What a difference a simple schedule can make!

[Mama~Love]

And I can see a difference in all areas of my life. I feel more organized, I notice I'm in a better mood, and not so scatterbrained, and I am happier.

And it's because I made up a simple schedule. We follow it loosely, with lots of room for spur-of-the-moment opportunities and flexibility. The kids seem happier too.

Wish I would've done this a long time ago!

[elizawill]

i honestly feel the same way as you. i know schedules can be taboo if misused, but i need a loose one to function. it benefits us all & everyone seems more pleasant.

[briansmama]

We're in the same boat. We are all so much happier with consistent meal/sleep/activity times.

I agree that the key is to keep it flexible. Another waldorf homeschooling mom mentioned on her blog that she puts up a weekly list of things they hope to accomplish/do for the week and next to that she has a blank monthly calendar that they fill in as they do the activities.

I love this idea, since we already have a regular rhythm in place, and we already know that our main lesson is a given. The other blocks of activity time can be used for new ideas or revisiting a favorite activity/topic that my boys really want to do.

Here's the blog, if you're interested in reading how her system works (just scroll down the page to the entry "organized").

http://togetheractivities.com/wordpress/

[earthmama369]

Ours is very loose and based almost entirely on what we feel like doing on any given day (aside from the few activities that are commitments and not ethically breakable), but having it written out is immensely helpful to all of us, I'm finding. I got a whiteboard calendar at Staples and put each month up there, with all of our playdates and activities, and on the blank spaces at the end I write out a couple weekly and monthly goals we brainstormed together, like making sure we do at least one science experiment and art project a week and making sure we go to at least one museum and on one hike a month. Usually we end up doing those far more often than that, but having them written out on the wall, in our dining room where we see them several times a day, just helps keep our goals in mind.

It's also helped me figure out what's successful and what isn't...I can look at the calendar and remember what we had a really good time doing and realize that those all took place in the morning before 11 a.m. Anything between 11 and 1 seems to hit ds's tired/cranky button. DD has good days when we're out of the house a lot, being very social and talking to a lot of people, but she needs 1-3 "down days" a month, where she stays home to veg. DS freaks at bedtime if we do too much during the day, but the days we roamed far from home -- so I had the sling from me -- he did much better. Eureka. Cuddle time helps him tolerate his sister's need for social activities.

It all becomes clear.

[Mama~Love]

Thanks for the link briansmama. earthmama, you have great ideas too. Thanks!

[MyLittleWonders]

Thanks for the link. I love the idea of writing down lessons *after* completing them. So much less pressure! I used her planner as a model for one that worked for us, and I'm going to try and keep track as we do things so I can really see the things we *do* rather than always feeling like we don't do anything (even though I know we do things).

For those who have posted that you have a loose schedule, do you mind sharing how it looks? We're working on one (mentally at this point). I am making a point of doing math and writing practice before lunch and trying to get reading practice in after lunch, and try to keep the TV off until after 2pm, but it's a work in progress.

[annettemarie]

With 4 kids, we have to have some semblance of routine here as well.

Our days roughly go like this:
Breakfast and morning routine

Devotions

Michael, Ind. work
Katie Grace, main lesson
Nicholas, table toy

Some 15 minute quickie we all do together--PE, a craft, looking at a painting

Snack

Katie Grace, Ind. work
Michael, main lesson
Nicholas, computer game

Another quickie

The older kids finish any work left
Nicholas, circle and "nursery school"

Lunch and Ten Minute Tidy

Read Aloud

A quick activity

Story of the World

Another "quickie"

Science

DONE!

The quick activities are their favorites. It lets us fit in all the stuff I felt like I was missing, but didn't feel like I had hours to devote. You can get a lot done in 15 minutes!

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

With 4 kids, we have to have some semblance of routine here as well.

Our days roughly go like this:
Breakfast and morning routine

Devotions

Michael, Ind. work
Katie Grace, main lesson
Nicholas, table toy

Some 15 minute quickie we all do together--PE, a craft, looking at a painting

Snack

Katie Grace, Ind. work
Michael, main lesson
Nicholas, computer game

Another quickie

The older kids finish any work left
Nicholas, circle and "nursery school"

Lunch and Ten Minute Tidy

Read Aloud

A quick activity

Story of the World

Another "quickie"

Science

DONE!

The quick activities are their favorites. It lets us fit in all the stuff I felt like I was missing, but didn't feel like I had hours to devote. You can get a lot done in 15 minutes!

Wow, I'm so overwhelmed seeing your schedule. When do you do housework or have down time?

Right now, we have a very simple schedule and we loosely follow it. After the kids have breakfast, I make my coffee, clean up kitchen, maybe eat my own breakfast and have a bit of computer time. The kids play/watch t.v./get dressed. By 9 a.m. (most days) my 5 yr old and sometimes my 4 yr old and I begin school lessons. Usually we do language arts first, with some singing first. Then we do a simple math lesson if we aren't too wore out from LA's.

That's it for now. Sometimes (about twice a month) we do watercolor painting.

[MyLittleWonders]

Alisha, our day sounds similar to yours. We get up; some mornings I'll read to them on the couch and some mornings they go straight for the Lego's. (We used to do TV first thing but I've cut that as it just made the rest of the day harder for us.) We eventually make it to the kitchen for breakfast; they eat and I make my smoothie. Then they play while I straighten up the kitchen and play on the computer for a bit.

Then, ds#1 and I get his math and writing practice done (sometimes the other two will join us and draw at the table and ds#2 will sometimes do some math). After that, they get a bit of TV while I get ready and by then we are usually ready for lunch.

After lunch I try to read out loud to them from history/science/literature, and ds#1 has his reading practice. Sometimes ds#2 will want to practice his reading (we're working on the very first BOB books). Then their afternoons are totally free. The TV tends to stay off until after 2pm, and usually doesn't come back on until 3pm.

But all of that is subject to change! Some days when we are really really lazy or tired or not feeling well, the TV will be on more. Some days it's off until much later in the afternoon.

[Mama~Love]

I think part of my problem is that I'm not disciplined enough, I tend to slack off, and by the time I get back on track, it's the afternoon already. Then I feel the day is over, so I don't worry about doing anymore work til tomorrow.

I've really been trying harder, and have wrote down what we should be doing, giving us plenty of time to do it. I wrote on a blank calendar to do 1 Language Arts, 1 Math lesson each day, and start 1 Science Unit that will last however long, I'm guessing a couple weeks, maybe less. Right now it's Plants & trees. I made up a silly game for them to play - we turned some rock music on, danced, then I'd pause the music, and they had to freeze into a tree, grass, a bush, a flower, etc. They LOVED it!!

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by scheelimama

Wow, I'm so overwhelmed seeing your schedule. When do you do housework or have down time?

Right now, we have a very simple schedule and we loosely follow it. After the kids have breakfast, I make my coffee, clean up kitchen, maybe eat my own breakfast and have a bit of computer time. The kids play/watch t.v./get dressed. By 9 a.m. (most days) my 5 yr old and sometimes my 4 yr old and I begin school lessons. Usually we do language arts first, with some singing first. Then we do a simple math lesson if we aren't too wore out from LA's.

That's it for now. Sometimes (about twice a month) we do watercolor painting.

We have tons of downtime, and housework happens from 11:30 to 12:30 and in the afternoon. It look busier than it is. A main lesson is singing, handwork, playing a board game, as well as more academic stuff. Independent work includes pleasure reading and writing, playing favorite computer game, and their own projects they've chosen for Scouts and stuff.

Have a routine guarantees everyone gets their Mama time. They're too far apart to do their math and language arts together, so this is what we do to make it happen.

[briansmama]

Our rhythm:

8:30
Get dressed
Nature walk
Circle
Story
Main Lesson

10:30
Snack
Acticity (library, or market, or park, or cleaning day)

12
Lunch
Free Play

1 Rest time for everyone
2:30 Quiet activity with my oldest ds (art/craft/card games/gnome games/reading library books)
3:30
Get the toddler up from nap
Snack
Outdoor play with neighborhood friends

5:30
Make dinner
Bath

7
Read stories
Bedtime routine

7:30 Nite-Nite

Hope that helps! I love reading about others' schedules as well.

[Mama~Love]

Thanks briansmama! That does help! I love seeing what others do; it helps with jazzing up our days.

[BeanyMama]

I'm pretty sure without a schedule I would never do anything. I can't organize time in my head like I can on paper!

Loved reading what you Mamas do!

[Marsupialmom]

Yep, whe have had this happen in our home also.

Now with our 14 year old we are working on deadlines to finish thing so he can make his own schedule....the main rule is bed is midnight. The rest he is figuring out on his own...live, learn, fail, try again, success will happen sooner or later. I wish someone would have let me do this at a younger age. He knows wha the has to have done by what date and bedtime is midnight..........oh last night my DH added a new rule. If we have to tell you more than once you are loud, we don't care if you are just talking to yourself you go to bed. My dh gets up at 4 am. So getting woken up by him at 11 isn't a considerate thing.

[annettemarie]

Nature walks are definitely something we're missing. The kids get plenty of outside time-- they like to practice their spelling words and math facts with sidewalk chalk or bouncing a ball, they read outside, they play out there every chance they get--but we never seem to have time to go out together. Maybe I can do that for one of my specials? It takes a loooooong time to get 4 kids suited up though. Maybe it will be better in the spring...

Someone asked about housework. One thing I do is have a main lesson in our "room of the day" so I can do some cleaning while the kids are working on stuff. This works for the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom, but not for the bathroom, LOL!

[Citymomx3]

I realize that I can't function without a schedule either. Here's what works for me:

10am to 1pm
Clean for 30 minutes (daily stuff)
Breakfast
AO academics (2 hours)
Clean for 30 minutes (1 or 2 weekly things)
Lunch
-----------
2pm to 5pm
Start dinner
Free time
Kids outside activities (dance, cub scouts, etc)
-----------
5:30pm - Leave for work
10:30pm - Home from work
-----------
10:30pm to 12am
Eat dinner
Clean for 30 minutes (kitchen and quick clutter pickup)


My actual written schedule is a lot more detailed than this. It keeps me so on track that I get anxious when I can't find it, lol