Today was amazing. We finished school an hour early (even with extras), and the DCKs haven't been fighting all day. It must be the change in the weather.

My Schedule

Back during the summer I made up a schedule in true MOTH (Managers of Their Homes) fashion. It was a total disaster and I hated it. I didn't like for the following reasons:

• I had to get up at 6 a.m. to get everything done.
• I was dragging the girlies up at 7 a.m.
• I was angry at DH when he let me oversleep or when he wanted me to stay up later with him.
• Because it wasn't working.

See, I recognized the need for some order to our days, especially when school started. It drives me absolutely insane to stumble through a day and when the day is done to look back and realize that I really didn't accomplish much of anything. I know that one of my biggest failings is in being self-disciplined about my time.

So, we stuck with the schedule for about 10 days and then chucked it because we were all so grouchy and ill-tempered that it obviously wasn't working.

It wasn't until more recently that I noticed something that put a whole new spin on the schedule business. My DH and I were talking about natural sleep patterns and I said, "I don't know why it is, but even if I want to I can't seem to sleep past 7:00." It was like a light bulb went off in my brain.

So, I went back to the schedule and adjusted everything forward an hour, with me waking up at 7:00 a.m. and the girls getting up at 8 which is much more close to the time that they would normally wake up naturally.

And believe it or not, it has worked wonders in our house. We are much more organized and our days just seem to flow better. The girls always know whats coming and now that DD6 can tell time she is getting better about keeping her own schedule, which has made it easier on me.

I Love a Full House

I enjoy having a full house during the day. I like having the DCKs here, even though homeschooling with two toddlers underfoot can be somewhat of a pain.

Anyway, I find that my frustration lies not in the two extra children around, but in the vast difference in parenting philosophies that I share with their parents. In many ways, it is a frustrating venture trying to raise someone else's children.

For instance one of the DCKs exhibits some very troubling behaviors, reminiscent of Asperger's to me. I won't go into the behaviors that I am seeing, but they trouble me. His parents on the other hand just shrug it off. Were he my child, I would be taking him to the pediatrician ASAP, even if only to be referred to specialist and told that it was nothing to worry about. Because in my mind should he be diagnosed early intervention could make all the difference in the world.

The other thing that I notice, not only in my own DCKs, but across the board with other providers I talk to is that the vast majority of the children in our care are sleep-deprived. Morning are routinely bordering on nightmarish because the children are exhausted. In some cases the parents keep them up late to spend time with them that they miss during the day. In other cases, bedtime habits, or lack thereof serve to draw out bedtime with an early morning looming on the horizon.

I often wish that If I am going to be subjected to the tantrums and whining brought on by lack of sleep that I ought to be the one making the decisions about when they go to bed...

At any rate, having these sweet little ones come to the house every day makes me appreciate the opportunity that I have been given in being home with my own kids every day. I get to decide when they go to bed and when they get up and my schedule is my own, not imposed on me by the outside influence of a job outside the home or a school schedule.

The Waltons

Through the wonders of the internet and the ease of mailing DVDs I got hooked on the 70s television show "The Waltons." I watched the 1st and second season on DVD from Blockbuster over the summer.

I can not even tell you how much I love this show. Mainly because it embodies so many things that I wish I had. Enforced simplicity (much of the show is set during the Great Depression), a large family including multiple generations, and an appreciation for homemade things, not so much store-bought.

I love the relationships that they share simply because they spend so much time together. I know that the show is an idealized version of events. But the sense of community that the show demonstrates...I wish we still had that. I wish that I knew my neighbors, but instead of living in the same house for two generations, we're lucky to have the same neighbors for 6 months. The way the characters on the show come together in times of hardship, the generosity, the kindness...

Sigh.