Routines and Meals

Being that I was a mom of two by the time I was 22, I have a bit more experience in raising kids than the average 30 year old. By default I’m the “go to” mom amongst my friends. Lately my friends with babies, toddlers and those entering Kindergarten have been soliciting advice regarding schedules and meals.

With regards to schedules, I go by a schedule but not a minute to minute sort of thing. My family functions on routine and we certainly malfunction when we fail to meet our daily standard. More often than not our regimen works.

Here is our summer schedule. Items in italic change to School Hours in the Fall and our day then begins at 6:45 and ends at 7:30p.m.

Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

• 8a.m. Rise and Shine
• Breakfast
• Bath
• Free Play
• Snack
• 12:30 p.m. Lunch
• Exercise your Brain (Reading, Arts and Crafts)
• Snack
• Outdoor Play
• Television
• 6 p.m. Dinner
• One hour at Grandma’s
• 7:15 p.m. Bath
• Grace and Manners Story Time
• Prayer
• 8: 00 p.m. Bed Time

This routine began when JC was two. It is not set in stone nor is it guaranteed that it will work for all families. I tell my friends to consider that I’m a homemaker and my husband is with me in the morning. Team work is a contributing factor to its success.

As far as meals. It has been a learning process. Living with my mom the first four years was difficult because we had to eat whatever was set before us. My kid’s love authentic Filipino dishes. I make a healthy alternative for them. For chicken dishes I prefer chicken breast. For dishes that include vegetables, I add plenty of veggies. I’m in the process of weaning them from white rice. We have gone organic but not fully. The meats are certainly costly but we have ways in which we prioritize what needs to be organic and stick to our $300 grocery budget.

• Milk – MUST be organic
• Vegetables and Fruits – those we don’t peel MUST be organic.
• Chicken and Turkey – not necessarily organic but cage free and from California farms.
• Beef – not organic but lean
• Condiments – all organic
• Wheat – all organic

My recipes are from

• South Beach Diet
• Deceptively Delicious
• Wholefoods.com

We shop at

• Trader Joe’s
• Henry’s Market – Corona but they will soon open in Monrovia
• Costco

Snacks consist of fruits 3 times a day, veggies and whole grain.