Cooking Dinner These Days

I have come to realize that I truly cannot get dinner on the table without a bunch of helpers anymore.

I remember enough years ago that I had only young tots that a more experienced mother lamented, "Everyone thinks I have it easier in the kitchen now because I have older kids now, but I still have to cook for eight people three times a day!" At the time, I didn't quite get it because I echoed in my mind, "Yeah, but you've got helpers, so it's got to be easy!"

Each phase of cooking dinner for a family is a different kind of challenge. 

For so long, I had only "littles," and I was utterly exhausted by dinner time, so it was easier to let the TV babysit and give myself that hour in the kitchen in peace and quiet.

Right now, my challenge is from having a big bunch of ages (needs). There are still a baby and toddler who needs supervising, there are still children who will fight if left to their own devices, and now there are older children who could be helpful, who need to learn how to cook competently, and also who could fight if left to their own devices.

Five-year-old can cook his own eggs except for lighting the gas range

Lately during the dinner hour, I am finding myself newly overwhelmed and cooking my simple meals is taking unreasonably long, so I thought about what I needed and I've been making it happen.

I show up in the kitchen around 4:00 for a 5:30 dinner. You'd think I could prepare something gourmet in that amount of time, but this is just for something simple like Taco Night or Spaghetti Feed.

Step 1. Send all the kids doing their two afternoon chores to pick up the house. In addition, my five-year-old should empty the clean dishwasher, if all goes according to plan, and I'm bustling around the kitchen picking up from the day, or nursing the baby so he will last more contentedly while I cook.

Step 2. Assign my Three Big Helpers for the evening--not one, not two, but three. (This is what is new for me.)

One child is my sous-chef for the evening. I might pick the child because he is cooking one of the dishes he knows how to cook for that night, or just because I want some time with that child.

One child is the dedicated babysitter of the 11-month-old, and no other kids should play in the room they are in.

One child is in charge of setting the table, a chore which also involves clearing any last school supplies or detritus from the table.

That leaves the (almost) 3- and 5-year-olds, and I'm still very willing to pop them in front of the television as an electronic babysitter. (I discovered a few years ago that I really do have the authority to allow the little tykes to sit before the television and disallow the older kids . . . even if they have no chores to do "just because it rots your brain and you are capable of entertaining yourself or reading a book." Yes, many tears ensue, and that develops character.)

Step 3. Cook the meal. Impart lots of cooking instruction to my sous-chef.

Step 4. After the meal, they all have their assigned clean-up chores--if everything goes according to plan! (Which it did not on Taco Tuesday, when, after dinner, Dad and two kids left on a special bike ride, and the two oldest left on a separate bike ride, and I was left with a huge mess, so I just decided to blog instead.) We are still at the stage where I must remain in the kitchen 'directing traffic' for the entire clean-up, or it will not happen.

Who knows what future cooking challenges lie ahead, but for now I'm tackling this one.

Nachos for the family

Step 4: Daily Lesson Plans

This is the first year I feel a duty daunting enough that I must create my own "school in a box" by writing out the daily lesson plans for all four grades for the entire year: my summer project!

Having a daily lesson plan (down to the page numbers) doesn't mean I think we will never go off the rails. In fact, it is because I know we will be knocked off of routine by illnesses, husband's business travel, and field trips that weren't in the original schedule that I want a precise map of how to get through our days.

• When we get sick, I'll know exactly how to reschedule our make-up lessons, and without having to walk all over the house to various desks and work stations to check, "now which lesson did he leave off at?"
• If I am considering taking a morning off of school for a new field trip opportunity, I can open up our daily lesson plan books and evaluate what the effect would be of rescheduling that day's work. (This should be an especially useful tool for growth for my middle schooler because, now that he is old enough to be left home alone, I can offer him to decide whether it is worth doing the extra work ahead of time in order to join us on the field trip or stay home and do his normal workload. Time management skills!)
• For the field trips I've already scheduled, I draw a line through that day so I know not to schedule any lessons (or a reduced number of lessons).

There are so many valid ways 

a homeschooling parent 

could create lesson plans!

One could schedule out at a macro level, such as notes about what goals in the text one wants to reach by each quarter mark. Then, when the quarter division is reached, Mom evaluates how near or far the child is from reaching the goal in each subject, and any changes to the routine that need to be made going forward for the next quarter.

• Example: By the end of the first quarter, we should be at lesson 45 in the math text.

One could schedule half a year at a time, then do the second half of the year over Christmas break.

One could schedule week by week . . . and this is what I did last year. It did work very well, but it had downsides.

• I had to carve time out of every week to do lesson planning for three grades, and I don't have babysitting for that process, so I was doing it wit six children swirling around me. Not necessarily easy; however, I did become so adept at it that it took me 10-15 minutes per child, and then once monthly I planned our next History unit, and that would take two to three hours.
• Without goal posts, I did not notice till about two months before my target end-of-year date that we were going to have to play catch up, or simply not finish our text books, or continue doing school into the summer. For example, my third grader ended up doing two math lessons six days per week for the last two months in order to finish her text. Not necessarily easy either.

One could schedule out one day at a time, writing out assignment lists the night before. This method really does have some merit, especially for those teaching a smaller number of grades.

• When I am in survival mode (e.g., very sick with pregnancy, have a newborn, or if we're very sick) and during the summer break, I move back to the Spiral Notebook Method, which is absolutely wonderful for this purpose.

One could schedule out the entire year in advance . . . and this is what I'm attempting this academic year for the first time. It has the downside of risking getting majorly off track and having to erase and rewrite lesson plans significantly.

• Note that one could buy an online lesson planner for homeschooling. They seem wonderful, but I seem to lack the technological skills to scale that learning curve. Two years in a row, I purchased trial versions of various online planners, and, many hours later, admitted defeat that I could not figure out how to use those tools. They do seem to have much to offer, though!

As far as paper planners go, there are myriad to choose from! I happen to be using the Seton planners because I had great success with them last year. I anticipate numerous changes in my upcoming school year, so it's not a year to change my planner as well.

So, here I am, trying to write out all our lesson plans. I'm opening each text book, calculating how many lessons per week the child would need to do in order to finish in 36 weeks, how many days per week the child would need to do lesson work, and how long a duration each lesson should likely last, and then writing the details into the child's planner. One book at a time.

Like the Little Engine That Could, I am trying!

I am having big spikes in frustration, as I do this in fifteen-minute spurts with six children needing my attention, but what's a DIY homeschooler supposed to do? I'm not ready or at a season where I feel compelled to buy an entire curriculum in a box.

So, please pray for me, thanks!

Step 3: Daily School Schedule 2018-19

This third post in a series explains why and how I schedule our school days.

N.B. This schedule works beautifully when I am well. I should write an entirely separate blog post for what I do when I'm most sick with pregnancy (by which I mean, most of the nine months) or when I am newly postpartum (by which I mean, at least six months of utter craziness).

While I still yearn for a vision of children sitting about the (neat and clean) house, in a quiet atmosphere, pursuing many of their own academic interests and completing their subjects in an order that is perfectly suited to their own tastes on any given day . . . I now realize that is just a dream for us! 

I am now juggling six children, whom I cannot possibly supervise in direct eyesight simultaneously all day. I am juggling outside obligations where we have to be somewhere at a certain time (lessons in music, tennis, dance, online classes, altar serving and boys' programs, choir, and hybrid homeschool classes). I am juggling the fact that we have "only" two school computers and "only" two pianos (in separate rooms)--and I feel exceedingly blessed to have those!--so if three or four children save their computer work or piano work till the end of the day, and then all need the same work station, now the school day is going to drag on for hours more.

Or we will have a "hard stop" to the end of the day, needing to get to an appointment or class, and then numerous assignments do not get completed, leading to an end-of-year with a third of various textbooks incomplete. 

We now must be very organized with every minute of our time if we have any hope of completing our work.

Let me introduce my friend, the Post-It Note!

I used to be able to schedule our time simply on the computer screen, but the last two years, I've actually had to cover the dining room table with colored Post-It Notes to achieve this process.

For homeschooling mothers who are starting to feel like they are drowning, I recommend the Titus2 Management book series. (I do not recommend all their child-training practices, but neither do I reject them all.)

I first read Managers of Their Homes, I believe when I had three children, and that helped me put more necessary order in our day. That was also the period of time when a much more experienced mother rescued me (and my emotional equilibrium) by explaining that Quiet Time after lunch was necessary for everyone and I had to do what it would take to teach the children to stay quietly in their rooms and to coordinate the baby/toddler's nap during that time.

I believe I was postpartum, crying in bed with my fourth baby, when I read Managers of Their Chores and Managers of Their Schools. This revolutionized my home (for the better).

This Post-It Note process also ensures that I do not over-schedule my students with far more than they can complete in the time allotted, a mistake I made a couple of years ago and had to rectify mid-year. I get into big trouble if I have only some vague idea that "I'd like my child to do composition this year," without a notion of the time required. I should know, "Composition will take 20 minutes daily to complete one lesson per week." Or, "I'm able to devote 20 minutes three times weekly to Composition, and we will do that much, chugging along until one lesson is complete, and move on to the next lesson."

I am little different than a full-time working mother! 

We homeschooling mothers would do well to respect what we are doing as much as we would respect a woman running her home and also walking into a classroom every day, having created her lesson plans, and teaching those kids. Do I respect what I'm doing? Am I awake, dressed, fed, and ready with lesson plans for each day?

I work all day as a teacher running a school, and I do it while bringing along my baby, toddler, and preschooler to work! Can you imagine the chaos in a school classroom if the teacher brought along her wee ones? I recognize my own weaknesses and failings, so now I choose to mitigate the resulting toddler chaos: I need to have a plan in place for how to occupy those wee ones and keep them in as close of supervision as possible.

• Where are my kids age five and younger at all times?
• What am I occupying them with?
• Am I keeping them fed?
• Have I given them potty checks before I'm deeply involved in a teaching task?
• Am I changing their scenery often enough?
• Have I given them room for physical movement to get out the wiggles?

I need to start my professional work day at a certain time, which means calculating:

• How long will it take us to complete our work?
• How much margin do I need to build into each work block? (I can't actually do 30 minutes of work in 30 minutes due to transition time, discipline matters, bathroom visits, etc.)
• Therefore, working backward, when do we need to start our day?

I need to focus on my professional tasks if I want them to be completed. Am I being careful not to allow too many distractions to sneak in?

• Am I cleaning the kitchen or switching laundry during precious moments that could be spent supervising school? (A weakness of mine!)
• Am I checking my phone or computer too often? (A weakness of mine!)
• Am I scheduling appointments that are not absolutely necessary during school time?
• It's one thing purposefully to interrupt/distract from school with a call to the doctor (unavoidable) or by cooking a meal for a new mother (act of charity, involve the kids), but I admit, I'm seeking out the nonsense distractions that eat away at my day.

When am I going to do all the other necessary duties of my life? If I'm carving out "professional work time" for school, then I want to make sure I've noted in my routine times for other necessaries.

• Prayer
• Cooking
• Eating
• Exercise
• Showering/Dressing
• Laundry
• Daily family chores to keep the house neat
• Major cleaning (weekly? one zone per day?)
• Recreation
• Going to bed at a reasonable hour

First, I laid out colored Post-It Notes to show times of day, each child and myself, and what each child is doing when. Then I left it on the dining table for days and kept looking at it to find errors, like scheduling myself to be in two places at once, or forgetting an entire subject for a child.

Then I transferred the schedule to a Word document for each child. The Word document for each child actually shows Monday through Friday because there is some variability among the days based on outside lessons.

However, this year I am seeking as much routine as is possible. I am at the maximum number of children I will have before having any children old/mature enough to babysit siblings. Right now, every single outing means my loading up six children to go with me . . . which means I've withdrawn our family from our local CCE program and our parish co-op, and I'm trying to stay home and have routine as much as possible.

Within even two years, maybe three, I should start to have BABYSITTERS AT HOME, and my entire world will change.

This year, my children's morning routines should be almost identical five days per week, with more variability in the afternoons. I've worked intentionally to create this continuity. (Tell God your plans and he laughs, right?)

Joseph (Kindergarten)

For a child this young, I want as much routine as possible: the more he can know exactly what to expect next, the more the routine reduces need for discipline. Also, I want a lot of breaks in his schedule and time for physical movement.

• 6:30 alarm
• 7:00 breakfast
• 7:30 free play time or exercise (encourage playing outside during good weather)
• 8:00 Holy Reading with Mama
• 8:30 Watch video (science or saint story) 
• (require potty check of all little ones here before we go to Bonus Room, far away from bathroom)
• 9:00 Kindergarten for one hour (What I call my "Golden Hour," and what I try to make sure occurs for my Kindergartener, even if everything else falls apart)
• 10:00 History read-aloud during snack time
• (require potty check of all little ones here)
• 10:30 Free play in boys' bedroom (Duplos, Lincoln logs, soldiers, listen to CD: catechism, Bible story, or literature), with Mama teaching a subject in the adjoining bedroom (near enough to supervise)
• 11:30 Piano practice
• 12:00 Lunch (and recess--outdoors, if possible)
• 1:00 Quiet time for 1.5 hours (Legos, another opportunity to listen to an educational CD)

Margaret (2nd grade)

My second grader also has a lot of routine, with almost no changes. This is also her year to become mostly independent (75%?) with her own education, by the end of the year, so I want her to have the focused time to grow in that area.

• 6:30 alarm
• 7:00 breakfast
• 7:30 exercise
• 8:00 Religion
• 8:30 Mon.-Thurs.: Spelling and Music Theory / Fridays: Grammar
• 9:00 Math
• 9:30 Independent subjects
• 10:00 History
• 10:30 Violin with her sister helping her
• 11:30 Babysitting 1- and 3-year-olds while Mama prepares lunch
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00 Quiet Time (or finishing up any independent subjects)

Mary (4th grade)

Has some variance because of enrollment in a once-monthly online class and a once-weekly online class.

General goal schedule:

• 6:30 alarm
• 7:00  breakfast
• 7:30 exercise
• 8:00 Religion
• 8:30 Mon.-Thurs.: Spelling and Music Theory / Fridays: Grammar
• 9:00 Violin
• 10:00 History
• 10:30 Help sister with violin
• 11:00 Piano
• 12:00 Lunch
• Afternoon: two hours of Math, Latin, Composition

John (6th grade)

Has the most variance because of enrollment in a hybrid homeschool program on Mondays and Fridays, and some activities that meet weekly or twice weekly.

General goal schedule:

• 6:30 alarm
• 7:00 breakfast
• 7:30 exercise
• 8:00 Religion
• 8:30 Spelling and Music Theory
• 9:00 Math
• 9:30 Piano
• 10:30 Daily meeting with Mama (review middle school work, ask questions, get guidance)
• 11:00 Latin
• 12:00 Lunch
• Afternoon: several hours of History, Composition, Grammar, Science . . . should be completed by 3:00 or 4:00.

Obviously, life will throw me curve balls! 

We will get sick for two weeks straight, or experience a crisis, or the toddler will clog the toilet with toys, or someone will fall out of a tree and be rushed to the ER . . . but I, personally, find that when I need to step out of the routine, I feel much calmer when I know how to simply step back into the routine whenever I am able to resume.

It works for me.

The Real Step 1: Devising a Mission Statement

The real first step to designing a homeschool curriculum, which I forgot to post first, is to design a Mission Statement for your family.

I felt that last year, our family lacked balance, so I am trying to make balance among many goods the central goal of our family this year.

Balance among . . .

• Work and Chores
• Prayer
• Academics and Music
• Health
• Exercise
• Sunshine
• Leisure
• Socializing

Once I have a Mission Statement, which my husband approves of, then I proceed ahead choosing curriculum, signing up for outside commitments, designing our schedule, and writing our lesson plans while making sure my design does not conflict with my Mission Statement.

Step 2: Choosing Curriculum for 2018-19

First Second in a Series About Homeschool Planning

I'm no expert on planning for homeschool--nothing like the Big Names in Blogging--you know who they are--with the expensive cameras, fabulous computer and graphic design skills, and the homeschool rooms that belong in Pintrest pictures.

That said, I am entering my seventh year of homeschooling full-time (eighth year if you count that I did formal, daily preschool for one year) and I know more with each year that goes by, so maybe there will be some readers who will learn something from what I can offer . . . for whatever it's worth!

Take what works and leave the rest behind.

Step 1 2 in planning my year is . . . PLANNING! I'm not an unschooler, or even very relaxed. I'm a DIY homeschooler who likes to create my own curriculum based on our family's needs. I am Catholic and prefer choosing religious materials that teach the traditional Latin Mass. I appreciate the rigor of Classical education and the "living" books and literature encouraged by Charlotte Mason. I like books that are old (anything newer than around 1950 has to earn its way past my suspicions) and free of twaddle. And, of course, all of these ideals are being balanced by the fact that I have six children and cannot manage teacher-intensive curriculum anymore, and am instead moving them all toward educational independence.

If that's you, too, maybe you'll like to read of some of my curriculum choices.

With each year, I've had to start planning sooner: this year, adding a fourth grade to the mix and foraying into middle school, caused me to begin serious hours of planning in the spring for the following fall.

(Plus, isn't planning always more fun than implementing the homeschool?!)

I will be homeschooling Kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grades in 2018-19. Our Mater Dei Catholic School "mascots" will be one- and three-year-old boys!

I've developed a Scope and Sequence in a Word document, which lists every scholastic subject across the top and grades K-12 along the side. The boxes are small, the font size is smaller! I've listed out what curriculum choices work for us and what I plan to use for all the grades. In some subject areas, I know what I hope to use all the way through twelfth grade! In other areas, blank boxes await my research and ideas. Even though plans may change each year, as different opportunities arise locally and online, or our own family situation changes (pregnancy, illnesses, job changes, etc.), at least I have a framework for what can work.

I look at my Scope and Sequence, then start drawing up lists for each child/grade in the coming year.

(One can read all of my past years' curriculum choices by clicking on my Homeschooling Page.)

Grade Kindergarten

The Kindergarten plan for my fourth child, when I have olders with a heavy workload, plus two wee ones in the mix, looks different than what I planned for my firstborn. Whatever I pick, my Kindergartener will get about one solid hour per day from me.

• RELIGION
• Scripture
• “The Bible Story” (Benziger Bros., 1931, republished by St. Augustine Academy Press)--This is an experiment for us, as I've used the Golden Children's Bible for years.
• Catechism
• Seton Kindergarten Catechism
• Catholic Children's Treasure Box series
• Leading Little Ones to Mary
• Saints
• Various saint books
• LANGUAGE ARTS
• Phonics
• All About Reading
• Literature
• Read-alouds with Mama
• “Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks” by Wiltse (1890)
• Penmanship
• Seton
• MATH
• Horizon Math--This is an experiment for us, replacing RightStart Math that I've used for my Kindergarteners and first graders all these years.
• Supplement with CTC Math online subscription
• Skip counting and drilling math facts with various resources
• HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY: Medieval Cycle
• Nothing formal for Kindergarten, but, bribed with snack time, he will listen along to my read-alouds to the others.
• SCIENCE
• “In the Animal World” by Serl (1918)
• Children's videos on safety subjects on YouTube
• MUSIC
• Piano and music theory classes
• Catholic Songs for Children CD and lyrics book
• MISCELLANEOUS
• Keyboarding Without Tears
• Private art lessons (summer only)
• Seton's Art Through Faith
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION (various over the course of the whole year)
• Tennis lessons (probably fall/spring only)
• Swimming (summer only)

Grade 2

My particular second grader is fairly independent and will probably be doing about 75% of her work independently.

• RELIGION
• Scripture
• “The Bible Story” (Benziger Bros., 1931, republished by St. Augustine Academy Press)--This is an experiment for us, as I've used the Golden Children's Bible for years.
• Catechism
• Seton Religion
• Baltimore Catechism
• Saints
• Various saint books, such as by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
• LANGUAGE ARTS
• Literature
• Novels selected by Mama and analyzed with Center for Lit "Teaching the Classics"
• Composition
• Probably IEW: All Things Fun and Fascinating.
• Grammar
• IEW Fix-It Grammar
• Spelling
• All About Spelling
• Penmanship
• Seton
• MATH
• Teaching Textbooks
• Supplement with CTC Math online subscription
• Drilling math facts with various resources
• HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY: Medieval Cycle
• Connecting with History
• Catholic Textbook Project
• A Child's Geography Vol. IV: Medieval--This is an experiment. It's a "living book," which I quite enjoy, but it's also Protestant, so I'm having to make some notations in the margin.
• Numerous historic fiction novels
• SCIENCE
• Apologia: Zoology
• MUSIC
• Violin and music theory classes
• MISCELLANEOUS
• Keyboarding Without Tears
• Private art lessons (summer only)
• Seton's Art Through Faith
• Private sewing lessons (summer only)
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION (various over the course of the whole year)
• Tennis lessons (probably fall/spring)
• Swimming (summer only)
• Scottish Country Dance (academic year)

Grade 4

My particular fourth grader is almost entirely independent, and will be trying the first online classes of any of my students.

• RELIGION
• Scripture
• “A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture” by Knecht (1923)
• Catechism
• Seton Religion
• Baltimore Catechism
• Saints
• Various saint books, such as by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
• LANGUAGE ARTS
• Literature and Composition
• Two online classes with Center for Lit
• Grammar
• IEW Fix-It Grammar
• Spelling
• All About Spelling
• Penmanship
• Seton
• MATH
• Teaching Textbooks
• Supplement with CTC Math online subscription
• Drilling math facts with various resources
• HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY: Medieval Cycle
• Connecting with History
• Catholic Textbook Project
• A Child's Geography Vol. IV: Medieval--This is an experiment. It's a "living book," which I quite enjoy, but it's also Protestant, so I'm having to make some notations in the margin.
• Numerous historic fiction novels
• SCIENCE
• Apologia: Botany 
• LATIN
• Latina Christiana
• MUSIC
• Piano, Violin, and music theory classes
• Will be auditioning for girls' choir (performs primarily at Latin Mass)
• Sinfonia Strings orchestra
• MISCELLANEOUS
• PowerTyping.com
• Private art lessons (summer only)
• Seton's Art Through Faith
• Private sewing lessons (summer only)
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION (various over the course of the whole year)
• Tennis lessons (probably fall/spring)
• Swimming (summer only)
• Scottish Country Dance (academic year)

Grade 6

This year will represent a big change with our oldest entering middle school, which itself represents a significant increase in workload, study skills, and self-management, as well as attending a hybrid homeschool two half-days per week. This is the first year ever that someone else is assigning most of his curriculum. Although we wouldn't have signed him up for the program if we did not approve of the curriculum, it still feels very weird to me!

• RELIGION
• Scripture
• “A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture” by Knecht (1923)
• Catechism
• Seton Religion
• Baltimore Catechism
• Saints
• Various saint books, such as by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
• Fraternus
• Latin Mass altar server program
• LANGUAGE ARTS
• Composition and Grammar
• Writing and Rhetoric (Classical Academic Press)
• Analytical Grammar
• Spelling
• All About Spelling
• Penmanship
• Seton
• MATH
• Teaching Textbooks
• Supplement with CTC Math online subscription
• Drilling math facts with various resources
• HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, and LITERATURE: Medieval Cycle
• "The Story of the Church: Her Founding, Mission and Progress" by George Johnson
• "The Old World and America" (Philip Furlong)
• 24 historic fiction novels (me using them to teach Literature, his CCE teacher using them to teach History)
• SCIENCE
• Apologia: Human Anatomy and Physiology
• Seton Health
• LATIN
• Henle
• MUSIC
• Piano and music theory classes
• Boys' choir (performs at Latin Mass)
• MISCELLANEOUS
• PowerTyping.com
• Private art lessons (summer only)
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION (various over the course of the whole year)
• Dodgeball at Fraternus
• Tennis lessons (probably fall/spring)
• Swimming (summer only)
• Scottish Country Dance lessons (academic year)
• Pick-up football with pals on Mondays and Fridays

My next installment will be Step 23. Creating a Daily School Schedule.

Spring School Planning: The Last Push

I find spring an invigorating time to do school planning. CCE is over for the year, freeing up our Fridays. Our routine should now settle down for a couple of months of steady school before taking time off for the new baby's incorporation into our family.

I will share some changes I've made or am hoping to make. Please pray for us as on Monday we get back to school after two weeks' off!

Thank you to Confessions of a Homeschooler for all the schedule templates I have used this year.

Mama's Schedule: Spring 2017

How Mama Got Her Nap Back

When the toddler combined two naps into one, perhaps six months ago, I began a campaign to re-train my four-year-old to do Quiet Time after lunch. Joseph had long ago dropped napping entirely, but once I had Thomas taking one long nap right after lunch, I wanted to teach Joseph how to stay in his room quietly for one to two hours.

This campaign took a couple of months and my committing to laying down with Joseph on his bed. I discovered quite by accident that if he lay still for 15 minutes (because he was snuggling with me), he would fall asleep for a real nap, after not napping for more than a year! This made for a much happier, calmer boy for the afternoon and evening than the one I'd been dealing with.

After a while, I no longer even had to lay with Joseph. He is now completely accustomed to Quiet Time right after lunch and no longer fights me daily like he did those first months. I read him one story--a fifteen minutes with me that he treasures--turn on his Bible CD (Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible), and leave: he naps most days, or he plays quietly.

This allows me to get off my feet for 60-90 minutes. I have been preparing for this point in pregnancy and here we are: I can teach school only for the mornings and must get off my feet by truly laying down to rest. Then I do not resume teaching school in the afternoons, but do housework most days and start cooking dinner by 4:00.

This has required training the older kids to do assigned work during Quiet Time (instead of just playing, which leads to fighting, which leads to Mama having to get up). I used to teach important subjects after lunch, so I moved all those subjects to the morning. I've been requiring the top three kids to read assigned literature for 30 minutes after lunch, which they've been doing for a month now. We're almost done having tussles about this new part of the routine!

Starting this week, Stage 2 of the older kids' new routine is that I expect them to complete their independent desk work after the half hour of reading. I want to remain in my own Quiet Time while the second and fourth grader do their independent work (which would take only one hour if they actually focused). I anticipate a lot of training for this new part of the routine.

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
6:00-7:00	Exercise	Exercise	Exercise	Exercise	Exercise
10 mins. minimum	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal
	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30am	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket
9:00am	Teaching Kindergarten	Teaching Kindergarten	Teaching Kindergarten	Teaching Kindergarten	Teaching Kindergarten
9:30am	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.
10:00am	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History
10:30am
11:00am				Latin: oral drill with John	Giving Latin quiz
11:30am	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: Fix-It Grammar	Mama: BF Geography
12:00pm	Lunch	Lunch 12:30 ETD	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00pm	Quiet Time	1:00-1:50 P.E. at YMCA	Quiet Time	Quiet Time	Quiet Time
1:30pm	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.
2:00pm
2:30pm
3:00pm

The Fourth Grader's Schedule: Spring 2017

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
10 mins. minimum	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal
	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30am	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket
9:00am	Piano practice (45)	Piano Lesson (30)	Piano practice (45)	Piano practice (45)	Piano practice (45)
9:30am	Cont.		Cont.	Cont.	Cont.
10:00am	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History
10:30am	Latin: DVD lesson	Latin: 2 worksheets	Latin: 2 worksheets	Latin: oral drill with Mama	Latin: quiz with Mama
11:00am	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT
11:30am	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: Fix-It Grammar	Mama: BF Geography

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
12:00pm	Lunch/Outside	Lunch 12:30 ETD	Lunch/Outside	Lunch/Outside	Lunch/Outside
1:00pm	Reading literature (30)	1:00-1:50 P.E. at YMCA	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)
1:30pm	Introibo (5) Balt. Cat. (5) Spelling Math facts	Cont.	Introibo (5) Balt. Cat. (5) Spelling Math facts	Introibo (5) Balt. Cat. (5) Spelling Math facts	Introibo (5) Balt. Cat. (5) Spelling Math facts
2:00pm	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)		Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)
2:30pm				2:30 ETD
3:00pm				3:30-5:00 Scottish Dance

The Second Grader's Schedule: Spring 2017

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
10 mins. minimum	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal
	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30am	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket
9:00am	Violin practice (45)	8:45: Violin practice (45)	Violin practice (45)	Violin practice (45)	Violin practice (45)
9:30am	Cont.	Piano Lesson (30)	Cont.	Cont.	Cont.
10:00am	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History
10:30am	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT	Math: TT
10:45am	Piano practice (45)		Piano practice (45)	Piano practice (45)	Piano practice (45)
11:30am	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: IEW Composition	Mama: Fix-It Grammar	Mama: BF Geography

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
12:00pm	Lunch/Outside	Lunch 12:30 ETD	Lunch/Outside	Lunch/Outside	Lunch/Outside
1:00pm	Reading literature (30)	1:00-1:50 P.E. at YMCA	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)
1:30pm	Balt. Cat. (5) Religion 2 (5) Spelling Math facts	Cont.	Balt. Cat. (5) Religion 2 (5) Spelling Math facts	Balt. Cat. (5) Religion 2 (5) Spelling Math facts	Balt. Cat. with Mama (5) Religion 2 (5) Spelling Math facts
2:00pm	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)		Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry (10) Read science (10)	Grammar sentence (5) Penmanship sentence (5) Recite poetry to Mama (10) Read science (10)
2:30pm				2:30 ETD
3:00pm				3:30-5:00 Scottish Dance

Kindergartner's Schedule: Spring 2017

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
10 mins. minimum	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal	Holy reading 5-point prayer Journal
	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30am	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket
9:00am	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama
9:30am	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with mama	Kindergarten with Mama	Kindergarten with Mama
10:00am	Snack History	Piano Lesson (30)	Snack History	Snack History	Snack History
10:30am	Piano practice		Piano practice	Piano practice	Piano practice
11:00am
11:30am				Mama: BF Geography
12:00pm	Lunch/Outside	Lunch 12:30 ETD		Lunch/Outside	Lunch/Outside
1:00pm	Reading literature (30)	1:00-1:50 P.E. at YMCA	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)	Reading literature (30)
1:30pm		Cont.
2:00pm
2:30pm				2:30 ETD
3:00pm				3:30-5:00 Scottish Dance

Kindergarten Subjects

Rotate Through What We Can Do in One Hour

Phonics

Spelling

Math: Right Start lesson

Math: drill

Penmanship sentence

Bible Story

Piano practice (~20 mins.)

Read literature (30 mins. During Quiet Time)