Creating a Routine

Hello Friends,

I apologize for my absence on here. I have had so much going on in my life. As you all know, being a mama leaves you little to no spare time for leisure. But I know that I need to get back to what's important to me. Reaching out to all you beautiful mamas out there is something I am very passionate about. I want you all to know that you are not alone in your endeavor, and that we all go through very similar experiences.

Spring Break is here and many of you in school have just completed midterms or finals (depending if you are on quarter or semester). What inspired me to write this post was all the frustration I witnessed from many of my fellow friends who are mothers and going to college. I saw many Facebook posts that were bleeding with frustration, and I was overwhelmed because I ENTIRELY understand where you are all coming from. Whether you are a single mama or not, juggling all of life's daily endeavors is no easy task. You feel you have to attend to your relationships, friendships, work, unexpected crisis, your children...... and for all you brave women--SCHOOL! With only 24hours in your day you are forced to cope with all of this in that given time, not to mention actually getting some sleep in!

What really worked for me was creating a routine, which was impenetrable. I know this may sound impossible because you can not always predict your children's schedule, but you have more power in your hands that you would ever believe. The first few weeks may be extremely difficult, but believe me, THIS FORMULA WORKS!!! You can choose the order you follow since we all have very different study habits, work schedules, class schedules, and other daily tasks etc etc. I will give you my schedule, and I will explain in depth after.

7am:
Wake up

• Get myself and my daughter ready for the day
• Get some Breakfast in our systems (and some caffein for mama)

8am

• Take my daughter to childcare (at the University-recommended if possible with non-school-aged children) 

8:30am-2pm

• Class (Morning classes give you an advantage, since it gives you more hours at the end of the day and you can usually make it work with no gaps in between) 
• Also, trying to take MWF classes or only T-TH classes is a great idea since it gives you a couple of days off during the week for studying, jobs, etc. 

3-5pm

• Since my child was in childcare on the campus I ALWAYS STAYED ON CAMPUS until I had to pick her up at about 5pm. 
• ALL universities and colleges have a study area or Library where you can do your work, read, have access to computers and so forth. GET SOME HOMEWORK IN. 10-15min increments can add up throughout the course of the day. 

5:30pm 

• breath, relax, gather your thoughts.... sometimes this may be the hardest thing to do since you are always on the go and I am preaching that every second counts, but the mind can only work so long and so hard before it can no longer function properly and you find your self getting overwhelmed. 
• This time you set aside could be a good time to get some exercise in, take your kids out for a while, even watch your favorite TV show! It is not a sin to take some time for yourself. 

6:30-7pm

• Make dinner 
• Give my daughter a project or something to occupy herself in he meantime. Kids have a ton of energy and we all know that even little tasks like making dinner can be the biggest obstacle of the day. 

8pm

• Bath time!!! 
• despite the age of your child, this can also be some study time! 
• I would let my daughter play in the bath while I sat on the cold tile floor and got some reading in. 
• If you have a tiny baby, maybe something like having an audio recorder for classes would be a great idea, since you can listen to it while you bathe your child. AGAIN, EVERY SECOND COUNTS! Rack up those extra minutes each day so that you are not up all night trying to get that reading in at 3am. 

8:30pm

• Get your kids to bed!! I know this may seem like an early bed time for some of you, but children need their rest and so do you! Kids will of course test their limits, but I promise, getting them on a routine is your secret weapon. 

8:30pm-9

• Mommy's bath time. Get some candles and nice music going! Find a way to wind down from your day. Releasing all that extra stress allows you to be productive with your energy and time. 

9pm

• Our all favorite HOMEWORK TIME!!!! YUCK! =/
• I would try my best to keep this period to no longer than 3hours, which would mean I am in bed by 12am. I know that with some assignments, you may be taken longer into the night at times, but don't let this become a habit! Don't overwhelm yourself by writing a 20page paper in one night. Device a way to split up your course work throughout the week. 
• EX: 
• MWF- homework for classes A & B
• T-Th- homework for classes C & D

12am

• GO TO BED MAMA! You have had a productive day! The human body needs approximately 8hours of sleep, so 12am-8am should get you enough rest so that tomorrow can be just as productive as today. 

Now, what about the rest of your life??!!!......


Remember I mentioned to try to only take MWF OR T-Th, IF POSSIBLE this can be a great way to structure your free time. If you create a schedule for yourself AND WRITE IT DOWN! You will find that weekends are ALL YOURS! =)

One of my biggest priorities was to take weekends off from EVERYTHING! I would maybe get some cleaning or laundry done, but overall it was my time to relax. Go shopping, take your kids to the ZOO, pamper yourself, or just spend the day at the park. Do not misinterpret what I am saying. I understand school is your number one priority, but you cannot make it your life.

When I tried to adjust to college life as a mama, I was drowning trying to figure out how I would manage such an impossible task. I was having relationship issues, had no family or friends in the area, and the burden of my survival was of course all on me. Despite whatever support system we THINK we are entitled to, sometimes it is hard to realize that we do not have a support system at all. But this epiphany really came to me after all the sleepless nights and tears.... which I am sure many of you have experienced.

Although you may feel alone in your endeavor, there are many people out there experiencing the same emotions and obstacles as you mama. You just have to ask yourself how important this all is to you..... and I am sure you will find that getting that degree in hand will be the most amazing and fulfilling experience of your life--- because you did it for YOU!

Take a moment, write down your goals and HOW you will accomplish them.... A DREAM is only a  dream if it remains in you mind. Not until you WRITE it down does it become a GOAL! And I have no doubt that you will succeed in your journey towards those goals.

I hope that you can all take something from this. I have been in your position and there are also many other mamas that are also.... so don't be afraid to reach out. You are your worst enemy when failing to seek advice. I believe that some lessons in life are best learned though self experience, but others can also be learned through the experience of others....

Thank you for reading,
Cub