After writing several posts discussing the routines I was establishing, I haven’t written more. Why? Well, we moved, and we don’t currently have Internet. This, of course, makes it harder to keep up with blogging. But that’s not the only reason. I mean, I have written a few posts offline and published them at the library. This one, for example, I’m writing on my iPod during the wee hours, because I can’t sleep and have nothing better to do.

The real reason Is that pregnancy is getting the better of me. I just hit the third trimester, and I’m tired a lot! By the end of the day, I’m dragging most days. I don’t always have the energy to get even my basic routines done. Sometimes my husband will wash the supper dishes and shine my sink for me while I crash on the couch with a book or go to bed early.

However, my routines haven’t gone completely out the window, either. I still lay out my clothes most evenings and get dressed before I start breakfast most mornings. I still swish and swipe every day except Sabbath. I still try to keep my sink shiny as much as possible.

Partly because my energy levels are a tad low, and partly because I have been dealing with pain in my hips that is directly related to the effects of pregnancy on chronic scoliosis, I don’t move very quickly, and sometimes it takes twice as long to get everything done. This doesn’t leave me with much chance to do extra things, like unpacking. But I try. Of course, it doesn’t help that most of the boxes are full of dusty items that give me hay fever, and I can’t take allergy medication while pregnant, so I can’t do a lot of unpacking at a time.

But I do have a daughter who is becoming quite a capable housekeeper. She can was most of the dishes, just not the really heavy ones or the really fragile ones. She can mop the floor on hands and knees. I usually use a damp mop with a handle, but the other day there was something sticky on the floor, and even though I mopped it 3 times, it just wouldn’t go away. So I filled a bucket with soapy water and gave her a rag. She mopped while I took a shower, and when I got back, the floor wasn’t sticky anymore! She likes mopping this way, too; don’t ask me why!

So I’m just trying to cope as well as I can, doing what I can and looking forward to getting my body and energy back later on in the summer. Of course, by then routines will be of utmost importance, so I’m doing my best to maintain the ones I have as well as I can. I also plan on using some of my down time to make my control journal. That way my husband will (I hope) be able to keep things more under control in the first few weeks after the baby arrives.

So instead of continuing my series on routines, I will soon share how I made zones in my house. Because I wasn’t happy with Flylady’s zones, but I liked the idea of zones. I’ll tell you about that soon.

How about you? Have you established any routines? How do you keep up with them when you are sick or pregnant or just don’t feel like it? Please share!