Back in the day of Newborn Harrison, when I knew basically nothing, I longed for someone, anyone to tell me what my days should look from hour-to-hour. The whole “go with the flow” did not yet exist in my world (it may still not, let’s be real) and I had no idea what his sleeping and eating patterns were actually meant to resemble. Thank goodness for the Internet and parenting websites to give me some clues about how a “single child, breastfed” baby’s day might go.

Of course, the only thing that never changes in life is change, so when Baby Raegan came along, I wrecked myself trying to find a schedule for a “nursing infant + rambunctious 2yo” online. There was just no more help that worked, though, so I had to go it alone and figure it out (make it up) on the daily.

With each passing year, the challenge of What Do Our Days Look Like?! has continued. And with each new babe and each new school/preschool schedule, the variables have just kept on a’comin’.

This year began with Harrison starting first grade a week and a half ago. Because the weather is still nice, I’ve been walking him to school every morning which means I’m actually walking/pushing all four kids. But you know what? It totally worked. The schedule looked like this:

1. Take HD to school
2. Walk home from school
3. Let kids play for 20+ minutes
4. Nurse TJ and put him down for nap
5. Try to get something done while Middles watch a show
6. Play
7. Lunch, etc, etc.

Not bad, right? By Friday of last week I was totally I’ve got this! to myself as we loaded up to head out the door and then that thought was instantly followed by, Crap. Preschool starts Monday.

Now, before you mistake my tone, I am not at all sad about preschool starting for the Middles. We are so excited for them and we love our preschool! But it means that my morning routines just got super wonky. Case in point, from today’s adventure:

1. Take HD to school
2. Walk home from school
3. Let kids play for 15 minutes
4. Load up three and take them to preschool
5. Bring home two
6. Nurse TJ and put him down for nap (a good half hour later than he’s used to, btw)
7. Try to get something done while LT watches a show
8. Play
9. Lunch, etc. etc. (Ben will do pick up at preK MWF)

OK – still not bad, right? Just different.

Well, here is what awaits tomorrow and every Tuesday/Thursday until we cave and start paying for pre-care for two kids so Ben can take the preschoolers on his way to school in the morning (Winter, for sure; otherwise, it’s the Mama Taxi show):

1. Take HD to school (this will also change when the weather gets cold because, hi, our friends are awesome)
2. Walk home from school
3. Let kids play for maybe 10 minutes
4. Load up and take two to school (but sit and wait the 15 minutes between their start times before being able to leave)
5. Bring home one
6. Nurse TJ and put him down for nap (still a good half hour later than he’s used to, but I guess “used to” will come for this new schedule, eh?)
7. DRINK COFFEE AND WORK ON SCHOOL STUFF IN QUIET HOUSE! WHOOHOO! TRUMY, MY LOVE, YOU HOLD ON TO THAT MORNING NAP AS LONG AS YOU LIKE! I’LL GO KNOCK OVER A TREE FOR NO JINX, JUST IN CASE!
8. Play/feed the baby
9. Head back to preK to pick up first kid
10. Sit and wait for second kid
11. Bring three home
12. Lunch, etc., etc.

AND this is why there are no One Schedule Fits Alls out there – even if we didn’t have this many little Littles, life would still be hella full, so we’re just going to own it and rock it and thank goodness for good coffee (although having to wait longer for my first cup of in the morning because Truman is going down for nap later is a bit rough; if you can’t tell, first cup has started to kick in during this post).

Do you crave schedules? Do you have one that works well? Or is yours always changing, too?