Sunday, January 29, 2012

New Year's Day all over again

I love the beginning of a new school year. Not because I have had enough of the kids after their 6 weeks of holidays (plus the extra 3 weeks Zac got after finishing Yr 10). I love having the kids home on holidays. Being someone who works nights, I love to throw the morning rush routine out the window & not have to worry about home readers, homework and uniforms for a while. It gives me a chance to rest a bit too.

A new school year is like New Year's Day all over again. A nice clean slate. A chance to streamline how we do things (give the kids more responsibility for getting their sh*t together in the mornings). No bad habits need to carry over from last year, let's get it right from Day 1 this time.

We start the year with the best intentions (just like New Year's Resolutions) - today I have baked enough Weetbix Slice and Vanilla Cupcakes to last their lunchboxes for the week. Preschool & primary school bags are packed (lunches get packed in the mornings). High school bag is packed, however Zac doesn't go back until Tuesday. I am on canteen at his school tomorrow so he gets to stay home by himself - it's ok, he's 16 not 6.

Nice clean, freshly ironed uniforms and polished shoes. I ironed the boys 2 days worth of uniforms to get them started, then it's their responsibility. In Term 4 last year I delegated the uniform ironing to the kids. They each do their own. I did it for 11 years, I think that's enough.

image from here


I want to continue things as we start. I mentally have a space set aside for the school bags to go each night once homework is completed, packed for the next day. Uniforms can't be ironed the night before as they are usually still going through the wash at that point. One of the not so joyous things of working nights is that I can't use my evening hours to do the stuff other Mums do in those hours. Like washing uniforms. I do not have enough hours between them wearing the uniforms & me going to work to get them washed & dried. And supervise homework. And listen to Liam read. And bath Megan. And cook dinner. And supervise the younger ones in the pool. Golly, how much does this world think I can do in just over 2 hours? However, if the kids hang their uniforms over the chairs to dry they won't need ironing. Ha! One point to me please Mr Scorecard.

So let's see how we go.........with a bit of tweaking in the organisational department, we could just have a good year!

What's your routine like?

Karen xx

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