Hello Everyone and welcome to the FIRST EVER NTK Newsletter. This has been a goal of mine for some time and the struggle came in actually sitting down to do the dang thing. 

 

The main purpose in this newsletter is to have another form of communication that is not on Instagram. I want those who choose to not be on social media to still have a way to connect should they wish to, and also a way to get in touch with you all should instagram implode one day or my account get hacked (let's hope not 😬). If you are receiving this and do not want a monthly newsletter from me, simply unsubscribe at the bottom. I totally get wanting to simplify and declutter your inbox and will not take it personally.

 

Here's what you can expect: fairly short newsletters that dive into a specific topic. I don't want to waste your time (or mine) so I will steer clear of too much fluff. If there's a show/movie/book, etc. that is worth noting I will be sure to do so at the end. 

 

This first newsletter is going to cover the most requested topic I have ever gotten on NTK:

 

A DAY IN THE LIFE

 

To be honest, this felt hard for a few reasons:

1. Our days can go haywire fairly quickly

2. Our days change with the seasons/school schedules

3. I tend to be one of those people who really believes there are creepers on the internet, so many specifics of our schedule I prefer to keep private. 

 

HOWEVER, I know that so many of you are home with young kids and simply want to know how other people actually do. the. dang. thing. So, without further ado, here is a rough routine for what we are doing right now. Keep in mind, the kids are in school and this will all change come summertime.
 

MORNING:

5:30 am: Kate wakes very groggily and wills herself out of bed. (This is a discipline; I do not jump out of bed singing.)

5:45-6:15 am: Kate workout

6:25-7:00 am: Kate reads/listens to Bible Recap and drinks coffee in the quiet of the house; Nate reads the paper/a book. (Sometimes little people come out of their rooms and depending on Kate's mood, they are allowed to lay on the couch or are sent back to their rooms until the OK to Wake Clock turns green.)

7:00 am: Kids' clock turns green and the day begins!

7:00-8:00 am: Breakfast, morning devotional (this is veryyyyyy flexible. Sometimes we read a Bible story from one of the kids' Bibles, sometimes we practice our Scripture memory. Sometimes it lasts 5 minutes, sometimes 30 seconds.) Nate also goes for a run in the morning and showers and gets ready for work. Kate puts lunches into school bags (I do not make lunch in the morning; I make it the night before) and fills water bottles. Makes her morning smoothie, plays with kids, everyone's teeth and hair brushed, etc.

8:15 am: John Robert and Nate off to school drop off and the girls play with me and get to watch a morning show while I get dressed and ready for the day or get some work done

9:00 am: Some mornings the girls have school and some mornings they are home with me. If they are at school, I work on NTK for the entire time they are gone. If home, by 9:45 we are usually out the door to run an errand or go for a walk or if it's gross we take full advantage of a pajama day. The girls are in a sweet spot where they play really well together and it's been so nice for me. I can often clean something or get some work done while they play.

12:00 pm: Lunch

 

AFTERNOON:

1:00-2:30 pm: Girls' nap/quiet time (Both girls still nap. Scout doesn't nap if John Robert is home but if he's at school she happily lays down to sleep. We actually probably need to drop it because it makes her going to bed at night 100x harder but I mean let's be real I don't want to let that hour in the afternoon all to myself go 😬). While they nap I either work, prep food, or clean something.

3:00 pm: We leave to go get John Robert 

4:00-ish pm: Home with John Robert and we usually play outside, go to a park, go for a walk, etc. 

**BATH TIME NOTE: you might notice there isn't a set bath time on here. All three of my kids LOVE the bath and take one almost daily and at the most random times. We treat baths as an activity and it rarely happens before bed. John Robert loves a morning bath 😂and the girls often take one mid-morning or before we go get him from school. Baths are the PERFECT way to to kill time and I often sit in the hallway and read my kindle. The kids usually ask for a popsicle in the bath and I almost always say yes. I have a blog post dedicated to the popsicles we make at home/store bought yogurt style tubes. 

 

EVENING:

5:00-5:30 pm: Kids gets to watch a show. This is wonderful! I get to cook/reheat dinner in peace while I listen to music and maybe drink a glass of wine (BLISS!!!). If dinner is prepped or super easy I sit and read or scroll on my phone. 

5:45 pm: Suppertime

6:00 pm: Suppertime over (yep…it's so short. sadly short. this is something we are working on with the kids, trying to teach them to stay at the table and be patient. I am toying with moving the family devotional to dinner to make it last longer and maybe just say a short prayer at the table or do scripture memory in the morning)

6:00-7:00pm: Playtime! Maybe a walk if it's nice. Lots of time in the living room playing the floor is lava or tag. As the weather gets better this time moves outdoors until the mosquitos drive us back indoors. (*If I am super tired I might shower while Nate plays with the kids so that I can be ready for bed fairly soon after them)

6:45 pm: Pick up the house/brush teeth

7:00 pm: BEDTIME! 

*Bedtime is definitely not perfect. One of us puts Millie to bed with a book and a song. She goes down fast and is still in a crib. The other two get a story and a prayer and then come out of their room approx. 5 times. Sometimes they sneak into our bed and fall asleep. I know we could discipline them but to be honest, this season feels so short. There's something we love about going to get into bed and finding two sleeping kiddos in there. 

7:30-8:30 pm: Kate and Nate hangout. Sometimes together, sometimes separately near each other. Like we might watch a show one night and then the next night both read. Nate loves to read and has helped me become a reader. I also oftentimes shower and do a whole excessive night time routine (lotion, face mask, etc) and it's so nice. Other nights I go to bed soon after the kids and Nate gets to enjoy a quiet house and watch shows that Kate deems too scary 🤣

9:00 pm: Kate is usually in bed reading a fiction book on her kindle. My phone is away charging in the other room by 9 if not earlier. Nate often stays up till 10 reading or watching something then comes to bed. 

 

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! OUR DAYS IN A NUTSHELL. We tend to scrap a ton of this schedule on the weekends for the sake of a change of pace. The biggest change we have made in this season: waiting till 5 pm to allow the kids to watch a show. I have really enjoyed this half hour to cook in peace. 

 

 

CURRENT FAVORITES:

*I am going to use this section to only share things I read/watched I would suggest to another person. I definitely read/listened to/watched some duds!

READ:

I just finished 26 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand and really enjoyed it. All of her books take place on Nantucket and I love that about them. I read Summer of '69 back in 2020 and really enjoyed that one as well. 

 

LISTENED TO:

Fighting for Fun on the Work and Play with Nancy Ray Podcast and loved this so much! Amen to fighting for fun. 

 

This fascinating Ted Talk on How to Strengthen an Argument. I have been thinking about it for weeks now! The way to strengthen an argument is not what you think 😉

 

WATCHED:

Over the weekend, Nate and I watched The Guardian (yes, that film from 2006 featuring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher) and it was just as good as I remember. We also watched The Princess Bride on Disney+ and basically feel like the best movies are all old and we should start rewatching them. 

 

We also recently watched Oceans 8 for the first time and I was afraid it wouldn't live up the the other Oceans movies. I am so pleased I was wrong! I adore Sandra Bullock and the entire cast of this movie did not disappoint. This movie is also a few years old, reinforcing that we should simply watch all the old movies.

 

 

To close, I want to give you a super practical and FREE way you can make a daily routine/schedule for your family. We don't utilize it a ton during the school year, but you absolutely could. In the summers and over breaks, this is a godsend. If you just need an idea, here's one we made from last summer. It really helps cut down on the question “when is snacktime?” and the clip art helps those who cannot read. My amazing assistant Jess made a video to teach you how to make one on canva.com 

 
 

               Warmly, 

                Kate

 
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