Plan to Make a Plan

Maybe you don't know this about me.

Or maybe you do and you're just too kind to say it to my face.

I'm not a take-it-easy-no-big-deal kind of a person.  I've never learned to act like a duck and let it all roll off my back.  Call it OCD, call it crazy, call it whatever you want.  It's me and there's no getting around it.

I have been sleep training the twins to transition from two (2 hour) naps a day to one (2 1/2 to 3 hour) nap a day.  You may think I'm crazy but my reasons were sane.  Ava was done with the sleeping twice a day and poor Vance kind of gets roped into whatever the other two are doing.  We're into week #2 and I'm starting to feel like they're settling into the idea, though come 10:00 in the morning (when they used to take their morning naps), they are almost impossible to entertain enough to keep awake.

On our most successful days, we go on an outing (to the Red Store, to Costco or to their favorite- Pet Smart) and are back just in time for lunch and then into their beds (all three of them!) for a few hours of what I like to call "Heaven on Earth".

I've decided that apart from my co-workers and students, the thing I miss the most about teaching is the schedule.  I told you I was a bit crazy. When I walked into the classroom 10 years ago, I, for the first time found that I went the whole day without looking at the clock wistfully.  I loved it!  I felt it a personal challenge to get through the lesson I had to get through, arm the students with the skills they needed, and then give them ample time to practice and succeed on their own in the amount of time I was given. I found myself wishing there was actually MORE time at work at that had never happened to me before.

So here I am, years later.  Not necessarily any wiser.  I found myself last week alone with the kids all day (my wonderful husband has been so busy with work and his cousin whom came to stay and change my world has been with family up north).  Like I mentioned before, I had just started sleep training with the kids (the first week is always the hardest).  Couple that with teething (times 2!), the heat bearing down and a mom who was averaging a shower every 72 hours, did NOT make for happy babies.

I had a pitty party on Monday night.  I started feeling sorry for myself.  I started feeling like the Lord knew I wasn't capable of doing this on my own, so he made sure there was always people there to help.  I just hadn't noticed until they all left at just how bad I was at doing it alone.  Before I sat down to cry and refuse to never get out of bed again, my darling husband (who came home just as the chaos had gone to bed) sweetly suggested I go, "run it out".

Now, you already know I'm no runner.  At best i jog at a steady pace.  A funny thing happened though as I was out by myself.  I changed my attitude ('bout time!).  I decided then and there that I didn't have to wallow in self pity.  I could actually enjoy being outnumbered by these tykes and choose to see things differently. 

As I walked back up the huge hill to our house, I formulated a plan.  I would start anew tomorrow and focus more on setting my home up to run like my classroom.  I would focus on Kurt's chores, tell him what fun things to expect that day and give him some structure to look forward to.  For the twins I'd make sure when Kurt was busy doing his thing, I'd be on the floor playing with them giving them one on one (or two on one rather) time. 

Starting early, I grabbed the materials for my much anticipated toddler activity via Pinterest and waited for the day to work for itself.  In theory, it was great.  I made sure we started breakfast right after our morning time.  We cleaned up after eating and I told Kurt it was time for a fun experiment (do I call it "school"?) He really got into it.  He got to experiment with colors, vinegar and baking powder and create lots of bubbles and fun patterns...

 ...all while Vance watched.

I was so excited.  I was getting the morning dishes done, cleaning up and getting things ready all while he played.  I couldn't believe it had taken me soooo long to figure this out!  Why had I not done this before?  It was the beginning of a beautiful day....until I happened to glance over at the clock to see that it was...only 8am.  WHHHAAA???  Oh boy.  Again, I forgot how short Littles' attention spans are and while I imagined my activity taking 30 minutes so I could regroup, he had other ideas. 

I did the best I could with what I had been given.  I made sure after our morning time we went on an outing (this time to Costco!).  I patted myself on the back to loading, unloading, managing and keeping all three from having break downs all before lunch.  After lunch we kept awake by playing outside (yes it was 96 degrees all before noon) and basking in the sun. 

I feel like I need the structure just as much as they do.  Luckily, as they are getting older, I find myself enjoying them more and more.

Now, outside time is less turning every 3 seconds to remove Vance from the crawling up the stairs, racing every 5 minutes to pull rocks out of Ava's mouth and brush the dirt from her lips, and only once or twice having to make sure that Kurt does not "pee like dad" in the sandbox (don't laugh.  It's happened more than once).

I may be living in my own Utopian society, but I've decided our days are going to look a little something like this:

7:00 am Wake Up/ Morning Play Time (upstairs playroom)
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am Morning Show (as well as getting dressed and ready for the day)
10:00 am Outing/Adventure
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Naps!
3:30 pm Afternoon Show (mostly just Sis waiting for the boys to wake up)
4:00 pm Outside Time
5:00 pm Inside Play (while I get dinner ready)
5:30 pm Dinner
6:00 Walk (or Family Game)
7:00 pm Tubs
8:00 pm Bedtime


Needless to say, for the first day of this new schedule it could've been worse.  Is it sad that the twins are almost a year and a half and I'm just now getting it down?  I think about the time I actually feel like I've got it, they'll be leaving the house.

So here's to my OCD.  Here's to my plan to make a plan.  Here's to learning how to let the water just roll off my back. It worked for today.  Now let's just see if it'll work for the next 364.