Comparisons and rhythm

I've had some questions lately about our rhythm and where I'm getting my ideas for school.

Let me start by reminding anyone who is reading this that we do NOT do it all.

Our day is NOT perfect.

My days are NOT free from tears, whether they be my almost 9 year old daughter's, my other child's or MINE.

My days are NOT free from chaos ~ two dogs that drive me crazy most of the time and make it impossible to keep my house clean, three kittens that do the same, paychecks that continue to get smaller, bills that cannot be paid, stress and more stress and my constant feelings of failure.

Please do not look at a post on my site and think that I have it all together.

Because I do not.

I am TRYING.

Each day is a new day.

And, each day I NEED a new day ... to make up for the one before it.

I am only starting to feel like we are getting into a groove.  But, we still don't have any math because I don't have any and I have no way of buying what I want/need. So, while our homeschool may be gaining some ground and moving in the direction of success, it is by no means perfect.

And, I'm utterly distracted. ALL . THE . TIME .

I truly want to be a PRESENT parent, but I fail miserably at that ... daily.

I am distracted because I am always planning (the upcoming school year, the next twelve school years, next week's school, you name it) ahead (in my head) and thus cannot just BE in the moment.

I am distracted because I am stressed about money.

I am distracted by animals and clutter and dust and dirt and hair and loud and hyper children who bicker.

So, if your house feels chaotic and you look here and think for even a second "Why can't I get it together like HER?", stop yourself. Because, ironically I am looking at your blog thinking the same exact thing! :)

Well, now that I got all of that off of my chest, let me answer a couple of questions.

Our rhythm?

The basic daily rhythm looks like this:

• Morning Routine (dress, make bed, breakfast, teeth, animals, etc.)
• Chores (we're working on this ~ honestly THEY do theirs more often than I do)
• School
• Snack & Recess (tends to stretch FOREVER)
• School
• Lunch
• Quiet Time
• Play Outside
• Dinner
• PJs, Teeth, Read Aloud
• Bed

That's the GENERAL rhythm around here.


Sometimes we find it hard to start again after recess. But, honestly that is MY fault, not theirs. They are out there having fun and I get distracted and don't feel like doing school anymore. I'm working on that.

I don't plan too much in a day.


I purposely don't plan to have more than about 2 to 2 1/2 hours worth of school because MOMMY doesn't want to do it after lunch. The idea is to start about 9:30, snack around 10:30 or so and then school some more from 11:00 or 11:30 to 12:00 or 12:30.

Our Weekly Rhythm looks like this:

• Monday ~ Home ... School
• Tuesday ~ Home ... School
• Wednesday ~ School in a.m., library and Handwork group in afternoon
• Thursday ~ NO SCHOOL ... Homeschool Group
• Friday ~ Home ... School
• Saturday ~ Clean
• Sunday ~ Family Time ... Football

I only schedule four days of school work. EVER.


One thing we've recently started and is working VERY well is that we have a Science Lesson on Sunday with Daddy. I'm ashamed to admit that my straight-A getting self has the hardest time wrapping my brain around moon and earth and sun and rotation and seasons and all of that stuff. I have "book smarts" but get all mixed up with some very common sense stuff. So, when I looked at my third grade science stuff and saw that the first lessons were about the earth's revolution and the moon and all that stuff that I barely understand myself, I asked my husband if he would like to teach this stuff on Sundays. He said he'd love to. And, he's done a lovely job so far. I even understand it now! Good Job, Daddy!

So, he teaches the concept on the weekend (girls don't even realize it is school) and then I have the Hippie make an entry into her Science Lesson Book on Monday (draw what she learned and write a sentence or two about what she learned). This is working well for us.

Well, I could write forever about school. So many more thoughts running around in my head. But, I must go have dinner with my family. If you are a fellow home-educating Momma and have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I love making new blogging buddies!


Many blessings on YOUR journey. May we all learn to stop comparing ourselves to others. Boy is that one we struggle with constantly! 


Love and Light

Thinking out loud

Let me think "out loud" here for a bit.

I need to bounce some things around and I am running out of paper and, frankly, I'm getting tired of writing.

I've been sitting here looking at the SAMPLE lessons for OM1 and OM3 and trying to figure out exactly how it might all fit into a week.

I realize that the sample is only of week 4 and each week will have different activities and different lessons.  But, I have to start somewhere.


Blending the two seems doable.


Adding in Bible and Outdoor Secrets and Delightful Reading and Queen Language Lessons and Artist/Picture Study and Composer Study and Poetry and games makes it too much.


DUH


So, if I want peace in my homeschool, something will have to GIVE.


What is it that makes me think I want to hang onto these other things so much?
Can we get "those things" (whatever they are) from OM alone?
Or do I just not want to give up a good thing?

Let me go through them, one by one.

BIBLE:

Well, I feel like I need to add Bible (or whatever study of God) because, well, aren't we supposed to do that?  Aren't WE the ones responsible for teaching them about God?


BUT ... does it HAVE to be a "school subject"?  I mean, we talk about God often.  We give thanks daily.  DO we need to read to learn about God?  Maybe I could switch out the OM Language Arts lessons and do them off of Bible stories INSTEAD of the fables?  Hmmm.  Still thinking on this one.

OUTDOOR SECRETS:

I don't NEED it.  The science and nature activities in Oak Meadow are lovely.
But, I WANT it.  The science and nature activities in Outdoor Secrets are equally lovely.


But, I can't fit it ALL in.
Peace ... not perfection.


Maybe I can hang onto the Outdoor Secrets and just use it during weeks where OM's science is either uninteresting (not likely) or not as time consuming or non-existent.  Or, maybe we can do the Outdoor Secrets activities in the summer or over breaks.


hmmmm


DELIGHTFUL READING


The Princess has REQUESTED this, so I must oblige.


It's only 15 minutes a day.  I should be able to squeeze that in.  Plus, it's the perfect time to ensure that the Hippie is reading silently (in case we get busy and she doesn't do it later in the day).


So, I'll keep this.  I'll find a way to add it to the OM.


Thanks for listening.  Thanks for your help.  :)


QUEEN LANGUAGE LESSONS


Okay.  I wanted these because I love them.


I love that they are gentle.
I love that they include copywork and picture study and narration and simple grammar.
I love that they make ME feel good ... like "as long as they do QLL, then language arts is covered and covered in a Charlotte Mason way".


But, making ME feel good is not my priority.


Language Arts WILL get covered ... via Oak Meadow.
Copywork can happen with Oak Meadow ... just have them copy stuff from their OM stories.
Narration happens with Oak Meadow.
Charlotte Mason herself did not advocate introducing grammar until after age 10 anyway.
Picture Study can come elsewhere.


So, according to what I'm listing out here, I guess I need to let go of QLL.  


:(


ARTIST/PICTURE STUDY


Okay.  Really.  This whole subject only takes a few minutes.  I'm making it harder than it needs to be.

Just pick an artist.
Keep their art available, visible, one print per week or two.
Get some books at the library about the artist.  I don't actually have to SCHEDULE the reading ... just as desired ... breakfast, lunch, whenever.


So, don't let it go.
But, don't be so freakish about "scheduling it" just perfectly.

COMPOSER STUDY


Same exact thing is true here.

Pick a composer.
Listen to him whenever ... at lunch, during art, while we're cleaning, whenever.
Get some books at the library about the composer.  I don't have to actually SCHEDULE the reading ... just read them as wanted.


So, again, don't let it go.
But, don't be so freakish about "scheduling" it just perfectly.


POETRY and GAMES


Again ... chill out, Momma.


Read some poems.
Play some games.


WHENEVER


Don't have to SCHEDULE every little thing.


*****

Okay.

I may be making some progress.

Relax.


Do what we can.


Don't worry about a perfectly scheduled spreadsheet of a day.


Natural rhythms ... do some school, go outside, have some fun, read some stuff, bake something, ENJOY.


Do it as we can.


Wow.

Thanks so much for letting me get all of this off my chest.
Thanks for allowing me to brainstorm.
If you actually read all this (my random, brainstorming, thinking out loud), I'm sorry to have bored you.


Can't wait to get my hands on the guides and get going.


But, first ... this week we are back to school ... Rosh Hashanah, Scrapbooking, and those reading lessons the Princess has been BEGGING for.

So blessed to be a home-educator.

Daily Rhythm

I promised I'd share our daily routine with you.  I know that I love to read how other Moms fit it all in.

Of course, we have to get back into this rhythm.  So, this will be a work in progress.  But, it is a start.

For as long as I can remember, our basic rhythm has been this

• Wake
• Morning Routine (dress, make bed, breakfast, clean up, teeth, etc.) 
• Chores 
• School (or whatever if we aren't schooling)
• Snack
• More of the same (school or whatever)
• Lunch
• Free Time
• Quiet Time
• Snack
• Free Time while I make dinner
• Dinner
• Evening Routine (teeth, pjs, story, etc.)
• Bed

I'd like to make a few minor changes. 

For one, I really want to make sure that we get outside each and every day ... ME included.  That is something that has not ever happened.  I tend to spend all of my free time on the computer (shame shame).  The Hippie likes to do things outside, but the Princess doesn't really.  She likes to draw and play with her horses.

I'd like to insert a time where all three of us do something active outside each afternoon.  That will kill two birds with one stone ~ get us outside and get us all some exercise.  I've been trying desperately for years now (and failing, by the way) to figure out how to schedule in exercise for me.  It finally dawned on me that even though these girls are skinny minnies, they still need exercise for health.  And, maybe the reason I have such a hard time scheduling it in my own life is because I never formed the habit as a child.  If we just all do something together, maybe it won't be a perfect work out for me, but at least we'll all be moving and we'll all be outside and we'll all be together.  I'm thinking bike rides, walk to the park, walk to and on the beach, etc.


So, that's my first goal/change.


That means I am most likely going to have to cut our Quiet Time shorter.

Ever since the girls were younger, I have always been a stickler for nap time.  Even when the naps ended, Quiet Time has continued (when we are home) ~ they read books or play quietly in separate rooms.  This is usually when I can get things done on the computer, make phone calls, clean the kitchen, once in a blue moon I might actually turn on the TV or read a book, sometimes fit in a blog post, etc.

I'd love to continue them forever, ensuring a BREAK for me.  I'd love to force myself to blog and then read and relax, NOT do stuff.

But, if I want to ensure that chores get done daily (instead of me breaking myself on Saturday cleaning the entire house at one time) and that we do school daily and that the girls have enough FREE time and that we get outside and that we eat and all of that, I think I'm going to have to shorten the Quiet Time.  Maybe I'll just have to train them to GO have their FREE TIME while I finish whatever I couldn't squeeze in while they were reading.  :)


Anyway, here is the Basic Rhythm I've come up with for our Home Days

• Momma wake earlier for tea and computer (crucial)
• Morning Routine
• CHORES (specific ~ different each day so the whole house is cleaned by the weekend)
• School Time (snack in there)
• Free Time while Momma attacks her TO DO List
• Lunch 
• Literature Read Aloud
• Quiet Time
• Tea for Momma / Snack for them
• OUTSIDE TIME
• Dinner Prep for Momma / Free Time for Girls
• Dinner
• Evening Routine while Momma & Daddy clean kitchen

Like I said, this has been the basic rhythm of our lives for a while.  The hard parts will be:

• Waking up before the girls
• Shorter Quiet Time (less break for me)
• Getting outside daily

The other hard part is that this rhythm can only really happen about twice a week!  


On Tuesdays, we have to be at Theater by 12:30.  That will make for a crazy morning!
On Wednesdays, we have to go to the Library and Handwork and I have to make dinner before!
On Thursdays, we are totally gone for the day for field trips and stuff.

You get the idea.  Nothing is perfect, but having a general rhythm to your days helps immensely.  It helps for the children to know what is next.  It helps for me to know that I can not think about such-n-such right now because I have the time allowed for it later.  If there is an allotted time for paying bills and phone calls, I don't have to let those things get in the way of schooling.  I can put them out of my mind for a while, knowing I'll get to them later. 


How do you fit everything into your day?