Ok so for those of you just now starting to read my blog. Here is the run down of my ever growing or so wonderful crazy life, that I wouldn't trade for anything. I have five children and I home school them all. I am an air force wife and we are currently stationed in England! I often hear things like, "How do you do it? I only have two kids and I feel so overwhelmed." Or something like this, "I could never have five kids. I can barely handle the one I have and I can't get them to do anything around the house." "Home school? Wow your so brave. I need that time to be alone each day." Really? so why did you have kids if you wanted to just rush them off to daycare, school, or where ever else they do if your so into your "me" time? I am not saying Home schooling is for everyone. Clearly I over hear people at the store that I feel your poor child needs a break from YOU! I understand the struggles of a working mom or maybe the need for help of schooling because you yourself are attending school. Maybe you don't feel confident in your own skills to teach your kids, trust me this is a normal feeling of home schooling parents (and a whole other blog post if you want to investigate that choice, but for now lets just go over the basics). Ok so those of you would are still reading because I did not tick you off. Hats off to ya for not taking this so personally. I just feel like my calling is to home school my kids. I mean I made them, I should be the one to take care of them.
Well its not secret recipe or magic pill folks. Its good old fashion training and persistence. I will show you exactly how I do it. Including our schedule and include our schooling time along with home in the world I manage to teach and clean along with everything else. This is going to be a five part blog that way you can really see/read what I do and how I (and my husband) manage it all. I am LAZY! Yeah Seriously! I'm really hard to get motivated to move in the right direction. If I can manage this then you know it can not be that hard. First off you have to deep clean the house so that when you do the weekly go over their isn't really much to do and that keeps things simple. Secondly when you have a burst of extra energy use it for things you normally do around the house on other days, so when that lazy day comes you don't have so much to do. Here is the break down of my Monday's
Day one :
*Our day usually starts around 7:30-8am
(I do not set an alarm, I have five kids for this and I am not one to choose to wake up early on my own)
Each day starts with a cup of coffee in my favorite mug from my person Esther ;)
*We all eat breakfast when we wake up (Mon-Frid this is usually very simple like cereal or toast)
*Everyone washes their own dishes. which we eliminated the hassle of trying to figure out who's stuff belongs to who with this easy remedy:
A dish for every kids. So we always know whos is whos and no one can argue that it isn't theirs
*When everyone is finished with breakfast, usually around 8:30/9am we start chores
My kids switch off on which two will clean the living room. One big kid and one little kid, then other two kids get the kitchen. No I don't become the slave driver I help right along with them. I am pretty particular on how I like my kitchen leaned so I usually head in there and start working away. If you work together not only do they feel like they are being Mommy's big helpers, but they also see how things should be done and what you expect of them. Blow is our Weekly Cleaning Schedule so we know what needs to be done. Notice the picture that this is in view for everyone to see. My kids need routine and need to know that each day has purpose and I rely on them for help. They can not say they dont know whats exspected of them daily if its clearly laid out in plain view:
Notice the each day has a Daily task. Including Taking out the trash, washing dishes (should not be a problem if the kids are hand washing their own plates, bowls, and cups after each use) Wiping down the stove & counter tops. Give everything a home- this one is important. If it does not have a home, do you really need it? If the answer is even a hesitate yes, toss it out. If its important you'll find it a place to go. De-cluttering is half the battle in a home with this many occupants. Wipe down bathroom sinks & mirrors. Vacuum as Needed and Laundry to who evers day it is to do their Laundry Mondays is my day! Yay clean clothes. (these tasks all get done really quickly when you work together. Include all the kids, even my 1 year old can throw garbage in the trash bin. We all praise her and she thinks shes such a big girl. Levi can wipe all the sinks and mirror and what kids doesnt love to spray cleaner at a mirror? Levi is 3 by the way) My older
Then Each day has a set designated area to deep clean. Mondays area is The Kitchen and Dinning Room. This is where you can clean up any areas that are getting neglected or maybe over run with items that you couldn't or didn't have time to give a home. This is designated for mopping or cleaning mold that might have started growin around window seals, cob webs, fridge cleaning, etc....
Kitchen after Shyanne and I worked together today to clean it up
Look how happy she looks, yeah that's normal because I make sure to remind her all the time how good shes doing and how helpful she is.
As much as I love my kids are work and what not after awhile it starts to just look messy
So I take down the art work to help eliminate the clutter and allow room for new stuff. They sure dont have a problem with supplying more each week
before
After. Ah the look of clean. I even sprayed with a disinfect on the handles and service and wiped it all down.
Oh and if you saw my freezer meals blog post
I just threw it all in the crock pot and BOOM Lasagna will be ready to go for dinner and I didn't even feel like I made anything. SWEET Points for the lazy dinner that isn't sandwiches.
(While I am doing my morning daily chores this is when I listen to my Bible App so I can start the day off right with the Word of God, its great because the kids listen right along with me.)
*So after we clean and do our daily stuff its around 10am we work pretty fast and this is with a Lot of reminding my kids to help out. They are little and get side tracked really easy. I can say, "Allyson go put these toys in your room." Then find her five minutes later playing with those exact toys on the stair case. Hey its training. So I remind her, "remember where cleaning, and you still have school work to do." Then she says something like, "oh yeah." and were back on track.
*10am is Amariahs nap time and that works out perfectly because then I can refocus my attention to the kids and school work.
*So between 10-10:30am We start our school day. I sit at the dinning room table with Allyson because shes doing 1st grade work and needs the most help out of the 3 older kids that are actually doing "school".
Allyson hard a work. Learning Sight words and practicing her hand writing.
(Allyson does Math, Reading Writing, and History Every day, then we incorporate Science on other days)
Shyanne Working on her Math. We like Horizon Math because it isnt so dry. Shy loves Math. She also Does Science, History, 30 mins of silent reading and Spelling and French Every day
I caught Anika off guard for this picture. he he
Here she is doing her SOS program which is computer based so she can get computer skills. Anika is a 5th grader and she does Science, History, Math, 30 mins silent reading, Spelling every day. Because of her age, grade and work load she spends more time working then the other kids.
*We break for snack around 10:30 every day which first snack is always FRUIT! This way their isn't any arguing on what they can have. They know they get a choice but it has to be fruit.
Todays choice was grapes. Amariahs snack is a little late because she gets hers when she wakes up from her nap.
*12/Noon is Lunch.
Remember when I said I was Lazy? Yeah I make a list at the beginning of the week for our meals we will eat. For one I just don't like thinking about what to make when everyone is coming to me every two seconds and I am in the middle of who knows what. I also procrastinate and then I realize that its late or I don't have anything to make and I just get aggravated. This makes everything so much easier. The kids can look and see whats for lunch and no arguing. The bigger girls can even help make lunch if I am in the middle of feeding the baby or cleaning, blogging or who knows what else I could be doing.
Here's our Menu, Nothing fancy but it gets the job done.
If your actually read the menu notice that Thursday is Shyannes birthday!
Today Ham and Cheese Sandwiches and fishy crackers, yogurt for my oldest who is super picky and doesn't like fish crackers.
*After Lunch is Free time if school work is completely finished. Those of you who ask when do I ever get a chance to do anything or how I did get a chance to do anything are 2pm I am pretty free to do anything for myself I would like to do. This does mean that I might not get time due to crabby toddlers or gymnastics that my kids go to, or Library day, or whatever else might come up.
*3pm is TV time. The TV stays off until free time because believe it or not we dont get anything done if its on. Plus I am a firm believer in Imagination! I love when my kids bring me stuff they have made out of home junk or boxes, paper, you name it. I also love when they build forts with blankest and pillows. When we get to lay outside in the Sun (rare but lovely)
*Mondays we usually do not have anything we have to leave the house for. I LOVE IT this way. Its a day to recharge, re-prioritize and relax.
*Dinner is at 5pm I like to Eat early so we arent in a rush to clean up or have to hurry off to bed right afterwards.
*Before Bed time Daddy reads the History of The Bible to the kids. 7pm
*After the History of the Bible the kids Brush their teeth and I say our "do not fears" bed time routine
Amariah and Levi off to bed a 7:30pm
~Currently the kids are all going to bed at 7:30pm because we have been having issues with them not listening to directions at bed time so they lost 30 minutes. I know my oldest who is 11years old is really unhappy about losing a total of a hour. But we believe that if the rules aren't followed they need to have a consequence. ~
(Speaking of consequences either good or bad we have learned in 11 years of parenting that consistence is in fact the key. If you say No once then you need to say No every time. If the rules are able to be broken here and there then the kids will never really feel that No is No. But When rules are followed we like to give good Consequences to show that Good things do happen to those who follow through.)
What do I do when I punish my kids? Oh so this is a Hot Topic for some parents. What do you do? Well I think a good talk is in order. If your kids understand what you feel needed to be corrected the training process can begin. Does that mean they won't do it again? Nope, just means that maybe next time you'll get lucky and the child will think first. Maybe they think "hmmmm, is it worth it? Yup." Then you find yourself back to square one with the discussion again and consequence. Most of the time our consequences are more chores! Hey a clean house is a happy house ;) so I give them all the chores I do not want to do, He he he. Like cleaning out the Van, hey its usually their junk anyways. Or I tell them they get to scrub those toilets. When we had a dog it was poop clean up. Its nice to see the house sparkle from time to time. If the training calls for it we increase the discipline. You know your kids. What works best for mine might not work best for yours. Levi my 3 year old hates to miss out on family time. So if he gets time out you would think it was the end of the world. Amariah gets a second nap! Usually thats because she needed it.
I think you have to be realistic! If your kids don't know what you expect from them, they can't really follow through. This also leads to attitude issues because they always feel like the slave, or they never know when they finally get a break. So set out the rules and guide lines in Plain Text for them to read or hear. Remember their age. A 3 year old cant possibly be held to the standards of an 11year old. So make sure that they all have age appropriate standards. BUT DO NOT handicap your child by making them feel they can't do something. You want them to want to help. So when they show interest Move over and Let them help. This is where common sense plays a role. Of course I am not going to let my 3 year old cut with a sharp knife. He is way to young. But instead of just saying no and pushing him out the door I give him a roll he can do. I will cute the bread and you put the butter on it with a butter knife. or you sweep the floor and I will hold the dust pan. Yeah I usually go over the floor when he isnt looking but he takes great pride in feeling like a real helper. I even let him take the credit for the whole project so he is motivated to help the next time as well.
Parent hood isn't easy it hard work. But even a Lazy Mama like myself can get the job done with out fighting the crowd and feeling overwhelmed.
Bible Verses I hold dear to my Heart to help me be the mother I need to be.
To Help myself from being Lazy:
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
Pro 13:4
The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Prov 21:25
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Pro 4-5
To remind myself that I need to train my kids:
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise
Duet: 6:7
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Pro 22:6
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