Jul. 15, 2008 - New Summer Schedule Woes

Last night I decided to pull together a summer schedule for my kids (and me), so we would have some sort of direction from day to day and I would hear, "Mommy, there's nothing to do" a lot less. Once I finished the schedule, I started planning out which activities we would do for today. It took me until about 11:30pm to finish (I'd been up since 5:30am). I wanted to get up at 5:30am again to pray for our day, because I KNEW that implementing this schedule would be a battle with Ben. Not that he doesn't like to do things, but because I was cutting TV out of our day. So I wanted to pray for wisdom, patience, all that stuff to deal with it all.

About a half an hour after getting into bed, and as I was just drifiting off, Jeremiah started crying. OK, no biggie, maybe he was thirsty or lost his pacifier. So I went in to give him both - he wanted neither. He tried repeatidly to suck on his pacifier, but kept pulling it out and crying. So my first guess was his teeth may be bothering him. But that morning he had also woke with a cough and runny nose....ear infection? I gave him some teething tablets and after trying to pray, cuddle and console with him for an hour, decided to try Ibuprofen - while discussing with myself whether I should take him to the ER. I don't like just running to the ER for anything - not to mention, it's not exactly a quick trip from where we live now.  So I held him a while longer, waiting for the meds. to kick in, but he was still very fussy. At one point I put him down so I could go to the bathroom and he crawled to the bathroom door (which I left open) and pointed to his room (which is the door right across from the bathroom). So I asked him if he wanted to go "Nuh Night" and he complied "Uh" as in "yes". So I took him back to his crib and laid him down. He went without a fuss and slept the rest of the night. This concerns me because should I have given him the meds? What if he didn't need them?

This left me with about 4 hours of sleep - and I skipped my prayer time this morning.  My battle had begun the night before.

I had big plans for today - including making a big batch of blueberry pancakes (even before Jon left for work). Didn't happen - well, I did make blueberry pancakes, but Ben wouldn't touch them and Jeremiah had lost his appetite. (He woke up with green snot ) Ben was whiney almost the entire morning - my best guess is because I wouldn't let him watch tv. This is my own fault for allowing it in the home again so freely. I know I need to deal with the consequences.

Although we are not "on schedule", we have certainly kept busy today and I haven't heard anyone tell me they are bored or there's nothing to do. We did devotions and the two older children did an activity with their devotion. Ben and I created a bird out of a toilet paper tube (his devotion was God cares for us more then the birds). Gabriella did a devotion from Keys for Kids about sowing a seed. She created her own story book on the subject. Then, we went for a nice walk around the block this morning. We enjoyed nature and just being outdoors. Now both boys are napping and Gabriella is having quiet time in her room.

Soon, a friend of mine will be over to do a school (college) reading project with Gabriella. I need to get the kitchen the rest of the way clean before she gets here, but I'm so zonked. I would rather nap. I just don't want to be groggy when she arrives.

So, needless to say, I have a wonderful schedule set up for summer and even if it doesn't wholly work out this summer (because I'm about to have a baby!), it will next summer! Here is an article I used to help guide me: A Summer Schedule and it comes from Titus2.com (excellent resource). I created my schedule in Microsoft Excel, but here it is without the gridlines. I also created a "Summer Schedule Activity List" that I don't think got saved (but I printed an extra copy so I could copy it). But basically I use it daily to write out the activities that we will do for each category (i.e. math, devotions, phonics, Read Alouds, etc.) I hope this will be of use to someone - please feel free to use the same or modify mine. :)

The violet colored font indicates that the activities are constant throughout the week. Anything in different colors are activities that change from day to day. The times are also centered, so after 8am, it looks like I have all these activities crunched into a 30 min. block of time, but the time actually starts at 8:30 and goes to noon. The time is centered with the activities.

Summer Schedule
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6:00-7:00am	Mom: Coffee, personal devotions
7:00-8am	Breakfast, morning chores, dress, devotions with children
8:00am	Devotional Activity
8:30am-12pm	Phonics w/Ben/Free Time
	Story Time	Math Lesson	Story Time	Math Lesson	Story Time
	Tidy Time/Free Play
	Fine Motor Skills:    Or work on current project
	Gross Motor Skills: Playing with ball, gardening, outdoor play, riding bikes, praise music/movement
	Free Play
12pm	Lunch, clean up, afternoon chores
1pm	Quiet Time: read, nap, quiet play in bedroom, movie (rarely)
2pm	Time with Gabriella	Mommy/Child-ren Activity	Time with Benjamin	Mommy/Child-ren Activity	Time with Jeremiah
3pm	Read Aloud/Free Play
4pm	Table Time: Coloring, drawing, puzzles, simple arts & crafts, manipulatives, etc.
*During the children's free time, work from flylady schedule and work on "to-do" list.

 *Also, just as an FYI: this schedule is very flexible. For example, on the schedule it shows quiet time at 1pm - after lunch. However, this morning we all had a late snack and pushed lunch back. Right now we are having our quiet/nap time which start about noon. Gabriella will eat lunch here soon, and the boys will eat once they wake up (b/w 2-3pm). You can rearrange things on the schedule any day. This is just a guide - an idea. We have only done about 1/4 of this today - but it's kept us busy. There may be other days we'll fly through it faster, but there is plenty here to continue to keep us busy.

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Apr. 23, 2008 - Curtain Rises on Egypt: Gift of the Nile

Beginning next week, Gabriella will be starting to work on lessons from the curriculum I will be buying her soon. They have 6 weeks worth of free samples on their website. The lessons are from the units: Go to Egypt and Sail to the New World. They offer 3 weeks worth of samples (full lessons) from each Unit. So we will begin with Go to Egypt and if we still haven't received our curriculum by then we will proceed with "Sail to the New World" and complete that before beginning what we've bought. I plan to go at her pace and there is just jam-packed things for her to do. I can't see us running out of things to do - we'd more likely run out of time in the day and have to continue with it the next day, know what I mean?

So I am excited. The curriculum is called Tapestry of Grace and it is a very hands on curriculum. The backbone of Tapestry are the books the children read. It does not contain textbooks or workbooks. Click the link for more information and to see samples!

Also, Benjamin and even Jeremiah in some parts, will be starting a Unit study on "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See". We will make stick puppets, create our own story featuring "Benjamin, Benjamin, what do you see..", read about other bears: polar bears, black bears, grizzly bears, etc....,Well, you get the idea! For more ideas, click the link. The Unit study is FREE! If you come up with ideas of your own, be sure to share them!

I will try to blog as we go and take pics throughout the week. I really want to try and stay off the computer (since we ought to be REALLY busy LEARNING) for most the week, and perhaps share the fruit of our learning (pictures included) by the end of the week! :) So stay tuned......

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Mar. 14, 2008 - Let the Adventures Begin

Ok, well, today is the day that I will sit down and write out/plan this unit study. In short, write my own curriculum. *sigh* What have I gotten myself into?!

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Mar. 10, 2008 - Unit Studies

I am taking on a new challenge - yep. I am going to try a unit study. I already have two in mind and my genius husband is going to help me plan them out. (He is so smart!)

The first unit study will be on pioneer living. After that we will do a unit study on electricity. My job is to plan them out and do research on the materials I will need, etc. I have never done a unit study before so any ideas, encouragment, resources are always welcome!

I'm doing nothing but beating a dead horse by going back to those workbooks. They aren't benefiting Gabriella in the least. She requires such rich reading and narration - something these workbooks just cannot provide. They just aren't for her and for some reason I keep going back to them. (Maybe because it's easier for me then writing my own curriculum ).  Either way, it's not fair to her and I'm far from satisfied with it myself.  My job is provide her with the right opportunities, matierals, and enviornment to flourish and all I've really been doing is holding her back.  

Doing this type of thing requires discipline and dedication. I need to pray for both! LOL

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Jan. 14, 2008 - Searching for a New Curriculum

Ok, I am researching and looking to buy a new curriclum for next year (we always buy at tax time which is like NOW). I am looking for something that is not over the top expensive (like Sonlight), but that kind of follows the Charlotte Mason method. It doesn't have to be to the "T", but along the same lines (kinda like Sonlight, though I don't think we can afford that - that is like 7X what we pay for our current curriculum).

Does anyone out there have any suggestions?  Thanks so much!

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Dec. 31, 2007 - Time for Planning

I was supposed to get some planning done so that we could start school again on Wednesday, but that has yet to happen. It's been extremely busy around here with Ben being extremely clingy and irritable from the asthma acting up, being sick, and being on a steriod. Tomorrow morning will be his last dose, so hopefully he will soon become himself again. Poor lil guy, he's just not happy no matter what.  It's made my nerves quite on edge, honestly.

After veering away from the curriculum for a short time, I've decided to go "Charlotte Mason" style alongside using a curriculum.  I have to be honest when I say I felt a little lost without using a "boxed" curriculum. I didn't know what direction to go in. I will not be solely using the curriculum, but it will come alongside her reading and I will try as best I can to mesh the two. I have lots of book lists to choose books from to match topics, etc.

I'm looking forward to starting a new year fresh and full of fun things to do. I pray that God help me conquer the challenges that come along - whether they be with homeschooling or just everyday life.

I need to keep my records in order. When I make lesson plans I need to be sure to follow through on them and I show this by highlighting what we've done for the day from the planning I did. Then when the week is done, I file these plans into a folder. I want to be prepared *just incase* I ever need to be. So my goal is to do my very best to follow through on my lesson plans each day, as best I can. I want to keep us moving forward, even in the midst of daily challenges and anything else that arises. 

I really need to sit down today and set some goals for 2008. I like having a little direction and something to work toward. One thing I am looking forward to doing is attempting to "Read Through the Bible in a Year". Jon and I started this last year together, and sadly, I fell of the bandwagon in March, with being so pregnant and tired, and *insert more excuses here*. Jonathan, on the other hand, kept up with it every single day, and he finished the last verse this morning. He felt so accomplished and said he is so discplined now, that he just cannot miss a day of reading the Bible. He said he felt like he was better able to handle conflict that arose in his life because he was better grounded in the Word than before.  He plans on doing this again. Gabriella expressed interest in doing this as well. I suggested putting her on a 3-year plan. I think that would be better for her since she's only 5. The whole point is to get grounded in reading the word everyday. Discipline. I think it's an excellent idea.

Hopefully, I will have my goals laid out by tonight and be able to come back here and add them in this post. :)

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Oct. 12, 2007 - Ordered a Book!

Jonathan let me order The Charlotte Mason Companion from half.com last night! Woo hoo! I still want to buy the Original Home Schooling series though, because there is just so much more information! :) I know I can read it online for free, but there is just something about a book. I can't sit and read a screen like that - it's not comfortable and it strains my eyes, ya know? 

So I am going to majorly be working on the discipline of "Habit". I am going to implement a new habit every month, possibly for the rest of my life, lol. Let's face it, we always have bad habits that we can swap out for good ones. Always. But I think working on one a month is great because that's 12 a year and that is phenominal in my book! 

Maybe I'll come up with a monthly "icon" and share it on my blog even! That will help keep me moving forward and maybe even spark inspiration in others. I'll work on that when I can - can't make it a priority. Laundry is my priority today (under lessons - lessons are a given).

Have a blessed day!

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Oct. 7, 2007 - Deep Cleaning and Organizing This Week

I am going to be taking the time this week to do my deep cleaning list that I formed over the weekend. I want to get this house in shape so that I can get my own thoughts in order, lol. I will be purging, organizing, and scrubbing. I just want to get it done this week, start fresh, and keep it maintained every day!

I have several different cleaning lists I can use to stay on track. I just need to be sure I'm doing them! :) I will try to get in here and update things as I go, but my goal is to try to keep busy so I can get it done ASAP.

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

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Oct. 4, 2007 - Advanced Planning, Extreme Discipline, and An Orderly Schedule

Whoa, God has really been speaking to me about getting my time management under control. He wants my home to be a home of order, not chaos. He has totally given me a gift of planning and creativity. However, I need to implement these gifts and follow through to make my household a smooth running one. Homeschooling itself takes a great deal of planning, discipline and order. If I don't plan out my lessons, I am left wasting time running around trying to give Gabriella something to do at the last minute. No good. I need to be prepared if I expect her to come prepared. I want her to come expecting, not detesting. I want her to be confident that I have done my part so that she can do her part with excellence. I need to set aside my own agenda to teach my children the right way.

I also need discipline myself if I expect my children to be disciplined. This means I cannot be tempted to scrap the days lessons to make way for unexpected or unplanned events. Now, obviously there is an exception to this rule--a death in the family, major sicknesses, a friend from out of town shows up unexpectidly, etc. But for the most part, there should be no excuses to throw a school day away.  Yes, I understand that children do learn from experience and just "being" and there is always plenty of time for that here. Our lessons aren't drug out or too structured anyways. They deal with a lot of reading and narrating, but it doesn't take a lot of time. Gabriella loves drawing pictures to accompany what she's learned as well. The way my weeks look now, we only get in 2-3 days of GOOD school days in, on a good week.  That's no good. I need to make better use of my time. There are days that a book I've been waiting for (for me) will come into the library and I just can't seem to wait another day to get it, so I'll pack the kids up (ruin our entire day of lessons and schedule) to go to the library to pick up the book. No good. That's selfish on my part and this is the one of many things that I need to lay aside for my children and my home. I can do it! I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. He is guiding me on this journey. He is giving me ALL the information and resources I need to do this. It is my job to put them into practice. That takes discipline! It takes sacrifice because I need to lay aside my own agenda and focus on my husband and children. I desire to do it, it's just my flesh wants to fight me on it!

Ok, finally, homeschooling requires order. A schedule. Not only do I need to know what we're doing, but when we're doing it. It would be very difficult for Gabriella and I to try to have our quiet time with Jesus (prayer and Bible reading time) while both Benjamin and Jeremiah were awake. It's just not possible! There is a time for everything. Another example would be - the mornings are our thriving times. We thrive best in the morning and the morning is the best time for Gabriella to do more difficult lessons like arthimetic. She is more alert and focused in the morning. Not only is order/a schedule important for homeschooling, but also for cleaning. If I don't set aside specific time at a specific time to do housework, it simply won't get done. If it doesn't get done, we are trying to do lessons working around a mess.  Gabriella shouldn't be expected to do her best work while working on a cluttered table where it is difficult to think straight. I cannot run smooth meal transitions around here if the dishes don't get done. There has to be time set aside for housework. Everything needs order to negate chaos.

So, I will be creating a new, solid schedule that we will stick with for a lengthy amount of time before implementing any changes, if any are needed (unless something is obvious that it won't work, etc.). My problem is I constantly change up schedules because I think they aren't working - but the truth is, they stop working because I stop using them! DUH!  I have to stay consistent in order for them to be effective.

This will take a lot of stress and chaos out of my day! I'm looking forward to it!

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Aug. 19, 2005 - 2005-2006 School Year Plan

I have a plan and it just kinda hit me!! God is soo good!! Ok, here it is...

We are going to focus on reading, writing, math and Bible stories this year.  From Sept-Dec, Gabriella will be working 2 days a week on worksheets...4 sheets each day (they are really easy...even for her) and her Bible lesson. That will be Tues and Thurs.

Every week, we will focus on a new reading series...depending on how well she likes it, we can extend it. I am being very flexible. I want to be able to bend to her needs and abilities..and even likes. For example, the first week in Sept. we will read books from the Franklin the Turtle series. So basically, here's how the days will look:

Monday:

• Reading

Tuesday

• Bible Story
• Workbook pgs. 1-4
• Reading

Wednesday

• Park day
• Reading

Thursday

• Bible Story
• Workbook pgs 5-8
• Reading

Friday

• Library
• Reading

I just laid out here our first week of school!

The workbook pages include handwriting skills, counting, and story concepts. So it will be different every time. =) I'm so excited!! Now I just can't wait to start!! We're starting Labor Day!

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