Scheduling! House cleaning! and Summer School! Attempt #1

One of the sessions I took at Homeschool Convention this year was a class on scheduling.  I have never liked the idea of scheduling by the clock and prefer the idea of routines better but the speaker (whose name I've forgotten) convinced me that maybe some scheduling (by the clock-YIKES!) would make everything go much smoother in our house.  With 4 kids in 4 different "grades" and the need to start teaching the older one (or two) some self motivation techniques, I think this might be the year to just take this plunge.  So I've been thinking/making one before we start some summer school (tomorrow).

Actually, I've been working on it before now but less "officially"...My part so far has been to set an alarm and get up in the morning at 6.  That way I get some quiet alone time to read my Bible, pray, and do some journaling.  I hate mornings but I love being able to have that time.  I also get a little time to check email and facebook without the kids.  I can't expect them to start disciplining their time without first disciplining mine. :)

I have also built a weekly cleaning schedule so that each room will be cleaned (dusted, vacuumed, etc) each week.  It also works the kids into this schedule and no one will have a ton to do.  We should be able to keep the house clean in around 30 minutes a day (15 minutes to clean a room and a 15 minute dash n stash before daddy gets home each day) plus the time it takes me in the kitchen to keep it clean....that room is just continually a mess since everyone seems to want to eat multiple times each day.  ;)

This is our new trial weekly cleaning schedule.  Each person is given a different chore for the week (floors, surfaces, walls, windows).  And we'll clean a different room each day.  Tuesdays are for toilets and the division in the bathrooms will be done differently.  And on Wednesdays I will do the next item on the rotating chores list to do some of those things that are required less frequently while the kids maintain their desk area.  We'll see how it works.

I took the plunge and while home from church with a sick kid, I made a daily schedule.  It starts at 6 am and runs through 5.  Evening time is family time and we will do family things....no schedule necessary.  This is our summer schedule with only an hour of school time.  Of course, it is going to get much more complicated (and difficult) once we are doing a full school schedule.  But I think this is a good practice run!

This is our first attempt at a daily schedule "by the clock".  I did it in half hour increments and we'll see how that works. I made the blocks nice and big so I can jot down notes of what did and did not work and make adjustment in the next bit.  Then hopefully, I'll be able to successfully make a daily schedule for school time.   

While I was doing it...I went ahead and made out a lesson plan for the week...we're going to do some geology with Mr. Hibb and start the Lego Quest.  The boys will all be working on math again.  And we'll do Smart Kids Launchpad on Fridays (for math).  Only doing school 4 days/week with one day spent at a day camp offered at a local church.  The great thing about all of these plans is that they are not very school like at all!  Mr Hibb is FULL of experiments with just a little reading in between times.  The Lego Quest is just a great way to be more creative and open up some options with legos.  And the launchpad are all activities.  Math and reading is the "schooliest" school work.  They will also have the option to start spanish and keyboarding now (or waiting till later), it is all computer based so I think they maybe will like it.

Lets get this party started!!!!  But not till Monday at 6 AM...don't want to throw the schedule off.  ;)

Murphy's Law

Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". (wikipedia)

Ever have one of "those" days where it seems like Murphy has taken up residence in your home, and maybe inside your head.  Today is one of those days.  So far my phone has gone kaput (it won't even power up), my supper plans have gone the same way, and I lost music plans for a revival I am leading in a couple weeks.  And it isn't even lunch time yet.

How do you keep Murphy from winning?  How do you not let the fact that everything is going wrong make you grumpy?  Well, honestly, most of the time I don't.  Although plans I make are always flexible (I do have 3 children and often their plans and my plans don't match up) but when one thing after another doesn't work, it irritates me.  Today, I decided to just go with it and I planned a little success into the rest of the day.  I pulled fish from the freezer for supper and the kids will be thrilled so I know supper will go "right."  Then I redid the revival plans.  It really only took a half hour or so and now I don't have to fret about losing them in the first place....and I saved them on the computer instead of scratching them out on a piece of paper so I won't lose them again.  I am just trying not to think about the phone.  (grrrr!)

I really really want to finish the bag that I started on yesterday but I had to rip out the zipper yesterday and with Murphy's Law still seemingly in effect here I am not going to risk it.  No reason to tempt him.  I thought about cutting out another pattern but with my luck today I will probably just cut off a finger or something so I am thinking that cleaning is in my immediate future.  Of course, that is a positive and a negative...I do NOT like to clean, but I do enjoy a clean house.  Of course, I could just go back to bed.  :)

Either way, Murphy is not going to win today!  Hopefully, he will give up and not come back tomorrow.

Simplify this Castle!!! ....................again!!!

You would think that as Queen I would have someone to clean my house for me...but I don't.  Unfortunately, cleaning is not one of my most favorite things to do.  If it is one of your favorite things to do, I don't really want to hear about it.

At the start of 2011, I decided I wanted to simplify my life, my house, everything.  Like many "New Years Resolutions" I started with a bang and was doing very well.  Then life happened and worse than that, summer started and my house is again a pit and is driving me bonkers.  So NOW WHAT!?!?!  I am going to pretend like it is the start of the year and I'm going to try again.  I am going to do these things...

1.  I bought a Motivated Moms planner back in January.  I printed this week's plan and I am doing it.  I love it because it is just a few jobs and rarely takes more than an hour to complete...most of the time it is about 30 minutes.  But if I do the chores each day, my house stays in better order and I don't feel like I fall so far behind.

2.  I am going to continue simplifying (or decluttering or getting rid of crap).  I don't feel like I hang on to stuff we don't need/use.  But apparently, I must.  I had a huge yard sale this spring and I still feel like I am swimming in stuff.  We do not need all of it.  We do not appreciate any of it with this much excess.  I think I will start in my bedroom again and simplify again.  If I didn't have all this junk, I wouldn't trip over it every night when I go to bed.  And although my bedroom is a mess, it is going to be the easiest room to simplify.  Maybe I will rearrange the furniture, but then I will still trip over stuff when I go to bed.

I was trying to come up with some other things I was going to do to help me get my house back in order but decided that the second step was to simplify...so I will make it no more complicated than this.  :)