Routine

As we come out of the cycle of illness (AGAIN!), I am reminded (AGAIN!) of how much easier life is when we follow our routines.

Mornings are smoother. We usually get out the door on time. And we often have time for a quick story or two before we leave the house.

Meals are smoother. Doing some prep the night before and sticking to the plan makes it a lot easier to come home and get dinner on the table and into hungry tummies quickly.

Bedtime is smoother. We stuck to J's routine while she was sick as much as possible, but when the other routines are in place, bedtime is less drawn out. Tonight J even told me when she was going to bed - a whole 15 minutes earlier than I was going to suggest. But I'm not going to argue with that!

The laundry pile doesn't turn into a monster, capable of devouring a full-grown human. I'm in panic laundry mode right now...at our house that means trying to do four loads a night - two that hang and two that can go in the dryer. That means counting the number of items that go in the hanging loads to make sure we don't run out of room on the racks (I miss the Blue House with the laundry lines in the basement and no rules against moving the rack outside when the weather is nice)

Mommy is less cranky. Because the house is tidier. There are fewer arguments. There is more sleep.

And on that note, I'm going to try to go to bed - I messed my own routines up tonight by falling asleep when J went to bed...