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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 11:15am | IP Logged
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There are heaps of posts on this I am sure...but this getting my kids going and not making things take all day (with me complaining incessantly about the time (ouch  ) and feeling horribly because I want it to be homey here in our little homeschool- and Mom the roaring lion doesn't add the ambiance!
Julie, at Bravewriter, had a great article about keeping the home in homeschool. But with four students this year I just haven't been able to bounce back from the transition. I am trying to stay focused on my own work but seem to be in the same rut over and over again. My days go from "Well, this a new day!" to "Oh my, it is 11am and I woke you up at 8 and all we have done is math (and when we will EVER do grammar or spelling (honestly it hasn't fit in all my 10 years of homeschooling)."
I know I sound like a broken record- but if anyone has any gems let me have em!!
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 11:27am | IP Logged
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Maybe you're trying to fit your round family into a square schedule?
First thing in the mornings just doesn't work here. yeah it would be great if we could get up and get things done and have the early afternoon to play. But I function less well early in the morning.. and so do a number of my kids.. so we have time in the morning when we dont' have to do anything.. and then we might do some chores and then get to doing school. And when I'm not feeling  I can make that work much better than the starting school early thing. It means we don't have as much free time in the afternoons.. but we have that time in the mornings.
And isn't that one of the beauties of homeschool? that you don't have to follow someone else's schedule?
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 11:42am | IP Logged
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Kristie,
The only advice I have is to get up earlier. I know that sounds annoying and simplistic, but I have started getting up at 6 a.m., usually having risen at 7:30 or 8 on average in the past, and I can't tell you how nice it is to get a load or two of laundry going, the house tidy, breakfast ready and a little time to breathe before the kids get up! This morning I had fed the baby, showered, did two loads of laundry (and folded two), reada bit of a book, said a Divine Mercy Chaplet, figured out breakfast, vacuumed, swept and picked up the main level, gave all three little ones a bath plus the baby, and had started into the school day with my two oldest ALL before 9:15 or so!!!! I was baffled by what a difference getting up two hours earlier can do for ones day!!!!!! I just go to bed a little earlier. I was just staying up and watching stupid t.v shows anyway, so no loss there. So, I would start with that if you can. When I used to get up later, the kids were mainly up before me and I felt like I was turning in circles all day long.
Then, I would pick one or two "have to's" to make your home feel homey. Is it reading to the littles. Then make sure you get to that when you can each day. Is it baking homemade bread or fixing a special lunch a few times a week? Then, don't feel guilty when you do that. I think the guilt of having too many things to do for one person makes us just become deer in the headlights (at least I do) and I end up not really being effective at all as a result. So know that you actually physically CANNOT do it all, so stop trying!  Figure out what is the most important to you and do those few things well. Then, maybe pick a "schoolish" time of day when you try to focus and accomplish concrete things, and then for the beginning of the day be more focused on the kids physical needs such as bathing, hairbrushing, reading a book, time over breakfast together, being availible and helping them learn to do chores. Then, transistion into the "schoolish" time where you try to accomplish more concrete things, then in the afternoon focus on playtime, being availible, maybe cooking dinner together. (You didn't mention the age of your kids but I am assuming on the younger side.) Or, just go take a nap with them if they are small enough. A nice walk, more crafty learning time etc. Just suggestions as to how to structure a day. (Start out slow with affection and time that is availible, move to structure, and then move back into a more relaxed time etc.) I have also started doing school at night when Dad is home which helps a lot!!!! In the winter, that is just useless time anyway, so why not spend it together in the classroom reading or something or Dad can hang out with them and you can check school work. (Our classroom is in part of a finished basement and there are couches and chairs there to make this a nice place to hang out. Maybe it would be your family room.)
The biggest thing is to have confidence and not to stress out. Good luck. Just try to have your mind fully present to the kids which can be hard when there is so much to "do" each day. My husband told me the other day, when I was complaining that I didn't have enough time to do this or that..."Did you love today?" I said, "Well, yes, I guess so." And he told me, "Well, you've done enough right there." I thought that was so beautiful. Love, then all the rest.
God bless!! 
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 11:43am | IP Logged
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Too funny that I just noticed Jodie said to get up whenever (or later) and I am telling you to get up earlier!!! So, yes, it will depend on your personality. Maybe you can have that productive time later if you are a night owl.
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 11:48am | IP Logged
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I didn't say to get up whenever  .. I just said that not everyone is functional right after they get up to jump full steam into a school day. I struggled with it in school.. and it seems wrong when we control the schedule to make it more difficult for some of us.
Actually much of what you said is what I said as well.. that you do other things when you first get up.. have a little time even (you read a book) and THEN start school.
And I wish I could get up early enough that I had time before the kids get up. I would have to set and enforce rules about them getting up if I tried though.. because no matter how early I get up.. they follow behind within 30 minutes. I usually try to do much of what you did in the morning in the evenings after the kids are in bed.. the straightening up and the laundry..
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 12:26pm | IP Logged
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Hmmm. but it is the kids who humm and haaa getting ready in the morning. I am off and running but they take an eternity to get going. I thought about the morning being more if their free space of time but then they drag out getting ready for the whole morning, we do our lessons in the afternoon and then they feel ripped off
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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Barbara C.
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 1:27pm | IP Logged
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I think I would look at what is taking them so long to get ready, and you may have to enforce some discipline or alternate techniques. For instance, they have to be ready by a certain time or they lose privileges for the rest of the day. Or if you have two that get distracted by playing/talking together they may need to be separated.
You could also try a rotating schedule between your kids. I don't know how many of your subjects you combine and how many they can do individually with or without needed oversight. Maybe while one is expected to get dressed, you work with a second, while a third does work on their own (in a different area if necessary), and the fourth plays.
Or you could try block scheduling. Maybe expect math plus just one other subject each day.
I must admit that I feel like I have it mostly easy with just the one school-aged child, but when my preschooler has asked to do school-work I have felt the stress levels rise as I try to be there for both at the same time. I've realized that when my second starts official schoolwork next Spring that we will have to take turns if I want to stay sane. Hopefully, my older girl will be more independent by then, too. (Thank God, she has finally started reading well...it has taken a big load off.) Then someday I'll be where you are, trying to juggle four.
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Barbara
Mom to "spirited" dd(9), "spunky" dd (6), "sincere" dd (3), "sweet" dd (2), and baby girl #5 born 8/1/12!!
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Anne McD
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 1:34pm | IP Logged
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What I'm trying (when we actually stick to a schedule!) is to allot a certain amount of time for things to be finished. For example, its 10am, and the big boys have 1/2 an hour to finish phonics before we move onto math. If its not finished, they stop where they are and have "homework" they have to finish during free time. Same would go for chores. They can balk at 9:30am for as long as they want that they don't want to pick up the front room, but whatever isn't picked up at 10am waits because its time for phonics. When they have free time for an hour after lunch, those who didn't do thier chores have to finish it first.
Wow, maybe I should implement that here.....
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Anne
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Mommy to Alex 9
James 8
Katie 6
William 3 1/2
Benedict Joseph 1
and baby on the way! 10/14
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ekbell
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| Posted: Feb 18 2010 at 4:57pm | IP Logged
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I'm only balancing three official students with my husband home to help with the one and a half and four year old children so take this for what it's worth.
In our household we start a bit late but I make a point of having a fairly strict routine for the morning on days with formal lessons. This seems to help get the children into the right state of mind and eliminates my tendency to drift off in the morning and only I haven't gotten things going two hours later.
I get up and start breakfast while I pray and do some spiritual reading. (normally 8:30-9:00)
We have a 'school' breakfast that is always the same (fortunately my children don't mind having the same breakfast 4 days a week, ~36 weeks of the year). (normally 9:00)
I then have a 1/2 hour walk which gives time for the children to clean up after breakfast and get dressed for the day if they haven't already.(normally 9:30)
When I get back I call the children down for morning devotions (the only reason accepted for not coming down immediately is being in the bathroom) and we start school. (normally 10:00)
My solution to dawdling (after one daughter spent an entire day peacefully sitting at the table not working) has been to state that they can only eat the midday meal *if* they've done their seat work (math, spelling, grammar/writing -reading for those not reading independently).
It has led to a few tears but it's also meant that the dawdling child has most of her afternoons free and I don't have to nag.
The times I've felt as if we were missing out on something, I've made a point of scheduling that something *right"* after morning devotions for a bit (normally I allow a bit of leeway in what exactly is done first).
I tend to normally concentrate on working with the first grader until they are done, then the third grader (who ideally has been doing independent work during this time) and then the sixth grader (most of our one-to-one time except for the occasional question to do with math is during the afternoon).
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MNMommy
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| Posted: Feb 19 2010 at 6:07am | IP Logged
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My kids are younger than yours, but we have a similar problem in our mornings dragging out (although I would love to have anyone sleep past 7:00!) I discovered that if the kids have to do their morning chores (dressed, teeth, hair, cleaning rooms, pets) before breakfast, they are truly ready for the day. If they eat breakfast before the chores, then they could still be in their pajamas at noon. Our mornings go so much smoother if they just get it done.
The other thing that has helped us is needing to take my 7yo to her public school class at 10:00. That's a nonnegotiable peg in our day, and that peg has really smoothed out the morning and afternoon.
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Jennifer
Tired mom to - 10yo dd, 7yo ds, 6yo ds, 4yo dd, 2yo ds
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 19 2010 at 8:47am | IP Logged
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Hmmmm.... good thoughts. I think I am half the problem, or probably more 
After 9 years of being the motivator etc. I am just getting tired...
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Fitting it in and running the good race!
