Maximizing the Summer

Little Bird and I are having an amazing summer so far!  One of the easiest traps to fall into as a mom is the “easy” thing or the “I’m tired” thing.  You know, where you are so damn tired that letting you kid just play on the floor in a big mess of toys so you can sit down for a while (while your eyes kinda droop), or where you turn on an episode of Sesame Street hoping for a quick break for yourself…and it turns into 4 episodes of Sesame Street because it’s a hell of a lot easier than structuring activities.

So here is the solution I’m running with.

I made a list of every activity Little Bird could do during the day, and put it into a Word Document Template for schedules.

The “Daily Schedule” template worked best for my needs, so I filled it in with things for Little Bird and I to do through out the day.

Check it out! – sorry it’s a scanned version so I know it’s hard to read…

 

Now there is no way we could actually do all of these things each day.  BUT, this is how I use it.

This morning, we desperately needed to go grocery shopping.  So after breakfast and clean up, Little Bird and I went to the store.  She helps me move everything into and out of the basket as we shop.  Giving her a job keeps her busy and learning.  She even demanded we get some “nanas!!!!” when we were loading our pineapple for our grill out dinner tonight, so bananas it was!

When we got back, Doc and my mom were working on pouring concrete in the backyard to put in posts for our fence.  Little Bird and I watched for a little bit, but once she was bored with it, I brought out sidewalk chalk so we could have some outdoor play and art time.  Not exactly where it falls on the schedule, but oh well!

It was about 11 o’clock when we went in, so we picked up where we “prepare lunch” on the schedule and followed it until nap time.

It’s almost like a more consistent activity wheel.

This afternoon, we’ll go swim, and work on dinner together, then Doc will pick it up from there and follow the schedule to bedtime.

Just one way to push yourself to be a more active and involved parent.  I know it’s hard, and we’re tired – but we can do it!  Load up with tools for yourself and you will find that you can do much more with your child with little drain when you have a plan!