Use That Time Well...

Time is one of those tricky things.

We all have the same amount of time, but depending on how we use it, organize it and think about it, our perspective related to time can be all over the place.

During summer vacation, you might have all sorts of time to do any number of things with your family.

- Go to the beach
- Play outside
- Do arts and crafts
- Go to a children’s museum
- Take road trips

The saddest thing to see is when parents transition away from these things when the school year begins.

We MUST continue to explore our world with our little ones ALL THE TIME!

I know...you have work...you have cleaning...you have a yard...you have laundry…

So do I. :)

That does not and WILL NOT stop me from making the most of my family time.

With the school year beginning, the school year schedule comes along with it.

This is not a bad thing, it’s just different. We can roll with it!

Here’s a look at how my family maximizes our time during the school year…

Working Out

Some of us do and some of us don’t. Either way, time should not be the reason we don’t. :)

I love the gym. I get excited going early in the morning before the rest of the world is awake. My alarm is usually set for 3:30 a.m. I might hit my snooze once (or twice), but my goal is to be at the gym shortly after 4 a.m. I get my workout in and try to leave by 6 a.m. I go early in the morning because it makes sense for my family. I could go after school, BUT that would mean I wouldn’t get home until 6ish. That’s not cool. I want that time with my family!

This works for me. It’s something that brings me joy and I don’t mind waking up at that time to begin my day with a workout!

You may or may not be a gym person. If you are, you will find the time.

If the gym has ZERO appeal to you, there are any number of options you can do from home that is made to be quick and easy.

If you are a mom and would like a realistic approach to all things health and fitness, I would recommend purplepenguinfitness.com. This is a site created by a real person who has been on an amazing journey. Check it out! :)

Ok...still not sold on exercise? I get it…

How about playing with your kids? That IS exercise!

My kids and I go on walks, bike rides and play in the park. ALL EXERCISE (as long as you are not on the bench looking at your phone). :)

Beach Time

On a school night? YUP!

Depending on where you live, if you have a beach within a reasonable driving distance, max that out!

My family lives about 45 minutes from Lake Michigan. ANY night of the week, I can text my wife and see if she’s up for dinner and beach play time with our boys. She will never turn this down!

Going to the beach has a way of melting the “work day” away for me. My boys love playing in the sand, on the playground, and in the water.

This is a win for everyone!

House Cleaning

Yes, we just went from talking about the beach to cleaning the house. That’s life!

House cleaning is one of those things that you need to keep up on or it can turn into a big deal.

No need for something so silly to have that much power.

Use timers! Yes, there are those timers again!

During the week, if you feel like you need to tidy up a bit, use a 30-minute timer to clean, fold laundry, do dishes, prep meals, etc. When the 30 minutes is done, you are all done!

Wait, did I say ALL?  Yes, I did!

Get your family involved. Make it a game, see who can get the most done. At the end of the 30 minutes, you are in a much better spot than you were before the 30 minutes AND you did not do it by yourself.

Homework

Just as with cleaning, I am a HUGE believer in setting a timer for homework. A focused 30 minutes is so much more powerful than an unfocused, distracted and unproductive ridiculous amount of time.

Get it done and do something fun!

Game Time

Make time for a game a few nights a week! It doesn’t have to be forever, just 30 minutes of playing a game with your kids goes a LONG way!

Think about all of the awesome skills kids (and parents) practice and learn when playing a game.

As you can see, the time is yours. How you choose to use it is totally in your control.

Organize it, plan it out and make it count!

It’s yours! Each and every day with your family is the most important day.

Be greedy with your time!