Doing the new schedule
Today my husband took our van to get new tires and brakes, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out our new school schedule to see if it would work– since there is no way we could leave to go anywhere! So far, so good!
This is what we did this morning.
7-9 a.m. Morning chores, violin practice. (We didn’t have clothes to fold or an extra chore, so it was easier to be done by 9:00).
9-9:45 a.m. Listened to "Sir Oliver’s Song" about the 10 Commandments, read Exodus 20, a chapter from "Leading Little Ones to God", prayed, sang "Trust and Obey" and reviewed 4 Scriptures from memory (Jer. 29:11, Isa. 40:31, Song of Songs 2:11-12, and Eccl. 12:13-14).
9:45-10 a.m. The boys (ages 5 and 6) did a page from Handwriting Without Tears.
10-10:15 a.m. The girls (ages 2 and 3) did a couple of pages from the preschool Handwriting Without Tears book. (The 2 yo basically just scribbled.)
10:15-11 a.m. We worked on our Ten Commandments lapbook. The girls played with things from the "Thursday box" (flashcards, pipe cleaners, a clock puzzle, lacing cards). The lapbook activites went well. We crinkled up and tore one of the pages they wrote yesterday. Then we dipped the papers in tea to make them looked aged. There were a couple of other "mini-booklets" that we were able to complete, too. I think we’ll be done with the lapbook in just one more session.
11:00 a.m. The baby (10 months) old awoke from his nap. We all gathered to the couch where each of the 4 older kids picked out a book for me to read. Eventually I think I’ll do a few pages from our history reading at this time (Egermeier’s Story Bible and Story of the World) but today we just read picture books. One of the books was pretty neat. It’s called "A First Look at Art: Weather" by Ruth Thomson. We discussed how to make it look like it’s raining or windy when you’re drawing or painting a picture.
11:30 Lunch
12-1 p.m. Break/ me–computer time
1:00 It’s time to head upstairs for the next phase!
Well, I’m back.
1:00-2:30 First, I put my 2 yo down for nap. We read a couple of Greek Myths and part of the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Longfellow. Both boys did a phonics lesson. Then I put the baby down for a nap. We then read some of "Five Little Peppers."
2:30-3:30 Rest time. I, as usual, didn’t get much rest because my 3 yo stays in the room with me and doesn’t nap.
3:30-4 p.m. We straightened a couple of rooms upstairs. Hopefully, they’ll stay clean until I can vacuum.
4-5 I woke up the 2 little ones at 4:00. The boys went to their room to straighten it up. The girls and I went downstairs to straighten it up down here. Can you believe it took an hour to complete this task? Well, they’re not very diligent.
It’s now 5:00 p.m. and I’m glad it’s frozen pizza night, so that I don’t have to cook. I’m tired! (However, I would like to start making homemade pizza. Can they be frozen and reheated? Any recipes would be appreciated!)
Don't you just love the days where a lot is accomplished and everyone had a good time? It is exhausting, though. I hope you come up with a solution for M's quiet time soon. Does Michael have any good ideas?
Have a great weekend!
Jennifer
Edited by genamayo on Aug. 24, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Here's what my dad did when he was selling them to bars and quick-marts: Precook the crust, sauce, toppings– except the cheese. Let it cool. Then sprinkle on the cheese, wrap with plastic wrap tightly and freeze. It worked really well. Then when you heat it up, you're not cooking it– just heating it up.