Help me Organize home 3-10 pm

amother

Wed, Sep 06 2023, 1:06 pm

Hi please help me with time management in the past it never works out.

Dcs preschool get home at 3:15-3:30.
Girls 4:20-4:45 Av.4:30
Boys 4:45-5:25 Av.5:00

Busses are not consistent because my kids are all last stop on bus. Travel time vary

Preschoolers gets home hungry he eats a meal egg, cereal, sandwich and a fruit or vegetable then goes to play.

Girls get home starved.
Sandwich, cereal or noodles and cheese, cottage cheese,yogurt for the girls. They go out to pay
Boys get home starved they also have a snackbag or 2 together with preschooler sometimes cereal and milkcomplain they don't want supper yet. Before they play. Boys have very little homesork

All kids do hmwk at 5:45-6:20
Kids under 10 have to put away toys it's never all away. Kids 8 plus are grumpy because I also make them help the little ones and help me set the table (even if they didn't make a mess)
Supper 6:30-7:20
7:20 I take preschoolers and lower elementary kids to the sink to wash up or shower brush teeth preschoolers in bed at 8:00-8:15

Young Elementary 8:15 and and 8 yr old 8:30 -8:45

Age 10-12 finishes homework one goes to bed at 9-9:15. And the 12 year old I want same timing. I scream from 9-10 or even later my daughter should go to bed.

Morning everyone must get up 6:50-7:00
Preschooler could sleep until 7:45

* elemantry kids mostly don't eat lunch in school except if it's pizza. They basically live on healthy amd unhealthy snacks, it's not cool to take home made lunch. Their rides home take is bet. 45 minutes to 1 hour plus. Supper Is usually fleishigs No one wants supper when they come home. The older ones that stay up late can't survive so many hours if supper is earlier. Younger kids just want what the older ones eat. It's hard serving the fleishigs with the older eating milighig. Preschoolers don't get a snack in school. They ask for a snack when they come home. And I push it to eat together with boys.

Help with a better schedule

6000miles

Wed, Sep 06 2023, 1:54 pm

I’m sorry OP that I don’t have any advice…. But I totally feel along with you.
My schedule is also messed up. I’m dreading the year thinking that I’ll be in the same rut of a schedule that I was in last year… And this year is worse because my toddler starts 1/2 hour later and finishes 1/2 hour earlier so I need to feed him every meal and snack….

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Sep 06 2023, 2:49 pm

I'm so mean. I'd tell them that they can bring an "uncool lunch" or eat what they're serving there, but not eating a meal from breakfast until after school is not an option. If they do, they will be hungry, because all that I'm serving when they come home is [fill in whatever you want to give them to tide them over until dinner -- maybe a fruit?].

Dinner is when the boys come home. They'll be hungry. The girls should be fine with that fruit to tide them over. And your preschooler doesn't have the same issue of not eating lunch in school, right?

So they all come in hungry and you tell them all to help set the table so they can eat = motivation, right?

You feed them. Sorry you don't feel like eating dinner right now, but it's dinnertime. We're not eating a meal right before dinnertime.

Then they're all full. The older kids can do homework and you can even get the younger kids ready for bed now! Bathed, in pjs, teeth brushed. Other kids can play in the meantime. Then you have a break for cleanup (if you want) with the younger kids who actually played. And put them to bed because they're already ready.

Kids who need to stay up later to do homework can do so. And they're now doing homework on a full stomach, which is helpful.

If someone is really hungry because they're up so late (not an issue in my house, and I have big eaters!), let them have whatever is leftover from dinner. No reason for them to eat yogurts and pasta and cereal.

You'd have to deal with a lot of kvetching for the first little while, but it would save your sanity afterwards for years to come. And you'd be teaching your kids to that they need to fuel their bodies during the day instead of starving themselves, which would help them learn better during the day. Win-win all around.

But you'd have to be strong enough to take a stand and make a change, no matter how much they kvetch at you.

amother

Azure

Wed, Sep 06 2023, 2:58 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

I second this. Fruits and veggies until dinner. Everyone eats dinner at the same time. Fruits and veggies until bed.

amother

Gladiolus

Wed, Sep 06 2023, 6:18 pm

mizle10 wrote:

Life is hectic bh with a bunch of little kids....

Sometimes having a super rigid schedule just makes things more stressful. It's easier to just go with the flow.

Also, a 12 year old does not need to be in bed by 9:15. My 12 year old needs to be in her room by 10:30.

9:15 - 9:30 is great timing for 12 year old. 10:30 is much too late