So if school takes up most of your day, when do you do your planning, cleaning, etc.?

[Heart_Mom]

1. I do most of my planning in the summer and do a lot of "pick-up-and-go" curriculum. For example, I use WWE, which is self-contained and doesn't require extra materials. It has 36 weeks, so over the summer I made a schedule of where we should be each week to finish by June and take the summer off.

 

2. I plan a lot of either crockpot meals or easy-assemble meals. And planned leftovers.

 

3. I hire someone to come in and deep-clean twice a month. This helps on a number of fronts. For one, the deep cleaning gets done and I just have to stay on top of it between visits. It also motivates me to keep the house picked up and the clutter down so I'm not rushing around before her visits trying to straighten and clear things out so she can get in and clean.

 

4. If the house needs it, we have a clearing up session, usually before or after dinner, where toys, books, etc are cleared out of the main living areas and, if not put away, at least put in the bedrooms/office. The kids are usually required to do a good cleaning of their rooms over the weekends and we encourage them to stay on top of them during the week.

 

5. Spread school out during the day. I used to try to rush the kids to get everything done by noon so we could have the afternoons free, and to an extent that is still my goal because we have a lot of out-of-house activities planned in the afternoons, BUT I've stopped stressing about it. If we have to go out to bowling and then come home and squeeze a grammar lesson in while dinner is baking, it's not a big deal. DH will often do a science lesson with the kids after dinner. We listen to SOTW on audiobook in the car while we are en-route to gymnastics or bowling or whatever. If we miss grammar for a few days and then have a day where we don't go anywhere, I'll sit my 3rd grader down and go through 2 or 3 lessons with him.

 

6. My DH is awesome. Seriously. Never complains if the house is a mess, just organizes the kids to get it cleaned up. Never complains if dinner isn't made, just pulls out some leftovers or makes grilled cheese sandwiches (I do try to avoid this scenario, but it happens sometimes). Never complains if I need to get out. We have an agreement where I get one night a week for 'me' time, but if I take another night to grocery shop or go to a girl's night or if I've had a particularly crazy week and just desperately need another night, he doesn't bat an eye and just sends me off. I seriously could not make this work without him.

 

Thanks so much! I think I need to think of some crock-pot meals I could put together early. Early a.m. is such a high energy time for me, that if I could cook dinner at that time (before the children are up) a few times a week, it would really help. We have food allergies here, so it's not an option to just pick up a pizza, but I could think of some foods that we could have on hand for a quick meal if things go haywire. (Even if it's something as simple as whole wheat pasta with sauce and broccoli.) I've tried to develop 4 week rotating menu plans, but we tend to get tired of the same meals (especially my husband).

 

I do try to do open and go curricula as much as I can too. We're using All About Spelling, Math-U-See, and Heart of Dakota ... which are all pretty much open and go. I'm considering Understanding Writing for grammar and writing, which would require a little prep, but I could teach my oldest two together, at least for a year or two.

 

My husband is very supportive also. He's happy for me to go out once a week ... he's probably even be up for twice a week if I wanted. He never complains about the house stuff either, which is *very* helpful. If anything, it's me lamenting that I can't get to everything, and him reminding me that the most important thing I'm doing during the day is teaching and nurturing the children. Thanks for helping me to count my blessings! Oh ... he is also wanting to be involved with choosing curriculum, which is VERY helpful for me!

 

Thanks again! :)

[Lovedtodeath]

Try reading Children who do too Little by Patricia Sprinkle.

[Lovedtodeath]

What gets to me is how fast it deteriorates. When dh takes the kids to his Mom's and I get everything clean (and then it STAYS clean), it shocks me how fast (1/2 a day maybe) it gets dirty again. I'm not talking clutter mess, either! My friend who is pregnant with her 9th assures me this is normal.

 

That's my problem--while the 3 yo is off entertaining herself quietly and not bothering us, she's also making an enormous mess. And if everyone was nicely put in school/daycare while I had a FT job, I wouldn't have to make lunch, clean up after it, do extra laundry made by children deciding to play in mudholes, have to clean up all the extra dirt tracked in, etc. I also like the OP mention of viewing people as in my way of meeting my goals instead of people there to love. That's really what it's about, and why we do this, there will be plenty of time to clean one day.

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I love this thread!

[BlsdMama]

As usual, I'm the last to know everything.

 

Laura

 

 

Heads up. She said cleaning AND school planning. :glare: This has upset my whole little apple cart.

[Heart_Mom]

Try reading Children who do too Little by Patricia Sprinkle.

 

This looks really good! I ordered a used copy from Amazon today. Thanks for the recommendation! :)