Monday-Laundry Day

Mondays...you either love them or you hate them.....For me, it depends on the night before...If we've had a late night at church, or just gotten to bed later than usual, then Mondays are hard. But if it's been the relaxed day of worship that I've been working towards, then it's not so bad. I enjoy the fresh start to the new week. I love fresh starts......new years is always a big deal for me, though I'll admit I rarely follow through with any New Year's resolutions. Still, I always feel like Monday is the start of a new work/school week, after a day spent worshiping the Lord, and it gives me a little boost to try harder on that day to make the most of that week.

For us, Monday is laundry day. A day when I try to cram in as much laundry as I possibly can in to one day. I used to spread my laundry throughout the week, doing a 1-3 loads a day, 5 days a week, but I hated dealing with laundry every single day, so I decided to have a laundry day, and just deal with it one day a week, with maybe a few loads that will need to be done throughout the week, and more once we have another little one in diapers around here. But the bulk of our laundry is done on Monday, and I actually enjoy getting it done now, because I know that once I get the last load washed, dried, and put away....there really isn't much else for me to do in the laundry room for the week.

In addition to getting our clothes clean, I have a few tasks that I try to get done on this specific day related to doing laundry. We also do school which is on my daily to do list for Monday. And for ease of use, I have put my regular daily routines on each day so I can just open up to that page, and see what all I have to get done, so some things will be repeats of what you've seen for things like our morning routine, although there are a few changes. So here's what our daily routines look like for Monday (with my extra notes in parentheses):

 Morning

-Read Bible and pray
-Pack hubby's lunch, and fix his breakfast, if needed(sometimes he doesn't want breakfast, and sometimes he comes home for lunch, so I always ask first.)
-Make bed and straighten bedroom (Straightening usually involves spending just a few minutes doing something to make my room look a little better. Right now, my room is sort of a mess, and a few minutes here and there is all I really have, so I do my best to not let myself get overwhelmed and spend a lot of time in there, just one little thing to make a difference, like straightening my bedside table, or straightening my dresser, etc)
-Yoga/stretching, get dressed, fix hair/face, and straighten bathroom (I generally sleep in stretchy workout type clothing, so I just get up and go to the playroom, where there is carpet, and spend about 10-15 minutes doing some yoga stretches to help my pregnant body not feel so yuck :o)
-Start kettle
-Start laundry
-Take dog out and feed her
-Make breakfast and tea/coffee
-Wake kids
-Eat breakfast, drink tea/coffee, and take supplements
-Table time-Proverbs reading, character study, and memory work
-Table chores (I'll share more later about what exactly we do for table chores)
-Prep food for lunch and dinner, if needed
-Kids do bedroom and bathroom chores (On Monday, this also includes gathering all their dirty laundry and sorting it)

Daily Chores-to be done by 4pm

-Set timer, wash laundry throughout the day (The timer is necessary, or I completely forget about it. I usually set it for an hour, and switch it out every hour, which allows me to get about 9 loads done a day if I stay with it, more if I use the clothesline)
-Straighten and clean the laundry room (This is an area that I really need to work on. My laundry room is a catch all for everything from clothes that need mending, have been outgrown, tools that need to be returned to the shed, and kids toys, skates, etc. I'm going to be trying to spend 30 minutes to an hour extra in there each week decluttering, organizing and cleaning, that's in addition to making sure all the laundry is getting put away that's done each week.)
-Iron and mend any clothes that need it (I keep my ironing board right next to the kitchen table on Monday so I can do this while the kids do school)
-Organize closets and dressers (I have the kids work on there closets and dressers while they are putting their laundry away, and then I check it. I take care of the littlest guy, and mine and hubby's closet and dressers.)
-Change out seasonal clothes, as needed

Homeschool-to be done by 4pm

-Reading, writing, and arithmetic with E7
-Reading-at least 1-2 hours a day (In addition to read alouds)
-Writing-copywork, dictation, and writing
-Arithmetic-Math on the level, 5-a-day, and new concept
-Science
-History/Bible
-Handicrafts

Noon Hour

-Lunch prep and eat
-Table chores
-Dinner prep, if needed
-Family read aloud (This is our literature selection to read aloud)

Afternoon Chores

-Kids do quick pick up in assigned rooms
-Tea time
-Finish up daily chores
-Finish up school work and put away for the day
-Go for a walk
-Start dinner

Dinner Hour

-Fix dinner-clean as you cook
-Dinner and family devotions
-Table chores
-Plan menu and prep food for the next day

Evening

-Family time (This varies, sometimes we watch tv/movies, sometimes we play games, sometimes we just do our own thing, working on projects, etc)
-Quick pick up in assigned rooms and bedrooms, if needed
-Kids wash up, brush teeth, and get ready for bed
-Poetry and Psalm reading
-Kids in bed at 9pm, reading, lights out by 10pm
-Wash up, brush teeth, and get ready for bed
-Free time-reading, watching tv/movie, spending time with hubby or working on a project
-Take dog out
-In bed by 10pm, reading, lights out by 11pm

I used to always get all my chores done during the morning, and then we set aside a specific time in the afternoon to work on school stuff. But I didn't always have chores for the kids to do during that time, so they were kind of left to their own devices unless I needed their help. So now we try to balance school with chores. I get laundry started, and then come and do a reading lesson, and whatever else I can fit in before I have to go switch it out. We kind of schedule around meal times....Our goal is to have most of our family studies done right after breakfast, while I go back and forth and work on laundry. Then after lunch, and our family read aloud, the kids do their independant work, and I bounce around helping each one as needed, and doing my other chores for the day. And if I'm lucky, and there's not a lot to do, I get a little nap, and the kids have a quiet/nap time. Then in the afternoon, around 3pm, we make mad dash to get all the laundry finished up and put away, and quick pick ups done before hubby gets home a little after 4pm. I really like it this way, because it kind of feels like at 4pm, I clock out for the day, and only have to worry about dinner, which is usually made easier by my prep work during the day. We have a long way to make this day as productive as I'd like it to be. Although we've managed to get most all of our laundry done each week on this day....little else has been getting done, and this is where my desire to get my home clean and organized, while still instilling these daily routines comes into play. If I commit to spending that 30 minutes to an hour each week on my laundry room cleaning and organizing, then it will be no time until it is exactly the way I would like it to be, without having to spend a whole focused day or week on this room with little else getting done. Another thing is, though I don't mention it...my kids help me throughout the day. They are responsible for gathering and sorting their laundry, getting/keeping their rooms clean, putting their laundry away, helping me switch out loads, straightening the laundry room, etc. I ask help from different ones depending on what they are doing at the time, and who I feel needs the extra attention and training. So that's our Monday, along with some of my goals to work on during this day. I hope you enjoyed peeking into our day!

Blessings,
sara