summer schedule

Sometimes it's helpful to me to set up external systems that make up for what my inner self lacks in the areas of discipline and organization.  :)  

Case in point, our summer schedule.

This will doubtless seem overly rigid to those of you gals who are naturally on the ball and GET STUFF DONE, but having this schedule in writing will help insure that Claire and I do not fritter the glorious summer away in our pajamas watching television.

In fact, we've gone "t.v.-free" this summer, which made me want even more to chart out what we'd like to do will all those hours every day.

The schedule on top is our default, for the days we're home and have no other plans. Underneath, I wrote down our weekly standing appointments, which won't all happen every week, but again, it's a basic framework.

On Monday mornings, despite our t.v.-free-ness, I will rent a movie for Claire to watch, because on Monday mornings I'm always doing a lot of house-cleaning to get back to normal after the weekend.  I think she'll look forward to this lazy-watch-a-movie morning time more if it's for two hours once a week than she would if she were getting to watch t.v. every day.

On Tuesdays, we get together in the morning with my sister, nephew, and niece.

On Wednesdays, we'll go to the library.

On Thursdays, we'll go on a "field trip" . . . the beach, a museum, somewhere fun.

On Fridays, I'll try to schedule a playdate for Claire.

And Friday evenings are always our "family movie night".

Of course we won't be able to stick to the schedule all the time.  We'll have some little vacations, Claire is taking a few fun summer school classes -- Act Like Shakespeare, Art, Knitting, Drawing, and soccer camp, which will occupy her from 8:30 to noon for a total of three weeks throughout the summer -- and opportunities for fun pop up unexpectedly.  One of the nicest things about summer, I think, is having the freedom to say "yes!" to so many good things.  

But if I don't have some kind of guideline written down, I end up wasting too much time.  Sometimes I even waste too much time doing seemingly good stuff, like housework.  

Enough is enough, at some point, and you need to just go outside and play for a couple hours. :)

I also want to make a habit this summer of running our errands in the morning, before places get too crowded and it gets too blazing hot.  The "get-up-and-get-going" part of this schedule is probably the most important part for me. :)

I am especially happy about the "siesta" (1 to 3 p.m.) portion of our schedule. :D

Do any of you also have a summer schedule in writing? What works for you?