Family Scheduling AKA Head 'Em Off At the Pass

So, I guess a lot of this motherhood job really boils down to "head 'em off at the pass."  I can just picture the sheriff and his trusty side-kick galloping to the mouth of the canyon to round up the bandits before they make their escape. You're sortof like the Lone Ranger on the home front!

Sounds funny, but lots of happy, unstressed mommies are actually just more pro-active than their frustrated, stressed-out counterparts.  It's not that they work any harder.  Sometimes it's just the opposite!  Both mommies are going to have to fix lunch, for example.  Stressed-out mom will wait until her children are hungry, grouchy and whining for food before she fixes it.  Then she'll be annoyed while she's trying to figure out what whiny-butt wants to eat because a hungry toddler doesn't really CARE...they just want food NOW!  Happy mom, on the other hand, knew that her children would be getting hungry around their normal lunch time, so she decided what to fix and had it ready before the kiddos even realized how hungry they were.  It's actually the same, exact amount of work involved.  Both ended up fixing lunch.  One was frustrated.  One was not.



Thirsty!
This principle works for so many different areas.  Having a cuppy or water bottle filled up in the morning will save you some annoyance later on.  I used to tie my toddler's sippy cup full of water to the high chair with a short string.  It could sit on the tray or they could walk up and get a drink without my help.  Best of all, it never got lost!  These days,  I line up water bottles on the kitchen counter with each person's name on a label.  Saves me a lot of dish washing, which is always a good thing!

Going Somewhere
How about clothing?  If you know that you will be going somewhere with your children the next morning, why not figure out what everyone's going to wear the night before.  It only takes a few minutes to put together an outfit, including finding shoes.  That little bit of effort ahead of time will save soooo much stress and frustration the next day when you're trying to get out the door at a certain time.  That way, if you discover that something needs washed or is missing, you have time to decide what you want to do about it without the extra stress of hurrying.

Sleepy
Another aspect of "heading 'em off at the pass" is making sure that your kids are getting enough sleep.  From my experience, sleep is a HUGE factor in determining happiness in children.  As the mommy, it is your job to know what your children need and do your best to make sure that they get it.  Your little kids will not always know how important sleep is to them.  They need a lot more than you might think.  You can read here to find out exactly how much.  But the good thing about this particular need is that YOU need them to need all this sleep!  This is when YOU get your breaks.  God is very smart!  If you figure out a sleep schedule that works for you and your kids, try to stick with it for a little while before changing it.  It's hard for little kids to adjust to lots of changes and still feel relaxed enough to sleep.  If you can get them in bed before they're dead-dog-tired, it will be a lot easier for them to wind down and teach themselves how to decide to fall asleep.  You know how you feel when you're really wired after spending time with friends doing something fun? And then you know that feeling when you should go to bed but can't possibly fall asleep?  I think little kids experience that, too.  They need the time before naps and before bedtime to be sortof mellow.  And very routine.  That way they won't feel like they're missing out on something fun.

So, what's the bottom line on this whole schedule idea?

Like I said before in other posts:  You, the Mama, need to decide what will work for you and your family.  Then just do it.  Decide when would be the best time for meals, naps, bedtimes, etc. and then be ready when that time rolls around.  If you let it catch you by surprise, you'll possibly be frustrated by the interruption.  If you prepare ahead of time, then your kids will eventually get the hang of the routine and begin to take comfort in it.  You might like it, too.

Be sure to stay flexible when life throws you a curve, but on most days....

Head 'em off at the pass!