summertime summertime sum sum summertime

Summer has come to the valley. We are attempting to actually enjoy it. I tweaked our daily routine for the summer to make sure we got our work done but still have plenty of fun. In the morning the kids have four requirements:

PRACTICE-on violin (Emma and Sawyer) or piano (Slade and Nathan)

WORK-daily chore

BRAIN-math, reading and journal

BODY-something active for 15-20 minutes

If they get those four things completed before noon they earn screen and friend time. If they don't finish before noon, they owe me an extra job. Taking a cue from this great essay, I also assigned each day a theme:

Make It Monday

Take a Trip Tuesday

Wet Wednesday

Thinking Thursday

Friend Friday

Finally I started a weekly rotation for their house zones and dinner jobs.

ZONE 1- Kitchen and clear

ZONE 2- Basement and rinse

ZONE 3- Family Room and load

ZONE 4- Living Room and pans

Because it was 75% the same as what we had been doing before, the tweaks have been fairly easy to implement. Despite some complaining here and there, everybody seems to like the changes. We haven't been perfect about doing a fun activity everyday but we have done several.

 We made Gak on our first Make It Monday. After trying two different recipes, we decided this recipe was the best.

Mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 2 cups white glue 
• food coloring (Could stain clothing and skin. Beware of blue, especially.)

In a separate bowl, mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/3 cups very warm water
• 2 level teaspoons Borax

Mix the contents of the two bowls together kneading until it is fully combined. Discard any remaining liquid.

They have subsequently spent hours playing with the stuff. Unfortunately, Anne took some into her room and left it on the carpet. I haven't figured out how to get it out yet.

For Take a Trip Tuesday, we took a drive out to Saratoga Springs to check out a new-to-us park. 

 Dave has taken the kids out to Seven Peaks a couple of times for Wet Wednesday. It didn't matter that Wet Wednesday actually happened on Monday. Sawyer is participating in a boys' summer group on Thursdays. When it was our turn we made our own bouncy balls (which was a failure), played with dry ice, painted the driveway with water, and ate cookies.

One month of the summer is almost over and I am still feeling optimistic about surviving the next two. There are plenty of big trips/camps still to enjoy, and with our plan even the every day stuff is filled with good memories.

back to school

Dear me. It would appear my blog has been rather neglected. Never fear, faithful readers, I have returned! I will be "catching up" eventually with a few posts about the last two months. Check back and scroll down. There will be more!

Last week, when the rest of the neighborhood was heading back to school, we were busy having a few more days of summer fun. On Tuesday, Dave took the older kids to Trafalga. Then we went to Pizza Pie Cafe (an all you can eat pizza/pasta/salad buffet) and finally, we finished the day at Seven Peaks. We brought two cars thinking I would need to leave early with Ben and Anne. No such luck for me. Ben slept for two hours and then was happy in my arms for the next two hours so we stayed until closing. Dave and the kids had a fantastic time. On Friday, we spent the afternoon at the pond with our wonderful neighbors. We were there for three hours of fun in the water and sand.

Now, like the rest of the rank and file, we are back in school. I should clarify. We are back to our regular routine. Slade thinks I'm the meanest mom since I make them do schoolwork all through the summer. They do a page of math, twenty minutes of reading on their own. Plus, our history and science co-op continues through the summer. Monday was the day to actually get back to a full school schedule. The week so far has actually gone really well. Our schedule looks something like this:

8:00 Practice Time
9:00 Breakfast
9:30 Chores
10:00-12:00 Math and Language Arts
12:00 Lunch
1:00 History and Science
2:00 Quiet Time (I don't think there has been a day when we've actually had "quiet time" but I still keep it in the schedule because hope springs eternal.)
3:00 Free Time

For the record's sake, this is the curriculum we are using this year.
Math: Math-U-See
Grammar: First Language Lessons (Nathan and Slade), Analytical Grammar (Emma)
Spelling: All About Spelling
Vocabulary: Wordly Wise (Nathan and Slade), Vocabulary from Classical Roots (Emma)
Writing: Writing with Ease
History: Story of the World
Science: Botany from Apologia Science and The Elements

This is our 8th year of homeschooling. It took a few years of trial and error but I feel quite settled in our routine now. I do try to tweak things here and there but we've been doing things this way for about five years now. Adding a new baby into the mix is always a little tricky. On Monday, Ben slept from 10-12. The next day, he had a major diaper blow out during the middle of Math. Today he was fussy and wanting to be held the whole time. When things get tough I just try to remember the great ideas from this essay: The Baby is the Lesson. Our school time definitely does not always go smoothly but somehow we usually manage to get things done.

Happy Learning, everyone. Here's to a great year!

6th grader

4th grader

2nd grader

preschooler

cutest two year old

darling daughters

handsome boys

biggest and littlest

all six!

grumptastic

Yesterday I was in such a bad mood. At the point of tears the whole day. I just couldn't figure out why. I thought perhaps it was Dave and Emma's visit to the dentist which resulted in an obscene number of cavities. That certainly didn't help but in the end I think it was just the fact that I did not follow my routine or get anything accomplished all day. Is it silly that such a thing would put me in such a bad mood? Chalk it up to my ISTJ personality, I guess.

I have been doing really well. After chastising myself for a long while about my inability to get up early so I could work out, I finally figured out a way to deal with my natural inclinations to sleep but still get exercise. The kids have usually played really well together in the morning after breakfast. Taking advantage of that, I've been exercising around 9 and then getting ready by 10 when we begin our schoolwork. I've also been planning my days better and accomplishing more on my long to-do lists. It has been awesome.

However, yesterday I got up late and then allowed myself to get stuck on the computer. It ruined the rest of the day for me. I totally know better but it is amazing how easily I get sucked in. Today I repented and followed my schedule. Exercise. Done. Laundry. Four loads done and put away. Scriptures. Read. Sigh. I feel so much better.

in search of routine

What I want my day to look like:
6:00 wake, exercise, shower, scriptures, check email
8:30 kids wake up, make bed, get dressed, tidy room, chores, breakfast, piano/violin practice
10-12 schoolwork
12 lunch
1 quiet time
2 free time
6 dinner prep, blitz the house
6:30 dinner
8 snack, PJs, brush teeth, read books, SSP (scriptures, song, prayer)
9 bedtime for kids
10:30 bedtime for me

I have had that schedule posted on the fridge for weeks now. We are slowly working our way into it but I need to get in gear and make better choices. Lately, I wake up whenever Sawyer wakes up. Today it was 7:00. I eat breakfast, read my scriptures though sadly its in a rather half-hearted way, check e-mail, waste time on the computer. The kids wake up anywhere between 7 and 9 most days. Sometime in the morning I manage to get a shower. The kids get dressed by 10 most days. We have been getting schoolwork done about every third day lately. We did do it today. Yay! Friends were over before lunch today since a few still aren't in school. They play. I seem to spend the rest of the afternoon finding something to eat for hungry kids, cleaning up messes, and wasting a lot more time on the computer. I am pretty good at getting dinner ready on time because of my menu planning. In the evening, we run errands, watch a movie, read books, waste more time on the computer. We have been doing great with getting the kids to bed on time. Then, its back to the computer usually until way too late.

I think I am addicted to the computer. I read my email. I blog. I read blogs. I search for things on Google. I check my bank statements. I edit pictures. I waste a lot of time. This is something I need to work on. I know I feel a lot better about myself and my day when I do other things. Lately, I just have felt a little lost as to what other thing I should be doing. I think the kids see far too much of my back while I'm sitting at the computer. Yes, this is definitely something I need to work on. I think the computer is awesome. Most of the things I do on the computer are good and worthwhile. I just need to limit my time. Focus my time. Then get off and do something else!