Our schedules

Our schedules seem to really confuse most people but John and I live it everyday and have pretty much become very accustomed to this way of life and so have our kids. Shift work stinks some of the time but has many pros as well! For instance, today John is off playing Golf with a friend today and he hasn't taken anytime off. Another example....we are going camping in the mountains for 6 days and John will not take any leave time. We hear probably on a weekly basis comments like, "how do you keep track of it?"...or "We weren't sure when you were off or what your schedule looks like." So I thought I'd share what our life, day, weeks look like. John works nights 7 pm -7 am. He works a 4, 4, 6 rotation which basically means 4 days, 4 days, 6 days, 4 days, 4 days, 6 days...and then it is just off, on, off, on and so on. So if he works 4 days, then he is off 4 days, and then he works 6 days, and then he is off 4 days....we can figure out his schedule a year in advance by just counting 4, 4,6. One of his friends must be good with numbers or something because I think he is the only one that knows exactly when he is on and what rotation it is and everything. It is funny. Once you live it awhile you know that if he starts work on a Wednesday for instance that is the start of his 6 days on and vice versa, if he starts his days off on a Wednesday then that is his 6 days off. It ends up making him work two weekends in a row and then he has two weekends off. John has staff meetings every other Monday and does drop off duty at Emily's school every Tuesday morning at 8 am for 20 minutes. That is pretty much John's schedule. Now for mine. I have to have my schedule into my boss on the 5th of the month for the next month. She makes the schedule one month ahead of time and does it month by month. This is the best job anyone can have in that I have no minimum or maximum of time to work...I can tell her any day, any amount of time, whatever time of day that I want to work. I give her the days and times and she puts it down. I have maybe had two times over the past 6 1/2 years that I have worked there that she had to change a day with me or tell me that she didn't need me. I don't get called off. I don't have to tell her if I am going to be gone on a vacation...I do have to work 1 out of the 5 holidays but I get double time/pay for doing so and I can do it from home by taking call. For instance this year I chose to work Thanksgiving and I just have to take call/beeps for 5 hours on Thanksgiving evening and do it from home. We get time and 1/2 for working weekends. So at the beginning of the month, I look at the next month and see when John is working, see when the kids have activities, I take into account church activities, other family obligations etc. I give her my time and that is that. I usually average about 30 -40 hours in a two week period but that includes the time I work from home. So the bottom line is that John and I cannot be spontaneous except if it happens to just be a day that we are both free but we can usually do anything and make any plans if we know in advance..............John can take time off but he has to no about 1-2 months in advance and if he does it last minute it causes more problems (especially since now he is a captain and only certain people can fill in for him). Other than the above my only obligation weekly is that I teach in church on Wed nights. The kids have gotten use to it. They know some days Daddy is at home, some days Mommy is at home and some days we are all at home. John sleeps here at the house after the kids go to school...(they like him taking them to school and he is always great to come home on his work days and fix breakfast and help get them ready). He usually sleeps in the kids' room and closes the door and puts the fan on. He said the bed is not as comfortable but he doesn't hear a thing. He turns his phones to silent and sleeps until usually about 3 pm which is when Emily gets home from school. When he is sleeping, I go about my normal routine of chores, cleaning, phone calls, errands, laundry, taking care of Molly etc. The only thing I can't do is put clothes away in the kids' room. We all eat dinner together a lot earlier now before he returns to work on his days on at about 6 pm. Emily does ballet on Mondays right after school and does piano lessons on Thursdays at 5:30. John Daniel is about to start soccer on Tuesdays but that only lasts 5 weeks. It all seems easy to us at this point. John is very comfortable taking care of all the kids and the kids seem used to the schedule and it really isn't as chaotic as it sounds or seems. We have many days where we are all just chillin around the house by ourselves with nothing to do...those are certainly the best days!!!

Daily Schedule give or take:
6:45 Wake up time
7:00 Get dressed and groomed
7:15 John gets home on his days that he works/breakfast
7:30 Devotion/Molly wakes up
7:45 Shoes, bag together, brush teeth
8:00 Emily goes to school
8:50 John Daniel goes to school
9:30 Molly Nap/John goes to sleep on his days working
11:30 Molly wakes up/lunch
1:00 Pick up John Daniel
3:00 Pick up Emily/John Wakes up
3:30 Molly Nap
6:00 Dinner
6:30 John leaves for work
7:00 Bathtime
8:00 Kids are in bed