Dear Friends,

Do you include your children in your daily routines? As you are going about your daily routines, teach your children. They need structure and routine. If you are trying to do your daily routines with little ones around the house and not including them, it is like brushing your teeth while eating. They will be making messes while you are cleaning.

When I started the FlyLady system, I did it for me, but I knew I had to get my children on a good basic routine as well.

When I got dressed in the morning, they got dressed. I taught them to do their routine in a certain order: get up, make bed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, put dirty laundry in the bin, and start their homeschool lessons with me. When they were really young, I had to do this with them. As they got older, I could tell them one thing at a time to do. I also made little check off sheets for them.

If I was folding laundry, I asked them to help me. Even little ones can help sort laundry, or they can hand you items to put in the wash. They can put things in the dryer as you hand them items from the washer. When the clothes are dry, they can hand you one item at a time for you to fold or hang up. They can match up socks for you to fold. They can fold a stack of washcloths.

Children like to help if you praise them and make it fun. By including them, you are teaching them life skills for adulthood. The most important routine is the Before Bed Routine. Your evenings can go more smoothly if you have a predictable schedule for the children. It does not have to be centered completely on a clock. Teach them the order in which you do things. You will want a dinner time and a bedtime that are close to the same time each evening, but the other things can just flow into the next thing.

After dinner, divide and conquer the kitchen clean up. Then moving into the evening routine. Check the calendar and weather for the next day. Make it a game for each person to get an outfit, shoes, and socks laid out. This can be very entertaining to see what they pick out if they do not do this often. Ask them to bring you anything they need for the next morning if you have somewhere to go.

Have a quick Hot Spot Drill. Teach your children to pick up behind themselves by modeling it. Then you can move into your regular evening schedule. The children may play before bed or read books with you. If they play with their toys, have another pick up time before they get a bath, brush their teeth, and go into bed.

From my years of having little ones in the house, I know it is tiring, and I know it takes longer to do things when you involve them in helping. You are building them up and teaching them. If you keep them close to you, they will not be destroying other rooms in your home when you are doing things.

What questions do you have about children and routines?

Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.

Your Zone Mission for today is to declutter in the laundry room.

My menu plan for Tuesday is stir fry and a salad.

Have a blessed day!