I’m really glad Candy suggested this, because it is soooo good for me to look at how we have been spending our days, and it is certainly time to take stock and make sure we are redeeming our time.

We change our schedule a few times a year, but this is what it looks like presently. At least, when things fall flawlessly into place, which is rare . Keep in mind, it is currently a flex-schedule, which seems to fit our family well.

My daughter Deb (7) and son David (9) get up at 6:30 (Deb – always; David – sometimes). Deborah is faithful to get dressed to the shoes, brush her hair, and do her math & writing. David usually takes a shower and works on Scratch, which is an open-source (that means free!) programming language for kids which David is completely in love with. And his Daddy has given him the directive to practice in the morning when his mind is fresh – I love it that he wants to please his daddy so much!

Usually the baby wakes up at 6-ish and I nurse him back to sleep before stumbling back to bed for another hour or so of sleep (Nathan and I still lack the discipline to go to bed early ). I am roused to begin the day by one of two scenarios: either Nate gets up to shower and I have pity on his poor hungry soul, arising to fix coffee and a to-go breakfast of raw-egg/vanilla/banana/kefir dream smoothie or crackers, cheese & banana OR Joshua bounds into the bedroom, announcing enthusiastically “I’m hungry Mommy!”

On Wednesdays Daddy leads the early morning men’s Bible study at Bob Evans and I just see a wisp of steam and hear the faint sound of the garage door. On other days, I kiss Daddy out the door with his breakfast & coffee, then have a half hour or so to quickly shower, make the bed & tidy my area before tending to my enthusiastically hungry 4-year-old. Who, by the way, is always right there with me cooking oatmeal and serving it up. Generally if anyone is still abed at this point I rouse them, and they dress & report to the island for re-fueling. Meanwhile, Deborah dives into Mavis Beacon to get her typing done, and perhaps finishes her piano practice. David will often get his typing & piano done before breakfast also.

At breakfast, we are currently trying to re-establish our breakfast scripture reading/memorizing habits. They fell by the wayside somehow during the busy summer months . The kids right now are learning Proverbs 27:17 & James 4:17. After breakfast I allow the three youngest (baby Jonathan, Joshua & Rebekah) to help me clean up the kitchen lickety split while Deborah cleans the bathrooms (sinks, toilets, sweeping) & David vacuums the living room, hall & bedrooms. Sometimes the process is more lickety split, sometimes less, usually depending on the amount of enthusiasm & encouragement (or lack thereof) coming from yours truly. Last week I allowed the older kids to do their cleaning chores as part of their to-do list on the white board. However, I think it works out better when we set the timer and just get our work done together, so we will go back to doing it right after breakfast.

After clean-up, Deborah does a little school time with the baby while I take Joshua (4) and Rebekah (5) under my wing to read, narrate & do flashcards (this doesn’t always happen but I’m determined to make it stick). Then they can all play outside for a half-hour or so while I do any needed administrative work (phone calls, bill-paying…etc). The children are good about pushing Jonathan on the swing and helping him go down the slide. As I can see them right out the window, I will let him be with them for a short while before putting him in the playpen near me.

After playtime, we all come in for reading time. I am currently reading Nathanial Bowditch as our read-aloud. We are reading through a poetry book. We are reading through some assigned old & new testament passages. All of this is assigned from the Sonlight Curriculum which I borrowed from my dear friend Jenny in Kentucky. The littler ones will often play quietly with Legos or Tinker Toys while I am reading. This way they get the benefit of hearing the stories, but they don’t feel like it is a completely boring time. If we have time before lunch I will also go through Language Lessons with David & Deborah, from Susan Wise-Bauer’s Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind. I absolutely love doing the language lessons with the kids! I think they like memorizing the engaging poems & learning chants, but the copy work and dictation exercises are a little tedious for them sometimes. Rebekah is going to find it so easy to do them when we start because I think she has already memorized half of the poems!

Lunch time is usually pretty concise. A little fruit & cheese, or a peanut butter sandwich. Some raw goat’s milk if there is any left. I will usually do a really fast 5-minute cleanup and let the older children keep working on their lists, then occupy the smaller ones with a game or let them play outside some more. Around 1:00 pm I will put the littlest one in bed for a nap. He will usually sleep until 4:30 – 5:00 pm.

David & Deborah, as I mentioned, have their to-do list posted on the fridge white board currently. They know to check things off as they accomplish them. Currently their list looks something like this: math, writing, reading, language, typing, piano, chores, room, laundry, baby-time. David has read alone time and read-aloud time. Deborah has read alone time, read-aloud time, read to Joshua time and a reading lesson with me. They know that in the afternoon they will be free to play, program or watch Cyberchase & Fetch if they have their whole list checked off.

At 2:00 pm we gather in the living room for quiet reading time. Sometimes I’ll do read aloud at this time if we missed it for some reason earlier; or catch up with our scripture reading; or rarely sit down and read my own book (I’m currently reading through the Uncle Eric Series). If Joshua is really tired, he will sometimes fall asleep on the couch. The others just read. David is reading through the readers from Sonlight. They are a bit easy for him so he flies through them. I used to read them aloud so everyone could hear, but it put too much responsibility on me, so I put them in a stack for him to read through in order. David and Deborah will usually narrate from the scripture reading, but this is a weak point with me; I sometimes forget to have them narrate, though I usually ask questions. I know that narration is such an important skill and I always try to make it happen regularly, but we aren’t there yet.

If the kids have done well, they are allowed to watch a show in the afternoon at 3:30. This is usually my time to either catch-up on my email, work on a project, take a cat-nap or blog. And I touch base with Nathan at this point in order to make supper plans. At 4:30 we start supper. The children all have a night to help. Lately I have been swallowing my desire for easy clean-up and letting them make more messy things like biscuits and cookies. They have so much fun! I intend to loosen up even more; especially when our wheat arrives, which incidentally, did not show up last Friday because they had trouble locating a driver and it never left the warehouse! But I have a clean garage .

We eat when Daddy comes home, or without him if he has meetings at work or church. David & Deborah are responsible for cleaning up dinner; though usually I will put away the food and wash the big pans. David is my wiper/sweeper extraordinairre. Deborah will clear and wash the dishes, or unload and load the dishwasher (if it’s working). They are sometimes motivated with outside play, sometimes with dessert . Tonight was an exception; Daddy forgot to have them do cleanup (I was taking an important call) and so here I sit with a messy kitchen behind me . Anyway, it will get done .

The evenings are often spent outside to enjoy the cool shade which happens in our front yard just before sunset. Nathan and I will sometimes sit in the rockers on the front porch and watch them swing, slide or ride bikes up and down the gravel road in front of our house (it connects only to the neighbor’s house, so there is not much traffic). Lately Joshua will push Jonathan in the little red car up and down our front walk.

Before bed we do different things, depending on the night. On Monday Daddy reads to the children from the Uncle Eric Series. On Tuesday night we watch Nova Science Now. On Wednesday night we go to piano lessons (usually earlier on). On Thursday night we have presentations. On Friday night we watch movies or play games. On Sunday night we watch an excellent video series entitles “Does God Exist” by John Clayton. It is a 17-part series (about 8 hours total), in which he clearly shows that there is no conflict between science and Christianity. He also shares his quite extraordinary testimony and some dynamic sermonettes which are wonderfully insightful. We watched the last one yesterday. I can’t wait to start it again, but we’ll probably wait a year or so.

Bedtime means a story (if we are there early enough), a prayer, a hug. Teeth brushed (and sometimes flossed), a time of mild-roudiness while the kids sometimes horse around a bit, children sneaking out for “one more drink” – they hug each other and say goodnight; the baby talks for awhile. Then blessed quietness.

Nate and I usually hang out in his office for awhile, and unwind (sometimes with ice cream ). We will sometimes watch the latest on Ron Paul & the elections. We will often watch a documentary – currently we are on part 3 of “The Power of Nightmares” which is a history of how Neoconservatism and Islamic Fundamentalism came about in the 1940′s & 50′s. It is fascinating stuff! Speaking of which – I’m late! I’d better get down there .

Jacob Tu Tu’s father was right on the money when he said “do it until you get it right, then keep doing it until you can’t get it wrong.” He inspired me to keep playing the hymn I was learning on the piano. Even when I couldn’t get to it for several weeks, it was always in the back of my mind, and when I sat down at the piano to play I practiced the same hymn. Many times it was boring, yes. And many times I just wanted to start playing something else. But I was determined to memorize this hymn if it was the last thing I did.

Well, I am happy to report success. Not perfection, mind you. But I can play it many times through without a mistake, and how it thrills my soul to be able to worship the Lord without distraction on the piano. Another benefit is that I can work on technique without having to worry about which keys to press. It is so freeing! Also, I have already noticed that playing other songs is easier. Maybe because my brain is more easily recognizing common intervals. For the record, my goal is not to become a concert pianist, but merely to be able to easily play hymns and perhaps to compose simple worship songs.

Memorizing scripture gives the same benefits. When we take the time to commit His word to our minds, it is easier to focus on what He is saying to us. It is also easier to understand His word, for the scriptures interpret themselves when you have other related scriptures coming to mind as you read. When you are well-nourished, it is easier to enjoy the presence of the Lord .

Much like the habits in the physical world bring a certain automation to our activities, memorizing written material brings automation to our minds, and memorizing music brings an ease to playing heretofore unknown. It is like a groove which is whittled deeper each time you pass over it. Soon it is no longer a chore to move the same way. Eventually it is difficult to go any other way. You are hemmed in and able to enjoy the activity.

I am convinced that mentally there is really no difference between memorizing a song on the piano, and learning discipline (or teaching it to a child). Until a person is constrained to obedience and self-control, he is really not free to enjoy his life (or activity). Just as a young child who is being allowed to disobey or break rules is unable to be truly happy for the mental tension which is present in his little heart, so the child of God is unable to be truly happy if God is not the ruler of his spirit. Indeed he will not be happy until he is hemmed in by the author and perfecter of our faith; walking in the Spirit with all diligence.

For the last year and a half, I have been homeschooling the children throughout the day in our dining room, living room & yard. It has gone pretty well, all things considered, but the lines between household & homeschool have become somewhat blurred, so I am very excited about the changes which occurred in our house this month. Let me explain.

We own a ranch style home, which has a walk-out basement. Half of which consists of an apartment, and the other half my husband’s office, a storage area, a large family-type room and a bathroom. Until just a few weeks ago, my mother-in-law had rights to the apartment (though she lived in another state to care for her ailing father-in-law) and my brother-in-law lived in the family room which had been converted into a bedroom & office for him. Well, after Christmas we moved Benjamin into the apartment and suddenly the other room has become available. Naturally my first thought was: can we convert the space into a schoolroom?

I am happy to report that we have begun the process of doing just that, and we had our first day of “doing school” downstairs on Friday. The entire day was fantastic! And these are my immediate observations about having a separate place to school:

1. It has given me remarkable clarity. I’m the kind of person who has a hard time focusing on what is at hand if other unfinished things are around me. For example, if I have set the children down to do their math worksheets, the laundry on the couch beckons me and the smudged windows call out to me “wash me!” It’s all very distracting for one of my particular make-up, and often the children are waiting on me. When I am downstairs, it is all out of my sight, and hence, out of my mind.

2. I am so much more organized! My homeschool books had begun to “invade” my household space. It was kind of embarrassing at Christmas when we had family over and there wasn’t room in the pantry for snacks because of my homeschool notebooks. I’m not finished yet, but it will be so nice to have everything cleared out, in it’s own place downstairs. Also, it is harder to keep track of each person’s activity when they are in separate rooms.

3. It is easier to focus on discerning my children’s hearts (#1 really). This kind of goes along with other things which are happening in my heart and home, but this has become so important to me. I have realized that motivation is so much more important that outward actions. And my kids are just a little distracted (I wonder why?) and need extra focus from mom to get them back on the right path. Spanking is not always the right answer, and can sometimes cause alienation from God instead of restoration.

These are my initial observations about our new schoolroom. Right now, our schedule is pretty simple:

7:30 Kids wake-up, dress and practice piano while I make breakfast with my 3-year old on the step stool and my baby attached to my front

8:00 Eat breakfast while working on scripture memory verses; read Proverb of the day

8:30 Breakfast chores & make lunch (to be brought downstairs in my WONDERFUL picnic basket – complements of my generous husband ala Christmas). If we don’t get done with everything, it’s ok . Here I have to give myself permission. Actually it has been my wise husband all along who has told me that the cleaning is not important – the children are important.

9:00 Start school! The start time is flexible and the entire schedule is divided into time “blocks” so that I don’t become discouraged if we are not “keeping up” with the clock. I’ll share the school schedule another day.

2:00-3:00 Afternoon chores, fixing dinner, generally catching-up with household duties. The children know they may play when they are finished with their responsibilities.

I am well aware that all families do not have the luxury of having a separate homeschool room, and I don’t believe everyone needs one. But it sure is a blessing for our family and I am so very thankful to the Lord .

Okay, we have ceased school for the time being. And I desperately need to plan for the new year. I am making David and Deborah each a book (with my comb binding system), which will allow me to easily peruse goals, track hours & review their progress twice a year. Last year was the first time I made a book for them, and I will be making it even better this year! I am very excited to tackle the project . However, first I must make a plan for the children to be occupied today.

David is currently curled up in a ball in his bed, hiding under the covers. When I went to shake him awake this morning, I had a flashback to my own childhood…

Of sleeping in on summer mornings.
Of playing hard all day and coming inside dirty and hungry.
Of swimming at the pool until I was wrinkly and oh-so-tired and smelling of chlorine.
Of climbing a tree until I had conquered it at the top of the world.
Of practicing gymnastics at the school playground until I was master of the weenie roast, genie & hip-circle.
Of going to sleep on a hot summer night with a fan blowing hard right at me.

I want my kids to enjoy being a kid and look forward to every day. It is definitely a challenge for the homeschooling mom to balance out the work and the play so that a child doesn’t think they are being overworked, and they are happy and excited to face each day. I have by no means mastered this, but each year I find ways to improve, and planning times are exciting because then I can bring it all together and take another step in the right direction.

Lord, give me wisdom!

I am so thankful that my wonderful hubby gave me a “kick-in-the-butt” in regard to getting my recordkeeping organized for homeschooling. When I got around to organizing it, I found that the schoolyear in Missouri begins on July first, so I was already 2 months behind!

But it was a lot of fun to open up Publisher and create my own little record-keeping book . I printed it, bound it (with my binder machine and a comb binder) and just today I closed out my first month of recorded school hours, giving David a lesson in using an adding machine in the process. Here is what is included in my record-keeping book:

1. A summary page: curriculum summary & goals summary
2. Hour-tracker pages for each month: colums for each subject, core hours, extra hours (ie field trips), and a block for notes at the bottom
3. Evaluation pages: Strengths, weaknesses, goals met…etc.

Missouri law requires periodic evaluations and I am excited about it because it forces me to take the time to ponder and plan and correct my course if necessary.

We believe that we are responsible first to answer to God for training our children up in the way they should go. We also plan to be ready to give an account, if necessary, to the governing authorities for the education we are providing.

In the meantime, I will use them to record and improve our homeschooling endeavors. I am sure that next year’s book will far surpass this one, but I am having fun, and that is what school is supposed to be about, right?

“Then why do I have to do math flashcards?” I can hear my 7yob cry out

“For the same reason you have to eat your vegetables!” I reply with a smile.