Routine

I am sitting here this morning thinking about kicking bad habits and starting new routines. I get into moods where I evaluate how I'm doing, what's working, and what isn't. Dealing with tantrums is a big one, but I haven't really figured out the key to that one yet.

Danny gets up early (for me anyway) to go to work and I usually sleep until my kids wake up. Last week I decided I don't get to see him enough and because I sleep in I don't get much done during the day due to lack of energy and sleepiness. Funny how sleeping in makes me more tired. I have started to get up with him knowing that if I'm really that tired and need the extra hour I can take a nap or go to bed early with the kids. It really has made such a difference. I get to make breakfast with Danny, talk to him, and remember giving him a kiss goodbye. When he leaves, I read the Ensign, have some quiet time, and start chores before the boys wake up. When it gets a little bit colder and I can start chopping wood it will give me time to get a fire going and get the house all toasty before the kids wake up. I'm really loving this new routine and I can't believe it's taken me this long to heed the scripture "...cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

We started a new nighttime routine with the boys. When my mom was visiting, she noticed that Kleyn would start arguing more and throw tantrums over little things if we hadn't had dinner by 6. I make dinner earlier, get them bathed and ready for bed, wait until Danny gets home and then get them in bed. We still have rough nights, but it usually goes so much smoother and there are less arguments and tantrums. It was hard for me to start this routine because I like to have dinner with Danny and I didn't want to make two separate meals. I also know that it's hard for him to work full time, go to school full time, and not be able to see his kids. He leaves before they wake up and if we don't wait for him, he gets home after they're in bed. It has been working out, though, and it gives Danny a chance to study and do homework if he needs to.

Washing dishes has always been a hard thing for me. I hate doing it and because my hands are small, when I wash plates and bigger dishes they fall asleep. In order to get a good grip on them, the edge of the plate pushes on a nerve in my hand. I have broken a few plates because of it. I have started washing dishes after every meal instead of waiting until the sink is full or until I run out of clean ones. Now I don't see why it was so difficult for me. Sometimes things just click. I know I'll still get behind every once in a while, but it's so much easier to keep the kitchen clean now.

Another bad habit I had was waiting until all of the laundry was done (which it never was) before I started folding it. I would dump each load on the front room couch so that I could fold it all at once. I changed this habit a while ago because it started to get embarrassing when people would come over and that was the first thing they saw. Now with a new baby, I get one load of laundry in at least ever other night instead of waiting until the weekend. It seems like I can keep up with everything so much easier when the dishes and the laundry stay caught up.

There are many more habits I need to break and good routines I need to implement, but I'll get there.