Finding A Routine

By Mandi 09/12/2014

So.  Routines.  I have serious envy for people who are routine driven.  It is something that I want, but it is so foreign to my brain that it has been really really hard for me to find something that I can do over and over again.  

Don’t get me wrong, I am ALL for jumping in with both feet, but then I fall off the bandwagon after a little while and end up back on my routine of no routines.  It’s a real problem that I am hyper aware of.

Our summer was crazy, we were gone far more than we were here and by the time school rolled around, even my routine bucking ways were craving a change.

So when Dylan started morning Kindergarten, it. was. on.

On a typical day I would wake up and jump on the computer to work.  There was a lot of “grab some cereal” and “give me 5 more minutes to get this post up” and believe you me, that wasn’t a great way to start anyone’s day.  Instead I am trying out a new technique called priorities. 

The biggest change that I have made is that I don’t open my computer or get on my phone until the girls are at school.  That way I am not distracted and parenting on automatic.   This is pretty huge for me (I am one of those blurry eyed email checkers that jumps on my phone before I have even formed a coherent thought.)

I have been making sure that they have a good breakfast.  Dylan always has the same request,  puppy dog pancakes (i.e. pancakes that look like a dog face if you squint your left eye and close your right), our current favorite topping is Lingonberry jam and fresh peaches.

Real Life-9 

While the girls are eating I clean the kitchen, that way I can be in the same room and we chat about life.  After I drop them off I pick up the living room, and take a little time for prayer and mediation. Then I am finally ready to work.

It amazes me how just a few changes like picking things up before I jump head first into a project makes my life so much happier…at least until I come in from working on The Nugget all day to find that the girls have made a clay/paint/My Little Pony mess and we get to start all over again.  I just love those creative little souls.

My #cleanfeelsgood moment is when I can sit down to work, with the dogs snuggling next to me.  There is just this huge internal sigh of contentment.  I feel like I am really ready to tackle my day.  I think as moms and women (I hope I’m not the only one that feels like this) we become masters a juggling.  Kids, work, projects, meals, volunteering, being a wife, and taking care of ourselves and everyone around us.  This moment that I have carved out in my day, for a minute at least, makes all of those things stop competing for the foremost thought in my brain.  I can just breathe and actually choose what becomes the most important thing.

Inquiring minds would like to know, What’s your Clean Feels Good moment like? Share your moment using #cleanfeelsgood and #sweeps on Instagram with @ScotchBrite_3M to be entered for a chance to win!

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These little dogs just make me so happy!  Gertie Girl has got the funniest personality, she is such a grumbler.  Speaking of grumbling…  Court is way more excited to help me with projects when we can actually find the things we are looking for.  Strange how that happens.

So there you go friends,  a little peek at trying to manage real life.  It gets hairy sometimes but man, I am grateful for it.

Now get snapping so you can win some prizes!!

 

Love Your Guts

 

 

 

*I’ve teamed up with Scotch-Brite™ Brand for this post.  All words, ideas, and pancake making skills are 100% mine.  Thanks friends, for supporting the people that support Vintage Revivals!

15 thoughts on “Finding A Routine”

  1. I wish I had a routine! My morning starts by trying to get two teenagers to rally for school. It starts at 6:15 when I drag myself out of bed and ends at 7:15 when their dad takes them to school. The oldest will be 16 Monday so dad’s responsibility may change.
    When they leave I try to sit and finish my coffee and plan the day. Somedays I have to rush to get to work though so the coffee is still there when I return after work.
    I like the idea of quiet time after they leave and a bit of time to get thoughts going. Now if I could just finish what I start and get something done. (getting on this blog doesn’t help- I get easily distracted)

  2. I always say that I’m a Type A personality stuck with a Type B brain. I love me some lists and schedules and routines, but oh man am I terrible with them.

  3. I like that not only do you take a few minutes to pick up, you also clear your mind as well. Seems like the perfect combo for a productive and inspiring start to the day!

  4. I loved this post! I am still “recovering” from becoming an empty-nester…ok…it’s been a few years. But oh how I long for the way September used to make me feel! After a summer of fun in the sun, sleeping in, staying up late and no homework, September was a wonderful fresh start. Yes indeed, September also brought a whole new set of challenges, but I remember welcoming them with open arms. September meant organization and delegation. It meant normal meal times and bed times which meant “me time” could be scheduled in to.
    As I’m approaching 50, I feel the need to press that re-set button more than ever. Thank you for sharing!

  5. My problem is not mornings – we have a pretty decent routine there, it’s the evenings! After going 100% all day I have a REALLY hard time getting myself and the kiddos settled down, and this often leads to insomnia for all of us. I used to run every evening, but since my 4th month of pregnancy I haven’t been able to do that (hopefully by December I can get back at it). Two things have really shown to work for my family….first, no electronics on school/work nights and second – and like you – evening prayer and devotional time. I take time with my children before bed to read (we just started The Story) and my 9 year old leads my five year old in prayer – something in the evenings they do together, just the two of them. I then move on to my own personal study/devotional and prayer time. It has really helped us to settle down and clear away the anxiety invoking day.

  6. Ah! I just started my routine THIS morning. Read the bible to start my day, roll out of bed, laugh with my husband while I blogilates, get dressed, & run to the bus lol.

  7. Routines make life so much simpler, it’s so great to take time to focus on your task at hand rather than trying to do too many things at once! XO

  8. Your style is impeccable, and those pancakes look delicious. Adopt me? Seriously though, having a routine that you stick to is so important, being free of distractions, and with a computer they are MANY. I too envy people who stick to their guns to get a job done right away, because I’m the worst sort of procrastinator. I may get it done, but it’s often with a large helping of guilt on the side because if I’d done it sooner, I’d have had time for all the little things that crop up that you never count on.

  9. First off I hate mornings! My morning is SUPPOSED to start at 630 am yet I’m Rolling out of the bed at 7 am (sometimes later, shame) panicking and screaming to get up, throwing clothes at my boys and shoving food in their hands on the way out the door and speeding the like 7 miles to the school to make it the last minute before the bell rings and I don’t look like a complete failure as a mother lol! And then I get home and want to pass out but find myself dragging my feet to make coffee and plop down to be engorged by HGTV and pinterest! I clean my coffee table, dining table and couch off because apparently the male persons in my home don’t know where a trash can is or where anything goes. Then dishes and laundry. I find if I clean then do projects my mind feels better and it’ll be less likely I’ll be questioned what I did all day (haha… that darn hgtv). And yet here I am at 12:51 pm playing Hay Day and commenting on ur blog. I call it “me time”

  10. Mandi:
    If you find a routine that sticks, let us know. I can relate to being a creative personality who needs a balance of routine and times for unleashed creativity.
    Pam

  11. I’m totally working on this as well. My heart loves spontenaity, but my life needs routine.

    I’ve been starting it out with my Miracle Morning for about 4 months now, and there’s nothing like it. Seeking God first makes my soul rise and everything else just falls into place. And if it doesnt, then I’m in such a wonderful place, then it just dern’t matter.

    Joy, love and peace,

    Gwen

  12. Just had to say thanks for this post. I work from home and have ever since my oldest was born almost12 years ago. I find myself heading straight to my computer in the morning in an attempt to “get ahead” on my work, but I worry that I might be missing out on the more important things in life, i.e. time with my four girls. Thanks for giving me a nudge in the right direction. It’s just what I needed!

  13. Wonderful post! I love your style and really enjoy reading your blog. I had to laugh though when I saw your Boston’s on the velvet couch, because I also have 2 Boston’s and that couch would be a dream for one of them…..she just loves to lick soft furniture!! I’ve wanted a velvet couch so bad, but it would be covered in Boston slobber. Haha!!

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