How things have changed in a year!
I just read my post from last year, which actually happens to be my post before this one. :) I didn't realize I hadn't posted anything since.
We are still pretty structurally unstructured, but still in a great a way for my little learners.
I am sitting here typing this, with a big round belly, mentally feeling 43 weeks pregnant, but according to a recent ultrasound, really only about 39 weeks.
My pregnancy just seemed to go on and on, and I was feeling awesome physically, but frustrated mentally, so my midwife and I thought it would be best to get an ultrasound to make sure everything was o.k..
I had a feeling my due date was off, by maybe a week or so, but imagine my awe, when I found out, we were off by a whole month! Yes, that explained why I could still speed walk around the neighborhood at what I thought was 42 weeks pregnant, and lift my leg into the kitchen sink at what I thought was 40 weeks pregnant, to wash my foot, after I stepped in one of my toddlers lovely snack messes on the kitchen floor.
When the ultrasound showed I was really only about 38 weeks last week, I was pretty much speechless. I still am. I cannot figure out, how we were so off before, lol, but it was actually quite a relief at the same time, when I discovered I was not going to keep going overdue, and be pregnant forever, but that I was in fact not even due yet. :)
So now a week later, I really am feeling ready for this pregnancy to be over. I am finally feeling physically ready to say the least, and I hate climbing up and down the stairs or even thinking about walking around the neighborhood!
However, I have felt so much come together with our homeschooling lately. For a few months, we were very scattered, and there was pretty much no organized learning, except when we read together. It was a break though, for me. Something I needed as I prepared for the up coming event of a new little person joining our family. (Which, did I mention still hasn't happened ?)
As I have worked through things mentally, I have been finding peace. I felt very cluttered with everything I was doing before this break. I was addicted to facebook, and all the great groups and forums to be a part of. I was obsessed with hearing about how others disciplined their kids, or implemented learning into their homes, and I had at one point declared I was going to fail my kids, if I didn't keep up on learning how to do everything perfectly.
This ran me down, to a point I never want to be at again!
I was letting my happiness go down the drain, in order to make sure everyone else was happy.
When I finally started to let go, I actually deleted my facebook account, and I have been enjoying my email again.
I get my one post from Simple Homeschool each day, in the morning, that inspires me for the rest of the day.
When I have questions about a particular situation in my home, I pray. I trust my own intuition on what I should do. I don't feel like I have to buy all kinds of supplements for learning anymore either. We just use what we have, and get creative!
The past 2 years have been a huge time, for me to learn to appreciate and love myself for who I am. I have figured out so much about myself, and in the last month, I have really, really, started to take care of me.......so I can have the fuel that I need to take care of my precious family too.
I no longer do chores, and household responsibilities because I have to. I do them because I want to! I want my kids to learn to appreciate and love themselves too, and to do their responsibilities and learning because it brings them joy as well!
The freedom of Home Schooling can really give opportunities for personal growth, that any old public school wouldn't come close to.
In the last couple of weeks, we have come up with a really relaxed schedule, that has been working wonders. It was something that just fit us. I am sure it will change a bit, for a while anyway, when my time is occupied with a newborn, but its helped my kids get into a routine that they are doing on their own, and all I have to do is gently nudge them, and show them I will be there for them whenever they need me.
In the morning, my now 2 year old, knocks on his door, yelling "Mama! Mama! Open the door!". Sometimes I am already awake, taking advantage of those last few quiet moments, or sometimes I am still asleep, but his call, is my wakeup call.
I open his door and squish and snuggle him, with "Good morning!' 's, and ''How are you?", to which he replies, his plan to grab everyone of his snuggly blankets, as well as each of his cars, or stuffed animals that he slept with, to bring down to the kitchen table for breakfast. He is my little Tender Heart Bear, and his hugs and smiles in the morning are super important to me. :)
Before I go downstairs, I take care of a routine that I have been so lovingly learning to enjoy this last year. Most of the time it is taken care of before Tender Hearts wakeup call, but on days that it is not, he just follows me around until it is done.
I do this routine, because it keeps my upstairs clean for the whole day, and that creates space and peace of mind for me.
I used to be a really messy mom. I was overwhelmed by laundry, and stuff. What mother isn't? My kids thought my room was the room to leave their stuff in. I was always to exhausted to tackle these projects that built up more and more everyday. I tried to have one major cleaning project a day, which worked well, when I had the energy, but now my little routine, has made it so much easier!
I make my bed first thing. Making the bed always seemed so pointless before, but I started to see how good it made me feel to come to bed at night to a made bed, and that made the effort all worth it. Its the most important chore of the day in fact now. I make my bed for me, because I am learning to love me.
Then I clear up my nightstand, and make sure my floor is cleaned up.
I get dressed, and move into the bathroom, shutting my bedroom door behind me, to maintain the cleanliness and peaceful space that it is now.
This last year, has been a year of major simplifying, as far as belongings I have in the home too. I used to have bins under my bed, of old art projects or belongings that I couldn't part with, things that never got used and were just being stored. I took a couple of days, and just let myself get rid of them. It was so liberating! My room is now very empty. I have my dresser in my closet, my clothes have been simplified, down to only what fits in my dresser, the belongings I have on my dresser, are very few, and under my bed is empty, except for what my husband insists on keeping of his own things.
On the walls, its a few simple pictures. I am mentioning all of this, because I have done this in all of the rooms of my house, and I can't express, just how much, Less is More!
We also stopped using our computer, and I grounded myself from the library, and we don't watch any T.V., except for on Fridays and a little on Saturday, if chores and school stuff are done.
Why did I ground myself from the library? I was bringing home all these books that were terrific for learning from, and then some would get lost, and not returned on time, and it just simply costs less, to buy books from the thrift store, haha.
Friday is a day I let the kids watch education shows from Netflix, like Sid The Science Kid, or Wild Kratts, or things like that. We have to have our morning routine chores and school stuff done first though. Occassionaly, I will let them watch something uneducational, but that is mostly saved for Saturday morning.
My girls have dance class on Tuesday, and because they each have a separate time for their classes, that is our school for the day. We don't worry about school stuff otherwise.
Wednesday my 9 year old has orchestra, and for a few months we were all going, but as I let go of things, we ended up just sending her to it. I have the best Homeschool friends that have been so sweet to make sure she gets taken to orchestra every Wednesday, as I have felt the need to simplify my week.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, simplify your belongings, and your activities, and don't feel bad about getting rid of things, that you haven't used in the last 6 months, or letting go of "school stuff".
Learning will still happen.
In the bathroom, my job is clean up the floor, and wipe the toilet. Each of us have 2 chores in each room that we do on a daily basis.
I have discovered that mopping is not my thing. The hassle of getting the mop out, was just not simple enough or fun enough for me, so I started getting down on my knees with cleaner and a wash cloth, and I scrub the tiles thoroughly with my hands instead. Its quicker than having to pull out the mop, and the mop bucket, and doing all the rinsing and plunging too. :) It is actually very satisfying, knowing I personally got each little square inch, rather than wondering if the mop actually did any good. As I keep up on this each day, its way to easy to keep the tiles clean now, and there really isn't much scrubbing anymore, which makes it a fast and easy job and totally worth the 5 minutes spent each morning.
I move into the laundry room, and throw a load in to start the day. The white noise of the washing machine sends a vibe throughout the house of production. I am also in charge of making sure the floor in the laundry area is cleaned up.
Then I move into my sons room. His room will eventually be shared with our new baby, but for now its just his, and it stays fairly clean. I tidy his toys and bed, and that's it for the upstairs!
On the way down the stairs, I pick up any clutter, and move into the kitchen.
By this time, my 3 girls are waking up.
The rule is, they need to be dressed before we can have breakfast. They have 3 things to take care of before they come upstairs.
1. make their beds
2. get dressed
3. make sure their floors are picked up.
(Yep, working on getting them in the same habit, of creating peaceful space in their bedrooms too.)
We sit down for breakfast, which is still pretty simple, Fruit, nuts and seeds, and a grain of some sort.
Lately we haven't really done much of a devotional, except a prayer, and spiritual thoughts. I am looking forward to having this baby, and getting our routine established in 3-4 months, so I feel more up to more learning during devotional. For now, we do what we feel like that morning. :)
After breakfast, we start our chores for the rest of the rooms. My oldest, 9, wipes the counter and mirrors in the bathrooms, and my 7 year old wipes the bathtub, and scrubs walls.
They move into the laundry room, my 9 year old throws another load in, and my 7 year old sorts from the dryer, and scrubs walls.
They move down the stairs and my 7 year old scrubs the railing and walls on her way down, (its so nice having fingerprint free walls and a clean railing!)
While they are doing this, I sweep the kitchen and front entry way, so that they can move on to their next chores.
My 7 year old scrubs the tile in our entry way, and my 9 year old scrubs the dining room floor. I am in charge of scrubbing the kitchen floor.
My 7 year old clears the table from breakfast, and my 9 year old then takes her washcloth, and scrubs any stickiness off of the table.
Then in the kitchen, my 9 year old unloads the dishwasher, and my 7 year old scrubs cupboards, then I load the dishwasher, which will fill up through the day and be ran at night after dinner.
They then move into the living room, and my 9 year old stacks bean bags, and picks up any garbage, and then my 7 year old cleans up any laundry and makes sure our piano is cleaned off. I clean up toys, and vacuum. :)
This ends our morning chore routine. It is very fluid, moving from room to room this way, and because we do these simple necessities each morning, it prevents the room from ever getting overwhelmingly messy, and we can keep up on it better, when art projects or toys or other events take place.
My 4 year old and 2 year old, are not expected to have a chore list like my older kids. My older kids have their chores for each room listed on a dry erase surface that they can mark of as they accomplish them, they love that satisfaction of crossing off the chore. The chores are simple and quick, and this has created a habit for them. They have memorized their routines, and its so easy for them, that it just gets done. I did have to work with them on it a little when we first started this, to teach them to do a thorough job, like scrubbing in big circles on the floor, so they didn't miss spots, and things like that, but they do a really good job now, and I don't have to bug them about it. I just trust that they will do a good job, and if I notice they missed something, I lovingly point it out to them, how they can do better, and why its important to spend a little extra time to do a good job. My goal is to teach them the joy of work, ultimately, and why work isn't just discipline, but something we do, because it makes it possible to enjoy our environment and each other.
After chores, they are free to go play for a couple hours until lunch.
Around 12, we get lunch together. Normally, I will take this time to read a chapter from "Life of Fred", a really fun way of teaching math. The last few months though, this has not happened, but eventually we will again. I like to combine eating with education. :) Its a time for us to gather together, they are occupied with enjoying something tasty, and they are more willing to listen and discuss things, while they are happy and hungry.
We clean up, and play a little more, and then about 2 pm, my son goes down for his nap.
Time to relax and learn. My little Tender Heart Bear, and his best partner in crime, my 4 year old sweetheart, are pretty busy creating messes together with toys and food and the things toddlers are best at, in the morning, so when nap time comes around......its a break we all look forward to, haha!
My oldest two, on their dry erase responsibility lists, have a School list too, that they take care of during this time.
They are to spend 20 minutes of personal reading time. Then they do a lesson in math, a lesson in copy work, and then they choose some sort of art project to work on.
Their math and copy work, are normally something they choose, but recently I started writing them out for them as an assignment. I don't really like to give assignments, because I want them to inspire themselves, but with math and copy work, I have been finding it important to have a little more structure, so I can keep track of their progress, and help them progress a little more.
My 9 year old is working on fractions and addition and subtraction with big numbers, and my 7 year old is working on addition with her 10's and 20's. Their copy work is usually practice to help them perfect writing numbers or letters that they write backwards a lot, or something that supports their math learning too. My 9 year old, is learning to write out big numbers, like "One thousand, one hundred", so I write those words down, and she copies them.
During this time, I pull out a book that I am working on, and if they need my help, I am all theirs instead.
After they finish, they spend lots of time bonding and playing together, and our day stays pretty relaxed, and they will often give themselves extra learning opportunities.
My 9 year old is currently going through the Ramona Quimby series, and absolutely loooves it, so she will often extend her reading time from 20 minutes, to an hour or more. I find her with her nose in a book all. the. time.
My 7 year old is quite often making something, or exploring her talents, and my 4 year old is always entertaining herself with picture books or toys.
After dinner, we do a 15 minute pickup, concentrating on the 2 chores we are assigned for each room, but mostly sticking to just the dining room and kitchen. Then the kids go get pajamas on, and play for a while.
At about 8, we gather for our night devotional, or if its Monday we gather right after dinner for Family Night.
Devotional at night, is a family prayer, and scripture reading, and then I read 2 chapters or a picture book with each kid.
Brushing teeth, baths, and things like that take place, and if we can get them all tucked in by 9:30, its a good night.
My husband catches up on his second job, or watches a t.v. show on Netflix, and I wind down by last minute clean up in the kitchen, a shower, or checking emails and things.
It is a very relaxed environment for sure lately, but its been soooo good, and there is still a ton of learning going on.
Our learning may not be very structured at all right now, but its not the season for it. The season we are in will be over shortly, once this baby comes, and I feel better physically, and we get a routine established for our new family members needs. The kids will all be learning how to take care of a baby, and how to help mom out, when I cant keep up on everything. Then spring will be here soon too, and park days will pick up, and lots of walks in nature and enjoying outside again.
We recently inherited the first year of The Family School Latter Day Learning curriculum, which I am soooo excited about! It has lessons for Literature, Music, Science, Art, History and Geography, and the lessons are so fun.
I plan on doing one subject a day, and the lessons are only about 1/2 hour long, so probably something I will do during the nap time we all enjoy. :)
We'll be moving back into a day that is busier with learning again, but I have been so grateful for the simplicity that we have had this last year, and will be doing my best to keep it as simple as possible, yet productive.
I love Homeschool still just as much as I did before, if not more. :)
I love that we can adapt it to our needs, and be as flexible as we allow ourselves to be. Its a learning time not only for the kids, but for me too!
How have you adjusted your routine and schedule, to fit your needs as the seasons of life change?
