Time for a fresh start...

Well, I am embarrassed to say that my last attempt at blogging was... well.. pathetic to say the least so I have vowed to start afresh and begin again.

Since I last blogged back in March last year, we have been blessed with a new baby girl whom we named Melody.

Since Melody's arrival almost 3 months ago, life has taken a bit of getting used to and adjusting to try and maintain a happy household with 3 young children. The biggest challenge I have found has been trying to stay organised... which seems to be the key to making sure the day runs smoothly.

I generally get up at 6am and try and get as much done as I can in the morning whilst the 2 youngest are still sleeping. My son usually gets up at about 6.30am and luckily pretty much gets himself organised ready for school.

Things I try to have done by 8am (the time we leave to take him to school) is:

• Make all the beds (although Jack now makes his own)
• Unpack the dishwasher/put away dry dishes
• Feed all the animals
• Get meat out ready for dinner
• Wipe down the bathroom, and swish and swipe the toilet
• Put on a load of washing if necessary (which is pretty much a daily thing these days!)
• Get the 2 youngest girls up and dressed, and fed
• Check what bills need to be paid and pay them

I find that if I can get the majority of these things done first thing in the morning, I don't feel so bad if I have a rough day with Melody and nothing much else gets done!

Other things I do throughout the day to try and help out with the evening mad-rush is:

• Make Tim and Jack's lunches for the next day at the same time that I am making my own and Ebony's lunch for that day
• Try and organise dinner (ie prepare veggies, put on slow cooker etc) so that cooking dinner in the evening is much quicker and simpler
• Load the dishwasher as things get dirty, or if I'm doing baking etc, wash them by hand as I go.

I've also found that leaving the house 10 minutes earlier than I used to is the best way to ensure I get to places on time - since it now takes a lot longer to get all the kids in and out of the car everytime we go out!

This is very much a work in progress!