Lisa's chickens: Big Deal, Lil' Blue, and Aunt Annie, and their daily gifts for our family!

The wonderful thing about having backyard chickens, aside from their delightful company, is beholding the regularity of their schedules.  Chickens lay eggs... one a day... every day. Their built-in routine is cause for marvel, especially as my attempts at keeping some sort of order over the holidays each year vanishes amidst all the late-December activities. 

 

Over the past couple of weeks  - 18 days or so - if your life is anything like mine, things have been a little crazy on the home front.  The holidays can bring fun and chaos.  What we eat, when we sleep, or work, or exercise, gets a little turned upside down during this time of year.  Friends and family come together creating joy and sometimes, well... you know...

Of course with school-aged kids, schedules get even more scrambled (pun intended) with no rehearsals or sports practices to go to, after-school activities being cancelled for the break, and the refrain of "What are we doing today?" can be heard to parents' disdain.  As much as I like all the excitement and good feelings of this time of year, I am REALLY glad to get back to the routine.  Sure, it's not sexy to like structure and predictability but let's face it, a regular schedule is good for us all.

When our kids were little, we could see first-hand that they were a little more lovable after a good night's sleep and regular meal times.  As they grew up, knowing what was expected of them and where they had to be made them more independent and confident.  Now that our kids are teenagers, regular schedules allow them to develop habits that will help build success in their post-high school lives.

I read somewhere that a person's net worth to the world is "usually determined by what remains after you subtract your bad habits from your good ones," and building a routine creates plenty of good habits. When kids are allowed to create routines like packing their soccer bag the night before the game instead of in the car on the way to school, or looking over the week's anticipated assignments on Sunday evening, they can minimize chaos and anxiety that takes a toll on everyone in the house!  You probably know from your own experience that developing routines, whether you work from home or at an office, allows you to be more productive, and minimizes jumping randomly from one task to another.

 

We still have a day left before second semester begins on Tuesday, January 7th but maybe there's still time for you and your kids to find ways to embrace the beauty of routine and start the new semester off on a strong foot.  Do yourself a favor and take a regular look at Sequoia's calendar on the website and see what student activities, parent meetings, and upcoming minimum days and holidays are on the horizon.

 

How about channeling your inner hen and check the Sentinel every week?  You'll be amazed when you uncover a golden egg or two of information that can be gleaned from even a quick review!

 

I look forward to catching up with you at the parent community dialogues on January 14th or our next PTSA meeting on Tuesday, February 4th.

 

And I wish a Happy New Year to you and your whole family!

Lisa Hane

PTSA President