Hello to my crafty friends,

What is your daily or weekly routine or schedule?

I’m having hard time trying to make one for myself. I’m a wife and I’m a mother. As of right now I work fulltime as a preschool teacher from 9-6 M-F. I have my own little 4-year-old girl. I’m an online graduate student for Early Childhood Leadership (I have 2 ½ more classes to complete, three more weeks for the one I'm in right now and 2 more classes in the fall)

I’ve been bone tired for the last couple of months. I think I reached my breaking point. I’m almost done with school and I don’t want to quit. It’s very hard to do things right now. I’m just extremely tired. I’ve always been a tired person, I like to take naps (and a few years ago I was diagnosed with mild narcolepsy, I do not pass out but the sleep study proved that I fall into REM sleep too fast) as of right now I don’t claim it because I haven’t had a sleep study done in awhile.

But with my plate so full and my job taking every little bit out of me I can’t find the energy to scrap and work out or do anything else. I’ve gained so much weight while working at my job. I think it might be stress eating and I also need that to stop.

So please tell me how you fit all of your daily or weekly needs into a routine or schedule that works for you. And maybe allow time to scrap or workout? Sorry if its too long or have to many questions.

I’m up for any advice or suggestion.

Thank you,

Crystal

Hi Crystal,

Your story sounds pretty familiar to me. I had the feeling I only had time for doing the things I need to do and if I found a spare moment, I was just too tired to doing anything fun.

The end of last year I started with the Reclaiming my time workshop from Big Pictures. It makes you think about what you think you do, what you are actually doing, what you would like to do and then try to work out how to fit everything in a schedule that works for you. For me it was an eye opener. I discovered I spent hours and hours behind the computer and I was not aware how much.

I work four days a week and during those days I am away from home about 10,5 hours. Normally I do not have the energy to scrap or spend time on other hobbies and I have accepted that. One day a week I am at home, getting shopping, cleaning and laundry done. And again leaving me with hardly any energy.

Since the workshop I am more aware of little periods of time I could do something, which will give me a bigger chunck of time later that day or another day in the week. I have started doing my laundry during the evenings, before I leave for work in the morning my kitchen is spick and spam and I have been able to arrange at work I have one extra afternoon free once a month. During that afternoon I can do my shopping and administration. So I have one day a month I spend on cleaning the house thoroughly. Which gives me time on the other days. I do clean, but it is more surface cleaning. Besides my normal routine I have decided to declutter my whole house this year.

Since I am working in this new routine I have found many hours where I can scrap. I made a schedule what I am doing on which day (Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are laundry day, once a month I have a scheduled day to clean both attics and clean the windows). I have found having this schedule helps me not thinking about what I need to do. I look at my schedule and it tells me what I should do on that day. So I can focus on what I like to do.

Maybe you could take a look at Flylady to see if there are hints that will help you in setting a routine. Not everything on their website is helpful to me, but there is good information on it.

One of the most helpful things from the workshop for me were: I am not the only one having this problem and I do not have to feel guilty if I decide on my day off, to clean less and enjoy myself more!

Els

I empathize with your situation ... school, work, family, homework, housework ... it's a lot to deal with ... no wonder you're tired

However, I firmly feel like we always have time for the things that are the most important to us ... I may not have the cleanest house, but I get to the gym 4-5x a week.

The reality is, something's gotta give ... you can't do everything, so find what matters to you most, and pay that time to yourself weekly. Maybe make an appointment to walk (finding a friend to walk with you could be really helpful) or to scrap and KEEP it, the same way you would keep an appt. with a doctor. Everything else will get done somehow.

You also don't mention if your husband is helping around the house. That can be a huge help (and stress reliever) as well.

good luck

I work full time also-don't get home til around 8:30 pm. I only have one child left at home (17) so he isn't as high maintenence as a 4 year old...most of the time. I forgo sleep...usually only get 5-5 1/2 hours a night. I get up at 5am so I can cook (I eat lunch and dinner at work), workout, do bills, clean, etc before going to work. Sundays are my "me" day...no cooking, cleaning, bills, laundry, etc. That is when I scrap. If I didn't take any "me" time I think I'd just keel over lol

I hope you're able to work out a schedule that works for you

I completely understand the situation. YOU NEED TO MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF! Even if it's 15 minutes.

But if you can give an hour on a weekend: With the weather getting nicer, take your daughter for a 15 minute walk,after dinner, then come back in and scrap for 30 minutes. Then take your daughter outside to play. This is an hour, but you will see how rejuvenated you will feel.

You've got a lot on your plate. I give you a lot of credit. But you need to take care of yourself first. Scrapping will always be there. Back in January I had anxiety attacks, becasue I wasn't taking care of myself. My doctor asked me if there was anything that helped me relax, I told him scrapbooking. So, he wrote me a prescription to go scrapbooking once a week. Of course, life gets in the way. I need to be very careful with my stress level. My mom died of perithenial cancer which was caused by high level stress. So, please take time for yourself. It sounds like things will settle down soon.

Lets see here a schedule... Well I get up at 5:30 am get ready for work take my son to daycare from there I work from 7am till 5pm then return to pick my son up we come home make supper if its nice out we go for a walk then play bath at bedtime between 7:30 and 8pm. I then do my excersize spending about an hour on the tredmill. so that puts me around 9:30 buy the time I ma done clean up of that... then its me time... I go down to my scrapping room and i play usually till around midnight... and repeat the following day... I have found that no matter what I need to take that bit of time for myself or I will go completely loopy. It is healthy even if I dont get the most sleep in the world.

It's very hard to juggle all that life throws at us, but what everyone has said so far is important and so right. You have to carve a little time somewhere that is just for you.
I work full time, and maintain a home, luckily I have no kids so that makes my time off more easily managed. I have fibromyalgia so my energy level is low most days, some days I feel good then some days I can't get off the couch. I have learned my house doesn't have to be showroom clean, as long as the main stuff gets done (dusting, vacuuming, etc). I try to get into my scraproom for at least half hour every evening to unwind from my day, and on Sunday I divide my time between laundry and scrapping. My husband is very supportive and helps a lot, this is very important! If your husband isn't helping you with any housework or child rearing, then kick him in the pants and tell him you need help! All the things that are stressing you (except school) are just as much his responsibility as yours.
Know that you aren't alone, and know that it's perfectly okay to ask for help!

I'm embarrassed to post my schedule because it is so different than everyone else's schedule. When my children were really little I was fortunate that I didn't have to work outside the home so I had plenty of time for the children, the house, volunteer work and whatever else I wanted to do.

THen I was divorced when my kids were 2 and 4 and life became very difficult - I had a schedule like everyone is talking about, no time to breathe! It was all about my two kids and then working very long hours.

However, now I'm retired and my husband is retired and there is no schedule. We get up when we want. Usually have breakfast around 10:00 if I feel like fixing it. THen Bill piddles around in the yard and waters plants if he wants to (today he is draining the pool to clean it). Lunch is usually around 2:00 and sometimes I take it to the pool and we eat in the pool. Afternoons its whatever we want to do - I went shopping for 3 hours yesterday to get ready for Easter. I have to clean the little guest house today for company tonight. Yikes - need to wash the bed linens.

At night we email and check boards and then go to bed when we want. Husband usually throws somethihng on the grill and I heat something to go with it. Then after dinner (which sometimes is 10:00 or 11:00 because we may not be hungry until then) we come back in our home office and play Sudoku and Free Cell against each other on our computers and check email and boards some more.

I usually spend 5 or 6 hours, sometimes more on scrapbooks every day, sometimes more. May not always accomplish things but I work on them.

And, when we get bored we take trips. May go to Nassau next week, I'm waiting to hear.

I know when you are young and have kids it is a lot of work. I remember it well. But when you get older and retire you do get your time back and its wonderful. I love retirement. But I certainly remember trying to find enough hours in the day. Now I wonder what I'm going to do with all the hours!

I hear ya!

I recently lost my job in January but I'm looking for a new one. In the mean time I'm also a college student, mother/grandmother/wife/4 H advisor/Phi Theta Kappa chapter officer and am planning a regional convention at my college so I know what you mean by NO TIME.

I fail drastically at keeping my house clean and what not.

I guess the best advice I can give is DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!

your world is NOT going to fall apart if your house isn't spotless, your child isn't going to care if you gave them a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner vs a 5 course meal just as long as you had fun while you were together eating it!

Ok been there done that it does get easier but one thing I have to stress don't do what I did and never take time for yourself. It is a priority that you take time for yourself....tell hubby that one evening a week is for you....sit down and work out what works best for both of you. Let him know that you have to have this time or you will not be functioning in a few more months.

I truly speak from experience I ended up almost in the hospital from exhaustion and not taking time for myself.

Once you have that one evening a week or one afternoon a weekend plan what you want to do. If it's a 2 hour time frame take a walk for the first 1/2 hour and then head to the scraproom. But, you do need to get out and exercise even if it's just a walk or you will not be able to function.

Hugs to you and if you need to talk my email is on my blog!

HUGs!!!!

Ohio mom gave perfect advice. You have to learn to let the small stuff go. Grilled cheese sandwiches are fine for kids - your time is more important to them.

• Ohio4HMom Said:

WORD!! Thank you for saying this. There's SO much stress on women to be perfect.

First of all, congrats on your journey to getting your masters! That's something I never did, and I really admire people who do it -- especially later in life when there's so much else going on in our lives.

My situation is a little different as well. I left the corporate world at the end of 2010. I started my own business last fall. If I'm not at a kitchen cranking out cookie orders (I don't have a storefront, but I rent commercial kitchens as needed, since I can't legally do this from home), I'm doing "office work". That's a FT job in itself. My daughter (also 4) is in pre-school, so I have the day to get things done, but during holidays and other busy periods, I am often in the kitchen late at night -- even overnight -- to complete orders. That leaves me with an irregular schedule, sleep deprivation, and me, not much fun for my husband or daughter to be around.

I didn't really have a crafty hobby before scrapping (well, other than cake/cookie decorating, but that's only in the last 18 months). When I do want to scrap, and my daughter is home, she has two choices: she can join me in "arts and crafts" (I have a bin of her supplies in my office/scrap room), or she can find something to do to entertain herself. A lot of times, she opts for #1, and I've even found ways for her to help me scrap. Let's just say, 4 year olds are great at tearing paper and picking out buttons to match LOs. Make it fun, and something you do together.

And others may disagree with this, but if you want to put on Sesame Street for her while you're scrapping (or whatever else) -- IT IS OK!!

As for your weight -- I totally understand that. I lost a ton of weight on Weight Watchers (83 pounds) and gained back all but 13 of it over the course of 10 years. Last July, I found a doctor who has been a godsend to help me lose 63 pounds. (Side note: I love Weight Watchers, but I needed something a little stricter. If you want info on the plan I'm on, feel free to PM me.) It does not take anymore time or effort to eat healthy than it does to eat fast food. It becomes a habit after awhile, and once the weight starts coming off, you really don't miss junk food that much. It sets a good example for your daughter, too. DD helps me write a grocery list, and goes shopping with me. And she loves to help in the kitchen -- that's a great thing for you and your DD to do together while at the same time, doing something for *you*.

One more thing I wanted to mention (and someone upthread sort of alluded to this): I learned how to "time chunk" my days. I don't do it all the time, but there are days when I will take my Google calendar and "time chunk" 90 minutes for the gym, 60 minutes for grocery shopping, 90 minutes for cleaning/laundry/preparin g dinner, etc. For my business, I will block off time chunks for tasks -- 60 minutes for accounting (ick), 60 for website updates, 30 minutes for social media/newsletter content. It really helped me to do that in the corporate world when clients would say, "Do you have an answer on _______" and I'd say, "Bob, I've blocked off from 10am-11am to work on __________________. I will get back to you then." Time chunking did two things: It made sure I actually blocked the time off to get things done, and, it made me accountable to the client (and myself)!.

Good luck, Crystal! I hope that helped and wasn't too rambly. Hugs!!

also a note on the weight - I love WW's - I lost close to 100 lbs on it prior to 2008 but in the summer of 2008 my DD was in an awful accident

life has a way of sneaking in on you and taking over when we aren't looking. I've gained it all back and its so much harder this time around to lose it.

You have to WANT to do it, try preplanning your meals for the week ahead of time so there's no thought about what you'll have for dinner on a certain day - just make a menu for the week, shop for those items and maybe even take Saturday or Sunday and cook the meals and freeze for later in the week.

Cook in bulk and split it up for that weeks meals. Add lots of veggies and fruit. Don't forget your water and above all else enjoy your family because you never know when you won't have them!

Thats what matters

I didn't read all of the posts so....
I understand your situation all too well! I will suggest using a crock pot or making meals a head. This will free up some time! Put baby down early so you and dh can have time or use that time for you. 30 minutes can go a long way! Since you are a teacher, why not incorporate exercise in the lesson plan? I have learned with juggling family, school, work, ministry and other things, if you can take care of more than one thing at the same time, do it!

My schedule - the husband gets up at 5:30 AM so I am up but usually can't move until 6:00 AM. Then I try to spend around 15 minutes max on scrapping and 15 min exercising/dancing around the house. Off to work and I am home around 5:30. Dinner, a quick chat with the husband and then I have personal time to read, scrap and catch up with friends. The problem is that I am so tired that it's hard for me to be creative.

I try to set goals for myself, both weekly and nightly. For example, I make cards and small chipboard minis because they are quick projects. I need the gratification of finishing something and making something simple helps. I'll have to leave the big projects for when I retire :-) Good luck and make some time for yourself!

I'm/was in the same position as you. I just completed my master two months ago and all I can tell you is a lot of work especially when you have kids and even worse when you're a single mom like me. For the last two years I work full time, do school work online, and run around like a chicken with the head cut off between all that, cooking, cleaning and trying to spend time with my 4-yr old boy. It's not easy but you certainly can do it.

I went to bed at 1:30 every night to wake up at 5 and do it all over again. I did manage to make it work for me and my son by integrating him into my routine. He helps in the kitchen by 'sort' of cooking with me or washing dishes, when I was cleaning the house he 'sort' of help by vacuuming or dusting, we took walks around the neighborhood for 10 or 15 mins and so on..The list can goes on and on. When his father takes him one day during the week or every other weekend, I take those days for myself...No homework, no phone, nothing...Just me. Either by sleeping, watching my recorded shows , going to the mall,catching up with friends, scrapping or just going to places that I always wanted to go.

Well enough said, every one advice is good but always remember every situation is different and you know better than anyone what's best for you and your family. My last suggestion: Do you best, don't give up and don't feel guilty. It's OK once in a while not to follow a strict plan and just be a little bit selfish and think about yourself. As long as you and your loved ones are safe, happy and healthy......Do You...I know you can!!

don't just assume you're tired because you're busy (although that certainly might be the case). Have your thyroid checked! that can make you bone tired! (so can pregnancy, but I won't go there )

I completely understand where you are coming from. I have a 5 year old son and a baby due any day now. I also work full time, 9 hour days and get every other friday off. But those fridays fill up quickly from errands to appointments to shuttling my son to all his activities, etc. Three days I week I also hit the gym before work, which means I'm up by 5 AM. My work schedule varies (I work 3 very long days (11+ hours) but then take off early 2 days a week to take my son to karate, tee-ball, etc).

Weekends are jammed packed with my son's activities too. However I still try to get a few hours of scrapping in every week. What helps the most I found is I recently made a scrapping space for myself (I used to scrap on the dining room table and would have to clean up afterwards - what a pain, especially if you have only 1 hour to scrap). Now I have a small designated space - I could scrap for 30 minutes (if that's all I have) and leave things out until I'm able to resume my project. I also give up TV time in the evenings to scrap. But sometimes I'm just too tired, so scrapping just has to wait. But that's okay too - taking care of yourself is equally important.

I don't have children, and I'm no longer in school, but I have been having a serious case of the "blahs" the past few months. On weekends, I don't feel like doing anything creative (or clean). I currently take public transportation or carpool to work (my employer pays for a transit pass), but my commute takes longer so I'm away from home from 6:45am to 7 or 7:30pm.

I think logging the time of your activities is a great way to see where exactly your time goes. Try integrating exercise in your daily activities if a 30 minute walk/workout isn't feasible. I will often do some ballet plies or squats while cooking dinner.

Maybe some active playtime with your 4 year-old like listening to music (even a child's tv program with music) and dancing around. You'll both benefit from some quality time and get some exercise as well.

I often set up packs of supplies and photos in large envelopes or 12x12 cases to work on when I have 20 minutes. I realized that I spend hours just trying to figure out what paper and embellishments I want to use on a page, by the time I get done, I don't have the time or energy to actually make the page(s). This might work for you, too.

HI everyone. Thank you for all the suggestions ideas, encouragement and support. My husband does help a lot with cleaning and does most of the cooking but he doesn’t do it that much. (I know that sounds bad) He cooked more when he had his other job. He works from Wednesday to Saturday from 1:30pm to 12:00 am. So we only see him in the mornings and nights on Monday and Tuesday, only the mornings on Wednesday- Saturday and all day Sunday. Its wonderful that we share the cleaning jobs and that he usually cooks. He does his own laundry bc he is very particular about that but I do the laundry for the rest of the house. I do the majority of the work for my daughter. She's very independent but I still have to do her hair, bath, cleaning of ears, clipping her nails, her room, her toy room, washing and putting away her clothes and helping her with homework.

I'm just not sure about what else is going to happen because he's starting his graduate program soon. He wanted three kids, and I said two and then I agreed to three. We had one and he can't really handle her that well and he doesn’t want anymore. My daughter is very active and busy she can make any one tired but even with me wanted to have another one I need help if I'm in school or not. On that note I should not be pregnant because I still have a year left on my Mirena birth control. Things were a little different when I stayed home the first 2 years with my daughter but I think I just reached the point where I can’t do all three mother, student and employee. I know I left out the wife part but I’m constantly reminded that I’m a wife too. Oh the retired life sounds so peaceful right now. I’m well aware that I’ve living with everyday precious moments and memories for a lifetime. I just wish I wasn’t’ so tired that I could enjoy it more.

So today I work up at 7:45am at work from 9 to 6-ish, got home at 7pm, started dinner, gave my dd a bath, worked on her lunch for school tomorrow and then I finally sat down for dinner close to 9pm. Posting at 9:30pm

Thank you,
Crystal