There is nothing like a vacation to make you thankful for the time you have together with your spouse and family. We were recently blessed with a trip to Disneyland. Something we didn’t think would happen for quite sometime because we wanted the girls to be able to ride all the rides. But when my husband received free tickets for us to go, we went. Our normal routine was thrown out the window and vacation mode was in full force. And I was completely fine with that! We got to escape reality and be on our own time and just reset and enjoy our time together. It’s been a little over a week now and we are finally getting back into our routine. Something I rely heavily on as a fire wife.

For me routine is everything. It makes life easier not only for me but for the whole family. And I will admit it wasn’t as established with the first kid until my second child came along. I got more into a groove of setting up those time frames of when things need to happen. Some of you may wonder what exactly I mean by my routines. I feel like every family has some kind of routine. What day you go grocery shopping to what time dinner is or nap time for the kids. That’s what I mean. Having those things established just helps simplify the rest of the day. And my routine may be a little more in-depth and strict then others. Don’t get me wrong though there are times when I make exceptions and allow those routines to be interrupted.

The biggest thing I am a stickler about is bedtime. In our house for my kids it is always at seven. As they get older it will change and that’s okay. But for now this time works. I get asked sometimes if they fall asleep when the sun is still out at that time, and the answer is yes. I teach my girls that it’s not the sun but the time on the clock that sets bedtime. This bedtime is so important for me. It allows me to have some alone time when my husband is gone and do things I normally don’t get to do throughout the day like catch up on shows, eat a piece of chocolate without being bombarded by having to share it. I get to reset and relax. My husband is great about respecting the routines I have set and I try my best to update him if there is any changes. It’s nice when my husband is home and we have enough time to hang out have an uninterrupted conversation. We can plan, or watch a movie together and get alone time.

Giving my kids some kind of stability in a life where everything seems chaotic and a husbands work schedule that is always changing is HUGE! I do not feel bad one bit for having these certain routines established and sticking to them. I also try to leave room for grace on those days when the routine is just thrown out the window. I know every family unit is different as well as every kid and every marriage. This routine thing just happens to work amazing for us and makes our life a little easier. It may be something you relate too and do yourselves. And may be something that’s worth a try to make a routine and stick to it. And like I said before make sure you leave room for grace when things don’t go as planned.