Getting It All Done, Part 1

Somebody asked how I get it all done: homeschooling, homemaking, cooking, scrapbooking, and blogging. The simple answer is: I don't. I have seven helpers, five of whom are a significant help. I have three goals Monday-Friday:

1. Get school done
2. Get chores done
3. Make dinner

If I get those three things done, I've had a successful day. I have to make my list short because I'm all about productivity. Checking things off a list makes me very happy. The more things I get done, the happier I'll be. However, if my expectations are too high, I'll kill myself trying. That's just me.

To get it all done, I use a loose schedule. I can't do half-hour by half-hour schedules, they wear me out and don't work for me. Instead, I have a list of things I need to get done by a certain time. This has worked great for us.

Here's our weekly schedule:

Monday/Wednesday

8:ish	Breakfast & Bible Study
	Aesop’s Fable or Poetry
	Math – Maya & Elena	Lydia plays w/ I & C
	Phonics rotation	Lydia plays w/ 3 kids
	Chores & Dinner prep
11:00	Outdoor Time/ Errands
12:00	LUNCH
	Literature & Rug time	Daniel & Lydia nap
	Quiet Time	Daniel & Lydia nap
4:30	Outdoor Time/ Toy Time
5:00	Tidy-up Time

Tuesday/Thursday

8:ish	Breakfast & Bible Study
	History/ Geography
	Math – Isaac & Chloe	Lydia plays w/ M& E
	Phonics rotation	Lydia plays w/ 3 kids
	Chores & Dinner prep
11:00	Outdoor Time/ Errands
12:00	LUNCH
	Literature & Rug time	Daniel & Lydia nap
	Quiet Time	Daniel & Lydia nap
4:30	Outdoor Time/ Toy Time
5:00	Tidy-up Time

Fridays, we have homeschool co-op all morning. The schedule picks up at naptime on those days.

* The phonics rotation and rug time are explained here.

We do a college-type schedule. I can't do the same thing everyday. I'd go nuts. I like change. So instead of doing a single page of Math everyday, we do half the lesson (3 pages) per day.

Daniel is my little tomato, he stays with me while I do the math and phonics rotations. (The big kids can handle Lydia, but Daniel is too fast and too impulsive. He needs my constant watchful eye to stay out of trouble. Tomato-staking is working wonders with him.)

I read, nap, or blog during quiet time.

I'll explain our chores in another post.