually doesn't get up until 7:00, I'd say this is totally do-able.  And not only do-able, but essential to having a productive and fulfilling day.

Here's a few fun online resources I found for scheduling your day:
Free Printable Household Planners
FlyLady - So much great information!
The Project Girl - Loved the printable menu!


And of course, a schedule is always flexible.  Sometimes, naps get shifted or special events come up - and that's okay!  The purpose is not to have it set-in-stone, but rather, to maximize fun and productivity as I labor in the recesses of our home.  


What works well in your home?