Trying to Find a Routine

During the summer I read a great book about developing a daily routine. The book is "Managers of Their Homes" by the Maxwell's. It is an awesome tool. We set our routine and have really enjoyed knowing what comes next. And every once in a while we scrap the routine and do our own thing...like the day we went shopping and found our .97 sale at Penneys. Last week the routine was shot to pieces, but that was ok!

We did schoolwork on Monday & Tuesday, drove to GA on Wed., and then the girls and I spent the next 2 days at the hospital with Mom. They went home at night. They brought their books and got some work done when I was with Mom in therapy. Greg & Will built Mom a handrail coming up the steps in from the garage. They also put a handicapped rail in the bathroom, installed a new water filter at the kitchen sink, and put together the rails to help in two of the bathrooms at the potties. So they have been very busy also.

But the routine is shot and I can tell a difference. I have 3 children "floating" around not knowing what to do next or what is coming up next. We are going to work on that this afternoon and try to establish some sort or a routine for the next 2 weeks. We normally "school" Monday-Thursday and leave Friday's open for cleaning up and games. So we will have 4 days of school this week and 2 or 3 days Thanksgiving week. Then no more "schoolwork" till Jan.! Yeah! When I set up our school schedule for the year, I realized that Thanksgiving was the very end of the month and the next week was our big Christmas musical Living Tree at church. Our whole family is involved in this and will take lots and lots of time that week. For those skeptics out there...yes you can take off the entire month of December and still get your books finished for the year. We usually finish sometime in May.

So we are going to establish a temporary routine to use at Granny's house. Rising, getting dressed, breakfast, schoolwork, reading time, lunch, afternoon activities, dinner etc. We will have a much better time if we can come up with something. It won't be set in stone however. We will also have to account for exercise time for Mom, dr. appts., physical therapy and home health care visits. The kids are really good about keeping on with their tasks if they know what to do next, so we will hopefully be able to carry on.

We are off to Walmart for a field trip. We are taking the wheelchair and the walker. The aisles are wide enough and the floor flat enough that Mom will be able to walk and get some exercise...we were doing this in the hospital. (Its a little more difficult to walk in the house because of going from tile to carpet to tile to carpet to tile again. And its a smaller area to walk in. She is however doing great making the transition to the carpet or tile) At the same time, we can pick up the few things we need for groceries and art projects for the week. Tomorrow, we will probably venture to the Beauty Shop so she can get her hair washed (no showers till after the dr. visit). Mom also hates taking the pain pills, so she is going to try tylenol this afternoon and see how that works. But, I think before physical therapy she will be taking a painpill next week...don't need to chance it too much.

Amy wants to go to Mall of GA sometime before Thanksgiving, so that will be in the plans too. There is lots and lots of available walking space there!

Katie, Will & Amy are doing great with helping with the nursing duties. They can help get Mom off the sofa...it sinks down. But that was the most convenient spot to set up the electronic knee bending machine the dr. wants her to use for 6 hours a day. Katie and Amy have both learned how to hook that up. Will is helping with lots of errand running and fetching. Greg also assigned them all the job of painting the garage this week. So, even if all the schoolwork doesn't get done, the "helping Granny get better Ministry" will be taking place all the time~