I could have written Kathleen's post.

That is us exactly. The schedule very quickly becomes more of a routine for us, and it is what makes our days function well. I think the more dc we have, and the busier we get, some type of routine or schedule is probably helpful. BUT, does everyone
have to have a schedule? Probably not. I'd say 2 things are important to consider when it comes to considering scheduling...
1) Is school getting done consistently each day?
2) Are you pretty pleased with the way it's going?
If the answer is "no" to either one, and you don't have a schedule/routine, why not give it a whirl? I know many find a schedule confining, but I find it freeing. Perhaps a middle of the road approach would be best if you don't like schedules, but are finding a change may be good? For example, you could schedule blocks of time for working with each child, but change the order of the boxes you work through within that block each day. In this way, you have a routine time to work with each child, but what you do in that time is not technically scheduled, and you could still have that fly by the seat of your pants feeling, just within a block of time. That's just an idea, but I deeply desire homeschooling to be a relatively happy thing for each of us, for us to feel like we made it through the days together pretty well, and that when it's all said and done, we look back and think it was a very good thing to do. I think those are realistic goals, for to desire to have perfect homeschooling days year after year is to desire something that IMO is impossible.

So, if not using a schedule gives you that - hooray! If using a schedule gives you that - hooray! If sort of using a schedule and sort of not gives you that - hooray! But experimenting with it is worth it until you get that "hooray" in some way! Good question! Praying for you as you ponder it.
In Christ,
Julie