[wanderinggypsy]

So, could some homeschooling sage please share with me her daily rhythm? I'm hoping to scour it for clues as to how a mom of at least two (I have three and one on the way!) manages to educate her kids, keep them entertained/happy, and actually maintain at least some semblance of a household. I know that a spotless house is NOT the priority, but I can't live in total chaos and so... how is this done? I at least would like to be able to make meals and clean up the dishes and still be able to do some work with the kids....

Please, offer enlightenment/inspiration~!

 

[Callimom]

Here's what happens on a good day with no field trips, illness etc.

I do a quick sweep of the bathroom first thing. Wipe down counters, swish the toilet, grab wet towels etc.
Kids make their beds and bring down laundry while I get breakfast together. We toss in a load of laundry, sit down to breakfast.
After breakfast we clear the table and stack the dishes in the sink.
Then we have our family meeting, table time and then cleanup.
Then they do their zones - each kid has a little area they are responsible for keeping neat. I do dishes, kids flip loads of laundry, someone sweeps/swiffers.
Then they play, I check the computer etc.

Lunch we make together.
After lunch we read together. Then they play, I putter. If there is heavier cleaning needed this is when I do it - wash the kitchen floor etc.
We do errands at this point if we need to.
We might do crafts or games at this point - it's a bit openended.

Before Dad comes home we do a sweep of zones again, kids put away laundry, we get started on dinner.

My house is no where near perfect. Sometimes it is downright trashed. And I am sure there is dust on the celing fans - lol but it's liveable and it works at this point.

Karen

 

[ahdoula]

I am pretty happy with my daily flow (three kids, homeschooling and work part time from home) but I have a baby helping me type right now so I will need to come back to talk about it! Warning: I am a born orignized person so that is in my favor.

 

[User101]

I do a thing on my blog every week or so that's "A day in the life" and just did one yesterday. It's more about the homeschooling and not so much the housework. My New Year resolution is to get the housework under control.

 

[mama_mojo]

I get up, start some wash, and take a walk. Dh makes breakfast. The kids dress and make beds before breakfast. (We're early risers.) We all eat together, DH goes to work, older two kids practice violin, brush teeth, and do chores while I clean the kitchen.
School takes about 3 morning hours with some spill into the afternoon. We do school, eat lunch, and have quiet time. Any school done after the morning session is done during quiet time. Then, I have the afternoon to tend to other business. I insist on two hours to myself to talk on the phone, read, move laundry around, start dinner, clean the kitchen, bake, whatever. With those two hours and the bit of time to myself in the morning, the house stays clean enough for me. We do a final group sweep of the house around 4:30, before we head into dinner time activities.

 

[camprunner]

After some experimenting, we've settled back with the way we started. I have two girls ages 6 and 3.

7:15 The kids and I get up, get breakfast
7:30 Kids watch PBS, I do my WAHM stuff
9:00 School Starts for dd6 and dd3 either works puzzles on the floor, works with her own "school books", or does something with during the time that dd 6 is completing independent work.
11:00 We're usually done at this time and relax, go outside or an hour, play, etc.
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Dd6 is expected to read silently for atleast 15 minutes and I begin more of my WAHM Stuff. Dd3 begin her nap.
3:00-4:00: We spend time together (usually with the TV on).
4:00 DH arrives home and helps out a little

 

[ahdoula]

Well Fly Lady is my secret. You have to start with a clean and organized house before you feel things are running smoothly, but your house didn't get chaotic overnight and it doesn't get clean overnight either, so that's baby steps. Still doing Flylady helps you make the progress each day to get there, even just 15 min at a time. My next big secret is too obvious: clean up after ourselves. Always. I don't start anything that I won't have to to put away. That way, once your house is organized, but cleaning up after yourself every time, it stays that way. I also think dirt is less important then clutter. We can function in dirt, but we can't find what we need to function and enjoy ourselves in clutter. So if I have to pick between cleaning the playroom or mopping, the playroom will win. That being said once I got my house in proper order, I had the time to maintain it with routine, so when I do clean I am actually doing it before I see the filth! Like mopping once a week whether it seems to need it or not and giving the bathrooms a 2 minute "swish and swipe" EVERY morning even though it looks OK. So our day looks like this:

7:30 DH gets up with kids and feeds them and they play while he gets his down time
8:00 I get up and we all get dressed and as a family do upstairs maintenance and "room to room" and things like: set out next day clothes and PJs for that night etc.
8:30 I do downstairs maintenance and "room to room" and the kids do morning chores, start laundry
9:00 start school- stuff they need me for, MATH
10:00 break while I do computer stuff and eat
10:30 school, part with me, part independent while I continue to clean up after ourselves and do "zones"
12:30 lunch
1:00 independent school work while I do chores
2:00 kids TV time and snack
3:00-5:00 extra activities/reading/free play/errands/outside activities/more chores/work from home stuff, put something in the crock pot maybe
5:30 DH gets home and takes over playing with kids, helping with dinner, letting me get more work a home stuff done, etc.
6:30 dinner
7:00 evening clean up as family, getting house ready for next day, gathering items for next day outings
7:30 kids upstairs for bed, oldest dd gets 30-45 min of reading time before her tuck-in

And then each day has assigned chores that I do for matanience. Kitchen on Monday, bathrooms on Thursday, lesson plan of Friday, etc. I follow the FlyLady weekly and monthly zones which help keep things not only clean, but de-cluttered.

I LIVE by lists and if I find my self "wandering" trying to figure out what to do next, I go to the list. I also KEEP MY SHOES ON. My sneakers! Which keeps me moving. Even when I am at the computer, if I have shoes on I feel "perched" there and I don't get stuck wasting time for long.

I can finally say that on a snag free day we are a well oiled machine....(40% of the time!! lol!)

HTH! And I hope I don't sound cocky- I have been in a worse place, but I am a born orginized person and I was so unhappy with things chaotic and I have worked hard to get to where I am now. I was even better when I had two, but then we moved to a temp place and had a third baby and are going to be moving again and it has been a real struggle to get to where I am now! OK, my novel is over!!

 

[sofysmommy]

just learning from this

 

[VT mountaingirl]

Thank you for starting a thread like this!! This is exactly what I have been wanting to know as well.

 

[earthmama369]

When we're not out and about all day, it goes something like this:

6-8ish: kids up with one of us, the other snoozes for a few extra minutes

Before 9: feed cats, feed kids, everyone dressed, clean up from breakfast (kids clear their own places and compost any leftovers)

If it's a laundry day (defined by the looming pile o' laundry in the bedroom), I'll toss in a first load now.

9-12: Morning activities (playgroup, class, gym, etc.) or activities at home (crafts, video, stories, lapbook, games, puzzles, etc.)

12-3ish: lunch, stories, nursing for the little guy, nap/quiet time in one of the bedrooms -- this is when I'll do my WAHM magic, clean up after lunch, and chill out with a book (or the computer) or nap with the kids

3-6ish: a few activities with the kids, a few on their own, maybe a movie, and my cleaning time -- this is when I have the most energy. I sweep and vacuum every day, start dinner if it's my turn, declutter, organize, plan activities and classes, make lists, fold laundry, etc.

6-7ish: family dinner

7-whenever: bedtime routine and hopefully, sleeping children and enough energy left over for some time with dh before going to bed

 

[daisymommy]

Here's what I have posted on my fridge to help keep me on track:

Daily Schedule

7:00 Wake up and get dressed

7:30 Kids watch PBS while I drink my coffee and think about what's on the agenda for the day.

8:00 Make & Eat Breakfast

8:30 Morning Chores*

9:00-11:00 HOMESCHOOL

11:00 Play Time/Outside
-Switch laundry over to the dryer at this time.

12:00 Make & Eat Lunch

1:00-3:00 Quiet/Nap Time

3:00 Snack

3:15 Afternoon Chores*

4:00 Play Time/Outside

5:00 Prepare Dinner

6:00 Eat Dinner; clean-up.

7:00 Kids Bed Time Routines

Before I go to bed:
Turn on dishwasher
Take out something to thaw for tomorrow night's dinner if needed.

Morning Chores:
•Make beds
•Wash one load of laundry
•Empty Dishwasher & load breakfast dishes

Afternoon Chores
•Put away clean load of laundry AND:

Mon: Vacuum/ sweep/ mop main level

Tues: Vacuum Upstairs

Wed: Dust and clean glass/mirrors

Thurs: Clean Bathrooms

Fri: Change Bed sheets

 

[scheelimama]

Amy, I love how simply and thorough your list is! I'm feeling a bit lost right now but here roughly what our schedule looks like:

8-9 a.m. - Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast.
9-10 a.m. - I drink coffee, do my internet thing, do a few morning chores, kids play.
10 or 11 a.m. - Put the babe down for a nap.
11 - 12 ish - School
12 - 12:30 - Lunch
12:30-1 - A bit more school if not finished, a game with the olders perhaps, sewing, and generally anything that is much easier done with the babe sleeping.
1-2 - Internet for me, laundry, playtime for kiddos
2-4 - Babe wakes up, more playtime, might do meal planning or grocery shopping during this time.
5 - 6 - Dinner and cleanup
7 - Start getting ready for bed.
8 - Lights out for kiddos, time to spend some time with dh.

 

[Mizelenius]

To the OP-- how old are your children and what are their temperaments like? I find that makes a HUGE difference. My youngest is almost 22 months, but cries a lot when put down, yet gets super fussy in carriers

(unlike my other DC!), and rarely naps so sometimes doing anything that requires 2 hands is a real challenge.

 

[wanderinggypsy]

Mizelenius - yep, my 19 month old DD is very much like this. Very attached, has an intense need for physical contact. And she's a poor napper. However, I'm really working on helping her to find a greater sense of security and independence, since I'm pregnant.

All of the lists posted and suggestions made are very helpful. I've been cutting and pasting, trying to adapt them into something that might fit my life. The other variable in my day is that my 9 year old goes to school, and I have to drive him there every morning, and pick him up every afternoon (private school, no buses!). And the time it takes to make his lunch and whatnot is also a factor.

However, I'm not making excuses. I'm determined for homeschooling to work for my family. I'm going to make a concerted effort to adhere, even loosely, to a rhythm.

Thanks, all!