Creating Rhythm at Home

I truly enjoy summer vacation.  But I have to admit, I love the routine and rhythm the school year brings my family.  It always takes a bit of work right at the beginning to find where all the needs and wants are going to fit in that 24 hour pocket we call a day, but the reward is a much smoother day filled with intention.

Scheduling the day as a mom has always been a challenge for me.  I would often look enviously at my husband’s neatly organized day planner and think, “How in the world can I schedule a day that has so many moving parts and changing variables?”  Diaper changes and tantrums don’t exactly fit into those 30 minute time slots.

While we can’t neatly organize every moment of the day with little ones, giving the day order, routine, and predictability is not only helpful for us, but it is comforting for our children.  When children know what to expect, transitions become smoother.  When they know their needs are consistently and predictably met, their moods tend to be more balanced.  And the benefits aren’t just for the kids!  Parents feel less frazzled and can more quickly make decisions when there’s a framework to the day.  And perhaps, best of all, a house becomes a home when families share together in simple daily rituals that shape and shade each day.

I certainly haven’t mastered the art of family rhythm and organization, but I have found a lot of great people who have helped me on my way.  I wanted to share some of those resources with you, so that you can hear straight from them, some of the reasons, perspectives, and how-tos for creating a family routine you can stick to, and one that will bring your family a joyful structure.

Valuable Articles

Rhythm and Routines: The Flow of the Day {Kara Fleck, Simple Kids}

I love Kara’s explanation and implementation of rhythm, starting with what she calls “Anchors of the day”.   Starting with the morning anchor, she says, “I find that how the morning goes at our home sets the tone for the rest of the day, so a dependable morning routine is a help to my whole family.”  Find out how to create a simple morning routine in her post.

5 Tips for Creating Family Routines and Establishing Rhythm in Your Home {Kara Fleck, Simple Kids}

“Your family’s rhythm isn’t going to look like any other family’s rhythm……The only “right” routine is the one which works the best for you for the place where you are today.”  (Can you tell Kara has a ton of great resources on this topic?  Cruise around her site and you’ll find more and more!)

The Importance of Family Rituals {Tsh Oxenreider, Simple Mom}

“This little tradition of ours isn’t complex or costly, and it takes no advanced planning…… But it’s something we all look forward to, and it’s become a little something that says “home” to us.“

Great Books

(affiliate links)
Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood by Jaime Martin

I read this book years ago and while much of it may seem like common sense, it put everything together in a way that really made me say, “Ah-ha!”  After sharing concepts and principles that really resonated with me, Jaime provided tools that showed how to take those principles and put them into action.   Jaime best introduces this book herself in this video.

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne

This book is all about the need for simplification in our lives, and particularly in the lives of our children.  Not only does it address the need for a simple rhythm in the day, but it also deals with excess in terms of our stuff too.  A provident read to have on my iPod as I was purging before our move!

“In the tapestry of childhood, what stands out is not the splashy, blow-out trips to Disneyland but the common threads that run throughout and repeat: the family dinners, nature walks, reading together at bedtime, Saturday morning pancakes.”
Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life: The Quick Start Guide by Stephanie Morgan

I was lucky enough to help proofread this amazing ebook.  With that exclusive copy in my hands I found I had to actually remind myself to edit because I was so caught up in the ideas and tools that were being shared.  While it appears at first blush to be just another book about organization, it really gets at the heart of it all:  Living our priorities.  (Read about the project (POYEL) here.)

“Something I’ve realized about Project Organize Your Entire Life lately, especially as I’ve been reading over your posts in the facebook group, is that it really needs to be about more than checklists and systems.  It needs to be about how we live and think – how we prioritize.  In fact, when I take the time to consider my true motivations behind that first infamous post, I realize that what I’m looking for isn’t perfection but a way to make space to be the parent I want to be…..Before we can start talking about an action plan for setting up the world’s best daily routine, I think we need to stop and consider our intentions.”

So what do you do to give your day structure?  What resources have been valuable to to you?