I know one day of trying to maintain a schedule is not a good indicator of how things could be, but here are some thoughts that I have about ONCE AGAIN trying to stick to a detailed schedule instead of a more relaxed routine.
A scripture that I am always reminded of as we plan out our days, week and months is Ephesians 5: 15-16. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. To walk circumspectly means very carefully as if you were walking barefoot across a floor covered with broken glass.
So how did day one on our new schedule go?
1. Keeping to a schedule for my family starts the night before. If things aren't planned, laid out, prepared the night before the schedule will not work. I canceled our last night plans due to some issues with Jackson's behavior yesterday. He was already tired and struggled throughout the day.
2. If we do not get up at the scheduled time, the schedule will not work.
3. I felt like I was constantly rushed and nagging the children to get going, keep going, hurry up, check your time, check your schedule, let's get going.
4.We didn't get everything done anyway.
5. We did have dinner ready to eat (ok, the girls had dinner ready) at 6:00. We had our Bible study at the table at 6:30. At 7 Jeff and the boys were able to get some more work done on the chicken coop. They had worked on it before dinner as well because daddy came home 30 minutes earlier. That was nice!
6. Because the kitchen never got thoroughly cleaned during the day, it took me a little longer to get it taken care of after dinner and because Jeff was busy working outside the little guys didn't get into the bed until 8:30 (thirty minutes late) and had trouble staying in bed.
7. Jeff didn't get up at his usual 4-4:30 this morning and slept in until 5:45. I was counting on him getting up which wakes me up. I don't have an alarm clock, iPod or phone to wake me. Perhaps a new alarm clock should be purchased?
I know I can't base success off of one day, so we will try to keep to the schedule for the next two weeks and see if things improve. We will then have two weeks of a crazy family/work schedule that we will have to school around. One thing I do know is this: we are first and foremost a family. Our school comes in second to the family and if the schedule continues to be a stress factor for me (which trickles down to the children) I will drop it in favor of our more gentle routines. I am seeing that our routines (knowing what we are supposed to do and doing them within a general time frame) will be more effective if I spend more time planning things out. Perhaps it is I who needs more scheduling of MY day than the children.
Here is the schedule for those who asked to see it. I did not include my 23 year old daughter who is at home three days a week. When she is at home she takes over much of the kitchen duties and helps out with two year old Caedmon. She also teaches Kaelan violin, works with Caedmon on some early Suzuki method activities and will be teaching Jackson violin as soon as we get him a violin.
Our group activities consist of reading a chapter each in Psalms and Proverbs, reviewing memory verses and Latin and Greek roots, a read aloud based on our geography or history studies, history, geography, The Thinking Toolbox or The Fallacy Detective and music history/appreciation. We do not do each of these every day. Jackson draws or plays quietly
; ) while listening during this time. I choose 3-4 activities for Caedmon to have available on the rug in front of me...puzzles, box of beans with cups, jumbo cuisenair rods, blocks, etc. If Devin is home this is the time that she would watch him for a few minutes for me.
A scripture that I am always reminded of as we plan out our days, week and months is Ephesians 5: 15-16. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. To walk circumspectly means very carefully as if you were walking barefoot across a floor covered with broken glass.
So how did day one on our new schedule go?
1. Keeping to a schedule for my family starts the night before. If things aren't planned, laid out, prepared the night before the schedule will not work. I canceled our last night plans due to some issues with Jackson's behavior yesterday. He was already tired and struggled throughout the day.
2. If we do not get up at the scheduled time, the schedule will not work.
3. I felt like I was constantly rushed and nagging the children to get going, keep going, hurry up, check your time, check your schedule, let's get going.
4.We didn't get everything done anyway.
5. We did have dinner ready to eat (ok, the girls had dinner ready) at 6:00. We had our Bible study at the table at 6:30. At 7 Jeff and the boys were able to get some more work done on the chicken coop. They had worked on it before dinner as well because daddy came home 30 minutes earlier. That was nice!
6. Because the kitchen never got thoroughly cleaned during the day, it took me a little longer to get it taken care of after dinner and because Jeff was busy working outside the little guys didn't get into the bed until 8:30 (thirty minutes late) and had trouble staying in bed.
7. Jeff didn't get up at his usual 4-4:30 this morning and slept in until 5:45. I was counting on him getting up which wakes me up. I don't have an alarm clock, iPod or phone to wake me. Perhaps a new alarm clock should be purchased?
I know I can't base success off of one day, so we will try to keep to the schedule for the next two weeks and see if things improve. We will then have two weeks of a crazy family/work schedule that we will have to school around. One thing I do know is this: we are first and foremost a family. Our school comes in second to the family and if the schedule continues to be a stress factor for me (which trickles down to the children) I will drop it in favor of our more gentle routines. I am seeing that our routines (knowing what we are supposed to do and doing them within a general time frame) will be more effective if I spend more time planning things out. Perhaps it is I who needs more scheduling of MY day than the children.
Here is the schedule for those who asked to see it. I did not include my 23 year old daughter who is at home three days a week. When she is at home she takes over much of the kitchen duties and helps out with two year old Caedmon. She also teaches Kaelan violin, works with Caedmon on some early Suzuki method activities and will be teaching Jackson violin as soon as we get him a violin.
Our group activities consist of reading a chapter each in Psalms and Proverbs, reviewing memory verses and Latin and Greek roots, a read aloud based on our geography or history studies, history, geography, The Thinking Toolbox or The Fallacy Detective and music history/appreciation. We do not do each of these every day. Jackson draws or plays quietly
; ) while listening during this time. I choose 3-4 activities for Caedmon to have available on the rug in front of me...puzzles, box of beans with cups, jumbo cuisenair rods, blocks, etc. If Devin is home this is the time that she would watch him for a few minutes for me.
Time | Anita | Jordan | Aaron | Kaelan | Jackson | Caedmon |
6:00 | 5:30-wake, bath, dress, make bed, quiet time | 5:30-wake, quiet time, dress, make bed | wake, quiet time, dress | wake, make bed, quiet time | sleep | sleep |
6:30 | computer | chores | chores | breakfast prep with Devin | wake up, dress, chores | sleep |
7:00 | breakfast/chores | breakfast/chores | breakfast/chores | breakfast/chores | breakfast/chores | wake up/breakfast |
7:30 | chores | chores | chores | shower/chores | chores | dress/chores |
8:00 | w/Jackson and Caedmon | independent | language, BTS and reading | piano for 45 minutes | math tape, Bible Story, Mind Benders | activity bags/puzzles |
8:30 | w/Jackson and Caedmon | independent | language, BTS and reading | read to Caedmon 8:45-9:00 | math lesson, flash cards, game | math blocks/activity bag/read with K |
9:00 | group | group | group | group | group | floor activities |
9:30 | group | group | group | group | group | floor activities |
10:00 | group | group | group | group | group | floor activities |
10:30 | w/Kaelan and Aaron | independent | math drills, typing, start math | language | break/outside/snack | break/outside/snack |
11:00 | w/Jackson and Caedmon | independent | finish math | math, BTS, typing, math drills | language arts | table time activity |
11:30 | check up | independent | finish work and lunch prep | finish work and lunch prep | computer: spelling/phonics/math game | short movie |
12:00 | lunch | lunch | lunch | lunch | lunch | lunch |
12:30 | chores | chores/work | chores | chores | chores | chores |
1:00 | nap with Caedmon | independent or work | piano/theory-45 minutes | teaching Jackson | with Kaelan-art/Geosafari/listening | nap |
1:30 | computer | independent or work | 1:45 break | violin-45 minutes | rest period | nap |
2:00 | w/Aaron | independent or work | science | 2:15 break | chores or activity with mom | nap |
2:30 | w/Kaelan and Jackson | independent or work | science | science studies with Mom and Jackson | science studies with Mom and Kaelan | nap (fingers crossed) |
3:00 | w/Kaelan and Jackson | independent or work | independent reading | hands-on activities with Mom and Jackson | hands-on activities with Mom and Kaelan | snack and play |
3:30 | chores | chores/work | chores | chores | chores | chores |
4:00 | walk | free/work | free | free | free | free |
4:30 | dinner prep/chores | free/work | free | free | free | free |
5:00 | dinner prep | chores/work | chores | dinner prep | chores | chores/movie |
5:30 | dinner prep | chores | chores | dinner prep | chores/play | play |
6:00 | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner |
6:30 | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner | dinner |
7:00 | family worship | family worship | family worship | family worship | family worship | family worship |
7:30 | little boys | chores | chores | chores | bath/book | bath/book |
8:00 | school prep | free | shower | free | bed | bed |
8:30 | school prep | shower | free | free | bed | bed |
9:00 | computer/bed | bed | bed | bed | bed | bed |
 |
| http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2011/08/hip-homeschool-hop-83011/ |
8 comments:
I've had schedules that have worked wonderfully in different seasons of my life. Stick to it for the two weeks and you'll know just where things need tweaked a bit to make it successful for you.
Wow. It sounds to me like your family does a lot better when you work in a loose, more relaxed pattern of the day. Maybe if you planned just a little more with that it would work better and you wouldn't have to feel so stressed and be rushing everyone and feeling behind all day. Just a thought...we have a loose rhythm of the day that we work with...our family works better with general blocks of time that we work with instead of overly specific.
But if you feel that this new schedule is what you need to do...then you can count on my prayers as you navigate your way through! :D
Hope all goes just the way you need it to with a little elbow room for the unexpected in each day. ;-)
Blessings!
Mrs Mary Joy Pershing
Thanks for posting. I'm working on ours for this year. I remember Terri Maxwell saying that the schedule is a TOOL. You control it. It doesn't control you. There are many God moments throughout the day when we just need to let the schedule slip a bit. I like it because it reminds us where to jump back in rather than feeling like we have to go back and catch up. Who cares if the cabinets don't get washed today. They will next week. :-) Hang in there. Maybe adding a few blocks of "buffer time" would help? Don't know. Just a thought.
We follow our new schedule for two weeks and then as a family, re-evaluate what works and what doesn't. That's the beauty of having it on the computer (easy edit!). The first few days are always the hardest for us, as we adjust (I carry a copy with me and will have the older girls do the same). But once everyone has settled into the new routine, it really does go much smoother. I agree with "Trophy and Barb"; the schedule is a tool that you control. Find what works best for your family. P.S. I like how you schedule a nap with Caedmon; I need to consider this!
"Mom, I just don't do well on a schedule" ~ Mercy
I don't know what she was talking about. Maybe she heard Emily & I discussing baby schedules? I don't know but her serious little face when she was saying it was so funny
C. Riley
I am so a schedule person!
Not so detailed as yours but I do like to get up at the same time each day. I like meals about the same time each day.
I only have one left at home to homeschool. She is 9th grade this year and made up her own schedule. However, her following it is another story. Not to mention we have to deal with my mom and her appts, and extra appts to work schooling around.
Plus, my mother is calling on the phone all hours of the day.....mostly because she is lonely.
Also,my middle daughter and her 5 children are living with us. This makes getting school work done extra difficult, especially with the 2 yr old grandson. If they happen to leave for a bit we will stop what we are doing and do math when she can concentrate more.
I would love to homeschool the grandchildren with the help of my daughter but their father says no, so they are in public school.
I don't blog specifically about homeschooling but I would like to find a homeschool blog hop to take part in and start blogging about our days.
Great schedule. I have one, but not as detailed as yours.
Thanks for sharing.
A friend shared with me that the schedule is a tool, not our master! Sometimes it helps to just see what all needs to be accomplished in the day but to remember that there will always be days when we have to reevaluate our expectations-- life happens and that's okay! Here's hoping you and your family find a happy balance!
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