My husband considers me an extraordinary woman, juggling homeschooling and keeping up the house. I run a tight ship, that's for sure, and if you walked in the door right now you would find a clean house, laundry folded and put away, bread baking in the machine, the babies napping, and the older ones watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Okay, some days I don't think about what we are having for supper until 5pm and then weakly say, "How about Chinese takeout?" but most days I am on top of things. How? By having a routine, sticking to it and at the same time being flexible.
Our general daily routine begins with wake up about 7am, followed by breakfast, dressing, brushing teeth and tidying rooms. School starts at 9 and we are usually finished by 12. During school I am up and down getting juice, keeping the little ones busy, and nursing the baby. I also bring down the laundry and clean up the kitchen. After lunch I put the babies down for a nap and get a lie down to read while the older ones play quietly. Afternoon is filled with reading books, playing, and games for the kids and I tidy up and vacuum. Supper is usually early and followed by baths, stories, prayers and bed. I usually fold the laundry and put it on dresser tops during bathtime. Another help is our cleaning lady who scrubs everything once a week.
I have read Holly Pierot's Mother's Rule of Life and was inspired, but then got bogged down in her scheldule broken down into 15 min increments. My life changes every day with one in preschool and riding and piano lessons for the others that I need something much more flexible. I think I have hit on the answer and am amazed that my home is much more organized with 5 children than it ever was when I only had 1 or 2.
1 comment:
What did you figure out that works for you? I had the same question about the variations with school and daily needs of my family of 4 ranging from 7 to 4 months, but I am going to come up with a system anyway that is close to what I already do, but just structure it a little more. I started getting up at 5 am, and that is working well so far. I am calmer during the day and less apt to get frustrated. I am pleased that I am on the right track, just need some fine tuning. Thanks for your blog!
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