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14 September 2013

First Things First: Evening Routine

Dear Lissy,

The day has finally come, Dear Heart, that I am writing to you now, not some mysterious future-Lissy.  The very first thing I want to teach you is that a well run home starts the night before.  We're going to start punching out this list before bed each night, lickety-quick! We'll start this list around 7:30 since your bedtime is 8:30.  At first it may take the whole hour, but pretty soon you'll be even speedier than I am, I'm sure.

Go through tomorrow's calendar with me and help me write my to-do list.  Gather any items needed (5 min) (Robot club, grocery sacks, library books, things to return to people at church, etc.)

Tidy the family room (3 min).   I know, I know -- your brothers and Daddy are still up.  We'll do the best we can so you get in the habit now.
  • In winter, shake the coal stove and fill the hopper. Turn the thermostat knob on the back down as low as it will go, and then back up 1/2 turn. Check the ash pan and have one of your brothers empty it if it's full. Make sure the coal hod is full for the morning.
  • In the summer, turn the A/C up to 74 or just to "Fan 3" if it's a cool night.
Put the house to bed with me (5 min).
  • Lock the doors and turn off the outside lights.  Make sure Harley is indoors first!
  • Close the blinds (and drapes in the winter) in each room.  If tomorrow is supposed to be warm, leave the windows open and the blinds up just a bit to let in the cool night air.
  • Pick up any odd bits of clutter as you move through each room and deliver them to their proper home.  I bring a laundry basket with me for this purpose.
  • Check the washer and dryer to be sure they're both empty.  Fold up and put away the last load if you forgot it earlier.
  • Give the kitty her nighttime handful of chow and refill her water dish so she doesn't wake anyone up at odd hours.
Tidy the kitchen and set up breakfast (10 min).
  • Drink a large glass of water.  Get in the habit now of doing this every night before bed.
  • Put away the pots and pans.
  • Unload the dishwasher if we ran it after dinner.
  • Reload the dishwasher with the cups and plates from evening snacks. Rinse out the sink.
  • Set the table.
  • Pull the breakfast bread out of the freezer, and set the eggs out to warm to room temperature overnight.
  • Clean up the coffeemaker and set it up for tomorrow.
  • Refill and refrigerate water bottles.  Freeze Daddy's water bottles (full in the summer, half-full fall and spring). Pack the dry items in his lunchbox (chips, granola bar, snacks, napkins, flatware).  We'll make his sandwich and add fruit and veg in the morning.
  • Give the counters and table a final wipedown.  If any food is out, make sure it's tightly wrapped and put it away.
  • Top off Harley's water bowl.
Set out your outfit for tomorrow (3 min).  Don't forget your hair pretties, shoes, and jewelry!

Wash your face, brush your teeth, and brush out your hair (5 min).  Put away your brush and hair pretties and hang your facecloth to dry.  Rinse/wipe out the sink when you're done.
 
Take a shower then tidy the bathroom (10 min).  You only need to wash your hair on Mon, Wed, Sat; but you're old enough now you need to shower every night.  Don't make this into a half hour production, darling. . .keep it quick!  If you want to soak in the tub or take a longer shower, do it before we start our evening routine.  If you've already showered after your workout, you can skip showering now.  Before you leave the bathroom, look around and make sure it's clean and ready for the next person.

Say goodnight!  Find out what time Daddy needs breakfast, and if he's working a double shift and needs his dinner packed along with his lunch tomorrow.  I'll show you how to look this up on the Google calendar, but I usually ask him, too.  You should have a few minutes left to read, and now is a great time to review your memory verses, too.  Lights out at 8:30, though. . .you need your energy for tomorrow.

We'll start doing the evening routine together until you have it memorized and can do it every night by yourself.  Once you've mastered it, we'll move on to a morning routine. 

I love you to the moon and back,
Momma

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