adjustments to routine

i have made some serious adjustments to my routine starting this new year and so far, it works well with me.

i have taken over feeding dinner to my almost 3 year old from mil. that means i have to be at my mil's by 6 pm or a little after that to pick the children up and make sure that the maid is done at my mil's. we reach home at almost 7 pm. i am happy to be in my own home that early.

i start feeding nadia nasira while she runs around, waters the plants (sometimes, waters her brother as well) and creates water puddle in my garden. it makes my patience run thin and half the time, i will be screaming and yelling. i don't like it but it gets her eating. that happens for about 30 minutes and it is time for the children to wash up.

while they wash up, i start cooking dinner for the next day. the bright side of it all is that i am done cooking by 8.30 pm. no more late nights. while i cook, there will be some commotion since both my children will be interested in what interest each other. we watch tv once i am done cooking. nadia nasira gets to choose either dora, the explorer (teaching nadia nasira some spanish words. she has started calling her daddy papi), elmo's world or barney. while they watch tv, i do some harvesting and planting on facebook. we call it a day close to 9 pm. nadia nasira sleeps right away but little muhammad nashwan nasr takes a while to clam dowm and fall asleep.

i am re-assessing the above and its impact on the children and shall make further adjustments to ensure quality time spent as well as create positive environment for the children.

1. i think it is time nadia nasira eat her own meal so that she learns to be more independent. that is also if i am intending to send her off to school soon. she should learn that if she doesn't feed herself, she will be hungry. that saves me from being a monster in her eyes.

2. i should think of some quality activities for them so that they wind down naturally and be prepared for bed.

3. i might also to cook dinner for the day instead of the next day to ensure the quality of the food i feed my family.

all in all, i love this adjustment as it gives me more time with the children to mother them.