Daily Rhythm & Apple Crisp

It is so easy to become distracted in our daily lives. Checking social media on our phones, texting our friends (and partners), spending hours on Pinterest, we've all done it. A goal of mine for this year has been to be more present for my children.

Being a parent to small humans can be a really stressful job. I really believe it is the most important thing in the world, to raise these little people into functioning adults. I've found, over the past four (almost 5!) years of being a mother, that a routine really helps our days. It helps with arguments, it helps me stay focused, and most importantly, it helps me stay present. 

We have a daily and weekly rhythm in our home. Things that just seem to happen at the same time every day. We wake up, we read, we snack, nap, lunch, play, paint, etc. There is almost an order to the chaos that is life with two young children. Mondays and Tuesdays "dad" is working at his "far away office" instead of upstairs in his home office. Tuesday we have playdates, and every Friday is family movie night! But occasionally, we need a little help. I get busy with work, sewing, or *gasp* my Instagram feed. I need a little push sometimes. 
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So, I created a printable that I keep on the side of my fridge. It has a rough layout for our average weekday schedule. I laminated ours so that I can write in extras and then wipe clean to avoid the extra waste, but you don't have to! 

You may notice that a few hours are missing. In our home, after a 3PM Afternoon Snack,  it is basically free play until 5PM when I start making dinner, normally with lots of help from my older child, Harper, who loves cooking and baking. Sometimes they play with sensory toys during that time, such as kinetic sand, loose parts, rice bins, or outside in the water table (if it isn't too hot in the desert!).
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Both of my children love making art (go figure!) so I make sure to schedule multiple times throughout the day for us all to sit around the table and make a mess together. ​

After having a second child, I find it is sometimes a struggle to give my first born the attention and time she was accustomed to. I have included some "Mommy/Harper time" in our daily schedule during my son's nap. Since she enjoys baking, we often spend the first part of nap time making muffins, bread or other baked goods. Things that we can enjoy throughout the week. On this day, we got together and made a delicious vegan apple crisp! She loved mixing in the apples with the cinnamon and fresh ginger, and sneaking bites of the crumble topping. 
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I found the recipe via Minimalist Baker, which you can find HERE. Because we are not gluten free I simply used regular all purpose flour in the topping. I also did not have any almond meal on hand, and found that I had great results with the flax meal in my pantry taking it's place. 

Your daily rhythm will look different, and that's ok! Sit down with a piece of paper and think about the events of your day, going backwards from bedtime. Or, better yet, write things down as they happen for a few days to see if there are any patterns. Once you have a rough idea of what your days look like, think of a few things that you'd like to incorporate everyday. Maybe it is a walk in the morning, a weekly playdate, or an event in your community. Find a way to fit that in! It isn't about being so busy that you need a schedule. It's about making time for the things that are important for you, so that you don't have to rush through them.
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Below are two versions of a blank schedule, you can print your own and fill it in. Hopefully it can act as a tool to help you stay present in your life. 
xoxo

Download your own blank Weekday Schedule HERE