• Over 25 different activity ideas to do with your kids.

Before we go any further, I must tell you that I am half OCD half ADD 🙂  Well, not really but I’d like to think so.  At least it’d give us all some kind of explanation to this madness.  Creating these 52 weeks will cure my sickness I think.  If I have something new to do and eat each day, then perhaps it will take the monotony out of the daily motherhood grind.  I’m really bad about taking the time to do fun activities with the kids. My problem is simply lack of planning and idea’s.  I’ve realized that if I just plan ahead a bit, then each day I can dedicate at least an hour or so spending quality time with my kids doing something creative and fun. I’m going to provide a list of four activities each week. You can plan them on days that fit your schedule by adding an activity from the list to your weekly overview. These activities may not be age appropriate for your kids, but at least you’ll have something to go by.  Most of these activities fit ages 2-8.

• A reusable list of house projects.

I’ve put together a list of house chores in order to get things done one project at a time. Pick ONE thing from the list and work on it over the course of the week. Thinking about all the things you need to do around the house can be quite overwhelming, we all know that the list of house projects is NEVER ending. Not only do we have constant dishes and laundry to keep up on, we also have to periodically do things like, organizing drawers and closets, getting rid of old stuff, cleaning out the car and so on.

The key is to not give yourself TOO much to do on any given day, that’s why my goal is to pick only ONE item from the list. Give yourself an allotted amount of time each day, even if it’s only 15 min. Set aside that time to tackle those chores one at a time.

Monthly
I’ve come up with a small monthly list  that consists of only 4 things. You can obviously make your own, but here is my list if you need an example. I figure I can do ONE a week.

• Have a girls night! Go to dinner to catch up on all the girl talk, or go see a chick flick.
• Plan a daddy daughter date or mommy daughter date. This will give Sean and I some special alone time with each child to do something fun.
• Do some kind of service project and have Lily be a part of it. I want to teach her about the joy of serving others. For example, take someone dinner, offer to watch your neighbors kids, run an errand for a friend who’s sick, you get the idea.
• Get together with another couple. I’ve realized that once you start a family you begin to see your friends less and less. So, I figured I can make an effort to stay connected with friends by planning a double date, or inviting them over for dinner or BBQ once a month.

Daily
I know some of you might be MAJORLY against having a daily schedule, but you have to keep in mind that having a daily schedule does NOT mean you have to stick to it perfectly everyday.  Like I said before, it’s just there to be your guide. You’ve got to PLAN when you’re going to work out, PLAN when doing an activity with your kids will work for everyone, and PLAN when you’re going to have special alone time to ponder, pray, study, meditate, whatever it is that helps you grow spiritually. Planning out your day just ensures that you’ll have the time to do all the things you hope to.  Things to consider:  naps, school, homework, sports events, ect.  I posted my daily schedule a while back, you can see it HERE if you’d like. Also, I understand that each day is different, so just do the best you can.

•  A reusable daily planner where you can jot down your routine, just designate certain times of the day you plan to do the important things.

Marriage
Contrary to popular belief, having a healthy marriage is a HUGE part of staying in balance. When the wife aint happy, nobodies happy, and the wife aint happy when she’s failing to make her marriage a priority.  I admit, I’m guilty of forgetting about my husbands needs, and I’m not just talking about sex, although we all know that plays a MAJOR role in a mans happiness.  Men are such simple beings. They have only 3 major needs. To be appreciated, food in the tummy, and sex. As apposed to us women who have.. oh gosh,  I can’t even count, let’s just not even go there.
So my goal here is to be sure to plan a weekly date night, as well as focus on some things I can do to let my husband know I appreciate him.  I heard somewhere that when you’re taking the time to serve  one another in your marriage, your less likely to be so critical of each other.

More on this coming soon!