New Routines

With the new school year, Jonathan and I spent some time talking about what we each needed to make the transition successful...especially since he takes Thomas to school two mornings a week, and I take him one morning...and I pick him up each day.  What did we need to make the mornings calm and not crazy?  How to handle the pickup time since it's normally right in the middle of John Paul's nap?

We ended up coming up with adjusted routines for both the night before and the morning of.  The big things the night before -- making lunches/snacks, laying out clothes, and taking a bath (all time killers in the morning).  The big things the morning of -- the boys getting up at 6:30 and immediately eating breakfast, Thomas's 'bathroom routine' of the potty & teeth brushing, and everyone making their beds.  Having things clearly laid out helped everyone know what was important and what was needed before either going to bed or leaving for preschool.

We did a dry run on Labor Day, to see where the problems might be.  Moving the wake up time to 6:30 ended up shifting John Paul's nap earlier (yea!) and by the time we hit Thursday, I just rolled him out of bed, slid him into the carseat, and he slept all the way to school to pick up Thomas. Both boys are slow breakfast eaters, so they had time to eat without rushing, and I did morning chores in the kitchen while they were eating. 

We ran a few days of the new routines, and after they seemed successful...I designed routine signs for the bathroom to keep everyone on track.  There are images for Thomas to look at, and of course, they coordinate with the bathroom.  :)  Because I am a design nerd like that. 

All in all, both the initial discussions between Jonathan and me, as well as the dry run, helped make sure that things ran smoothly...and that Thomas's first days of preschool were as drama-free as possible.  And THAT is always a good thing!