The Cake and Ice Cream Daddy is Cramping My OCD Style!

Lately we have not been following our routine. Truthfully, we have not really followed it since The Daddy got here at the beginning of April! Now that the children are out of school for the summer I think it is time for everyone to get back on track. I have put a lot of thought and planning into the system we use and it irritates the crap out of me that it was so easily tossed aside. This is one of the things that is difficult about being mildly OCD in a family of people with ADHD. The organizational skills in this household are deplorable at best. I cannot stand the chaos. If I have to come home to this

one more time, I really might scream and pull my hair out! So here is my plan:
First of all, I have a great system for assigning chores that makes the children feel like they have a say in things. I have a large dry erase board that has the chores listed and the children get to choose 4 of them every morning. Because three of the members of our household have ADHD and one has Asperger's, I try to make things as predictable as possible for them. I give lots of visual reminders for them, child and adult alike. This ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them as well as what is going on day to day (I also have a calendar that shows everyone's work, school, and doctor schedules, but I cannot show that here because it contains personal information).

This is one of my sanity savers

I also have a day planner where I plan out all of our big meals for the month. I have organized shopping lists that help me make sure I have everything I need for each meal. Right about now you are probably thinking I am completely crazy, but this really is how I maintain my sanity in this household. I do not think I would be able to function without routines, visual aids, and my schedules!