The Bedtime 5!

I am a firm believer that every child needs a routine. I know for a fact that at least one of our children thrive for this and when there is no routine, life becomes very disruptive and there are many problems.

Our morning routine is not perfect, but it's close and it works for us. Occasionally we have a change in this routine, but only when dad has to go to work early. We all struggle to find balance on these days and I just want to throw them right out the window (the days, not the kids). I don't function well on chaos and yet my day is full of it.

My new years resolution was to become better organized and while I am slowly integrating different systems throughout the house, I have one more thing I can check off my list.

I saw an article in the "my great idea" section of the latest Family Fun magazine and I knew that I was totally going to do it!
It was a high five morning chore chart. It was a great way to have children responsible for their mornings and keep a strong routine. Each child had a foam hand and one task listed on each finger. The hands hang on the wall and when the child has finished their tasks, they give the hand a high five and turn it over!

After reviewing all of our routines, I realized that while our mornings have the occasional hic-ups, they are actually smooth sailing. However, our bedtime routine was the one in need of a serious rehab!

Thus, the high five's became our Bedtime 5's! I just used double sided poster board and traced my own hand. I added the five tasks to get ready for bed and put one on each finger. Nothing fancy, just practical. The kids are excited about this and LOVE the idea. Even better, I am excited to set up something more solid around bed other than the time we put them there. Now if we could just figure out how to keep Nooshie asleep and in bed ALL night, this would be a wonderful house.