+1 to having older kid read to the younger. It’s pretty awesome 🙂 They do it spontaneously now as well.

I specifically re-organized our kitchen stuff so the kids can put away 90% of what goes in the dishwasher. I swapped the pots and pans from a low cabinet to a high cabinet and put all the dishes, bowls and plates that we use daily into that low cabinet. This weekend I removed the utensil caddy from the counter and stuck everything in a drawer they can reach. With the exception of sharp items and mugs, they can put away everything else. (I just don’t have a good spot for the mugs that they can reach.)

@Katie- yep, at least 8:30. I have the 6-year-old in his bed by 9. He wakes up closer to 7:45/8 in the morning, so he is getting somewhere between 10.5-11 hours. Sleep needs vary by children/families. The 8-year-old truly does not need much sleep. I tend to average out somewhere between 7.25-7.5 hours/night over the week and that seems to be about right. My husband tends to get more like 6.5-7. So we are not on the high end genetically.

Does your 6-yr-old really stay up till 8.30? Or do you mean in the morning? Mine need 11-12hrs a night or they’re super-grumpy (or I can’t get them up in the mornings)! Even teenagers need 10 hours (that’s why they lie in so late!)

Maybe it’s just because my husband both like our 8hrs!

@Melissa- wow, I would love to hear more tips from you! I agree that my kids need to be responsible for more of their own stuff. It’s a work in progress.

@Kim – it honestly doesn’t feel like a lot of running. I think that’s partly because I don’t go many places during the day, and all the activities are very close. The elementary school is about 5 minutes away and the swim club is 8 minutes away. And piano comes to us! We switched dance class places in part because I found driving to the Y 20 minutes away to be a total pain. The new place is closer to 10 minutes. But I think things may get busier with spring sports.

Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of “running” you do weeknight evenings?
If not, more power to you.

I do check in with my son at the start of homework. I do peek occasionally and would point out subpar work, but now that he’s in 4th grade I try to take a step back. Schoolwork, reading, and enrichment sights really get stepped up as junior high approaches. As I tell him, schoolwork is always the priority.