Really Organized Ladies, Could you please take a look...

[AmandaNicole]

at my schedule for next year? I am trying to be more organized, as far as time. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I just want to make sure I am being a good steward of my time. I have 3 sons, Bigger and Little, and my youngest is 4 and we will be starting LHTH soon, but until then his school time will be just really a time for us to have together. I work part time at church as a Children's ministry director, and soon they will be hiring a full time pastor, but I will be staying on as her assistant as she transitions to the the church. That will help my time issues alot. I am also a leader in Scouts and the Pre-k-2nd grade co-op director. Saturdays will be my main days for "work" things. I am open to any suggestions!

THanks,
Mandy

Monday Schedule

6:30am Mom gets up: Coffee, dressed, start breakfast

7:00am Wake boys up, Breakfast

7:30am Boys get dressed and start morning chores

8:00am 30 Minutes of tv - Nolan's choice

8:30am Garrett's school work: Right side of plans
Colton and Nolan play in room

10:00am Snack

10:30am Colton's school work: Right side of plans
Garrett and Nolan play in room

11:15am Nolan's school work
Garrett and Colton - Play learning games or puzzles

11:45am Colton's school work: Left side of plans
Garrett and Nolan:Reading or coloring

12:30pm Lunch time

1:00pm Colton and Nolan Nap time
Garrett's School work: Left side of plans

2:30pm Garrett quiet time in room
Mommy work on church stuff

3:30pm Boys up from nap and quiet time
30 minutes of tv -Colton's choice

4:00pm Mommy chores and laundry

5:00pm Start Dinner
Boys free play

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Evening chores

7:30pm Baths
Garrett Wii or DS while brothers are in tub

8:30pm Reading in Beds

9:00pm Lights out

Tuesday Schedule

6:30am Mom gets up: Coffee, dressed, start breakfast

7:00am Wake up boys, Breakfast

7:30am Boys get dressed and start morning chores, put dinner in crockpot

8:00am Colton's School work : Left sides of plans
Garrett and Nolan play in rooms

9:15am Nolan to Tuesday School

9:30am Colton's School work: Right side of plans
Garrett quiet reading time

10:00am Mommy to staff mtg
30 minutes of tv - Garrett's choice

10:30am Snack

11:00am Learning games or puzzles

11:30am Pick up Nolan

12:00pm Lunch

12:30pm 30 minutes of tv - Nolan's choice

1:00pm Nolan and Colton - Nap
Garrett's School - Right side of plans

2:30pm Garrett Quiet time in room

3:30pm Boys up from nap and quiet time
Colton and Nolan play in room
Garrett's School - Left side of plans

5:00pm finish up dinner

5:30pm Dinner

6:00pm Finish up last minute stuff for scouts

6:30pm Scouts

8:30pm Get boys ready for bed, evening chores

9:00pm Lights out!


Wednesday's Schedule

6:30am Mom gets up: Coffee, dressed, start breakfast

7:00am Wake boys up, Breakfast

7:30am Boys get dressed and start morning chores

8:00am 30 Minutes of tv - Colton's choice

8:30am Garrett's school work: Right side of plans
Colton and Nolan play in room

10:00am Snack

10:30am Colton's school work: Right side of plans
Garrett and Nolan play in room

11:15am Nolan's school work
Garrett and Colton - Play learning games or puzzles

11:45am Colton's school work: Left side of plans
Garrett and Nolan:Reading or coloring

12:30pm Lunch time

1:00pm Colton and Nolan Nap time
Garrett's School work: Left side of plans

2:30pm Garrett quiet time in room
Mommy work on co-op stuff

3:30pm Boys up from nap and quiet time
30 minutes of tv -Garrett's choice

4:00pm Mommy chores and laundry

5:00pm Start Dinner
Boys free play

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Evening chores

7:30pm Baths
Garrett Wii or DS while brothers are in tub

8:30pm Reading in Beds

9:00pm Lights out

Thursday Schedule

6:30am Mom gets up: Coffee, dressed, start breakfast

7:00am Wake boys up, Breakfast

7:30am Boys get dressed and start morning chores

8:00am 30 Minutes of tv - Nolan's choice

8:30am Garrett's school work: Right side of plans
Colton and Nolan play in room

10:00am Snack

10:30am Colton's school work: Right side of plans
Garrett and Nolan play in room

11:15am Get co-op stuff ready

11:45am lunch

12:15am Co-op

4:00pm 30 minutes of tv - Colton's Choice

4:30pm Boys play in room
Mom catch up on chores and laundry

5:00pm Start dinner

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Evening Chores

7:30pm Baths
Garrett Wii or DS while brothers are in tub

8:30pm Reading in bed

9:00pm Lights out!

Friday Schedule

6:30am Mom gets up: Coffee, dressed, start breakfast

7:00am Wake boys up, Breakfast

7:30am Boys get dressed and start morning chores

8:00am 30 Minutes of tv - Garrett's choice

8:30am Garrett's school work: Right side of plans
Colton and Nolan play in room

10:00am Snack

10:30am Colton's school work: Right side of plans
Garrett and Nolan play in room

11:15am Nolan's school work
Garrett and Colton - Play learning games or puzzles

11:45am Colton's school work: Left side of plans day 4 and 5 of unit
Garrett and Nolan:Reading or coloring

12:30pm Lunch time

1:00pm Colton and Nolan Nap time
Garrett's School work: Left side of plans days 4 and 5 of unit

2:30pm Garrett quiet time in room
Mommy work on church stuff

3:30pm Boys up from nap and quiet time
30 minutes of tv - Mom's choice

4:00pm Mommy chores and laundry

5:00pm Start Dinner
Boys free play

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Family time - games or movie

9:00pm Lights out!

[my3sons]

Hi Mandy! I applaud your forward thinking plans here - a homeschool mama with a plan is usually a pretty successful one! I like how you have set up the start to your day and planned for things that can become obstacles to homeschooling if they are not planned for carefully (i.e. chores, meals, and part time work). I also like how you are rotating who is playing with Nolan to gain you some individual teaching time with Garrett and Colton. Very good ideas here!

I have a few ideas that may or may not be helpful, so feel free to throw them out the window if they don't appeal to you. I also work part-time in the afternoons, and it is hard to come back and homeschool after working (or running errands, or attending activities). Many times the dc have run out of steam by then, and so have I. This could totally just be me though, but if you are quite spent after your part-time job or your co-op teaching, you may want to try to finish school before those responsibilities kick in for you. Looking at your schedule, I think you can gain quite a bit of time by having dc do separate tv times. Our dc actually like this, as they get to pick what they want to watch individually (as you already noted in your schedule).

So, for example, if you began to work with Garrett while Nolan and Colton watched 30 minutes of tv at 8 AM, you would then be done with Garrett by 9:30 AM instead of 10 AM. I'd wondered how Colton and Nolan do playing in their room together for 1 1/2 hours too? At those younger ages, sometimes that length of time may be too long, and if they are coming out and interrupting you and Garrett, this time is less productive anyway. Their play time would be cut down to just an hour by starting with Garrett at 8 AM, which I think may be another nice benefit. Otherwise, if they can play happily together without interrupting you for 1 1/2 hours, than you'd gain another 30 minutes of teaching time with Garrett by starting with him at 8 AM anyway. Likewise, 2 dc can have their snack while you work with another child. If Nolan can do something independently at the same time Garrett watches his 30 minutes of tv, you could work with Colton independently for 30 minutes. Then, while you are teaching Nolan, Garrett could work on finishing something independently from Bigger Hearts (i.e. the timeline/vocabulary cards, etc. rotating box, or the notebooking assignments or the art), and Colton could do something for fun independently. I think with these few changes, you could avoid having to teach after you've worked, as well as avoid doubling up on the left side of Days 4 and 5 (or maybe I misunderstood that). I also think that you could have their schooling done by lunch too, if you wanted, but if not, it would definitely give you enough time to have it done so you don't need to be doing it late in the afternoon. Again, just a few ideas to kick around - you will know what fits your days best. From one working mom to another though, I think we are freshest before mid-afternoon hits. Of course, I'm 40 years old now, so I may just be getting older. I hope something here helps, and I think you have some excellent ideas for your day in your plan already!

In Christ,
Julie