Australia 2009: Routines

With kids, routine is essential.. Knowing when to eat, play and sleep helps to provide the kids with a sense of stability..

So here is the routine for the kids.. :)

Rio is always the first to wake up, around 5.30am.. he will plays on his own while waiting for the rest of us to wake up, although he will pester his mum or me to wake up to play with him.. between 7 - 8am.. Cody wakes up slightly later than his brother.. sometimes, he gets cranky as most of us will if not enough sleep...

Breakfast is usually at 9am.. either oats, cereal, bread or pau.. Cody is a slow eater while Rio is a messy one.. They will watch kids programs while eating..

Then it is play time.. they will play toys or games or just chase around the house.. With screams of "Mummy!!" , "Mummy, look at Rio!!", "No!!", "Share!!", "骂! 骂!" (means scold! scold!) from the kids every other minutes..

They will have fruits if they are hungry before lunch.. lunch would be something filling yet nutritious.. After which, Rio will take his 2-hour afternoon nap while Cody watches his cartoons or plays his own toys.. When the brother wakes up, it is play time again..

Dinner will be around 6pm, with or without kids programs.. they are allowed to watch TV until their bath time around 8.30pm.. It will be reading time before bedtime, which is around 9pm.. Rio will sleeps when he is tired and will go to bed quietly, with his "pussy cat", "teddy bear", pillow and blanket.. Cody will not turn in until he is scolded or forced to sleep..

In between, there will be lots of screaming, crying, jostling, hitting, pushing and whatever kids do.. I have learned to let the kids sort it out themselves because kids' mood change faster than to say "Stop!".. One second they will be crying, then the next they are laughing.. one second they love you to death for playing with them, the next they punch you for no reason..

And the "cycle" repeats itself everyday.. :)