Recently, ALL over the internet, I saw this little video tutorial from the uber popular Kids Activities Blog about making an “after school routine clock” for kids. *This post contains affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure policy HERE.* Here’s what the clock looks like…
Great idea!
I went online and ordered my super cheap clock from Amazon. And while I waited that 48 hours for my clock to arrive, I got to thinking…
Remember that time I made a chore calendar?
Then there was the Pinterest-inspired behavior bingo game?
The ticket reward system…
the kindness jar…
the velcro-ed, laminated activities of daily living sequencing cards, customized with names and favorite colors??
All gone the way of the floppy disk. Just a long line of feeble attempts to rally a bit of support from the short people round the cause of ORDER or just a hint of CLEANLINESS. And here’s the reality bitch slap moment.
There will be NO order in this court.
Not today, and not after this darling routine clock is made. The reality, in our household, is that no amount of craftiness is going to make the “putting one’s dirty underwear in the clothes hamper” task any more appealing. I can magnetize that order, color it with chalk pens…
I can even whip out the label maker and stick 260 point, bold font arrows along the exceedingly difficult terrain one must traverse in order to get the undies to the laundry hamper (i.e. the 6 feet stretch of our standard, nothing notable hallway). And know what? I’d STILL be picking up those flipping undies.
I yield.
And with that, I decided that what I needed wasn’t an after school routine clock for the kids. What I needed was, an after school routine clock FOR PARENTS. Because parenthood is like controlled anarchy. And there’s no such thing as that. We are like the Wicked Witch of the West in Munchkin Land, folks. We have no power here, and we best just begone before somebody drops a house on us, too. Kinda feels like that’s happened already, but I digress.
So with that said, I give you:
The After School Routine Clock…
for parents.
*Music – “Break You In” Vibe Tracks
Supplies for After School Routine Clock:
Best of luck in Munchkin Land, friends. We’ll keep all you parent friends in our prayers. Please do the same. We all need all the help we can get, right?
P.S. In the spirit of making things a bit easier, want some free printables for those kiddos lunch boxes? I know my kids love to have little love notes from home at lunch time, and I never seem to find time to write handwritten ones. So, I stockpile these printables, and throw them in once in a while 🙂 If you subscribe to our newsletter, we make and send some of these out for the different holidays seasons, so you’ll end up with lots of options 😉
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This is such a cool id a! I am totally doing this!
OH.MY.YES!!! Have you been watching us???
Great idea for keeping me focused and determined that I will make it to bedtime…and not stay up ALL night enjoying the after-party so much that we are tardy…again!
I love your blog Heather! Thanks for the laughs!
That was so hysterical! I am now a grandma but can totally relate to your “parent clock” ! There were days and then there were years……. I am still laughing. Thanks. ? Great to see a creative lefty!