In Upstate New York, school is officially in session. With but one pint-sized punk to contend with from 7:15 - 2:15 each day, while big brother and sister are away, I feel like I’m on vacation.

Stress? What stress? My biggest worry is trying to remember all the words to “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” in their proper order.

Oh wait, you’re asking about the stress of working from home with a toddler underfoot while handling the task of managing the contents of a house on a daily basis, (and especially on those days when my spouse is traveling).

Ah, yes. That stress.

Being a Type A has its advantages, although some might look at me and wonder if I’m not more disadvantaged (and I wonder why my son is so rigid). Moreover, being a  Type A and a  Virgo *09-22, ahem, the big 3-0!* is like a double shot of oganizational madness. It consumes me.

So I schedule.

Summertime is all about being lax around here but once Labor Day rolls around, Casa de Garrett is a no-nonsense household. Take a glance at my refrigerator door and you will see not one, but three different schedules. Two of them belong to my school-aged children, who are now, in my opinion, old enough to abide by the clock. Then there is the Master Schedule, an insanely detailed rundown of my day divided in nicely compacted time slots.

Can you really schedule your life in 15-minute increments, wonders the husband who has no clue what it’s like to be a stay-at-home-work-from-home-full-time parent.

Finding balance is not my forte. Really. Such is the curse of the person who wants to excel at everything she does. It’s why I failed at nursing school (no, I didn’t flunk out; I dropped out with a 4.0 GPA because I was essentially ignoring my family in favor of the grades and my night time job in L&D). As crazy as it sounds, my schedule is what secures my sanity; without it, I would simply flit from one activity to the next, or I would spend entirely too much time devoted to just one activity. Nothing would get accomplished, to-do lists would grow longer, and I would tear out my hair in frustration. Not to mention, my family would starve and go naked.

Having a schedule allows me to stay on task, be efficient, and complete everything from a load of laundry to my paid writing obligations to cooking a healthy meal. I even schedule one-on-one playtime with my toddler daughter. Although I would never deny her attention, as there have been many times when she has sat on my lap coloring while I’ve pecked away at the computer, the Master Schedule is what says, now stop your work, and play! It gives me permission to give my undivided attention to one thing (or person) without worrying about the dishes in the sink or the laundry that needs to be put away.

There are several playtimes scattered throughout the day, as well as 20-minute cleanups. In fact, I accomplish 100 minutes worth of cleaning each day (although with three kids, nothing is ever truly clean). We have scheduled homework time, free time, dinnertime, book time, tub time, bedtime. Instead of screaming at the kids to hurry up, I can point to the schedule and say, this is where we need to be. Amazingly, the kids rarely question the schedule, and we move (almost) seamlessly from one activity to the next, minimizing tantrums and squabbles.

**Schedules are great for a child who needs routine.**

I know, you are probably thinking that living in my house and under my rule is a barrel of monkeys (hardee har har). I am not a total tight-ass. The weekends are all about having fun, running wild, going unclothed and without a bath. Okay, so that last part only applies to the youngest child. I try not to sweat the small stuff, like one of my kids forgetting to brush his teeth or a certain 8-year-old watching a little too much Hannah Montana or a tiny tot staying up until 11 PM (well, that one makes my blood boil).

In a home where the chips are stacked against me, “chips” being children and lack of time, it’s the Master Schedule that certainly saves the day. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a bit of cleaning to be done.

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Congratulations to Kristi of Interrupted Wanderlust for winning my Craftacular Tuesday: fabric covered button hair ponies contest (whew! that was a mouthful!). There were but two official entries, so I will attribute that to the fact that all of you moms either must have short hair or little boys in the house. I’ll try not to think that it’s a reflection of how you must feel about my latest crafting craze ;-) Kristi, send me your mailing address at igarrett@twcny.rr.com , and I will pop your ponies in the post (ha!) asaP. Be sure to check my etsy shop, Little Woolgatherings for fabric covered buttons and hair ponies. I will also be making a shop updating at some point TODAY, so keep watch!!

Also, I have noticed that I am not receiving all comments in my inbox. I usually try to respond to most comments with a personal email so if I don’t, please don’t think I am ignoring you. Kristi, in regards to your question about the market at which I shop, I *heart* WEGMANS!!