This week we are supposed to share our planned routine.  Well, as alluded to in my post on Agendas, September is only part-time for us.  This is a survival mechanism for me.  We have very long winters here, and I have mentioned numerous times about my struggle to cope.  So I take advantage of the beautiful September weather and keep our book work to the bare minimum.  Our “intended” routine will be in full swing at the beginning of October.

At the moment, we are really just winging it for times.  Although I make sure we have it done before lunch.  Both myself and the children do much better when we do our work in the morning.

In October a typical day will probably look something like this:

8:00 - Bible, character, English and Word Building (Cole), Math (Luke), Rod & Staff Preschool (Brett), About Three (Eliana), and toddler toys (shape sorters, blocks, etc) for Damara.  When everyone is done their respective task, they are allowed to go do something while others finish their work.

9:00 - French (which I forgot to mention in my Agendas post)

9:30 - snack/outdoor/exercise  break (in the fall and spring, and on pleasant winter days we’ll go for a walk or sliding or something, but on the nasty, too-cold-for-humankind winter days, we’ll likely use our treadmill and trampoline - we put both in the garage through the winter.  It’s chilly, but we just don our coats and what-not and get a little exercise.)

10:30 - Science/History/Social Studies - these will vary by day (Cole & Luke) and school only activities for Brett, Eliana & Damara

11:30 - lunch

1:00 - QUIET TIME!!!  This is something I’ve attempted to impliment in the past with much frustration.  I know, however, that we’ll all be happier with that little break, so I am determined this WILL happen this year.  I got out of the routine of everyone resting/napping during the two years of Luke’s intense therapy - it was so hard with people coming and going. 

2:30 - We’ll all have a snack, I’m sure, and then it’s time for art, reading

3:30 - computer time, chores, start supper, outdoors if nice….basically from here on out is free time, we may work on lapbooks, do more art, listen to stories on cd (I just bought an 11-cd set from Agapeland - anyone remember Music Machine???  The kids are really enjoying them!).  My goal is, rather than the usual five o’clock fever we tend to have, to have a tidy, quiet, yummy-smelling house for my husband to come home to.

I’m not a huge fan of schedules.  In the past I’ve thought I’d tend towards winging it.  But I find that when I wing it, I just spend my day jumping from thing to thing without much progress, whether it’s school work for the kids, getting a book read all the way through (we’ve just started re-reading Charlotte’s Web because I didn’t finish it last year, and it’s been long enough we needed to start again), or projects or housework that I need to get done.  My biggest challenge will be establishing the routine of getting up earlier.  But it’s coming.  I’m already up an hour and a half earlier than I was getting up at the beginning of summer.  I was still in recovery from a year of baby nights, so hubby graciously allowed me to sleep in when he was home.  I would *like* to be getting up with him, but his schedule is changing so he’ll be having to leave around 6 am.  I am, however, a morning person when I’ve had enough sleep, so I know if I can just get the routine established, we’ll all be happier and more productive people.

My prayer for our family right now is that the Lord will enable us, in HIS strength, to be consistent, disciplined and perseverant.  I want to make the most of every day. 

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