I need some perspective on our "schedule"

[Mama_Rana]

I'm really struggling. I feel like there's never any time for anything--chores, field trips, read alouds that are just for fun--but I know that's just because I'm stuck in a bubble and can't see the solution. I was hoping someone could take a look and give me a "kick in the pants". Gently. ;)

 

One of the biggest obstacles is that my older son often sleeps in til 8, 8:30, is slow to get going, and is easily distracted. His younger brother on the other hand is up before 6 most mornings and by the time older DS is up, he's done with breakfast, already played some, and is ready to settle in for some TV time. Screen time is definitely an issue in our house, but one I am at least aware of even though I haven't tackled it yet.

 

Ok, but here's the low-down.

 

Monday older ds has speech at the public school at noon. We get some school done in the morning, but I try to feed them lunch before we go, so we have to stop before 11 so I can get them both fed, get the younger one into clothes [he usually goes nakey-bum around the house], and get them in the car by 11:50. We get back around 1 and I try to get the toddler down, and then we have a couple hours to do some school. Usually.

 

Tuesday is our homeschool community center day. We should leave by 9:30 to get to DS's first class, but we've been late a lot since the new year. [luckily it's more of a club than a class and the leader has been just hanging out with anyone who wants to keep building [it's "Lego lab"]. Then piano lesson at 11:30, lunch after that, and then Latin at 1:15 til 2. After DS likes to have some time to play with some of the kids, which seems reasonable. But the younger still needs a nap, so that's been a struggle. We're really not getting anything done on this day except his classes. Maybe that's enough....

 

Wed. DS the younger is taking a class at our local My Gym at 11:30. DS the elder usually does some math and reading while he's waiting. After there's an open gym time that I let them both participate in. We eat lunch before going, so we need to stop any school by 10:45, have a light snack before open gym, then stay until 1:45 when open gym closes. If the younger falls asleep on the way home, we can usually get a chunk of work done, but some times, like this week he doesn't and I have to try to get him down but if he's all riled up from running around it can be hard and takes me a while, and the next thing I know it's 3:30 and DS the elder wants to play with the neighbor boy.

 

Thurs. DS the elder has a book club every other week. It's history-based so not fluff. That's in the morning, but at the comm. center which is a drive for us. Love it, but it does take up the morning. He also has a My Gym class and another open gym time from 3:15 - 5:30. Since My Gym is pretty much his PE this year, and he claims to LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE it, I feel bad cutting it, but it's pretty much 4.5 hours a week between both boys. I tried to get a new class started that would combine their class times, but I wasn't able to get enough people interested and so it's flopped. :(

 

Friday we don't have any commitments, but it's usually the day we end up going to the library. DS the elder has suggested moving library day to Monday, but we'd pretty much have to do it before speech... or else right after and curtail how long we stayed or else the toddler wouldn't get his nap. He's been deprive of his nap many days this week just because SOMETHING keeps happening to prevent him from getting it. :( Today we needed to go to the store to get TP.

 

 

I try to keep academics to the weekdays only. DH works a lot, and has a volunteer commitment that takes up some evenings and weekends, so when he IS home, I want the boys to spend time with him.

 

 

So what do you think? Do I need to cut something? Just be more efficient? Lower my standards even further?

 

TL;DR, but if you've made it this far, thank you. I'd appreciate gentleness, but I really do need to figure this out before I go crazy and put him back into p.s. which neither of us want. :(

[Tigger]

If your older (7) were in school, he'd need to get up, dressed, have breakfast and be at the bus stop (or ready to go in the car) much earlier each day than now. I too have a 7yo sleeper, so I totally get it - but he's come to understand that if he sleeps in, to 8:00-9:00, that means he gets up, has breakfast, gets dressed and then has 15-minutes until we start school. So if he's up at 8:30, we start at about 9:30....if he's up around 8:00, we start around 9:00 - this gives him an hour to wake up fully, about what he'd have if he were getting ready to catch the bus and go to school!

 

So far as while he's sleeping - that's a great time for you to prep your lunch, which your younger is having breakfast and you're doing your morning thing. If your little one wants to settle in for some screen time - use it for educational stuff - and while he's watching, get started with school with your older!

 

If you can start each day by 9:00-9:30, you can:

 

Monday

 

9:00-9:30 - 11:00: School

This gives you 1.5-2.0 hours to do school with your older before heading out.

 

While younger naps, do 0.5-1.0 more in the afternoon

 

Tuesday

 

School outside home - your activities are your school

 

When younger naps or before bed, do 0.5-hour reading aloud with DS

 

Wednesday

 

Make this a day he has to get up by 8:00!

 

9:00-10:30 - school

 

10:30 until you leave, lunch

 

11:30-12:30 DS does independent work at My Gym

At this point, you now have 2.5 hours done

 

If you can do more in the afternoon, great, otherwise sit on the couch after dinner or before bed and do 0.5-hour read aloud with your DS

 

Thursday

 

Between Book Club and My Gym, find somewhere you can go with the kids and DS can do work with you while younger DS can play - maybe a McDonald's play place or something like that, where you have some tables to get work done with DS and younger one you can see?

 

Or you could make this your library day instead of trying to do that on Friday - you're out, you have time between commitments, use it to stay home on Friday!

 

Do 0.5-hour read aloud after dinner or before bed.

 

Friday

 

If you move library to Thursday, you can set the schedule as it will work for you here.

[Chris in VA]

If your older (7) were in school, he'd need to get up, dressed, have breakfast and be at the bus stop (or ready to go in the car) much earlier each day than now. I too have a 7yo sleeper, so I totally get it - but he's come to understand that if he sleeps in, to 8:00-9:00, that means he gets up, has breakfast, gets dressed and then has 15-minutes until we start school. So if he's up at 8:30, we start at about 9:30....if he's up around 8:00, we start around 9:00 - this gives him an hour to wake up fully, about what he'd have if he were getting ready to catch the bus and go to school!

 

So far as while he's sleeping - that's a great time for you to prep your lunch, which your younger is having breakfast and you're doing your morning thing. If your little one wants to settle in for some screen time - use it for educational stuff - and while he's watching, get started with school with your older!

 

If you can start each day by 9:00-9:30, you can:

 

Monday

 

9:00-9:30 - 11:00: School

This gives you 1.5-2.0 hours to do school with your older before heading out.

 

While younger naps, do 0.5-1.0 more in the afternoon

 

Tuesday

 

School outside home - your activities are your school

 

When younger naps or before bed, do 0.5-hour reading aloud with DS

 

Wednesday

 

Make this a day he has to get up by 8:00!

 

9:00-10:30 - school

 

10:30 until you leave, lunch

 

11:30-12:30 DS does independent work at My Gym

At this point, you now have 2.5 hours done

 

If you can do more in the afternoon, great, otherwise sit on the couch after dinner or before bed and do 0.5-hour read aloud with your DS

 

Thursday

 

Between Book Club and My Gym, find somewhere you can go with the kids and DS can do work with you while younger DS can play - maybe a McDonald's play place or something like that, where you have some tables to get work done with DS and younger one you can see?

 

Or you could make this your library day instead of trying to do that on Friday - you're out, you have time between commitments, use it to stay home on Friday!

 

Do 0.5-hour read aloud after dinner or before bed.

 

Friday

 

If you move library to Thursday, you can set the schedule as it will work for you here.

 

I think moving Library to Th is a great idea! Or, could you make it a family library trip and do it with dh on Sat or Sun afternoon? (Or, even better, could he take them then and give you time to yourself for an hour or so? :D)

 

I might also see if I could change the classes at the gym to afternoon. Since you already know the kids, you could maintain those relationships by just inviting them over for playtimes (if you are worried about losing friends).

[Mama Anna]

I don't know if this will help, but take it for what it's worth:

 

Your sig. says your sons are 7 and 2. If that's still true, I'd major on a predictable schedule for both of them.

 

For us, we try to do all our outside stuff on one day (combining library with Speech on Monday might work if it gives all Friday at home) during the week, with ballet on Saturday.

 

Our school schedule is pretty structured (too much, I sometimes think), but it helps that the girls know 3Rs and Math (and Latin for dd8) must happen in the morning, with piano practice, History/Science/Art in the afternoon. I plan my week's schedule in advance, so if I know something is likely to intefere and I can adjust things to make it fit. When I remember it's coming.

 

One specific suggestion: Unless gym in a required class in your state, it might help to cut the Open Gym that goes 'til 5:30 - that might help settle into a routine where DSelder gets school while DSyounger gets a nap.

 

Whatever. You know your situation (and family priorities) so much better than I do! It's just a thought. :D

 

HTH!

Mama Anna

[Shellydon]

IMO, you need to set aside a regular time that you do school 4 days a week. For us, this is morning, so I do not schedule anything in the mornings Tues-Fri (Monday is co-op).

 

If it were me, I would drop the My Gym for both kids, or only go after nap. I would also choose only one activity at the Community Center, not both. I put our school work first, then schedule everything else around it. Because I personally don't like doing school late in the afternoon, we begin at 9 and are done by 1 or 2. For your schedule, I would try to start by 8:30 then you could be done by 11:30 everyday.

Alternately, you could do all of your out of the house things in the morning and do school from 1-4 in the afternoon. Basically you just need set a block of time up for school and protect it. This will become more and more important as your son gets older. For us, this means that the younger siblings do not get to do 'fun' things like Gymboree or Little Gym etc. There just isn't time.

[Ellie]

I'm really struggling. I feel like there's never any time for anything--chores, field trips, read alouds that are just for fun--but I know that's just because I'm stuck in a bubble and can't see the solution. I was hoping someone could take a look and give me a "kick in the pants". Gently. ;)

 

One of the biggest obstacles is that my older son often sleeps in til 8, 8:30, is slow to get going, and is easily distracted. His younger brother on the other hand is up before 6 most mornings and by the time older DS is up, he's done with breakfast, already played some, and is ready to settle in for some TV time. Screen time is definitely an issue in our house, but one I am at least aware of even though I haven't tackled it yet.

 

Ok, but here's the low-down.

 

Monday older ds has speech at the public school at noon. We get some school done in the morning, but I try to feed them lunch before we go, so we have to stop before 11 so I can get them both fed, get the younger one into clothes [he usually goes nakey-bum around the house], and get them in the car by 11:50. We get back around 1 and I try to get the toddler down, and then we have a couple hours to do some school. Usually.

 

Tuesday is our homeschool community center day. We should leave by 9:30 to get to DS's first class, but we've been late a lot since the new year. [luckily it's more of a club than a class and the leader has been just hanging out with anyone who wants to keep building [it's "Lego lab"]. Then piano lesson at 11:30, lunch after that, and then Latin at 1:15 til 2. After DS likes to have some time to play with some of the kids, which seems reasonable. But the younger still needs a nap, so that's been a struggle. We're really not getting anything done on this day except his classes. Maybe that's enough....

 

Wed. DS the younger is taking a class at our local My Gym at 11:30. DS the elder usually does some math and reading while he's waiting. After there's an open gym time that I let them both participate in. We eat lunch before going, so we need to stop any school by 10:45, have a light snack before open gym, then stay until 1:45 when open gym closes. If the younger falls asleep on the way home, we can usually get a chunk of work done, but some times, like this week he doesn't and I have to try to get him down but if he's all riled up from running around it can be hard and takes me a while, and the next thing I know it's 3:30 and DS the elder wants to play with the neighbor boy.

 

Thurs. DS the elder has a book club every other week. It's history-based so not fluff. That's in the morning, but at the comm. center which is a drive for us. Love it, but it does take up the morning. He also has a My Gym class and another open gym time from 3:15 - 5:30. Since My Gym is pretty much his PE this year, and he claims to LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE it, I feel bad cutting it, but it's pretty much 4.5 hours a week between both boys. I tried to get a new class started that would combine their class times, but I wasn't able to get enough people interested and so it's flopped. :(

 

Friday we don't have any commitments, but it's usually the day we end up going to the library. DS the elder has suggested moving library day to Monday, but we'd pretty much have to do it before speech... or else right after and curtail how long we stayed or else the toddler wouldn't get his nap. He's been deprive of his nap many days this week just because SOMETHING keeps happening to prevent him from getting it. :( Today we needed to go to the store to get TP.

 

 

I try to keep academics to the weekdays only. DH works a lot, and has a volunteer commitment that takes up some evenings and weekends, so when he IS home, I want the boys to spend time with him.

 

 

So what do you think? Do I need to cut something? Just be more efficient? Lower my standards even further?

 

TL;DR, but if you've made it this far, thank you. I'd appreciate gentleness, but I really do need to figure this out before I go crazy and put him back into p.s. which neither of us want. :(

Well, since you asked, I'd get rid of the outside classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (even though it's only every other week). You're just not home enough to do pretty much anything. No wonder you're all stressed.

 

If you want music or sports/p.e. activities, I'd look for community resources that are scheduled in the late afternoons. Yes, they would probably not be attracting homeschoolers. It's ok.

[Mama_Rana]

Tigger your post had a lot of good suggestions. I need to study them and see what works for us. Thanks!

 

I don't know if this will help, but take it for what it's worth:

 

Your sig. says your sons are 7 and 2. If that's still true, I'd major on a predictable schedule for both of them.

 

For us, we try to do all our outside stuff on one day (combining library with Speech on Monday might work if it gives all Friday at home) during the week, with ballet on Saturday.

 

Our school schedule is pretty structured (too much, I sometimes think), but it helps that the girls know 3Rs and Math (and Latin for dd8) must happen in the morning, with piano practice, History/Science/Art in the afternoon. I plan my week's schedule in advance, so if I know something is likely to intefere and I can adjust things to make it fit. When I remember it's coming.

 

One specific suggestion: Unless gym in a required class in your state, it might help to cut the Open Gym that goes 'til 5:30 - that might help settle into a routine where DSelder gets school while DSyounger gets a nap.

 

Whatever. You know your situation (and family priorities) so much better than I do! It's just a thought. :D

 

HTH!

Mama Anna

Is it wrong that one of the reasons I chose to homeschool is that getting him to the bus by 8:30 was like pulling teeth? :( I hated it. Dragging the little out takes more patience than I've got. :(

That said, I have from the start wanted a more structured schedule. Combining speech and library into one day would be a start.

 

IMO, you need to set aside a regular time that you do school 4 days a week. For us, this is morning, so I do not schedule anything in the mornings Tues-Fri (Monday is co-op).

 

If it were me, I would drop the My Gym for both kids, or only go after nap. I would also choose only one activity at the Community Center, not both. I put our school work first, then schedule everything else around it. Because I personally don't like doing school late in the afternoon, we begin at 9 and are done by 1 or 2. For your schedule, I would try to start by 8:30 then you could be done by 11:30 everyday.

Alternately, you could do all of your out of the house things in the morning and do school from 1-4 in the afternoon. Basically you just need set a block of time up for school and protect it. This will become more and more important as your son gets older. For us, this means that the younger siblings do not get to do 'fun' things like Gymboree or Little Gym etc. There just isn't time.

Sadly, PE is a required area of study in MD. I tried just covering it on my own, but it never got done. :( Other things always took precedence. So I thought a class would be the answer. I sadly can't change the My Gym classes much. There are no other classes for DS7's age group. The 4:30-5:30 one is the ONLY one. :( I could drop the younger one's class, but frankly that doesn't seem fair. Even trying to move it to another day conflicts with something. I'll probably drop it for both of them before summer, and next fall the little will go to preschool 2 days a week, but until then this is his ONLY thing: no library classes, no comm. center classes [when we go to the comm center it's all for things for the elder], no RE classes, no playdates. His social interactions are dependent on DS7's outings, other than this one class. Maybe there is another location that has better class times....

 

I've already paid for the Latin and piano, so I would rather not back out on those. The Lego lab is free, and I would gladly drop that, but DS7 was crushed when I suggested it as a way of improving our schedule. And I'm not sure how much it would help. If you meant, choosing not to do the book club as a second day at the comm center.... It's only every other week, and it's one of MY favorite activities. I think the trick with that is to be merciless about getting in and out without the dallying before and after. :(

 

 

 

I really do appreciate all your thoughts. I agree that I need to be more structured and say "THIS is school time from now to then. Nothing else during this time! Eat now, pee now, and for the next X amount of time hold your peace!". OTOH, I homeschool because I don't want school to be the enemy, so I gotta be careful of that balance.

 

Thank you, thank you!

[ElizaG]

I think you might need to start by finding a good way of handling the basics: food, sleep, chores. Routine is so important for young ones, much more than outside activities (which isn't to say you'll need to cut back on those -- just that it's a possibility). Without that solid framework, attempts at doing school are likely to end in domestic chaos. Ask me how I know. :tongue_smilie:

 

If the younger falls asleep on the way home, we can usually get a chunk of work done, but some times, like this week he doesn't and I have to try to get him down but if he's all riled up from running around it can be hard and takes me a while, and the next thing I know it's 3:30 and DS the elder wants to play with the neighbor boy.

YMMV, but I've never understood the "try to get him down" thing. If Mommy thinks someone needs a nap, they get put to bed with a hug and kiss, and that's all there is to it. :) There might be some crying at first -- and we sometimes need to use a crib tent, or a gate on the bedroom door, to help them remember -- but they get used to the routine pretty quickly. At least, mine do.

 

If you think a gimmick might help your little guy, this toy owl is a cute idea. When the child squeezes it during nap time, it glows orange, plays soft music, and tells him to go back to sleep. When it's okay for him to get up, it glows green. My 2 and 4 year olds each got one of these for Christmas, and they love them.

[Mama_Rana]

Well, since you asked, I'd get rid of the outside classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (even though it's only every other week). You're just not home enough to do pretty much anything. No wonder you're all stressed.

 

If you want music or sports/p.e. activities, I'd look for community resources that are scheduled in the late afternoons. Yes, they would probably not be attracting homeschoolers. It's ok.

And then there'd be nothing?

 

I know, I asked, and you answered, and I appreciate it. <3

I'm not ready to give up Tuesday. It's a stressful day, but DS JUST finally started to make friends there [it takes him a while sometimes], and as I said, I've already paid for the classes and they do cover our music and foreign language objectives.

 

*sigh* I hate to give up the gym classes, but it may have to happen sooner than I'd planned. :(

[mom2samlibby]

Well, since you asked, I'd get rid of the outside classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (even though it's only every other week). You're just not home enough to do pretty much anything. No wonder you're all stressed.

 

If you want music or sports/p.e. activities, I'd look for community resources that are scheduled in the late afternoons. Yes, they would probably not be attracting homeschoolers. It's ok.

 

:iagree: You either need to cut out activities to get things done at home, or be ok with not getting what you want done at home.

 

I fell into this trap too when my kids were younger. I finally had to make their schoolwork at home a priority. We do not leave our house until afternoons now. My kids are involved in things, but they are late afternoon and evening activities.

 

I just noticed that Wed. gym time at 11:30 is for the 2 year old. I would def. cut that out. I would think that school work would take priority over gym time for a 2 year old.

Edited February 3, 2012 by mom2samlibby

[Shellydon]

 

 

Sadly, PE is a required area of study in MD. I tried just covering it on my own, but it never got done. :( Other things always took precedence. So I thought a class would be the answer. I sadly can't change the My Gym classes much. There are no other classes for DS7's age group. The 4:30-5:30 one is the ONLY one. :( I could drop the younger one's class, but frankly that doesn't seem fair. Even trying to move it to another day conflicts with something. I'll probably drop it for both of them before summer, and next fall the little will go to preschool 2 days a week, but until then this is his ONLY thing: no library classes, no comm. center classes [when we go to the comm center it's all for things for the elder], no RE classes, no playdates. His social interactions are dependent on DS7's outings, other than this one class. Maybe there is another location that has better class times....

 

I've already paid for the Latin and piano, so I would rather not back out on those. The Lego lab is free, and I would gladly drop that, but DS7 was crushed when I suggested it as a way of improving our schedule. And I'm not sure how much it would help. If you meant, choosing not to do the book club as a second day at the comm center.... It's only every other week, and it's one of MY favorite activities. I think the trick with that is to be merciless about getting in and out without the dallying before and after. :(

 

 

 

I really do appreciate all your thoughts. I agree that I need to be more structured and say "THIS is school time from now to then. Nothing else during this time! Eat now, pee now, and for the next X amount of time hold your peace!". OTOH, I homeschool because I don't want school to be the enemy, so I gotta be careful of that balance.

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

You just have to make a decision. Are the outings more important, or is school more important. I think a lot of homeschoolers fall into the trap you are in right now. Going and going all the time makes you crazy. In order to homeschool, you have to be at home :D I do think that a certain amount of friend time is important, but not everyday. In my experience, younger siblings of homeschooled older sibs don't get to do their own stuff. They just don't. It isn't fair, but it's life. You have to look out for the good of the whole, not the individual. If you want life to be less stressful, you have to cut out a lot of what you are doing. It is just a fact. Wanting a better schedule, but not dropping anything isn't going to work.

 

Here is what my schedule looks like with my 4 children

 

Monday - co-op 9am -1 pm

Tuesday - school 9am-1pm Girl Scouts every other week 2-4, guitar lesson 4:30

Wednesday -school 9-2:30

Thursday school 9-2:30

Friday school 9-1 piano lessons at 3:30

 

We occasionally do field trips with another family or two on Fridays.

If I have errands to run or appointments, I schedule them on M, W, or F afternoons.

[Soror]

Your schedule would drive me crazy. I think if you want to keep everything then you need to make a schedule of curriculum to be completed each day/week and then make sure it is done in the times you have. If you cannot something has got to give- you school on weekends/nights, drop something, or school through the summer.

[Ellie]

And then there'd be nothing?

Yes.

 

I know, I asked, and you answered, and I appreciate it. <3

I'm not ready to give up Tuesday. It's a stressful day, but DS JUST finally started to make friends there [it takes him a while sometimes], and as I said, I've already paid for the classes and they do cover our music and foreign language objectives.

And after the class is finished such that you feel you've gotten your money's worth out of it, you can go to the park with the families and have some nice goof-off time together.

 

*sigh* I hate to give up the gym classes, but it may have to happen sooner than I'd planned. :(

 

The truth is that y'all are gone almost every day of the week. The schedule is eating you up. You have to make a change.

[sgo95]

You either need to cut out activities to get things done at home, or be ok with not getting what you want done at home.

 

:iagree: Which one is applicable depends entirely on your priorities, goals, philosophy, etc.

 

1) You could say that at age seven, your eldest is still pretty young, seat work doesn't need to be emphasized as much, and you're comfortable just going with the flow for now. If so, you just need to deal with younger DS's napping issues. If he's getting up around 6am, the Wed. My Gym class at 11:30am seems too close to nap time. Personally, two sessions at My Gym/week seems excessive. You could still go to the library on Friday mornings but just make sure to come home in time for the younger one to get a good nap. This way, only Tue. and Thu. are bad days for napping.

 

or...

 

2) Your son is maturing and ready for a ?stronger academic focus? (I'm unsure of how to phrase it exactly). You should have at least 3 or 4 solid sessions a week at home working together on whatever curriculum/activities you've chosen. This means that extra activities and field trips need to be later in the afternoon or consolidated into 1 or 2 days that you spend out of the house all day.

 

I have a 9, 7, 5, and 2 year old and right now we spend all of Thu and Fri afternoons out of the house and I'm very hesitant to add any other outside commitments. When I do more than this, I find that I'm not able to meet our academic goals and I don't have time to keep the house clean; everything is generally more chaotic, which makes me miserable.

 

So, it's a judgement call. There just isn't enough time to do everything.

[Nakia]

First :grouphug:

 

I know with our family, if school doesn't get done in the morning, it doesn't really get done. That's just when most people, especially kids, do their best work. Out of our family of 5, only my middle dd is a morning person, so I feel your pain. We make ourselves get up around 7-7:30 and start school between 8:30 and 9. We go until 3:30 or so (except on Thursday when my oldest spends all afternoon/evening at the barn). We haven't always been so strict with our schedule, but as they've gotten older, I've found it is a must to be structured. On the days we have to go out in the morning for appointments or whatever, they take some stuff to work on in the car, but I accept the fact that, on those days, little school will be done. I can't imagine that being our "regular" schedule day in and day out. It would make me nuts!

 

I think you are going to have to just set aside 2-3 hours a day that you will be home and do school and stick to it. If that means giving up some outside activities, then you will just have to. I know you said you couldn't do PE at home, but how much PE instruction is required?

 

One reason your son has a hard time getting up is because he's probably just plain tired. You might notice a huge difference if you devote one whole day of just staying home. You can get school done in the morning and then he can play games, watch educational movies, etc in the afternoon while baby naps. You can get some downtime then, too!

 

Hang in there!! :grouphug:

[Mama_Rana]

Yes.

 

 

And after the class is finished such that you feel you've gotten your money's worth out of it, you can go to the park with the families and have some nice goof-off time together.

 

 

 

The truth is that y'all are gone almost every day of the week. The schedule is eating you up. You have to make a change.

The IRONIC part is that DS7 totally agrees with you. He frequently comments that we need more time to just BE HOME. And yet, when I suggest cutting something, he can't deal with it. :( Well, I think he needs to start dealing with it. I HATE to cut DS2's gym class, and I really wish they had a class for him at a better time. But if I cut both classes and JUST go to the open gym at 3:15 on Thursday, it wouldn't cut into our school work so much. There's another open gym on Monday late afternoons we could add in and I could call it DS2's "class". Maybe he wouldn't notice the diff?

 

:iagree: Which one is applicable depends entirely on your priorities, goals, philosophy, etc.

 

1) You could say that at age seven, your eldest is still pretty young, seat work doesn't need to be emphasized as much, and you're comfortable just going with the flow for now. If so, you just need to deal with younger DS's napping issues. If he's getting up around 6am, the Wed. My Gym class at 11:30am seems too close to nap time. Personally, two sessions at My Gym/week seems excessive. You could still go to the library on Friday mornings but just make sure to come home in time for the younger one to get a good nap. This way, only Tue. and Thu. are bad days for napping.

 

or...

 

2) Your son is maturing and ready for a ?stronger academic focus? (I'm unsure of how to phrase it exactly). You should have at least 3 or 4 solid sessions a week at home working together on whatever curriculum/activities you've chosen. This means that extra activities and field trips need to be later in the afternoon or consolidated into 1 or 2 days that you spend out of the house all day.

 

I have a 9, 7, 5, and 2 year old and right now we spend all of Thu and Fri afternoons out of the house and I'm very hesitant to add any other outside commitments. When I do more than this, I find that I'm not able to meet our academic goals and I don't have time to keep the house clean; everything is generally more chaotic, which makes me miserable.

 

So, it's a judgement call. There just isn't enough time to do everything.

 

I WISH WISH WISH I could get My Gym classes at better times. :( In the spring we can just go to the park on specific days, but now the weather is too unpredictable.

 

 

Well, next week when I go in, I need to see how many more weeks we're paid up for, and have them stop adding more weeks and just do the open gym for a bit and see how that goes. It IS too much. I totally agree with ya'll.

 

Thanks for walking me through this and building up my confidence! I know sometimes I can sound like I'm fighting advice that I've asked for, but it's just my way of processing.

 

Thanks!

[iquilt]

I tried the classes everyday when mine were 6, 3 and 2. It was too much for us after a few months. We learned to set specific time for schoolwork daily and to only set outside activities at other times. Now we keep our mornings and early afternoons for schoolwork and we take gym, choir and other activities in the later afternoons. We also maintain four big days and one light day of work so that we can also do field trips and other outings. Our light day is flexible and could be a Monday or any other day of the week. HTH

[Penelope]

 

I fell into this trap too when my kids were younger. I finally had to make their schoolwork at home a priority. We do not leave our house until afternoons now. My kids are involved in things, but they are late afternoon and evening activities.

 

:iagree:

 

It's hard because so many places and offices are so happy when they find out you homeschool, because they can then fit you into those daytime slots that other people don't want (because most of them are in school or at work). And at first it seems so great; you don't have to be running around at 4 or 5 p.m. for activities and scheduling an hour here or there doesn't seem like much. Except that with small children, it is never as easy as working efficiently up until 10 minutes before and then just jumping in the car. It wears everyone out and school can get pushed aside.

[Desert Rat]

I'm with several PPs that we all do better in the morning. If it doesn't get done before I go to work in the afternoons, it doesn't get done. Because I have to work now, I've had to become very strict with our schedule. We don't do any classes during the day M-Th. Unfortunately, this is the way it is. There's a new co-op type place right across the street from us. Literally. We could walk. And all of their classes are scheduled for 10am. No can do.

OP, I would see if I could switch out the gym class for something else at a better time.

Here's our schedule. Maybe you can get some ideas.

M-Th

6:00 am Ds11 and I wake up

7:00 am Ds11 and I start school/ds8 wakes up

8:00 read aloud

8:45 am ds11 reads independently/ds8 works with me

10:00 history and science

11:00 am lunch

11:30 leave for grandmas/work for me (they both work on school there)

4:00pm come home/make dinner

6:00 pm leave for taekwondo/soccer

 

Fridays are my day off. We clean our house, grocery shop, run errands and alternate lego club/archery. I scheduled them for the same time so we have the same routine. I'm a big routine girl and so are my boys.

 

I was letting my ds11 sleep later but he thought, and I agreed, that he needed more one on one time with me. I explained that the only time I could carve out was in the morning. He was fine with it. He doesn't complain. I just get him up and into the shower. He starts his decaf and gets breakfast. When he's finished, then I may speak to him. LOL

[2squared]

If this was our family, here is how I would attack your situation.

 

1) First priority - consistent naps for my 2yo

2) Speech would stay in the same slot.

3) I would drop the Tuesday classes

4) I would sign my 7yo up for a sport(s) that practices after public school (and after naptime) and have that be his PE for the year. I would stop all Open Gym and instead invite friends over to play once/week or every other week.

5) I would move piano lessons to after naptime, probably on Monday since you are out & about that day anyway.

6) I would keep the history book club. It's only 2x per month so it is fun but not too intrusive on the schedule.

7) I would go to the library before or after history book club. Yes, every other week.

8) I would drop all activities for the 2yo. He's 2yo. He will most likely be happier at home spending time with his mom and napping on a consistent schedule.

 

These changes would put you out of the house in the morning once every other week, and your 7yo would still have speech, piano, history book club, library day, and sports. If you move piano lessons to Monday, you could consistently have 3 days/week without outside obligations. It would feel so much better to be home more.

[Lawana]

Why do you "hate" the thought of a 2yo not having a gym class?

[Tigger]

 

I just noticed that Wed. gym time at 11:30 is for the 2 year old. I would def. cut that out. I would think that school work would take priority over gym time for a 2 year old.

 

I'd drop it too.....two year olds are a bundle of energy, so dropping that won't likely decrease his activity level. Plus, don't you have to do it with him at that age?

[angela in ohio]

At 7 yo, my dc got just a few hours of formal school a day. And we were on the go a lot. I look back and credit that for much of their success now. :001_smile:

 

I would get the 7 yo up earlier. And cut out screen time. That flickering screen, especially if he watches in the evening, interrupts sleep.

 

I'd do school 4 days a week:

Mon 8-11

Wed 8-10 plus the time during ds' class

Thurs 8-11 (I'd cut the book club)

Fri 8-11 with library in the afternoon

 

With the screen off, he spends several hours a day reading or playing educational games, and you're all set.

 

When the weather is better and you don't need to keep the gym class hours, go to the park on your own time and spend those months adding in some history and science work.

[lailasmum]

I think you are out too much, you need to cull some activities and clear your mornings. Keep the tuesday if you really think you son is gaining something from it. We do work in the mornings and eat lunch at 11:15am. I schedule anything out of the house for the afternoons other than the odd longer day out. We also don't do any screen time before lunch. Mornings are for getting stuff done.

 

If you cleared the mornings but kept the tuesday you would have 4 mornings of at least 2 hrs each day to get through work maybe more. Make sure your eldest son is up and sorted for clothes and food by 9 am but preferably half 8. Keep lunch around 11am each day. Have your 2 yr old nap/rest from 1 each day, and give your elder son some quiet time or screen time at the same time while your 2yr old sleeps. Afternoons are then going out/relaxing/fun time/playdate time. Keep the late afternoon open gym, switch the library to an afternoon when you are going out anyway so you combine trips. Track down other pm activities for the post nap to dinner slot.

 

Will your 2 yr old sleep anywhere or will he only sleep in his bed. If you took a stroller that laid flat would he sleep properly in that?

 

This way you end up with more of a regular pattern to your days.

Edited February 4, 2012 by lailasmum

[Mama_Rana]

Why do you "hate" the thought of a 2yo not having a gym class?

Because it's the only thing just for him. And he's closer to 3 than 2. He needs the outlet as much as the 7-almost-8 yo.

 

If this was our family, here is how I would attack your situation.

 

1) First priority - consistent naps for my 2yo

2) Speech would stay in the same slot. yeah, I can't change the speech

3) I would drop the Tuesday classes

4) I would sign my 7yo up for a sport(s) that practices after public school (and after naptime) and have that be his PE for the year. Can you believe I have a boy that has no interest in any sport? I even had an opportunity for him to do fencing, and he just had no interest. If I could find a tumbling class rather than a competitive gymnastics class he might would do that, but really. I would stop all Open Gym and instead invite friends over to play once/week or every other week.

5) I would move piano lessons to after naptime, probably on Monday since you are out & about that day anyway. Piano is currently at the comm. center that is a bit of a drive. I chose that teacher and that time in part because we were already there for the other classes. I know you and others think I should even drop Latin, but if I can find a way of making Tuesday the only day we're out so much, it IS a valuable class that he enjoys. When classes end in mid-May I AM going to have to find a solution so that he's not without any piano-instruction all summer.

6) I would keep the history book club. It's only 2x per month so it is fun but not too intrusive on the schedule.

7) I would go to the library before or after history book club. Yes, every other week. Can you really do that? ;) I mean, I RELY on the library for almost our entire reading curriculum. And history and science support. We often have 60+ items out that have due dates 3 weeks apart. I just don't see us being able to only go every other week. If anything, moving it to the weekend would be the only option. But it's SOOOO crowded on the weekend with all the students studying and researching....

8) I would drop all activities for the 2yo. He's 2yo. He will most likely be happier at home spending time with his mom and napping on a consistent schedule.

I don't think you know my 2yo. He's asked every day this week if today was the day for his class. He LOOOOVVVVESssss that class. The teachers are phenom. And they have fun in a way they don't have even at a park. I dunno. It's going to be a real big disappointment to him, though it is on my list of changes. :(

These changes would put you out of the house in the morning once every other week, and your 7yo would still have speech, piano, history book club, library day, and sports. If you move piano lessons to Monday, you could consistently have 3 days/week without outside obligations. It would feel so much better to be home more.

 

Thanks, ya'll are awesome! Here's my plan for the mo':

 

 

* Reduce My Gym to once a week open gym. This will take some time since I've already paid up a certain amount. I just need to find out how much. ;)

 

* Move library either to Monday or Saturday. I'd love to move it to Sunday before church, but they don't open til noon on Sunday. :/ Oh well. A Saturday family trip could be fun.

 

* Look into other options for movement for the elder. They love My Gym because it isn't overly structured, is not competitive AT ALL, and classes are small enough that it's not intimidating [which was the problem with the fencing class--too many kids, too many kids BIGGER than DS7= too scary]

 

* I can't move speech, but with luck he will progress out by the end of this school year. We did manage to reduce services to just once a week this month; we were having to go twice a week at noon until January 16th! But what if I handed both of them a granola bar as they got into the car at 11:45, and then fed them lunch at home at 12:45, then we could work until 11:30 when I'd need to dress the toddler, and still could get him down for a nap by 1:30.

 

* I'm going to ask the piano teacher if DS7 could do lessons at either 12:30 or 2. I'm not willing to drop Latin, but if we could arrange things so that we only needed to be there in the afternoon, that would free up our mornings. With any luck, DS2 would fall asleep on the way there and then he could nap in the car [either with me or I could pay one of the teens to sit in the car with him] while ds7 did his classes.

 

* Super-smart power strips on the TV/comp so that those can only be used between 3 & 6, or on weekends. Both of them use screens too much. I need a plan for the 2yo who is not always reasonable, but that's another thread. ;)

 

So that would free up Wed. and Fri. completely, Thurs. half the weeks, and would give me M & T mornings free and clear. Much better!

 

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

[2squared]

7) I would go to the library before or after history book club. Yes, every other week. Can you really do that? I mean, I RELY on the library for almost our entire reading curriculum. And history and science support. We often have 60+ items out that have due dates 3 weeks apart. I just don't see us being able to only go every other week. If anything, moving it to the weekend would be the only option. But it's SOOOO crowded on the weekend with all the students studying and researching....

 

Yes, you can really do that. It would take some planning, but it is definitely do-able. I use the library for almost all of our stuff, and we don't go weekly. In fact, I never take the kids themselves. I reserve everything on line and run in to pick up the books. I also don't check out 60+ books at a time. I prefer to have fewer books that we cover in-depth.

 

I don't think you know my 2yo. He's asked every day this week if today was the day for his class. He LOOOOVVVVESssss that class. The teachers are phenom. And they have fun in a way they don't have even at a park. I dunno. It's going to be a real big disappointment to him, though it is on my list of changes.

 

I don't know your 2yo, but I know what being too busy feels like. I know that everyone has to sacrifice for the good of the whole. I am sure my 3yo would love to have activities of her own, but I also know that she is just as happy at home. She certainly doesn't need any more at 3yo.

[2squared]

* Super-smart power strips on the TV/comp so that those can only be used between 3 & 6, or on weekends. Both of them use screens too much. I need a plan for the 2yo who is not always reasonable, but that's another thread. ;)

 

Not to be snarky, but why do you need to buy special power strips to restrict the TV and computer? Can't you just turn them off or unplug them? We have a devoted screen time every day between house pick-up and dinner. The kids ask at other times of the day, but they *know* I will say no. :D My 1yo likes to push the button on the TV, so I unplug it during the day.

[chepyl]

If you need the library for all of your school books, reserve them online. Take the kids once a month so DS can pick pleasure reading, then you can run by and pick books up once a week on the weekend. Leave kids with dad for a little while, go get books. Then you get a little quiet time.

 

You need a solid 2-3 hours a day with your 7 year old. I go with the Charlotte Mason idea of short lessons for my 6 year old. 2 hours gives you 6 20 minute sessions, 6 subjects. In 20 minutes we finish 2 SM lessons or wkbk exercises, 1-2 R&S grammar lessons, a section of SOTW, short science reading and discussion,3 times through CC memory work, or review of the weeks history timeline. I rotate history and science so we can send more time for projects. I try to start by 10am so we can be done by 11:30-12, then we make lunch.

 

Thursday we have co-op, unless I have a drs appt, that is the only morning we are out. That is school for the day, we generally tackle a math lesson and reading comp lesson that day. He does it alone while at the studio after class.

 

I dont like to leave in the mornings because I teach dance every evening. DS goes woth me three days a week. He gets PE at co-op and In his dance classes. Can you find a gymnastics class or dance class in the evenings? Most gums and studios offer most classes in the evening. Since your son does not like sports, try dance. My son loves his dance classes, he is not that interested in sports. If you switch to evenings, your days will seem less stresed, you will have more time to fot school in during the day.

[swellmomma]

Why do you "hate" the thought of a 2yo not having a gym class?

 

That's what I am thinking. YOu mentioned earlier up thread that it would not be fair. Most 2 yr olds are not in activities like that. In fact most kids do not start organized activities until age 5. Many do of course, but it is not a strange or unfair thing for a 2 year old not to have a class. If you want the class for him then you have to stop doing opne gym time. You mentioned being at the gym for 4.5 hours a week. If you only did the 2 classes it would only be 2 hours a week. That is gaining 2.5 hours a week to focus on school work.

 

I agree with another poster that mentioned moving library day to the day before. Also you mentioned wanting your boys to be with daddy when he is home, but when he is not home in the evenings or weekends you can be doing school work with the 7 yr old.

 

I also would not wait for the little one to nap before getting the 7 yr old started on school work. Have him do assigned reading at that time, and then when teh lo is down teh 2 of you can do a narration/discussion. Or set him up with his math pages to work on while you settle the little one down.

 

You are out of the house far too long everyday, and a good chunk of that is pure social play time. If you kept your classes but dropped the play time after tuesday's class, and the open gym times, you would gain several hours a week. If you also dropped your 2 yr old gym class you would gain a huge chunk of time when you factor in driving etc.

[Ellie]

It's hard because so many places and offices are so happy when they find out you homeschool, because they can then fit you into those daytime slots that other people don't want (because most of them are in school or at work). And at first it seems so great; you don't have to be running around at 4 or 5 p.m. for activities and scheduling an hour here or there doesn't seem like much. Except that with small children, it is never as easy as working efficiently up until 10 minutes before and then just jumping in the car. It wears everyone out and school can get pushed aside.

Exactly.

[Mama_Rana]

Not to be snarky, but why do you need to buy special power strips to restrict the TV and computer? Can't you just turn them off or unplug them? We have a devoted screen time every day between house pick-up and dinner. The kids ask at other times of the day, but they *know* I will say no. :D My 1yo likes to push the button on the TV, so I unplug it during the day.

 

I was mostly being a smart-aleck at this point. ;) I jokingly asked my DH if they existed, and was quite surprised when he said yes! :lol

 

That's what I am thinking. YOu mentioned earlier up thread that it would not be fair. Most 2 yr olds are not in activities like that. In fact most kids do not start organized activities until age 5. Many do of course, but it is not a strange or unfair thing for a 2 year old not to have a class. If you want the class for him then you have to stop doing opne gym time. You mentioned being at the gym for 4.5 hours a week. If you only did the 2 classes it would only be 2 hours a week. That is gaining 2.5 hours a week to focus on school work.

 

I agree with another poster that mentioned moving library day to the day before. Also you mentioned wanting your boys to be with daddy when he is home, but when he is not home in the evenings or weekends you can be doing school work with the 7 yr old.

 

I also would not wait for the little one to nap before getting the 7 yr old started on school work. Have him do assigned reading at that time, and then when teh lo is down teh 2 of you can do a narration/discussion. Or set him up with his math pages to work on while you settle the little one down.

 

You are out of the house far too long everyday, and a good chunk of that is pure social play time. If you kept your classes but dropped the play time after tuesday's class, and the open gym times, you would gain several hours a week. If you also dropped your 2 yr old gym class you would gain a huge chunk of time when you factor in driving etc.

 

DS7 does have independent work he's expected to do while I'm putting the toddler down [Latin flashcards, spelling practice, reading, & piano practice].

 

I've already contacted the My Gym about ending classes once we've used up the ones we've paid for. In the meantime, I may try to go to a different class for the toddler that meets at a better time. Well, except that really doesn't exist, so it would just be a slightly not as bad time.

 

I'm surprised to hear so many say they don't do regular trips to the library with their kids. For my family, that's just always been the way since DS7 was a baby. 60+ items is stuff for all 4 of us: board books for the toddler, pleasure books for the elder, school-related stuff for the elder, pleasure books and self-improvement stuff for me, movies for the family [we don't have broadcast TV or cable], occasionally homeschooling books or books I want to preview before buying. I make heavy use of the on-line hold system and the inter-library loan. I'll take ya'll's thoughts into consideration on this, but I love our library, love our librarians, and would miss our regular visits.

[swellmomma]

I'm surprised to hear so many say they don't do regular trips to the library with their kids. .

 

We make weekly trips to the library. We usually have 200 items out at a time between the 5 cards we use. We actually frequent 2 libraries, the one in our town, and the one the next town over. We just don't let it interfer with what we are doing here. We go to the library in our town on Thursday afternoons. It is only open 3 days a week for limited hours. The van with holds comes in at around 2 ish, we give the ladies 1 hour to process it all and have our stacks ready. We go at 3pm, pick up our holds and the littles peruse the shelves for more titles. It is less than a 5 minute walk from our house so the littles have nap while the bigs have quiet time, then they have an afternoon snack followed by our walk to the library. It is part of our routine, but does not impact our school schedule. Saturdays we go to the library the next town over. It has a much better selection for browsing, videos, themed books on display etc. We go on Saturdays to this one because we like to spend an hour or more there. At both libraries we know the staff and enjoy our time. We spend a lot of time talking with them as we browse, I reshelve books I find laying about while I am looking for new titles etc. Borrowing limits in our system mean dvds and cds are loaned for 1 week, books for 3. We have so many titles we have a constantly rotating pile. We also do not have cable/sat We only use dvds/vhs so we get lots of those from the library. I would keep the weekly library time in but either schedule it for the weekend or find a better time slot for it like Thursdays. Those that have suggested cutting back on your libary visits are just trying to help you reclaim some of your schooltime, which seemed to be of concern to you or you would not have posted.

 

You have to much on your plate and need to prioritize. School is first, followed by his latin class day I assume. If library is up there in rank than something needs to be dropped below. To me this is what I am seeing as a ranking, of course it is your family and you need to do what works for you.

 

1. school time

2. speech

3. Tuesday classes ie latin and music

4. 7 yr old gym class

5. library visit weekly

6. 2 yr olds gym class

7. open gym/playtime after classes

 

and the list goes on. TO free up time for #1 you need to drop things from the bottom of the list. To me that is the open gym/playtime after class and the 2 yr old's lessons. If your priority list is different make it the way you feel it is and drop the last 1-2 items on it.

[Halcyon]

I I put our school work first, then schedule everything else around it.

 

:iagree::iagree:

[matrips]

My dd was a late sleeper and it just didn't work for me. I got her an alarm clock; I set it each night for 7am. It's been working great! She gets up, dressed, makes her bed and heads downstairs to read or play with her mice. It gives her an hour before I need her at the table; she likes the relaxed pace (instead of me yelling up to her to get downstairs NOW when she overslept all the time). :) She goes to bed at 7:30pm (same as the others).

 

You're losing time making and eating lunches on those short mornings. (We have the same issue with speech at noon). Either make some sandwiches while you're making breakfast so you have them ready, and then eat them in the car on the way. Or have some snacks like cheese sticks etc for those days, and then eat a proper lunch when you get home later.

 

I wouldn't use up a free day on the library. How about a late afternoon library trip after nap, and on an easy dinner night? Or even library on the weekend? Don't mess with your free day. And even TP can wait until the afternoon, right?

 

This year we've done the 'homework' concept to get my dd moving (the same that would prefer to sleep late!). I make sure the work I expect done is a reasonable amount for the timeframe. If it's not done, I move on to the next subject so I cover my material for the day with the kids. Any unfinished work becomes homework, which must be done in her free time that day, before playing. A couple trips to the park with her stuck on the bench finishing schoolwork and she got with the program :) I was tired of her slowness affecting my day, and with homework, it was no longer my problem but hers. It might work for your guy too.

 

Make sure you have your schedule for each day laid out, both for you to see and your son. It helps everyone to visualize the schedule and workload. Do you have a set agenda for the Little Gym time on what to accomplish with older ds? You may want to have a consistent lesson or subject to do during that time.

 

Good luck!