Our Family Schedule Fall 2017 – Too Busy?

Now that the 2017-2018 school year is back in full swing, I thought I’d share our family schedule.

I’ve talked about us having a busy life in the past. I’ve also shared how I feel about being a 2-working-parent household. Time just flies by. Before we know it, it’s Christmas, then Easter, then summer again!

This term, the girls are enrolled in 7 hours of dance class overall. I’m taking one hour. Plus, we still both work, the kids go to after-school care, and then there’s dinner and homework to deal with. And Patrick still has evening work at least once a week.

Let’s look at our “average” week:

Every day, the kids get on the school bus at 7:45. That means we get up at 6:30 to get ready. So far this year, mornings have gone okay. I’ve used some of my own tips, so they must work!

Monday:

I go to work for 9:30 – so I leave the house at 9 am. This is sweet because I have a bit of time at home without the kids. I’ll do some tasks related to this here blog, and get myself ready for work, and for my own dance class.

Patrick will collect the girls from after-school care by 5 at the latest, so he can get them fed before Emma’s ballet class at 6 pm. He and Rose hang out while she dances, then we cross paths for a few minutes when I get there at 6:30 (after work, in preparation for my own class at 7 pm.) I connect with everyone for 2 minutes when Emma’s class lets out, before mine starts. When I get home at 8:45 (class goes until 8:30) the girls are in bed, and Pat and I eat something and go to bed ourselves.

 

Tuesday:

I start work at 8:30 on Tues so I leave home at 8 am. Patrick usually takes the girls to the bus so I can finish getting ready instead of standing at the bus stop for 15 minutes being unproductive!

Tuesdays are a funny day because I finish work at 5 and I head to dance because one of us brings Rose home while Emma stays for 2 hours of class. It’s funny because I’m often there before they are, but Pat has to get them so there’s enough time to eat first.

Depending on Patrick’s schedule, I either bring Rose home and he stays, or I get to stay, and he brings Rose home for bed. I prefer staying at dance because a) I don’t have to do Rose’s bedtime, and b) I can get a ton of stuff done if I take my computer and sit at dance for 2 hours!

Then whoever stays brings Emma home, she has a quick snack, and we put her to bed.  Then often I need to eat something (if I stayed), so by the time I’m ready to sit in front of the tv for a few mins, it’s already past 9 pm.  *Yawn*

Wednesday:

This is my day off. I get the kids onto the bus, and then I have the day to do what I need to. Often, I do a few loads of laundry and run to the grocery store. Once that’s all done, it’s usually close to lunch. I try to do some blog work on Wednesdays too – and maybe some active work like gardening, or taking a walk or jog, though that’s what often gets missed because I run out of time!

The kids get home at 3 – they come home on the bus Wed (that’s new for us this year), and we have to do dinner and homework by 4:30 when we need to leave to get Rose to her acro class for 5 pm. Emma and I hang out for the hour, then we all come home together. Wednesdays are our first bath night of the week, so everyone gets cleaned and then it’s bedtime!

Wednesday is the one night of the week Patrick routinely schedules for work. It works out fine, especially because it’s becoming routine and I know not to expect him!
 

Thursday:

Thursday’s shift for me is the same as Monday – I don’t start until 9:30. But that means I’m not off until 6, so this is another night Patrick has to get the girls.

We do the same on Thursdays as on Tuesdays at dance. One stays, the other takes Rose home after her 6 pm ballet class so she can get to bed on time.  Emma finishes at 8, then she comes home to bed (and snack if necessary), and then Patrick and I find something to eat ourselves. I’m sure eating after 9 pm two or three nights a week is not really good for us, but we haven’t found a way around this yet!

Friday:

This is our only no dance night of the week! I work at 8:30, and I’m off at 5.  Picking up the kids can change by the week – depends on how full Patrick’s day is. If he can get them, I can go straight home, but if not, I go collect them and we’re home by about 5:30.

I try hard to get a “real” dinner into us on Friday, as well as on Wednesdays, but often by this point in the week, I’m just done. Spaghetti is a good choice for Friday night for me, as long as I remember to take a container of sauce out of the freezer before I leave the house in the morning! 

Often we’ll spend Friday evenings watching a movie or something relaxing like that. Some weeks the kids get a bath, other weeks we do it on Saturday.  Depends on both the energy — and dirt — levels of all of us.

Weekends:

We have no plans for Saturdays this year so far. I mean, we do groceries or other shopping, if required, plus I get more laundry going, but there are no organized activities right now. We may be adding swimming lessons, but this term we couldn’t get the schedules just right, so we skipped this round.

On Sundays, the girls routinely go with their Nanny to church and then spend the day with her. We all gather at her house for Sunday dinner with more of the family.  This is the day we sometimes will go catch a movie, or do some other thing we know the kids won’t be too interested in.  My favourite Sundays are the ones when I stay home, do a little blog work, some housework, and also get to sit and do nothing.

 

Make sure you stay connected with me – I’m always learning and sharing tips and ways to make busy lives easier.  You can follow me across social media through the links at the bottom right of the page. 

 
Are we crazy for choosing such a busy schedule?  What does your week look like?  Are you never home like us?  Share a glimpse into your week with me in the comments!

~Jess