We are NOT Hermits!

We have nothing on the calendar today because a field trip was canceled. Here's a conversation I had with my 14yo son.
James: We have nothing today?
Me: Well, we have lessons.
James: But we're not going out of the house today?
Me: No.
James: Oh my gosh, we're hermits!

As this post will tell you, we are quite a long way from being hermits. Now that our school year is under way, our routine is becoming second nature. Here's a glimpse at how our days (should) go.

I work 20 hours a week from home on the computer.
This is divided into 4 hours each day Monday through Friday, but I have the freedom to work whenever I want during each day. So, when you look at the below routine, you can imagine me shoving my 4 work hours into the "free" times. For example, while the kids are at karate, I bring my laptop and work from the karate school.

Our mornings usually follow a schedule like this:
6:00 AM - Mom gets up. Get ready for the day and work before the kids get up.
6:30 AM - Dad gets up
7:00 AM - Alarms go off for the kids. Get up, do chores, get ready.
7:30 AM - Dad leaves for work
9:00 AM - Lessons begin. The bulk of their work is done in the AM.
12:00 PM - Lunch and clean up kitchen.

I will note that the kids NEVER get up when their alarms go off. I am working on how to make that happen. Ideas welcomed. Keep in mind that I rarely go upstairs where their bedrooms are.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, we are generally home in the afternoons so the kids keep working on lessons or have free time. I am a paid supervising teacher at a homeschool partnership on Wednesday afternoons; the kids have stayed home on Wednesdays and done much the same as on Mondays and Tuesdays. James and Emily have just gotten a seasonal job that will probably keep them busy on  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for a few weeks. Suzy went with me to work this week Wednesday and she will do that if the older kids are at work.

On Thursdays, I teach two writing classes and my kids are each in one of the classes. We leave at 10 AM and don't return home until dinnertime. One Thursday a month, I have scheduled as an off-day and we do not have writing class on those days. During the class they are not in, my kids work independently on assignments. After writing, they attend two karate classes - their own level and a lower level for review. We often stop at the store on Thursdays after karate.

Every other Friday is homeschool co-op, so on those days we are out of the house from 9 AM to 3 PM. On the off-Fridays, we often have a field trip or park day to choose from. Lessons for the week must be done, or they don't get to attend anything special on Friday (or the weekend, for that matter).

In the evenings, we have some commitments as well.
Monday night - karate class at 5:30 and sometimes a lower level class at 6:15
Wednesday night - James goes to Royal Rangers at 5:30 and youth group at 7:00. Emily goes to youth group at a different church at 6:15. (She has to be on track with her work in order to go.)
Friday evenings are usually work time for me, but often the kids have a friend over or make plans to go somewhere.
James and Emily have been learning to referee soccer games and those are usually on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. They only can ref if we have no other commitments.

Emily goes to Teens for Christ two Saturdays a month and is gone from about noon to midnight.

I am trying to protect Tuesdays as our Stay Home Day and make no regular commitments on those days.

So, there you have it! The basics of our full lives!

Kind of a Bust, or is it?

Kind of a bust is how I'd describe this week as far as academics. Between me starting the new work-at-home position, Emily's birthday on Thursday, Bob taking two of the kids to the homeless shelter to volunteer (in the middle of the night) and our horrendously long Monday, we didn't accomplish much bookwork. No Science, No History. The public schools are off today, so I don't feel too bad. (Teacher Day??? Didn't they just HAVE that? And snow days galore?)

We did, however, do a couple days of math and a couple lessons of Greek and read two chapters of The Lightning Thief. We also did a couple days of Bible study and are working on our March hymn and praise chorus now.

Once the girls get up (they were most of the night at the shelter), we'll do the 3rd Greek lesson and read more of the book, maybe 2 more chapters. I'll make the kids do math this afternoon. It's a sunny day, though cold, so they'll get some outside time today too.

They all had a Spanish lesson on Monday. Emily and James had their monthly art class on Wednesday afternoon. David had his ACT essay class on Wednesday (which I teach) and wrote an essay before class and one in class. We've been to the library a couple times. They've done a lot of free reading (mostly Garfield books, so don't get too excited! lol) and listening to audio books -Beverly Cleary for the girls, James has Diary of a Wimpy Kid on CD, and I'm not sure what David's been listening to beside horrid music that I detest, but I'd guess The Hunger Games again.

They've been cooking too, as well as doing housecleaning and chores. And making projects.

So maybe it's not such a bust after all!

I'm going to make up some kind of chart so we can all stay on our routines, when I have to be holed up in my bedroom/office working.

Better get some lunch on and then do some more work....

The Rhythm of a Day

I have had conversations with several friends recently that brought home to me the fact that each family has its own unique rhythm to a day. I thought I'd give you an idea of what sort of basic events happen in what order in our home on a day when we have no outside commitments.

Sometime around 8 or 8:30 everyone gets up. If I am exercising, I try to get up a little earlier (alarm goes off at 7:30), but I don't always do very well with this. Everyone has to be dressed, fed, and groomed by 9:30.

Usually at 9:30, we start our Bible time, which includes singing, reading the Bible, and praying as a family. I usually try to follow this with any other subjects that need to be done as a group (History, Science).

I spend the rest of the morning overseeing lessons, giving one-on-one time to each student as needed. Most of their work is independent, given on their assignment sheets. I have to make sure to leave time to do Spelling with 3 kids, to do Phonics & Reading with Suzy, to go over David's comprehension questions with him, and anything else that needs my assistance. I also check their work as we go along. Bob handles the math lessons during this time and sometimes pitches in with other items. They usually have a snack around 11, but they don't get a break from lessons. (ie: No recess)

Around 12:30 I start thinking about lunch and we aim to have it on the table at 1:00. Yes, that's late, but I'd rather get more done during the AM because of my afternoon writing schedule. Usually the bulk of David and Emily's work is done before lunch and most days Suzy and James are all finished by then.

During lunch, I read a chapter aloud from our current book and then supervise the clean-up.

I try to be sitting at the computer writing by 2pm, but quite often it's more like 2:30-3:00 before I can actually buckle down to writing. I try to write until 5pm, taking a break for a snack around 3:30 and also making any necessary preparations for dinner. I take periodic motivational breaks, like playing a round of a word game every 500 words. I also check email throughout the afternoon. During my work time, Bob is in charge.

I stop writing around 5pm and finish dinner prep (along with 2 of the kids), aiming to have dinner on the table at 6pm. After dinner, the clean-up team (the other 2 kids) gets the kitchen and dining room in ship-shape, and we move on to whatever activities happen in the evening. That may include baths, church activities, meetings, library visits, soccer practices or games, or watching DVD's, among other things.

Bedtime for the little kids is at 8:30 and Emily (age 11) is at 9:00. David (age 14) is supposed to be in bed at 10, with no audio after 11. I am aiming for an 11:30 bedtime currently, but in practice it's more like 12:10 am. lol

What does the rhythm of YOUR day hold?

Rise and Shine?

During our Christmas break, David (age 14) and I were discussing our imminent return to a more structured schedule. He complained about the time I wanted him to be out of bed, telling me it was too early.

"None of my homeschooled friends have to get up THAT early, Mom!"

The time in question is 8:00 AM. My goal is for the kids to get ready between 8 and 9 and then have some scheduled quiet devotional time between 9-9:30. (Not necessarily 30 minutes of it, but sometime in there.) It also gives us a little cushion of extra time. We start our lessons at 9:30.

I posted on my facebook account, asking for other homeschoolers to let me know what times their teens arise from their deep slumbers.

What I hoped for was some reassurance that there are other homeschoolers out there who like to stick to some semblence of a schedule.

What I got was a number of traditionally-schooled kids (or their parents) reporting what ungodly hours those kids have to get up to be ready before their school buses arrive. An oft-quoted time was 5:00 AM. FIVE O'CLOCK AM? That's really not a time I like to think about being awake. If David went to the local junior high school, he'd be tardy at 7:15. So, yes, if you have a long bus ride and if you have an intensive grooming routine, you might need to get up at 5:00.

Most of the homeschoolers that responded were not helpful to my position. They were saying things like, "it wouldn't help for me to tell you our routine" or "We live on a farm, but we definitely don't follow a farm schedule." I assume this means they don't make their teens get up early, or perhaps they don't have a schedule at all. That make work for those families, but I am not satisfied with that approach in our home.

So, I brought it up last weekend when I was scrapbooking. Most (all?) of the other ladies are homeschoolers and many of them have teens. I didn't get a lot of support there either. Studies were quoted. "Teens need their sleep." "Teens need to stay up late." "Teens grow best when they can sleep all they want."

OK, but what about the family? How do we have any routine at all when one member of the family sleeps in until 10 or 10:30 (or later) EVERY DAY? How do the other kids go to bed when one kid stays up until 1:00 AM? And this kid shares a bedroom with a sibling? How do we accomplish family Scripture and prayer time to start our day when one of our family members isn't yet awake?

My position is that it's better to teach them to go to bed at a decent hour and arise at a time that allows them enough sleep, but still keeps the family on a productive routine. Someday when my children have to be to work on time, I am hoping this training will show its fruit. I was encouraged in this approach by a couple good friends.

My goal for my teen? Bedtime is 10pm. He can listen to audio until 11pm. Then it's supposed to be time for sleep. That gives him 9 hours until the appointed time for rising and shining. I think that's a workable schedule, allowing for staying up later than younger siblings, for enough time asleep, and for a family routine that works like, well, clockwork!

So, what about your family? What frustrations do you face with bedtimes and waking up? What approach works best for you? Have you tried anything else?

EDITED TO ADD - I aim to get up at 7:30 to do my own devotions and work out. I don't always make it, but that's the goal. I am trying a year-long plan to reset my body clock and turn myself into a morning person. It's gotta be possible, right? I figure it's at least worth a try. (That's another post in itself, really - my reasons, motivations, and thought process.) So, anyway it isn't like I am asking my kids to do something I'm not doing either.

Also, read the comments for some other comments and my responses.