Cindy in C-ville Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Ideally, I would have my coffee/quiet time, exercise, shower/dress, fix breakfast, and be ready to start school by 8:00. But, I would have to be up at 5:30 to do this every day. So, I've decided that fixing breakfast is not so important to me. The kids can take care of that. But, the other stuff is important to me. Still, getting up at 6:00 M-F gets a bit old. What are "must-do's" for you before you start school? How often do you get it all done? What time do you get up, and what time do you start school? And, perhaps I should ask, what time do you get to bed. I like my 7-8 hours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I try to brush my teeth and make sure I'm dressed :D. I get up at 5:45, ds likes to start at 6:00. I'd have to get up at 4:00 if I wanted to do all the things you listed and that just is NOT going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Ideally, I would have my coffee/quiet time, exercise, shower/dress, fix breakfast, and be ready to start school by 8:00. But, I would have to be up at 5:30 to do this every day. So, I've decided that fixing breakfast is not so important to me. The kids can take care of that. But, the other stuff is important to me. Still, getting up at 6:00 M-F gets a bit old. What are "must-do's" for you before you start school? How often do you get it all done? What time do you get up, and what time do you start school? And, perhaps I should ask, what time do you get to bed. I like my 7-8 hours! Well, we didn't even start Official School until 9, so I have an hour on you there. :D I take my shower at night. And dc were in bed and asleep by 8, so I guess my "quiet time" was at night, too. :-) So we all woke up in the morning when we were finished sleeping, and gently got out of bed and got dressed. Then we had breakfast together, all warm and fuzzy. I liked it that way. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Coffee, breakfast for all, dog walked, and a load of laundry started. We cosleep with the 17 month old currently, and I can't wait until he can stay in bed on his own without waking up as soon as I get up. I am an introvert and my day goes sooooo much more smoothly on the mornings when I can get up and get the day started before he's up. I l=:001_wub: that quiet time, and I can get so. much. more done when my kids are all asleep. The other two are 4.5 and 7.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Coffee, laundry, and tending to Baby. I also try to get to my garden, but we have a short season, so there isn't much of that during our school year! I usually get up anywhere between 6 and 7, though the baby likes to switch it up a bit now and then. :glare: We WERE starting school at 10, but it will be 9 this year. I drink LOTS of coffee. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 We start at 8.... Shower, breakfast, coffee.... I wish I had time for more, but I really don't want to wake up any earlier than, say, 6:45.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 DH and kids wake up at 7, I wake up at 8. So when DH gets up, he walks dog, makes coffee and (sometimes) makes the kids breakfast. They know to start on their reading for the day when they wake up. Older needs to read between 60 and 90 minutes daily, so it helps for him to get an early start. When I get up, I have my coffee, read the newspaper for 20 minutes, and tidy up the kitchen if it isn't already clean. I throw a load in the laundry. We begin work between 8:45 and 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 To bed between 10 & 11 Awake around 7 Shower, Makup (a must!), Hair in a messy bun, dressed to the shoes (a must!) Coffee Toast Internet (Facebook, e-mail, TWTMF) School 9-12 Lunch School 1-3 or 4 Clean up TV for kids Make dinner Dinner @ 6 Workout at the gym & sweat off the day (a must!) TV time w/ dh Now, guess what I forgot, PRAYER!!! Tells you where my mind is. Yes, ideally, and most beneficially I would replace "Internet" with "Prayer." Lord have mercy and help me, a sinner. Also, we do family prayers after my workout, if I get home in time to join the rest of the fam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bry's-gal Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I get up between 6 and 6:30. Hubby and I exercise. I have a cup of tea and devotion time then I take my shower and get dressed. Normally by the time I go up for my shower, the girls are awake and I have them start their chores. If they are not up, I open their doors and they get up shortly after that. After I'm showered, I go downstairs and and we make breakfast while the girls finish a few chores. After breakfast we do a few more house things and then start school. We are normally starting by 9 am. The routine seems to work well for us. I feel like I'm ready to go and got some of my most important non-school things done for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Over the school year, I get up around 7 and get my oldest daughter off to school (my 19 y/o is in a special needs school, life skills class). I then have my coffee and quiet/computer time, and my son (5 y/o) might come down around 8/8:30 and watch a bit of TV quietly. I start a load of laundry, do whatever needs to be done with the dishwasher, make sure the table is cleared off. By 9, I wake my 10 y/o daughter up. The kids have breakfast, and there's usually a read aloud at breakfast. They then brush teeth, get ready for day, do a couple of quick chores, etc. By 10, we usually start schoolwork. My 5 y/o's school won't take long. I do the stuff I want to do WITH my 10 y/o, and at any point if I need a break or want to catch a shower or do something else, I'll assign her something independent and go do what I need to do. Then I'll go back to working with her. At some point during the day, whenever it is convenient, no set time, I'll have the kids pitch in and we do whatever housework needs to be done. I might have them pick things up, I might ask my daughter to vacuum the living room while I sweep the kitchen, whatever. We usually manage to get done whatever we need to. And every now and then, I'll look around in the morning, go: "This house is a freakin mess!" and we will not do schoolwork or ANYTHING until we have spent some time putting things in order. Or sometimes we'll have homeschool group activities or field trips in the middle of all that and we just work around it- a little school/chores early, the field trip, back to school, more chores later at night. We just kind of go with the flow. :) Somehow it all works out! Oh, and I put my son to bed around 8:00-8:30ish, will send my daughters up shortly after that most nights and tell them they can read or watch a bit of TV upstairs, and then I'll have a bit more time to myself or with my hubby before I'm ready to just lay down and read and go to sleep, which can be anywhere between 10 and 11:30 depending on how tired I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 The night before I write out all the lessons on the white board, make sure the pencils are sharpened, art or other special supplies are laid out etc. Then before school in the am, I have to make sure I am up before the kids, and had time to shower, and drink my coffee or tea while I check things online (last year when I had no internet I read a book or magazine instead). Then I switch the laundry, prepare the breakfast (and get something different for myself because I don't like breakfast foods), put away the dishes from the night before. Make sure everyone is up, dressed, fed, teeth and hair brushed. I do not have a set time to start school, I jsut know that until I do those things each day we don't begin. I am hoping to add in some exercise time and a set start time for school, but for now I am content to just get through the routine and feel ready to tackle the school day even if it is a different time each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 A hot cup of coffee for the three of us getting up to do the early morning stuff, a warm bathrobe & slippers, yawn! We roll out of bed & sit down at the table with our morning java and do Math & a wee bit of grammar. Me and the big girls. The quiet house sleeps on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You ladies are way more motivated/efficient/disciplined than I am. The only thing I promise before school starts is that I will be up, fix breakfast (usually cereal and fruit) and brush my teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Coffee, more coffee, and well, more coffee. Shower, some protein, try to become human again. I hate the morning. Therefore, everything is done the night before so I don't have to worry about it and usually, I try to get an entire week's worth of everything organized on Sunday night so except for grading, I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week. It makes me nicer! :D Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Before school, I make breakfast and drink coffee. They start on spelling, I get a shower and the day starts. BUT, before I even go downstairs, I do a round of laundry. This year I'm thinking of adding a daily mass. Shouldn't be TOO hard. heh. Over the summer we've been starting at 10, in the next weeks we'll be starting at 8:30/ 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyFernDotOrg Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I feed a horse (soon to be two), two goats, eight chickens, two cats and two dogs. I check work and personal email, blog and lesson plan for the day, plus write a to-do list and print out/create whatever I need. I prep for labs if we have one. I am in the process of accreditation and a zoning application, so if there is an issue I need to follow up on, I do so right after 8. Post to twitter, update HoneyFern's facebook page and check a couple different, local education blogs, and once weekly I change all of the "news" articles on my website (the goal; sometimes I have to skip a week). I wake the kid up at 8, clean up the house and wait for the other students to arrive. Breakfast and two cups of coffee are in there, and if I get up early enough, I can sit outside and watch the crows and the hawks chase each other for a bit. I adore the morning time, especially this time of year. All of the outside animals are so happy to see me, and everybody makes little happy noises when I walk out with their food. Generally I get up at 8 and am ready to go by 9, which is when school starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeetime Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Coffee/quiet time, shower, dressed, breakfast, chores and dog taken care of, the house cleaned, and a load of laundry started... and lots more coffee! I have to be up @ 5:30 to get everything done before school starts at 9. I have to be up at 5:00 on the mornings I run (which, if I'm being a good girl is 2-3 days a week). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My morning starts with a 30-45 minute walk with my ipod (a must!), coffee, and breakfast for everyone. I have found I have much more energy and accomplish more if I have had some exercise, otherwise I feel sluggish most of the morning. Up at around 7 and starting school around 9 on a good day but sometimes at 10. Of course, I may still be doing history, science or music in the evening. Since we are no longer watching television, it is actually fun to do these subjects at night. Usually go to sleep at around 11:30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Become coherent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I get up at 5. I exercise, start dinner (that is not a typo, afternoons are difficult and I have to get that done early), and shower. I probably go to be before you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakotajm Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) 1. I try to get up by 6:45,flip on the breaker to the hot water heater, exercise if I am feeling energetic. 2. I make coffee (decaf), do a few dishes (by hand) and clear the table a bit. Breakfast may be cereal or yogurt or something equally quick. But sometimes it can be pancakes or bacon and eggs (I just check my mood and go with it)-usually half-fixed by me and they get what they are capable of getting. Older dd usually feeds herself later. 3. Take a shower, maybe feed cats if I don't have the kids do it. Same with dogs. Chickens may not get fed until first break. I throw a load of laundry in after my shower. 4. We usually start about 9:30 with devotions. Big sis sleeps in and mostly works independently. I don't get much lesson planning done. I am terribly busy and a procrastinator. I try to do it every Saturday. Our evenings are typically: supper at a normal time in winter and late during spring and summer (farm hours). Video for Dad and little girls on early nights. Random play and then books w/me or Dad on the late nights. I seldom watch the video. I am usually busy putting away food, doing dishes, fixing dessert or tidying up/getting ready for next day's lessons. I usually go to sleep around 10, later if I get on the internet. I often don't get a chance to get on internet/here until the others are getting ready for bed or are already in bed. Makes me a sleepy girl, but I love my hive time! Lakota Edited August 25, 2011 by lakotajm forgot something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I roll out of bed. This usually happens AFTER the oldest starts her work. I eat breakfast and try to finish waking up before I start in with the youngers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Coffee/quiet time, shower, dressed, breakfast, chores and dog taken care of, the house cleaned, and a load of laundry started... and lots more coffee! I have to be up @ 5:30 to get everything done before school starts at 9. I have to be up at 5:00 on the mornings I run (which, if I'm being a good girl is 2-3 days a week). Okay, so this is my ideal, but unless I have an extrinsic motivation, I won't consistently get up. Any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 I love that there is so much variety! Don't you love that with homeschooling we can really do what works best for our family. I absolutely hated have to march to the public school's drummer last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Ideally, I like to have time to exercise. Really ideally, I like to have time to exercise, some quiet time, and some time to get a little work done on the computer before the kids get up. But, right now that's not happening too often, with a three-week-old at home. But, I do try to get basic chores done--breakfast dishes, made beds, bathroom wiped down, and laundry in the washer if it needs to go in--and to have everybody showered and dressed before we start school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Ideally, I would like to exercise, have quiet time and some computer time, make breakfast and clean up the kitchen before school. This year we are starting school at 8:30. To make this happen I have to get up at 5:30. I have been getting up at 6:00 for a few years now so I have been slowly weaning myself to get up a half an hour earlier. This is the first week that I have done it consistently and it is working very well. Unfortunately this means that I am not able to stay up past 10 p.m. so reading time is taking a hit. I am finding that I am falling asleep about 9:30 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I get up at 6:45, brush my teeth and put on something to walk in. I walk with the dog for 20 - 30 minutes, then come home and feed the pets. I start my coffee before taking a shower and getting dressed for the day. I try to make sure the dishwasher is started, if it's full enough. My son is supposed to be getting up at 7:30, but that's more of a goal than a reality at the moment. So, if he's not up by the time I've done that stuff, I go drag him out of bed. I make his breakfast, and we read aloud while he eats. Then, he gets dressed, and we start school for the day, usually between 8:30 and 9:00. My daughter gets up whenever she does, and if it's not too late in the morning and I'm not too busy with her brother, I make her breakfast, too. She's still working on figuring out a schedule and routine that allow her to accomplish things during the day and still be fresh for rehearsals and performances in the evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 This thread is fantastic! I have a question for those of you who run in the early am. Do you do that year-round? I'm wondering if you run the dark as the days are getting shorter. I'm in the process of trying to fit in more running. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Coffee...that's about it. On good days I can read my Bible before the herd wakes up. Thankfully, my kids are pretty independent workers, so my job is mostly just getting THEM awake and started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenncslp Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Become coherent. I'm glad someone else has my goals!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) Ugh . . . morning people. My DS woke me at 5 this morning and I was unable to go back to sleep. I am draaaaaaaaging now and plotting a nap. I generally exercise at night, so that leads to showering at night. In the morning I wake around 8 and drink my tea. I'm perfectly comfortable starting school in my pjs. My kids drink tea too, so we can knock out a subject or two before anyone wants breakfast. So, the general 'plan' looks like this whether we wake at 7, 8, or 9: Tea 1 or 2 subjects Get dressed Eat breakfast more subjects housework/ lunch break finish school - - - - - - - - - - - - If we leave the house, we generally do it here instead of the next 4 items veg out drink more tea more house stuff dinner prep - - - - - - - - - - - - - dinner mom exercises (4 nights a week I'm either teaching dance classes at home or out at my own classes) shower TV/book/ internet bed Edited August 25, 2011 by KungFuPanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) Ideally, I would have my coffee/quiet time, exercise, shower/dress, fix breakfast, and be ready to start school by 8:00. But, I would have to be up at 5:30 to do this every day. So, I've decided that fixing breakfast is not so important to me. The kids can take care of that. But, the other stuff is important to me. Still, getting up at 6:00 M-F gets a bit old. What are "must-do's" for you before you start school? How often do you get it all done? What time do you get up, and what time do you start school? And, perhaps I should ask, what time do you get to bed. I like my 7-8 hours! I babysit for other children during the day, so I *have* to be up, showered, and dressed no later than 7:30 most weekdays. So, I generally get up at 6:45 and jump right in the shower and then get dressed. That means I'm downstairs by 7:15. Then I have my quiet time and check email before my "extra kids" starts arriving between 7:45 and 8:30. My oldest is up at 7am and gets her own breakfast and breakfast for the youngest. They eat together and then the little one goes to play while the oldest starts on school (around 7:30). The two middle ones wake up between 7:45 and 8:10 and then get their own breakfasts. They then do their morning routines and start school around 8:45. I almost always start a load of laundry before we sit down and get immersed in schoolwork. Then at morning snack time (around 10:30am), I switch the wash into the dryer and start a new load, if needed. I wish I could squeeze exercise in before my shower, but I am just not a morning person and am not willing to get up any earlier than I already do. I work a part-time job 3 evenings per week and usually don't get to bed before midnight. Edited August 25, 2011 by MamaAkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I do get up between 4:30 and 5:30. I usually... Go for a 40 minute walk. Empty the dishwasher. Start/Fold laundry. Make breakfast or at least assist the kids. Get hubby off to work. Check email. Make our bed and do a quick straighten up of the whatever part of the house needs it. Start school at 8am. But I'm a morning person. I don't set an alarm or anything. I just get up when I wake up. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I do get up between 4:30 and 5:30. I usually... Go for a 40 minute walk. Empty the dishwasher. Start/Fold laundry. Make breakfast or at least assist the kids. Get hubby off to work. Check email. Make our bed and do a quick straighten up of the whatever part of the house needs it. Start school at 8am. But I'm a morning person. I don't set an alarm or anything. I just get up when I wake up. ;) Wow...What time do you go to bed at night in order to get up this early?:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I get up at 5am and go to the gym. I come home, shower, get dressed. Then, breakfast/coffee (kids are up at this point. They get their own breakfast/get dressed/brush teeth). Do up breakfast dishes. By 7:30, we each do our personal devotions. We start school at 8am. I go to bed between 9-10pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I like to get up at 6 do internet time until 6:30 then prayer and bible reading until 7am. Walk outside until 7:30, cook breakfast, work on dishes, make bed, get dressed until 8:00. Eat breakfast at 8, then do a few chores before starting at 9am- chores depend on the day- dusting, mopping, bathroom me and the kids both. We go to bed ideally by 8:30, but it often takes a bit to wind down so actually to sleep is between 9- 9:30 generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I'm up at 5:45... :001_huh: Make meals for dh & oldest daughter Feed animals Drive oldest to school at 7:30, back at ~8:10 :auto: W/O from 8:30-9:15.. shower/change. (4x a week, youngest w/o too) If Fi is not exercising with me, she's working on subjects she can do on her own, or reading her lit assignment. ~9:30 we start on core subjects. All this with little to no coffee, and it's killing me! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Breakfast/kitchen cleaned up and any necessary lunch or dinner prep started. Beds made. Dog fed. Dh off to work. Make a mental or tangible to-do list for the day. Everyone brush teeth, wash face, brush hair etc. (We do sometimes stay in pjs. :D) In this stage of life I find that afternoon rest time is usually better for my quiet time. Hoping my early-bird will learn to sleep in a bit so that I can go back to mornings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I get up around 6:30 a.m. and head down to my basement to work out in my home gym. I finish between 7:30 and 8:00 and go upstairs to wake my girls up at 8:00. I take a quick shower and run down to eat breakfast and make sure the girls have eaten too. If I have a few minutes, I pop on the internet while I'm eating breakfast. We start school at 9:00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I don't drink coffee, so the only things I have to do before school starts is shower, get dressed, check my email (and most likely the Hive) and make a smoothie (or whatever I will have for breakfast, almost always a smoothie...The boys must do rabbit chores (change the litter boxes, feed and fresh water), have breakfast, and get into their clothes for school (polo shirt and khakis that serve as their uniform) I like to get a load of laundry in, but will start without it...I am working on getting started earlier on a consistent basis...We usually don't start until after 9:30...I would love to start at 8:30, so I need to get to bed earlier...I love hanging out with DH at night...We both stay up too late :D Maybe one day I will get myself to bed before 11:30 or 12 ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I get a lot done before school starts because many days, it doesn't start until 9:30 and anyway, I am mainly teaching my dd only two classes, both in the afternoon. I just recently moved and don't have my routine yet like I like. I only had my middle dd leave for college this last Saturday and she made my routines a certain way for a lot of years. It is a bit hard to change. Currently I rise, feed cat, feed dog, unload dishwasher, make coffee, take my medicines., walk dog, make dh lunch. eat breakfast, check emails, do asthma medicine and brush teeth, read paper, maybe pay some bills or call some business, and then finally, sometime later, dd gets up. Except if it is T, W,TH,or F when she has to get up earlier. W and F are her PT days, T is Robotics team, TH is her outside class day. So really, the only days she has for sleeping in a bit more are M and Sat. Other than getting her up and assigning her work and checking on her, I don't teach her until the afternoon since she prefers to do science and math later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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