Evening Routine

Last week I posted about our morning routine, so I thought I'd do one about our evenings. They're not nearly as regimented as our morning routine, but sometimes they're equally as packed full of things we do.

I generally get off work at 4:30 pm and head back to pick up Kaylen at daycare. Jock has typically worked until about 5:30, but is now trying to leave at 5 so we have more family time in the evenings. Sometimes I have him pick up some groceries on his way home, since there's a Super Walmart right on his route home.

I usually get to daycare around 5 (barring any traffic snares). Kaylen gathers her coat and school backpack while I check her daycare folder and check her out of the computer. We're usually home around 5:15, and the routine is to get any school books/papers/homework read/completed before anything else. Kaylen brings home a short book every day to practice her reading, and about three worksheets to do - usually about once a week on Fridays. This happens at our kitchen table, often while I'm preparing dinner. If we can, we try to do a page or two in her packet for Wednesday night church activities.

Depending on when Jock gets home and how long the food takes to fix, Kaylen might take her shower before or after supper. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the motivation to get done quickly, how much singing/talking is done in the shower or in front of the mirror, and whether we choose to force the hurrying or let her suffer the natural consequences of taking too long (lost play time, lost time for dessert, lost points on the church packet from not having it done, etc). However she usually showers every other day. Her skin is just too sensitive and her body not too much BO to need a daily one yet, unless it's been hot out and/or she's somehow gotten all dirty, stinky or sweaty.

Before dinner we pray - we randomly decide who will pray for us each night by who is willing or who is specifically asked to do it. We then talk about our days over dinner. If for some reason we're not all eating together because of an activity going on that evening, we pray ourselves and then eat quickly.

Wednesday nights Kaylen has activities at church at 6:30, so we're usually rushed to get her homework done, eat dinner, and maybe a shower. Sometimes Jock and I eat supper together ourselves after one of us gets back from dropping her off - kind of like a date!

Thursday nights are much the same as far as hurrying, as we have our small group Bible study at one of our group leader's home at 6:30. This is our adult study that follows our pastor's sermon series. The kids all play with one or two youth watching them in the basement or at the other leader's house (they live next-door to each other).

Wednesdays and Thursdays, we get home past Kaylen's normal 7:30 bedtime, so when we get home it's PJs, tooth-brushing and straight to bed. Other nights we see how much time we have before 7:30, before deciding what to do. Some nights Kaylen just wants to play with her toys or read her own books herself. Other activities might be playing outside, having us read to her, playing a game, or watching TV (rare although we all enjoy Dancing with the Stars when it's on).

After Kaylen goes to bed, we have some adult time. Than we can talk to each other, make plans for upcoming days, pay bills, checking emails/blogs/facebook, watching TV, reading a book, or playing games - either together or apart. I also typically go walk with a friend from 8-9 Sunday thru Wednesday.

We usually hit the sack whenever we're over-tired - anywhere from 9 (Jock) or 10 until 11 or after(me). Then we get way too little sleep before we have to start it all over again the next day.

There are always of course exceptions though. For instance, this week we had our state foster care licensing guy visit Monday evening to renew our paperwork, and Kaylen had an eye doctor appointment Tuesday evening. These throw a bit of a wrench in things, but usually we can get thing done without issue, as Kaylen can do some things on her own. I'm sure things will be much different when Elijah and Josephine come home, as we'll have to do baths/lotion/hair for them, and we'll have longer dinners, etc. But we'll make it work - we always have. Change is inevitable and keeps us on our toes.