This is always an exciting time of year. Planning is complete, new books have been purchased, and the new school schedule/routine is in the final tweaking stage. Ready or not, our first day of school begins in about nine hours! This year is going to be very different for our family. Half of our school-age children will be at home and half will be in school. Our girls have been home now for a year and a half. They’ve come so incredibly far over the past 18 months. They’ve learned to speak English, they’ve adjusted to a new culture, food, and family, they’ve made friends, and they completed a year of homeschooling. But the fact is, they’re now 6, 6, and 8 and they have no prior education and the past year has been very difficult. Books and methods that have worked with my other children have not been successful with the girls. None of them are reading yet, despite trying very hard (Mom and children!) and the longer they’re home the more overwhelmed I get while realizing just how much they’ve missed by not being in a family for the last several years of their life. As a result, we decided to put the girls in school for a year. At the end of this school year we will re-evaluate. The ultimate goal is to bring them back home. We’re a homeschooling family but right now, this year, we’re calling in reinforcements! We live out in the country. Our local public elementary school is in the middle of farm land and peach orchards. There are less than 250 students in the entire school and they have wonderful intervention specialists that can help us identify where the girls need special help and can get them started with the right tools for success. To be quite honest, I also had a bit of a revelation a few months ago when trying to decide what would be best for the girls for the coming school year. I’ve never been able to just be their mom.
My boys were quite disappointed to find out that, although their regular school friends got another day off today because of the snow and ice, we’ll be returning to school as usual.
I had to remind them that we took the entire month of December off and will be finished with co-op at the end of March. Or how about last week when we spent the majority of the week in our pajamas and played long games of Qwirkle when we finished school before noon.
Today, we slept in until 9:00am. Of course Joshua woke up much earlier and didn’t feel the need to wake anyone else. When I was making breakfast he came in the kitchen and said,
“When I got up earlier than everyone else, I decided to find Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands on the map in the school room.” (his georgraphy for this week)
That’s what a momma wants to hear!
Right now I’m finishing my cup of coffee and the boys are sitting at the table coloring.
I picked up a Lite-Brite for the boys for Christmas. It was only $10 at Target and it was a huge hit. I only got one, so the boys take turns with it, but Owen seems to like it the most and it’s helping him learn his letters at the same time. He can now fill in all the “O”s, “G”s, “W”s, and “Y”s by himself. We’re working on “R” for red and “V” for violet (purple).
Josh will likely work late tonight and the rest of the week to make up for their snow day yesterday. I have a roast and veggies in the crock pot and I look forward to a quiet, thought-provoking day with the boys.
P.S. I did my second 5k workout last night on the treadmill. It was much easier than the first workout. It’s amazing how quickly your body adjusts. Tonight is my favorite form of inspiration: Biggest Loser!
~audrey
As I’ve said before, we used the Maxwell‘s scheduling material to come up with our Master Schedule and Chore Packs.
Our Master Schedule is simply a tool. There is never a single day that everything on everyone’s schedule gets accomplished. However, if we get off track during the day, it’s an excellent tool to refer to in order to help me reel us back in and continue being productive. It’s also a great way to make sure your time is accounted for on those days when you feel like you got nothing accomplished whatsoever!
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MOMMY
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JOSHUA
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JESSE
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OWEN
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6:30am
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Exercise/
Quiet Time
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Sleeping
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Sleeping
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Sleeping
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7:00am
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Shower/Get Ready
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Sleeping
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Sleeping
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Sleeping
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7:30am
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Breakfast
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Get Dressed/Breakfast
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Get Dressed/Breakfast
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Get Dressed/Breakfast
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8:00am
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Chore Training/Clean up
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Chores
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Chores
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Chores
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8:30am
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Bible Study with the boys
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Bible Study and Prayer
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Bible Study and Prayer
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Bible Study and Prayer
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9:00am
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School
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Spelling
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Spelling
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Color
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9:30am
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School
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Reading with Mommy
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Flash Cards with Owen
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ABC Flashcards with Jesse
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10:00am
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School
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Workbook with Owen
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Reading with Mommy
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Workbook with Joshua
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10:30am
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Snack
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Snack
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Snack
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Snack
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11:00am
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School
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Math
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Math
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Blocks/Puzzles
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11:30am
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School
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Memory Work
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Memory Work
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Memory Work/
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12:00pm
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Lunch
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Lunch
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Lunch
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Lunch
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12:30pm
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School
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Language Lessons
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Language Lessons
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Play with Trains
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1:00pm
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School
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Copywork/Writing
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Copywork/Writing
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Math Manipulatives with Mommy
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1:30pm
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Fly Lady (cleaning, pay bills, emails, etc.)
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Play outside
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Play outside
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Play outside
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2:30pm
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Play (games, puzzles, computer)
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Play (games, puzzles, computer)
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Nap
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3:00pm
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School
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**Extra School
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**Extra School
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Nap
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3:30pm
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Music
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Piano
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Computer
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Nap
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4:00pm
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Music
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Computer
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Piano
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Nap
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4:30pm
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Whole House Sweep/Dinner Prep
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Dinner Helper
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Dinner Helper
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Dinner Helper
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5:00pm
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Dinner/
Clean up
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Dinner
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Dinner
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Dinner
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5:30pm
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Family Time
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Family Time
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Family Time
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Family Time
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6:00pm
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Bath Prep
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Games with Daddy
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Games with Daddy
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Games with Daddy
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6:30pm
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Bathe Kids/
Teeth & Jammies
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Bath/
Teeth & Jammies
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Bath/
Teeth & Jammies
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Bath/
Teeth & Jammies
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7:00pm
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Story/Bible Time
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Story/Bible Time
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Story/Bible Time
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Story/Bible Time
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7:30pm
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Prayers with Kids
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Prayers/Bed
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Prayers/Bed
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Prayers/Bed
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8:00pm
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Kids in Bed/
Bedtime Chores
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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8:30pm
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Evening Routine/Plan for tomorrow
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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9:00pm
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Read…aahhhhhh…
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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9:30pm
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Read
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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10:00pm
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Read
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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10:30pm
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Lights Out!
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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SLEEP
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Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions. It’s very trial and error in the creation process.
Happy Monday!
~audrey
These days, with six children, my organizational tendencies come and go…mostly GO.
However, I have been despising a certain pile of magazines on the floor in my room for some time now, and I decided it was “high time” to do something about it. My friend Mary inspired me when she showed me a notebook she had created for all of her take-out menus. She simply gathered their favorite take-out menus and put them all in sheet protectors in a nice, neat notebook. She’s even done the same thing for friends that were new to their area and weren’t familiar with the restaurants. I thought, “Hmmm, what a great idea. I may run with that!”
My pile of magazines consisted mostly of Family Fun, Better Homes and Gardens, Parenting, and Southern Living. Over the years I have dog-eared my favorite recipes, projects, crafts, decorating idea, etc. I decided to take the plunge and finish this project, knowing that in the end the magazines would be gone and I’d have the best of all of them in three organized notebooks!
I started by tearing out all the great ideas. I organized them by crafts, activities, holiday, recipes, and just plain great ideas (decorating, parenting, party planning, etc.). I purchased three notebooks and a few packages of sheet protectors and got to work. Here are the finished products. I’m quite happy with the results.
I hope this helps someone out there who has been hoarding magazines for fear of throwing away a really great article or idea!
Happy Organizing!
~audrey
Yes, Ali and Kelli, I USED IT! LOL!!
I attended a homeschooling “Moms’ Night Out” last night and it was MUCH NEEDED. Isn’t it amazing how a few hours with some like-minded company can lift your spirits, drag you out of the trenches, and give you that extra push you didn’t even know you needed? That is what last night did for me.
One of the last conversations we had was about us, as mothers (particularly homeschooling moms who are with all of their children, day in and day out), being Jesus to our children. Pretty scary, huh? Of course bantered back and forth at the sorry job we all feel we do at showing Jesus to our children through our day-to-day living, but Kelli really got us howling when she said,
“My poor children probably think Jesus is BIPOLAR!”
One minute we’re in the Word, using soft and kind words to encourage and direct our children, then suddenly someone sets you off, and as you fly off your rocker, you’re yelling and spanking and using all of those unkind words you spoke to them about just twenty minutes before.
Oops.
The fact is, we’re ALL sinners, saved by GRACE alone and our sanctification process will be ongoing until the day we die. The important thing is that, like Ali pointed out, we go to our children and acknowledge when we’ve acted out of our flesh, apologize, and reconcile with our children. What better way to show them Jesus and teach them about the mercy He has shown us, then by humbling ourselves unto our children and showing them that not only does mommy make plenty of mistakes, but that we’re humble and honest enough to admit when we’ve done wrong and ask their forgiveness.
What an incredible calling, to be a mother. I think motherhood is just one more way for the Father to show us just how desperately we need Him. How else can we do this job successfully? It’s hard enough being a mother on the days when we DO spend time in His word before the kids get up! I can only imagine how dispaired mothers must feel who do not know the Lord at all.
A few things I hope to write about and get your feedback on over the next several days are: what kind of creative correction works in your home, and what are some of your plans for the kids this summer. I’m not talking about big plans, but little ones, like craft ideas, daily routines, summer chores…those kinds of plans. I look forward to your feedback!
Happy Friday Ya’ll!
~audrey
Do you remember when we were kids and there were certain things, items, or events that made us jump out of bed in the morning, excited for the day? I can think of a few examples:
Christmas morning
a field trip to the zoo
the first day of school
the last day of school
my birthday
the day I was going to get my driver’s license
These days, it doesn’t take any Earth-shattering events to get me excited and fill me with joy, but not a whole lot makes me jump out of bed in the morning. I like sleep. I love my bed. I have really great sheets (that I bought at Ross’ for $29!). I feel like I haven’t gotten regular, adequate sleep in about seven years; moms, you know what I’m talking about!
However, something hit me this morning, as I took the first sip of my coffee. I closed my eyes and said, “ooooohhhhhh, that’s good.” It was pure delight and satisfaction. I felt like I could’ve stayed in that chair for an hour and sipped my perfect cup of coffee. Then I realized, oh my goodness, this is probably how a smoker feels when he takes the first drag off of his first cigarette of the day. Gross, I know. But then I began thinking about other things that should make me feel like that cup of coffee made me feel. God’s word, spending time in prayer, and exercising should all give me that fulfilled, satisfied feeling. My pastor, who apparently got the quote from Tim Keller, has given a perfect example of what an idol is:
“An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”
On a tough day, when I want to unwind, I can sit down on my bed with a basket of clean clothes and watch my favorite movie while I fold.
I love Little Women. I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite movie of all time. I have the book as well, but have never gotten around to reading it (maybe the 1000+ pages intimidated me!) I plan to read it this summer.
More than anything, I want to re-prioritize some things in my life. I want to crave getting into God’s word each morning, before I do anything else. I want to exercise, not so I can check it off my ‘list of things to do’, but because I crave how good it makes me feel.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know where to start. The thought of waking up any earlier than I already do makes me nauseous. But change usually isn’t comfortable, so I’m going to try hard. We’ll be re-joining the Family Y next month (for the summer) and I plan to start waking up early so I can go workout. I also commit to spending time in the word first thing each morning. As some added accountability, I will add something to each day’s post from my time with the Lord that morning.
Here are a few more of my favorite things; the little things in my life that give me great joy and pleasure:
*spending time with my girlfriends laughing and encouraging one another (even if we’re just grocery shopping together 🙂
*tending to my garden (I love going out to my garden a few times a day while allowing the Lord to speak to me about the power of ‘the seed’, the law of sowing and reaping, and the importance of preparing for harvest)
*sitting down to enjoy a special drink, whether it be Starbucks, Coke (I rarely drink soda, so when I do, it’s yummy!), or just a cup of coffee from my kitchen.
*cleaning my house, getting into bed after changing the sheets, waking up to a clean kitchen
*bubble baths, especially when I have time to shave my legs! 🙂
*watching my husband with our children. There is just nothing quite like a man who loves being a dad.
*hugs and kisses from my babies and seeing that look faces when they tell me they love me; like I can never do wrong in their eyes.
*reading. I love reading, but only when I get to do it uninterrupted for at least 10-15 minutes at a time.
*worship. oh how I love praise and worship.
I could go on and on, but I won’t bore you. This is just what was on my mind this morning as I sipped my coffee and listened to my five-year-old read from his school book at the breakfast table.
Have a Terrific Tuesday.
Time to do school with Joshua.
~audrey