Schedules

 I've been thinking a lot about my lack of scheduling. Being a SAHM, it sometimes doesn't work out in my favor to have a schedule, but I feel like I'm lacking some structure to my days. As I prepare for surgery, I'm realizing that I need a better schedule in place. Any suggestions on how to better schedule my day? My daughter is almost 17 months...

 I'm a SAHM too, for now anyway. My kids are 8 and 6 on Sunday so I'm looking for a job for the fall.  I went through needing to have some structure a few years ago too. I found that I need to get up at a consistent time every day. Then either come down and get breakfast or get dressed. It's nice to have some snuggle time in the morning with your baby, but make sure you don't do it all day, you know? So maybe you wake up at 8 and allow an hour for snuggle/breakfast time. Then go shower or get dressed. I found I was more productive when I was dressed. I didn't have to look like a million bucks, some days I just put on yoga pants, but when i put on something other than pajamas my brain engaged.

Also decide what you want to do every day and figure out how it will fit in. For me, I had to take my daughter to school, pick her up from school (she went to a magnet school at our last duty station and there was no bus service), have breakfast, lunch for my husband, son and myself, workout, clean something (I made a schedule and focused on one area of the house each day of the week so it never got overwhelming), and cook dinner and clean up the dishes. Those things were everyday activities so then I could plan around that. It looked like this:
6:30 wake up/get dressed/breakfast for her/coffee and protein shake for me
7:45 take my daughter to school
8:15-ish meet a friend at the gym
10:00 breakfast and shower
11:30 my husband came home for lunch
1:00 he left and I cleaned something
2:30 pick my daughter up from school
5:00 start dinner
8:00 kids bedtime

There are alot of "holes" in the schedule which allowed me lots of time for playdates, or trips to the library, or time to run errands, etc. When a free  Zumba class became available in hte afternoons, I switched it around so I could go. 
Its summer so the schedule is all thrown off, but I will get back to it once school starts. haha.
Also, when I say clean something, I mean its clean enough for friends to come over.  It doesn't look like a home in a magazine in here!! 
That was alot and hopefully not too confusing. 

 Thanks for the ideas! 

I have a morning bird on my hands so I'm usually up between 4:30 and 5:30 every morning. I wish she would sleep til 8, but it's just not in the cards. LOL

 I'm in the pr -op stage where i'm on all liquids right now, but feel I will do the same af post-op

I use the clock (sometimes it doesn't work with an appt or other things)  but this is what i do.
7-730  shake
8-11 30 consume liquids of all forms
11:30 to noon a shake
etc...
it't shake every 3 hours, wait that half hour, then drink liquids(water, crystal light .. etc)

I take up to 5 shakes a day.

I can see myself following that same pattern at Post-op.  Hope this helps
Julie

 Thanks!

What about a schedule that isn't exactly tied to the clock but at least gives you some idea of what happens when?

Like, your daughter wakes up every  morning, she eats breakfast, lunch and dinner, etc.  So maybe something like this?

Wake up

Breakfast

Housework for mom, quiet play/video for child

Outside playtime

Lunch

Nap (for child, maybe for mom too!)

Snack

Play time

Fix dinner (child helps or plays in kitchen while mom cooks)

Eat dinner, clean up

Bath time

Story

Bed time

Stick whatever else you need to do in there!

 Thanks for the ideas! 

What is SAHM?

 Stay-at-home mom