Sometimes things need to change.  Typically I'll affect change in some area of our lives because what we've been doing just isn't working anymore, but I rarely change an entire schedule so near the end of the official school season.  Until today.

When my husband called on his way home last night, I said, "We have a lot of kids."  Yesterday was just one of those days when I can't recall sitting down longer than 8 minutes.  I think I ate lunch standing up but I don't remember.  I was also in a bit of a funk because I realized that after three different handwriting curriculae (HWT, Italic, and Classically Cursive), my 11-year-old still has chicken scratch penmanship.  Not that it's of monumental importance, but it is a reflection of the sloppiness that marks nearly everything he does. Sigh.

In my typical fashion, I received a "light bulb" moment at about midnight last night.  I dug a piece of scratch paper out of the bedside pile of books and wildly scrawled a plan for next year.  The new plan includes one-on-one time with each student so that I can better monitor things like handwriting.  Initially I wondered what the others would be doing while I was with one child, as chaotic free-for-alls undo me.  But I was quite surprised by how quickly their time was filled with meaningful pursuits like instrument practice, chores, a sign language video, and math, which their father teaches and oversees.

The new schedule looks like this:

	Mom	H (13)
7:00 AM	Quiet Time	Morning Stuff/Bible
7:30 AM	Dress	Morning Stuff
8:00 AM	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30 AM	Clean up/Circle Time	Clean up/Circle Time
9:00 AM	With C	Chores
9:30 AM	With A	Math
10:15AM	With J	Math, Latin
11:00: AM	With N	Logic, piano
12:00PM	Lunch prep	Lunch prep
1:00 PM	With H	With Mom
2:00 PM	History/Science	History/Science
3:00 PM	Clean-up/Projects	Clean-up/Projects
4:00 PM	Free	Free
5:30 PM	Evening Tidy	Evening Tidy
6:00 PM	Evening Chores	Evening Chores
6:30 PM	Dinner	Dinner
7:00 PM	Clean Up	Clean Up
	Family Worship	Family Worship

N (11)	J (8)	A (6)
Morning Stuff/Bible	Morning Stuff/Bible	Morning Stuff/Bible
Morning Stuff	Morning Stuff/Bible	Dress 2yo
Make Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
Clean up/Circle Time	Clean up/Circle Time	Clean up/Circle Time
Chores	Chores	Chores
Math	Math	With Mom
Guitar	With Mom	Math
With Mom	help girls pick up, Signing Time	help girls pick up, Signing Time
Lunch/Clean-up	Lunch/Clean-up	Lunch/Clean-up
Quiet Hour	Quiet Hour	Quiet Hour
History/Science	History/Science	History/Science
Clean-up/Projects	Clean-up/Projects	Clean-up/Projects
Free	Free	Free
Evening Tidy	Evening Tidy	Evening Tidy
Evening Chores	Evening Chores	Evening Chores
Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
Clean Up	Clean Up	Clean Up
Family Worship	Family Worship	Family Worship

C(4)	An (2)
Morning Stuff	crib
Morning Stuff	up and dressed
Breakfast	Breakfast
Clean up/Circle Time	Clean up/Circle Time
With Mom	Chores w/sibs
Chores	Tape Time (room)
Table Time	Table Time
pick up, Signing Time	pick up, Signing Time
Lunch/Clean-up	Lunch/Clean-up
Quiet Hour	Books then Nap
History/Science	"
Clean-up/Projects	"
Free	Free
Evening Tidy	Evening Tidy
Evening Chores	Evening Chores
Dinner	Dinner
Clean Up	Clean Up
Family Worship	Family Worship

We'll start on Monday and see how it goes.  Eventually I'll make a relaxed summer plan, but until the end of May or so, we need to dig in and get a few things done.