Fitting It All In

As promised in my previous post about our curriculum plans for 2011-2012, I'm going to share the routine we've had for a few months and that we'll keep as long as it keeps working!  Flexibility is really the key, afterall!

I've tried and tried in the past to do a "by the clock" schedule, but that only makes for a stressed out mommy, which makes for stressed out and sad kids.  So instead, we just have "hard stops" - specific things that happen at a specific time... the rest just flows in between those stops!

Our day starts at 7:30, which is when all the kids get up (actually, my day starts around 5:15 - I use those extra two hours to exercise, shower, and get into the Word).  Everyone does their basic before-breakfast duties (beds made, teeth brushed, dogs taken care of, etc.) and we sit down for breakfast.  We do our Memory Verse practice, prayer time, and Bible work during breakfast, which gets our day off on a good start!

After breakfast there are some chores to be done, and then we settle into "school".  Depending on how breakfast went, it might be anywhere from 8:15 or even almost 9 by this time... like I said, we're flexible!  To start school time, I always begin with my littles and their preschool work.  While I'm sitting and reading stories to those guys, Isaac will begin the subjects he does on the computer, and Ezra starts his independent work.

After we've read some stories together, I get a few minutes of one-on-one time with each of my younger set.  Joel will get his computer time, while Nate and I work on his Explode the Code book.  Judah wanders between watching Joel on the computer and hanging out at the table with us, or playing with toys in the living room during this time.  Then Nate gets computer time, while Joel and I do handwriting, math and a reading lesson together.  The bigger boys are still working on their independent work while this is going on.  And Judah is still wandering and playing, or starting to create chaos and havoc, depending on the kind of day he's having... (if I can see that it's a chaos and havoc kind of day, I do some tomato staking before things get out of control, and he becomes my sidekick until his brothers are free to play.)

Once I've finished up with the littles, the bigger boys have usually finished their independent work, so it's their turn for one-on-one work with me.  I start with Isaac, while Ezra gets his turn at computer work.  I do spelling and writing with Isaac, and then he is free for the rest of the morning until lunch time!  Then Ezra does spelling, writing, and handwriting with me, and he is free, as well!  By this time, it is usually somewhere between 10:30-11:30ish. 

Of course, while all of the above was all happening, I also took a 15 minute (or so) break at some time to put Rachel down for a nap... she's not on a set schedule, so it just happens whenever she's needing it.  The kids are all used to it by now, so it doesn't disrupt things too badly.  She usually needs 2-3 naps a day and nurses every 2-3 hours, so I just fit those things in when they're needed and life continues on. 

Lunch happens at 12:30, and then Nathan and Judah take a nap from 1-3.  During this nap time is when the 3 oldest boys and I get down to more intense work - I'll use this time for History, Science, and Read-Alouds.  I used to try to do these things when the little ones were awake, but it was just too difficult and I always felt like I was rushing through to just GET IT DONE!  But now there's less stress, fidgeting, and interruption, and we're enjoying it much, much more.  These three subjects can take anywhere from an hour to the full two hours, depending on how much conversation we have, or if there are any science experiments to be done.

3:15 is afternoon snack time, and 3:30 is when afternoon chores start.  Usually during afternoon chores, I'll take 15 or so minutes to go over all the independent work the big boys did that morning, and correct it. 

(My sweet husband has saved my sanity and blessed me with a lot more needed time by offering to be the one that goes over all their work with them, in the evenings after the little ones have gone to bed.  Can I just share my relief at what a wonderful lifesaver this has been for me?!  I love that man!  He really enjoys being in touch with what they're learning, seeing their successes, and coaching them through their struggles - he just hates actually correcting the work.  So I do that part, leaving careful notes about anything I think needs to be brought up.)

Once afternoon chores are done, they are free once again.  Dinner is at 7, followed by family devotions, then bedtime for littles and Daddy time for the big kids.  By 9 or 9:30, the big kids head off to bed, and Michael and I get an hour or two to ourselves... and then to bed I go!  My goal is to get into bed by 10 or 10:30 every night.  I hit that maybe once or twice a week!  More realistically, it is 11 or later by the time my light goes out.

That's our day in a snapshot!


The biggest thing I've learned in the past 5 years of homeschooling is that I just have to be flexible.  I know I've said that word a lot!  But, it's true.  And if anyone reading this knows me, you understand that flexibility does NOT come naturally to me.  I'm a typical type-A, controlling person who likes structure and predictability!  Almost to OCD proportions!  But the Lord has really done a work on me and I've learned that I cannot possibly control a home with 7 other people in it.  Manage it with wisdom, yes.  Control, no!  So if things don't go as "planned"... I just take a deep breath, and move on to the next thing. The world has not ended yet when things haven't gone as planned, so... I'm learning that it is OK! 

Plus, (most importantly, I think), flexibility gives me the room to deal with the actual important things in life, such as comforting and encouraging a frustrated child, teaching brothers to love eachother, spending time enjoying a little one's artwork or a big one's silly antics, and disciplining with patience and consistency rather than frazzled frustration.  And of course, snuggling and nursing my sweet baby girl! 

The routine I just outlined above is probably the best one we've had in almost all of our homeschooling.  I think the combination of the routine, having older children, using the curriculum we're using, plus just having a few years of homeschooling under my belt - all of these things have really melded together well to make our homeschooling days flow into "real life" and not a burden, but a joy!  Not every day is picture-perfect, of course... but I find that, overall, the days flow with a reasonable smoothness that we all appreciate.