Routines or Schedules?

I am not a schedule person.  Trying to keep our days managed in hourly or half-hour increments makes my eye twitch.  Seriously!  My guts tighten up and I can turn into a monster.  Give me gentle routines....everyone knowing what they are supposed to do and when it is supposed to be done.  That's for me!

Except we have slipped out of our routines.   When the older girls were small, I had two lists of routine chores and activities typed up.  Each week the girls either had "A" chores or "B" chores.  Each list was divided into several categories:  Before breakfast, after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, after school, after dinner, etc.  It made life much more manageable.  And then we added more and more children and the older ones could still do their "A" or "B" chores and the  younger ones...well, they just didn't get as much guidance in the chore department.  Now, I generally only have the younger ones here at home during the bulk of the day.  However, they are not quite so young anymore.   My 18 year old son is a big help.  He generally does whatever I ask without complaint and pretty thoroughly.  Key word here, though, is ask.  I'm sure he would prefer knowing what I expect him to do without me having to ask or tell him.  The other problem with him is that he works part-time three days a week, so he is not available.  That leaves me the 14, 11 and 6 year olds whom I have neglected sorely in this department.  Don't get me wrong!  I do give them chores to do each day, but I have failed to INSPECT them each day.  You know the old adage "don't expect what you don't inspect"!  So it has occurred to me that we all need a period of training.  We desperately need to rid ourselves of bad habits and replace them with good habits.

This morning I sat down with my school aged children and we discussed some routines that need to be implemented in our family to help our days run much more smoothly.   I thought I would share here for accountability and I thought there may be someone out there who could use some help or encouragement in this area as well.  Or you might just sit back and get a chuckle at the 22+ year homeschooling veteran who is still struggling to get some routines figured out for her family"!  Ha!!  I would laugh with you, but really, it's something that changes every time a new baby is born, a child starts working, a daughter or son is married and leaves  home....and for the record in the last five years I HAVE HAD  one daughter get married and leave home, a husband whose job changed, a home business started, two children start working and a new baby born....and just to add a little more into the mix we also had three grandchildren born in that time frame.  Time brings so many changes!

Before breakfast:
-awake and wash up
-get dressed--even socks and shoes
-brush hair
-make bed and tuck pajamas under pillow
-have quiet time of Bible reading and prayer

During breakfast:
-review memory verses posted on white board
-listen to our weekly music selection

After breakfast:
-everyone clears their own dishes from the table
-brush teeth
-do after breakfast chores (which will be posted on the bulletin board and assigned for a week)

Group time:
-read our daily chapter from the book of Proverbs
-review our Greek and Latin roots
-geography or history --alternate days for group teaching
-missionary biography
-music history

Independent work:  (this will also be done when they complete their after breakfast chores and before we start group time)
-I work with Jackson at this time while trying to keep Caedmon occupied as well (if Devin is home, she occupies Caedmon)
-math
-typing
-math drills
-assigned reading
-grammar and writing

Before lunch:
-general pick up

After lunch:
-Kaelan and Aaron clean the kitchen while I read with the little boys and get Caedmon down for a nap

Afternoon session:
-Kaelan and Aaron take turns practicing piano, Kaelan practices violin, Aaron does science and Spanish and both of them do any unfinished work
-Jackson and I work on any unfinished work

Free time:
-outdoor play or whatever  until 5

Before dinner chores

Dinner:
-we have started doing our family worship at the table right after we eat...It is easier doing this that waiting until after dinner clean up and baths.  It makes our evenings more relaxed as well.
After dinner chores

Before bed;
-general pickup
-gather and sort laundry
-take out the garbage
-lay out clothes for the next day
-start breakfast (mix up muffins, lay out dishes, prepare fruit, pull from the freezer)


I need to resurrect the "A" and "B" chore list for Aaron and Kaelan to rotate weekly and make a daily list for Jordan and Jackson as well.  When Devin is home she takes care of a lot of the food prep for me and anything else that she can help with...however, she is gone all day two full days a week, about half the day on another day and must practice two hours or more each day.  She is not at my beck and call!  Now to get busy with the chore lists and start working on developing good habits!  How do you roll at your house?  Are you a scheduler or do you do better with routines?  Do you find you have to change things around every so often?  I would love some feedback from others on our routine list.