MAKE BEATS FOR RAP

Weekday monotony is brutal. Weeks come. They go. Every week I look at myself in the mirror and promise to be more organized, more actively engaged in learning activities with the kids, more productive with my home business, more on top of chores, more like Wonder Woman (including her figure). I have a traveling husband so after my Calgon bath and bon bons in front of Oprah, I'm the nanny, maid, accountant, treasurer, cook, chauffeur, personal assistant and any other duties needed to run a house and live sanely. I can't do it all. That's right - you read it here. But I can prioritize and then I can accept things will go undone and that I will have to do things I don't want to do.

My weekday survival guide:

• Wake up an hour before the kids. My 8 month old thinks waking up with the roosters is perfectly normal. Someday I know he'll sleep later. Even my 3 year old insomniac sleeps until 7am now. So I dig deep when that alarm clock goes off at 5:30 and get up. By doing this, I can get dressed peacefully. I get lunch made for my 3yr old, coffee dripped for me, breakfast ready for both of them.
• 40 for you. Barring "crazy" days, schedule 40 minutes for you during morning nap and afternoon nap. This is like drop off and pick up. It has to be done. Period. You can't leave them at school right? If they aren't napping anymore, quiet time. They can do it for 40 minutes. A walk helps get them engaged. But time in their rooms with books and toys is a minute for you to read a magazine article, make a phone call, maybe get in a 30 minute workout...it's a healthy thing for everyone.
• Preplanned Activities. You don't need subscriptions to every parenting magazine out there. The internet is money. Search it for age appropriate activities. Noggin has some great ones: go to http://www.nickjr.com. Sometimes you need supplies. I do this research and shopping on the weekend when the hubby is home. Have 2 activities a day, one for morning and one for afternoon. Don't worry about new and exciting. Kids love continuity and predictability. Many of these activities can be changed up just by counting from 10-20 instead of 1-10.
• Outside play. Every morning and every afternoon, inclement weather not withstanding. You can pack them up for the park or just hit the back yard. Here's the deal, you have to run it out with them. They'll only run around by themselves for so long (and that's not very long). So put on your superhero cape and run and jump and climb trees. Hey, you can count this as your workout.
• Story time. Read, read, read every morning and afternoon. Libraries are awesome resources for new books without putting in the monetary investments. Many libraries also offer free group classes that can help break up the day.
• Enlist the troops. My 3 year old likes to say he is my "supa helpa". I wouldn't call it help so much but it does keep him engaged when I'm doing the mundane acts of life. I get his play vacuum, turn up the kiddie music to concert decibel (not really but you get me), and we dance and vacuum our way through the house. Every chore has a "supa helpa" parallel that lets you work without listening to crying or whining babies.
• Preplanned meals. What question is worse: what's for lunch or what's for dinner? They are both dreadful. Beat the rap and start the planning early, like Thursday. Write down meal ideas, lunches and dinners for the next week. Shop on the weekend or whenever you can get some help. Freeze, freeze freeze. See my other articles: 'What's for Lunch? Easy, fun, edible for the Lunch Box Crowd' and 'What's for Dinner? Dinner Impossible for the Busy Family'.
• Fun Goals. Everyone deserves rewards for good behavior. If kids know that towing the line will get them something good later in the week, it's remarkable how compliant they can be. So plan a fun goal every week: a picnic at the park, a trip to the museum or zoo, a movie (if they are older). And follow through with your promises. Kids are savvy and know when they just got hustled. With kids, they'll play fair if we do.
• Call It a Day. Pick a time, 7, 8, 9, 10 and stop. Make sure that time is at least an hour before you have to get into bed in order to be functional the next day. There's no joy in working all day until bed, dropping, then getting up and doing it all over again. Give yourself an hour or more to - read, take a bath, surf the web, watch TV, whatever gives you joy (outside of your family, of course).