Scheduling
Our schedule is more of a goal than an absolute - most days we're able to keep it, but then we have off days, like last Friday when we recieved a shipment of 27 chicks we're raising for meat birds, or yesterday when Mike was off work.

Here's a sample of our morning routine, which I described in the previous post:



For the full schedule, click here.

You'll notice that I don't have myself on there and except for meal cleanup, I don't have housework on the schedule. My work is so tied to the kids' that I didn't feel it was necessary to include a column for myself. Also, I have slightly larger blocks of time for each subject than are needed, which allows me to get things done wherever they fit in throughout the day. I find this works much better than having a tighter schedule that includes everything. It might be different for other moms, but I've learned that a tight schedule is too stressful and I actually get less done when trying to keep a more detailed schedule than on my more flexible routine.

Balancing housework with academics is extremely difficult for me. Let me just say that all new moms, especially prospective homeschooling moms, should be very diligent in teaching their children to clean up after themselves, and should also be careful not to accumulate stuff that will clutter up your house and take up your time. This is the voice of experience speaking.
=8^o

When we've had our seasons of having to do Basic Survival Homeschooling owing to my lengthy illness or having a baby, or because of a move, the one thing I want to be sure of beyond helping out around the house, is that the children are spending at least an hour or two a day reading good books, or listening to them read aloud. Next time I'll discuss the level above that.
;-)

Here are a few references for those who are interested.

Managers of Their Homes

Sidetracked Home Executives

1000 Good Books List