Homeschool Schedules

A recent picture of my five I'm homeschooling this year.

Here is a question that I received about homeschooling and "getting it all done."  I thought I would post it and post my reply along with our HS schedule this year.  Hopefully this will help someone out : )

I hope all is well. I'm hoping you can share some homeschooling mom wisdom if you don't mind. The last several weeks we've had a tough time getting school finished at a decent time, even when on days I feel like we start on time. Some days it's a lack of focus, others it's whining or moping and of course some days there is both. It's growing very frustrating and I'm not sure how to handle it. I feel quite defeated and a bit like a sacrifice to the cause. I don't want to be selfish in my heart but I'd really like to squeeze in more exercise and a shower I really appreciate your constant help and encouragement. A

My answer:

I know what you mean by going through tough times. It ebbs and flows around here as well. Have you made a school day schedule? I know that having a schedule, having it posted where everyone can see it and even having Dad go over it with the kids really helps. I would set a reasonable amount of time for each subject and then even if they are not through, move on to the next thing. Then in the afternoon when it might be "fun time" or even after dinner when dad is home, they have to finish their "homework." This might make an impact if they are missing something fun like a game with Dad, baking something with you or TV. After we clean up breakfast and do morning chores, I get the kids going on independent easy work like handwriting and drills and then I jump in the shower. So after I'm dressed for the day, we start our CC work, LA and Math. Does this make sense? Also, I've found that I have to get up between 6 and 6:30 every morning and work out first thing or it probably won't get it done. Also, make sure that you are not actually giving them too much work. I know how easy it is to push that oldest super smart child : ) Blessings!

Here is our homeschool schedule for our
days T-F (we have our Classical Conversation co-op on Mondays.) It may be a little hard to read but you can basically see how I lay things out.

Blessings to all you homeschool moms out there!

Favorite Parts of My Day

(In no particular order)

#1 Taking my afternoon walk down the street with my little guy.  We love to mosey slowly and look at bugs and worms and flowers, etc.  He loves when cars pass and we stop and wave while he wishes it was Daddy.

#2 My morning quiet time with my wonderful cup of coffee with heavy cream. I love starting my day like this and God knows I NEED to start my day like this.

#3 My afternoon reading and rest time.  The house gets quiet while the kids nap or read, then I go in my room and read for about 30 minutes and close my eyes for about 30 minutes.....my sanity saver.

#4 When my husband comes home from work!  All the kids run to him so excited and he plants a big kiss on my lips : )

#5 Getting my little guys up from their naps.  They are so cute, warm, cuddly and still sleepy.  They love their mama.

#6 Making my little guys their meals on their monkey plates with little dividers.  I love doing this.  They aren't at an age to really complain about what I put on the plate (not that they eat everything) and it's so easy to find food to feed them.

#7 Taking a hot bubble bath at the end of the day.  This doesn't happen every night but boy can a hot bath ease a tired mind and muscles and make your problems seem a whole lot smaller.

#8 The end of my work-out when I know I've done it and I look up to heaven and thank the Lord that I'm healthy and strong and can run 3 miles or do heavy weights.  The endorphins kick in and life is good!

#9 Sitting down at dinner with my big table filled with my family and seeing them laugh while enjoying the food and each other....bliss.

#10 That rare part of the day, usually evening time, when the house is straight, the kitchen clean, the laundry done and all my children are safely home.

Night Night.....Getting Kids to Bed Without Too Much Drama

And this is what happens when the bedtime schedule/routine is ignored......falling asleep on my bed with rollar skates on!

I had a mom ask me advice for how to get kids to bed without too many tears and without it taking half the night.  While I'm not an expert on sleep and bedtime, I will let y'all know how we do it and what works for us.  I've mentioned bedtime a little in some other posts, but I don't think I've done a complete post about it, so here goes.

First of all, while I do have my young babies sleep with me some when they are nursing a good bit at night, we are not a co-sleeping family.  Each child and baby has their own bed or crib and I try to get them used to it pretty early.  So, if you are a "family-bed" type person, then this post may not relate to you.  I also don't sleep well with a child in bed with me (unless my husband is out of town or they are really little) so if a child comes in our room in the middle of the night due to sickness or fear, then we have them sleep on the floor by our bed.  I keep extra blankets and pillows in our bedroom for this purpose.  I've woken up in the morning many times with 2-3 children sleeping on the floor around our bed.  The great thing about this is they usually don't like to sleep on the floor too many nights or for too long before they realize their own bed is much more comfortable. 

As far as bedtime routine, we try to keep it just that.....a routine.  We are pretty consistent with the time we start the whole routine as well.  First we give them all a snack, usually after pajamas and baths (we don't do baths for everyone every night.)  Then they go upstairs and brush teeth.  We then read them a book, say prayers with them, sing a song, give hugs and kisses and that's it.  Usually one of us does this with the 4 who need it (ages 5-11.)I'm not counting my teenagers here since they are pretty self-sufficient. The other parent puts the little boys down about a half hour or so earlier.  For the little ones (ages 2-4), we brush teeth, read 1-2 picture books rock and sing, pray and that's it.  The one parent that didn't put the others down, of course has to go check on them and give them a goodnight kiss.  This is a must (at least to them : ) and they will usually not fall to sleep until both parents (of course this is if both parents are home) have kissed them goodnight. 

We do discipline if a child is disobedient and keeps getting out of bed.  I don't move my children out of a crib until 2 1/2 at least.  I think toddlers are driven to get up after being put down to sleep and sometimes just can't control themselves (especially boys.)  I don't discipline them for getting up until I know that they understand completely what they are doing.  Plus, I think for safety sake it's better to keep them in the crib longer.  Unless of course, they are climbing out, which none of my kids have learned to do, thankfully. If child is crying in their bed or crib, we do go in and console or rock them every 15 minutes or so until they go to sleep.  This actually rarely happens with my children though. 

I've mentioned this before but we have "white noise" type fans in most of the bedrooms, especially the younger ones.  I think this kind of lulls them to sleep some and it keeps them from hearing all the "fun" activity going on after they have been put to bed.  I think this is a must if your home is small or you have older kids that stay up much later, even later than the parents!

Now, of course not everything goes perfectly.  We have one child that usually gets up a few times to come "check" on us but she will get in trouble if she does this more than once.  We also have one other girl right now that won't sleep in her own bed alone.  She wants to sleep in a bed with a sibling just about every night.  We worked out a schedule for her at the moment.  She is a real cuddle bunny and also is a little paranoid of bugs.  We're all hoping she out grows this stage soon. 

As far as dealing with fear, we pray with them, say Bible verses, have night lights and usually leave the door open. We have had children over the years that have gone through stages of being more than a little scared.  We have found that Christian story CD's, quiet classical music or even the Bible on CD really has helped.  Putting that on quietly when we leave the room and turn out the big light, really gets their mind off any scary thoughts.  I have 2 boys particularly, that have always fallen asleep to classical music or story tapes. If you are having a child with fear issues, I would make sure they are not watching anything scary or disturbing or even just too much stimulation during the day.  It also helps when you have more than a few children, so each child has someone to share a room with : )

A "Doable" Schedule

Here's my #1 sneaky guy who loves to tamper with my schedule

I know I said in my previous post that I had posted my schedule from last year, but in looking back I realize that it was from the year before......boy does time fly!  

I love schedules and over the years I have learned that the best thing about a schedule is that it gives you a plan, kind of like a skeleton for your day.  I don't think anyone, especially moms of little ones, should be a slave to the schedule or put timers all over the house to keep everyone on task. I'm not that rigid.  But many people think that schedules are too restraining, but really I think they are freeing.  To know that you have your day planned and will get done what really needs to get done and not just let the day get away from you, is SO nice.  If you haven't tried a schedule, please do.  A great book if you have 2 or more children and especially if you homeschool, is "Managers of Their Homes", by Teri Maxwell.  I know I have recommended it before, but it can give you a vision for schedules.  It's a little "over the top" and now I just do a version of what she does.  You can see the picture of my daily homeschool schedule down below.  But I will write my schedule easier to see without all the specifics.  One thing I do for my homeschooling hours, is divide my morning into 30 minute segments and have the children rotate through the "segments." But pay attention!.... One thing you must do if you have little ones, is to build margin into your schedule.  So, even though it really might not take 30 minutes to clean the kitchen or for a child to practice piano, you have time built in for the unexpected.........the baby has an explosive diaper, the child can't find their piano books or school books, the 7 year old is starving and must have a snack,the toddler dumps out a whole box of cereal (these things happened to me today during our morning : ) The 30 minute segments I have for my 1st-6th graders are as follows:

math on the computer

practice piano

time with mom

seat work to finish assignments

watch little ones

So here is our daily schedule:

6:00 Wake-up, outside for daily walk/jog
7:00  Quiet time, prayer and Bible reading (this includes                  
          all those awake)
8:00 Breakfast,clean-up, morning chores, kids get dressed
9:00 Dress little ones then I shower.  Older kids start 
        school, ie math drills, hand writing and whatever else
         they can start on their own.
9:30  Group time with everyone.  This includes prayer and
         Bible reading, Classical Conversations memory 
         work, history or science reading. Brief snack time.
10:30-12:30 Kids do their 30 minute increments and I 
          spend 30 minutes with each child going over their
          school work.
12:30 lunch and clean-up
1:00  my time with Christian and kids have "recess"
1:30-2:30 Reading time and finish assignments for school
          age kids and little ones down for naps (I rest and 
           read too)
2:30 If kids have read and done all their school, then 
        they get to watch one TV show (reruns of course : ) I 
         catch up on emails and blog.
3:00-5:00  Extracurricular activities, play outside, chores
5:00  Dinner prep, play with little boys
6:15 Dinner, family time, clean-up
7:00-8:00 Baths, reading time with Dad, little ones down
8:30-9:00  Others to bed
9:00-10:30 Read, watch news, time with hubby
10:30  Lights out

My Summer Schedule

I have had a few people ask about my summer schedule, so I thought I would post what our typical day looks like.  Some of it stays the same whether we are doing school or not and I will do a "school schedule" when we are back homeschooling the end of August.  


6:30am    Wake-up and work-out
7:30am    Quiet Time and kids start to wake-up
8:15am    Breakfast
9:00am    Clean-up, kids get dressed and do morning 
                 chores. I shower.
9:45am     Head to pool or meet friends for an outing or do
                 special activity/job around house.
12:00pm   Lunch and clean-up
1:00pm     Reading and Rest time (by the time I get the 
                 little ones down for their naps and the others 
                  settled with books and quiet toys, this gives
                 me almost an hour to read and rest too.)
2:30pm     Kids can watch TV (recorded old shows : ) if 
                  they have read well and done chores.  I 
                  get dinner started and do laundry.
3:00pm     My computer time to return emails, blog and 
                 other family admin work.
3:45pm      Little boys are up by this now; snack time.
4:00pm     Go to library, possibly pool if didn't go in the    
                 morning or run errands.
5:00pm     Play outside with little boys and finish dinner.
6:15pm      Dinner and clean-up
7:00pm     Take family walk or bike ride or sometimes 
                  husband takes kids to pool (our pool is in our 
                  neighborhood so they can walk) 
8:00pm      Little boys to bed and I finish laundry, make 
                 dessert.
8:30pm     Read to kids, girls to bed.
9:00pm     My time to crash......ie, spend time with 
                 husband, read, watch news.
10:30pm   Lights out :)

Just A "Mom-Day" (what I like best)

Earlier this week, I had a perfect "mom-day."  You know, those days when you don't have to do anything major.  There is no outside appointments, no unexpected drama, no event to get ready for or clean for, no sickness and just a good ole boring day.  Yes, this mom likes boring.  As I get older, I cherish the days when I am just home with my little ones.  Actually, I like to be home with them more and more.  It's my "queendom" as I heard one older mom say one time.  Anyway, I've posted our homeschool schedule in the past and my kids' schedules but I thought I would let y'all take a look at just a regular day for this Mama of 10.......a perfect day to me.  And really, it was pretty much the same when I had 3, 5, or 7 kids :)

6:30  wake-up, make coffee, read Bible and pray
7:30  start breakfast and dressing kids
8:30  do about a half hour of Pilate's
9:00  shower and put Patrick down for morning nap
9:30  reading time with all my kids, get school started
10:15  tea break and check emails
12pm  wrap up school time
12:30  lunch and clean-up
1:00  fold laundry and clip coupons
1:30  head to grocery store with 3 kids to do big shopping
3:00 pick-up Anna from school
3:30 go visit my mom
4:00 put up groceries and feed kids snack
4:30 blog and check email and return phone calls
5:00 start dinner, play with little boys
6:00 husband home!
6:20 dinner and family time
7:00 clean-up and more laundry
7:30 make dessert with little girls
8:00 kids reading time with Dad while I put Patrick down
8:30 kids to bed
9:00 watch news with hubby.....sleep

Summer Schedule

Summer has begun!  I've been taking a vacation from blogging, homeschooling and exercising.  I needed a break to rest and recover from being sick and just to kind of gain some perspective.  I'm not much of a summer person, but I know I need a break from schooling and some change in our routine.  I do love the beach too and traveling up north every summer for a reunion with my husband's family.  Anyway, this is what I like to do different in the summer......

Pool!
Aerobics!
Organizing!
Hopefully Scrapbooking!

We take an 11 week summer.  Two of those weeks we are traveling, one week at the beach in June and one week in the Poconos at a Christian camp with extended family.  That leaves 9 weeks at home.  So I divide the house into 9 sections and each week focus on one section.  I deep clean, declutter and organize that section.  So by the end of the summer my house is pretty cleaned and organized.  This is like my spring or fall cleaning, which I don't have time to do in the spring or fall. 


So I guess I need to get started since last summer I had yucky morning sickness and my house never got organized and cleaned out like I wanted it to.


Anyway, just realized I posted this without actually writing down my "summer schedule."  Sorry : )  So here it is:


Monday and Thursdays :  I have a great college age girl coming to help me this summer since I have 2 nonwalkers and can't imagine going to the pool with both of them unless I have my husband with me.  So she will come and take the kids to the pool.  I will go to aerobics while she is home with all of them and then when I get back she will take them to the pool, minus the baby.  The baby and and I will do grocery shopping (regular grocery on Mon and either Whole Foods or BJ's on Thurs.) Then we will come home and unload and do some orgainzing around the house before everyone gets back from the pool and goes down for naps.


Tuesday and Friday:  I will drop the baby off at my mom's and take the kids to the pool myselft.  BTW, Matt just loves the water!


Wednesdays:  This wil be our "special" day where we will have friends over and go to the park, just stay home and do some crafts or go on a field trip.


I did buy my kids some workbooks to do over the summer so they don't forget too much school stuff, but we don't take too much time off I never worry about it too much.
I'll do some orgainizng in the afternoons and tennis lesons will be thrown in there as well as a week of  swim lessons for 3 of them.   Yes, I think I'm looking forward to a summer of no morning sickness and am glad God provided a great girl to help me some this summer and she loves to orgainize too!

Running Around Crazy!

Does anyone else ever feel like they are running around like crazy?  I love homeschooling and someone told me when I first started that to actually homeschool you need to be at home! These were words of wisdom that still speak to me today.  But, I do love my children being involved in extracurricular activities.  I have learned over they years, not to plan anything during our essential school hours of 9-1pm.  This means that many times I have to turn down "homeschool extracurricular activities" because they make those many times during our school hours.  I always plan things like errands and doctor appointments, as well as sports and music lessons after 1pm, at least.  Actually, my schedule this year has me home Mon, Wed, and Thurs until 3pm.  My mom comes over at lunch time on Tues so I can go workout and do my big grocery shopping.  On Fridays, my kids do homeschool tutorial classes from 9-12 and I use that time to run errands.  But, let me tell you, Tuesday is my busiest day.  Not only do I go and workout and grocery shop, but I have one that has soccer in the early evening and one that has ballet at 3pm and another that has tennis at 4:30.  I also have to pick up Anna from school and then I was silly enough to plan my Mom's group over here on Tues night!  Well, I guess I'll get no rest on Tuesdays and just crash at night.  But my other days are wonderful and I'm so thankful that everything is really close by.  I've learned over the years to say "no" to anything far away (like more than 10 min.) and this has helped so very much.  Like my husband says, "no is a holy word." Oh, and if you are wondering how I am having time to write this on a Tues, well, I'm really not sure, but I needed a quiet moment to drink my coffee and "unwind" :o)

My Schedule

Since we are starting up homeschool for the year next week, I have been working on my schedule.  I love the book "Managers of Their Homes"  and years ago when I just had 4 children, I started using the model she describes in her book.  I actually love to make schedules (I know, maybe I'm weird that way).  Anyway, it really gives me a base for our day during the week.  I'm not a slave to it and we are more lax in the afternoon, but if you have more than a couple of kidos, it really helps.

So, I start with some large graph paper (one inch grid.)  I write the children's names, plus me, across the top and each square is a half hour long.  The book does come with a kit to make a large one of these schedules and a few small ones, but I used it up a long time ago.  Then, as you can see below, is how I divide up the day.  The book has many chapters, such as one on the older kids helping with the younger ones so they are quiet during school time.  Anyway, I hang this up in the school room and also make a copy for the  kitchen and after a few weeks, we are pretty much on auto-pilot. Every year is a little different because I always like to try new things.  For instance, this year my 7th grader will be doing 2 DVD Abeka classes.  I felt that he needed more school work and some professional help with English :o) The "time with Mom" is when I check their work from the day before and go over their assignments for that day.  H.O.D. that I am doing with the girls stands for "Heart of Dakota."  I'm so excited about this.  It is a new curriculum that I found that combines history, science, Bible, crafts and reading.  It's similar to Sonlight but simplified.  Well, hope this helps someone out there.  Happy Parenting!

Naps! A Large Family Life Saver

    A rested child=a happy child! Anyone who has been around me and my children any amount of time, knows that we are big nappers .  I am a firm believer in children having a nap until they are at least 5 years old.  At that time, I switch to a rest and reading time in their room for about an hour.  This gives me at least an hour every afternoon of peace and quiet.  I have to admit, this is one of my "life savers" in a house with many children.  When people come over here to visit or hang out with one of my older kids, they are always so amazed at how quiet my house is between roughly 2 and 3pm.  My teenage niece was here visiting recently and she commented how she couldn't believe how my kids just went up to their rooms after we got back to the pool for rest or nap.  So many moms tell me how tired and stressed they are, even with just 2 children, and how they never get a break.  I try to tell them to instill nap time everyday and don't make it an option.  90% of children need to nap in the afternoon and will fall asleep.  The few that don't need to sleep when they are young, can still be trained to rest and/or play quietly in their rooms.  I think children need some quiet time everyday.  Our society can be so fast passed and so "noisy" and entertainment driven.  Some of my children have been more resistant at times or more high energy.  With those, I just lay with them or have them lay with me (this is for the under 5 year olds) and without fail they will fall asleep.  Sometimes I have to wake them if the nap starts to exceed 2 hours.  I want them to be able to go to sleep at a reasonable hour at bedtime.  I love this quiet time during the day.  I never clean, cook or do chores during that time.  I lay in my room, usually with one of my kidso, and read for about a half hour and then close my eyes for a little bit. Sometimes I fall asleep for 20 min. or so. This really helps me get through the rest of the evening without being to tired and grumpy since I wake up pretty early every morning. Some of my family members and friends make fun of my "nap" time, but I just tell them I'm being European ;o) Anyway, when I get up in the afternoon my little ones are usually still sleeping and I can have a cup of tea and check my email.  This just recharges me for the rest of the day.  Just thought I would share this little secret with y'all out there.  Happy Napping!