Big families~ how strict of a schedule do you have?

[mykdsmomy]

I've fought it forever but I'm starting to think it's the only way to regain my sanity.

 

I hate having a set schedule...it's just not my personality. I like to wing it....but that isn't working out for me because my house is a disaster and I'm constantly overwhelmed!

 

If you have a large family, do you feel like a schedule is needed?

 

Do you have set days for laundry, mopping, etc? Do you make your kids stick to a schedule (wake up time, chore time, eating time, etc)

 

I don't want to go all crazy mama on everyone....but I need to gain control of my house!

 

Also, do you have any sort of "must do's" (sorry, Mrs Mungo...I think I just killed a kitten)

For instance: One designated towel per kid. One cup with their name on it, etc?

 

Any/all tips are welcomed :bigear:

[kb44]

I've tried both (4 kids..see below) and I lose my mind either way, LOL! Having a set schedule burns me out, and then I have to veg for like a week after keeping on a strict schedule for 3 weeks. Or, something comes up to really change my schedule for the week, and I am all off. And, it gets in the way of flexibility, because I think...no, we are "supposed" to be doing this, right now and I get frustrated. I'm sticking with guidelines of what to do each day/week/month, but with lots of flexibility and a let it go attitude, as needed.

 

Probably doesn't help, sorry! Just know you are not alone!!!

 

Will post my guidelines...

[anneofalamo]

SEVEN kids here and a schedule is a must for us:

Laundry

MON-3 young boys

TUEs-2 Teen boys

Wed-hubs and mine

Thurs-twin girls

Friday-sheets/towels as needed

Saturday-left over sheets/towels

Sunday - only load that goes in, is forgotten things, or something that may be needed for following day!

 

Meals are planned out in 2 week increments

and oldest 5 take turn making meals together.

EVERYONE up by 7:15 on weekdays, school starts at 8am

chores are done prior to school, and after each meal. Each kidlet has a chore for months at a time, and a "helper" younger sibling they are teaching. Eventually, the younger takes on that chore.

 

we sleep in til 8:30 on weekends

and chores are done after lunch together.

Grocery shop for the planned meals only! ♥

 

We are very active with our church, and have activities all thru the week. I can not be responsible for equipment and uniforms, they don't have it, they don't go to sport. Works wonders!

[kb44]

Trying to answer some of your questions and explain our guidelines.;)

 

We all wake up, eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed about the same time each day...just how it works.

 

They use one cup all day long. And, they clean up their dishes after each meal.

We wash towels one time per week, and we each have a towel to use.

I throw my kitchen/bath hand towels in the wash each night before bed.

DH cleans the kitchen each night including all food, dishes, and counters, while I give baths, or vice versa. I have to wake up to a clean kitchen.

Mine each have a locker for keeping jackets and shoes, etc., so they are never in the house.

There is a place for everything in our house and it most of it is put back in it's place at night.

 

We have a child of the day and they are responsible for

feeding/water the animals

vacuuming downstairs

compost

recyclables

and they get first served and dibs on lots of things we do/get each day, like getting in the car first or the pool or picking a read aloud, getting food first, etc.

 

Mine earn fake money. $5 on their day for chores, and dollars throughout the day, as they do well. If they get a treat/toy/anything while we are out, they pay me for those items with their fake money.

They can also earn treats or special things like my iphone games, pick at tv show, computer time, a game or other fun things we have come up with as rewards.

 

I can see what they have/have not accomplished during the day, and if I see chores not being done or someone being non-compliant, I am quick to take away money/treats when things are not accomplished. I will also take away toys/favorites and they have to buy them back with their $, so behavior/chores/rewards all work together in our house.

 

I am also huge on manners, sharing, and gratitude and those add/take away from rewards, as well!

 

Our schedule which may or may not get done on the day, (anymore) but is done each week. Mom is black, kids are red:

 

Daily-laundry, dishwasher, pickup as needed, cat, dog, other

Laundry, dishes from table, feed dog/cat, clean up outside toys, other

 

Mon- vacuum/mop downstairs/clean bath

Clean up all downstairs toys, vacuum

 

Tues-vacuum/mop upstairs/baths

Clean up all upstairs toys

 

Wed- sheets and towels/grocery shopping

Take sheets off, help make beds, act appropriately when shopping

 

Thurs- monthly task, see following:

 

Week1-with magic eraser, clean all tubs and showers, wash bath

mats

Free day

 

Week2- pay, organize, and file bills

Leave me along, as bills are frustrating and time consuming. J

 

Week3-dust downstairs (incl. fans, doors, baseboards, furniture)

and wash walls and appliances, as needed

Dust

 

Week4-dust upstairs (everything)

dust

 

Fri- vacuum/mop downstairs/clean bath

Clean up downstairs, vacuum

 

Sat- upstairs baths/windex

Windex

 

Even with good intentions and guidlines, sometimes my house is a COMPLETE disaster. I try to accomplish two of these things each day, because I cannot do all 3; excellent instuction, cleaning the house, or having an outing. Good luck!

[fairfarmhand]

I have 4, but rather than a schedule, I do a routine.

 

First this then this then this. So get up, eat breakfast, feed animals, do some cleaning, do school. After that, clean up, do whatever needs to be done, supper, dishes, bed. This is the same whether I get up at 6 or 9.

[Murphy101]

A routine helps tremendously here. Not a terribly strict one and it's less about the time than the timing.

 

6-7am

Every morning chores are done. We all have assigned chores. Dishes, laundry, floors, bathrooms, cat box. Then breakfast, and start our school work.

 

Lunch, dishes, laundry.

 

School work or outside activities

 

Dinner, pick up house, laundry, dishes, bathes.

 

Freetime or activities or School work/study - only the high schoolers usually as they have more outside activities to work around. Tho sometimes if a younger one is struggling, I will use this time to work with them with less distractions.

 

Bed by 8 usually. 10pm for the teens

 

That's a rough outline of our routine.

 

They all have mugs with their names on it to drink from and to hold their toothbrush/paste. Otherwise I don't do assigned anything else, such as towels or whatever.

[2squared]

Not sure if we have a big family, but just in case we do...

 

We live by a routine that is pegged to eating times.

*My day begins before the kids wake up - dishes put away, laundry started

*Morning chores (mostly hygiene) must be complete before or after breakfast.

*My school routine begins when dh leaves. The kids phase in and out through the morning.

*Lunch is at 12:00ish for 1 hourish

*School work after lunch

*Pick up at 5:00

*Screen time after picking up

*Dinner at 6:00

 

The only way I stay sane:

*Declutter constantly and own less, much less. We have about 4 days of clothes/person, 1 towel/person, 1 set of sheets/bed, 1 bookcase, no nicknacks, etc

*A place for everything, and everything in its place

*Consistent whole house pick-up in the evening

*Inspect what you expect

*Finish what you start (this is for distracted me)

*Stay home!

[NancyNellen]

Yes, I find having a set schedule to be crucial for a successful school day. Now, we will periodically veer off the schedule for rabbit trails, or to focus on character issues when necessary, but using a set schedule for the majority of our days makes us much more efficient. I am a spontaneous person, by nature, but I was so stressed trying to wing it and feeling like half of my to-do list was always left undone. I think I have BECOME a schedule person because I a, so pleased with the results.

 

We have set wake-up times (7am), and set chore times (after breakfast and before dinner). I start a load of laundry when I wake up 5 mornings a week. Then I switch it mid-morning, and fold it when school is done in the afternoon. The kids put whatever laundry belongs to them away during afternoon chore time. On Tuesdays my daughters (13 and 11) do their laundry and on Friday my oldest does his. The kids complete daily chores such as sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, switching out the towels, emptying wastebaskets, watering plants, etc. I cannot state how incredibly helpful it has been to teach my kids to be diligent during chore time.

 

Every child has a towel that they use. They get replaced once a week. Every child has a color-coded cup that they use. It gets tossed in the dishwasher after lunch every day. The rest of the time it gets rinsed out and placed next to the fridge for further use. The kids load the dishes into the dishwasher after every meal, so my sink is never overflowing with dishes. I also have a large snack box full of granola bars, baggies of nuts, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, etc. we even have scheduled snack times when they can either choose a snack from the snack box or have a piece of fruit or a cheese stick. The kids have even been trained to rinse their Baggie out and put it back in the snack box for future filling :tongue_smilie:

 

I meal plan once per month. I place a large online order from my local grocery for delivery and make one big Costco trip per month. Then I only have to shop every 10 days or so for fresh produce and milk. I use Plantoeat.com and LOVE it!

 

Our school day is broken up into sections where each child works with me and then moves on to independent work. We have scheduled times for discussions (literature and history) and labs. Also, any subjects that are taught to more than one take place at the same time every week. That way we can all plan accordingly.

 

That's all I can think of for now. I hope something in here is helpful to you.

[Excelsior! Academy]

We start strict then relax a little.

 

I make a minute by minute schedule and then use it as a flow sheet or checklist.

 

Our routine revolves around days.

Monday-laundry, Tuesday-kitchen, Wednesday-paperwork, Thursday-errands, Friday-housecleaning, Saturday- yard work. These are my focus days. Laundry gets done everyday. Tuesday is when I do the bulk of my baking and cooking ahead.

 

After dinner our children rotate between kitchen helper, laundry helper, and bath helper. The bath helper just runs the water for me and is a monitor after baths reminding those to pick up after themselves. The laundry helper sorts clean clothing and disperses to individuals. The kitchen helpers either clear and wipe the dining table before sweeping or rinse dishes and load the dishwasher. I float between chores and help wherever I am most needed. Dh watches the youngest children. It goes pretty quickly. Maybe 1/2 an hour each night.

[Susan in TN]

I've fought it forever but I'm starting to think it's the only way to regain my sanity.

 

I hate having a set schedule...it's just not my personality. I like to wing it....but that isn't working out for me because my house is a disaster and I'm constantly overwhelmed!

 

If you have a large family, do you feel like a schedule is needed?

 

Do you have set days for laundry, mopping, etc? Do you make your kids stick to a schedule (wake up time, chore time, eating time, etc)

 

I don't want to go all crazy mama on everyone....but I need to gain control of my house!

 

Also, do you have any sort of "must do's" (sorry, Mrs Mungo...I think I just killed a kitten)

For instance: One designated towel per kid. One cup with their name on it, etc?

 

Any/all tips are welcomed :bigear:

 

Yes although it's not really my personality either.

 

We have 8 people and 4 bedrooms. Each "bedroom" has it's own laundry day - the older kids can get the laundry in the washer and dryer themselves. Wash and dry one day, put away the next. Other days are for misc/emergency laundry needs :).

 

We all have breakfast together every morning. That means on weekdays we're up by 6/6:30 to get dressed, get laundry in or tidy bedrooms before breakfast at 7 or 7:15. Dh leaves for work around 8am.

 

We tend to have whole family cleaning sprees in times of great need, but I try to schedule in tidy up times like before dinner cleaning up the playroom and living room. Chore times here revolve around meal times - before/ after breakfast, after lunch, before dinner.

 

Each of my kids has their own cup color - 6 kids, rainbow color order. They mostly drink water so they keep the cups lined up on the counter. When I have the money I'm planning to get a different color of bath towel for each bathroom (we have 3) so that all the towels don't end up in one bathroom, which is what happens now, somehow. One of the trade offs for having the kids do their own laundry, I guess.

 

:bigear: for more tips!

[BakersDozen]

I have a schedule and stick to it rather rigidly. I would prefer to have only a routine - start when we start, end when we end kind of thing - but that would be impossible with our family size and what I want to accomplish during the day. I want my school day to be done at 3:30 and I want my evenings free for family time which means we get up at an early hour and stick to our schedule (with some exceptions, obviously).

 

My dc just last night were lamenting the upcoming start of school on Monday as it would mean back to the "rush" (I tell them that if they do things diligently and efficiently there is not "rush" :glare:). My guilt is overwhelming as I'd love for them to have laid-back days and sweet memories of casually going through their school work...oh well, it's not happening. I've tried it and our school/house/life is a mess.

 

Everything in our house has order to it (seriously). It helps with the craziness. Everyone has a towel and a hook with their name above it. Everyone has their own bin for toothbrush/floss/comb/brush. Everyone has a water bottle with their name on it. Everyone takes a day to run one load of laundry (I also run one load/day). Even our snacks have a schedule so there is no, "Mom!! What's for snack today???" The less thinking I have to do the better. :D

 

We eat meals together not only for family time but to reduce the chaos. I experimented this last year with allowing "free meal time"...what a disaster! Meaning my kitchen was a disaster! That lasted about a week before it was back to family meal times. ;)

 

Chores are also done at the same time which works well as we know we are all working together like ants in an anthill (that's what it looks like at least).

 

I can go "crazy mama" on everyone and that's where my weakness is. My schedule can become my master and drive me (and my family) crazy. I need to be flexible and encouraging rather than militant when we get behind. I'm learning...slowly, I'm learning.

[Rebecca]

Luvnmysvn-

 

What kind of bins do you use for their toothbrush supplies?

 

Would you share an example of your schedule?

 

Thank you!

Rebecca

[coffeegal]

I've fought it forever but I'm starting to think it's the only way to regain my sanity.

 

I hate having a set schedule...it's just not my personality. I like to wing it....but that isn't working out for me because my house is a disaster and I'm constantly overwhelmed!

 

If you have a large family, do you feel like a schedule is needed? Yes, or at least set points for major events. Meals, clean-up, etc.

Do you have set days for laundry, mopping, etc? Do you make your kids stick to a schedule (wake up time, chore time, eating time, etc) I just spent a few weeks scrubbing down the living area of the house, and switched back to Motivated Mom for my cleaning chores, although I do 2 loads of laundry a day. We have meal times, evening clean-up time, and a strict bedtime. Our fixed points are set, but there's a fair amount of freedom between those points. :D

I don't want to go all crazy mama on everyone....but I need to gain control of my house!

Also, do you have any sort of "must do's" (sorry, Mrs Mungo...I think I just killed a kitten)

For instance: One designated towel per kid. One cup with their name on it, etc?

Right now I'm insisting that food is only allowed in the kitchen. Actually I'm being rather anal about it. ;) It has cut down on the mess in the rest of the house. :D

Any/all tips are welcomed :bigear:

 

:D

[mykdsmomy]

Everything in our house has order to it (seriously). It helps with the craziness. Everyone has a towel and a hook with their name above it. Everyone has their own bin for toothbrush/floss/comb/brush. Everyone has a water bottle with their name on it. Everyone takes a day to run one load of laundry (I also run one load/day). Even our snacks have a schedule so there is no, "Mom!! What's for snack today???" The less thinking I have to do the better. :D

 

We eat meals together not only for family time but to reduce the chaos. I experimented this last year with allowing "free meal time"...what a disaster! Meaning my kitchen was a disaster! That lasted about a week before it was back to family meal times. ;)

 

Chores are also done at the same time which works well as we know we are all working together like ants in an anthill (that's what it looks like at least).

 

I can go "crazy mama" on everyone and that's where my weakness is. My schedule can become my master and drive me (and my family) crazy. I need to be flexible and encouraging rather than militant when we get behind. I'm learning...slowly, I'm learning.

 

I think I love you :lol:

See, I'm so laid back about it all....kids all eat at different times (except dinner). We have an open kitchen so there are always dishes in the sink...or a bajillion cups on the counter from someone getting one and forgetting which color was theirs so they get another one :glare:

Dd13 INSISTS on using two towels after her shower. She says she needs one just for her hair (she has super wavy, thick hair). The thing is, they immediately put one towel down on the ground when they get out of the shower, and it winds up being the "mat" until the next person takes their shower....then they put down another towel because they don't want to step on a wet towel, etc......

 

I love the ideas that everyone has given ....I would multi quote all of you if I had the time :) Thanks and keep them coming.....pics would be appreciated too ;)

[MrsPisky]

Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman has been a huge asset in getting my family organized. Our weekly chore schedule goes like this:

 

Monday: Laundry & Bathrooms

Tuesday: Office Day

Wednesday: Town Day

Thursday: Kitchen Day

Friday: Cleaning Day

 

For each specified day I've made a weekly and monthly chore list. We each take a job and it gets done pretty quickly.

 

I've assigned "permanent jobs" to each child and they are responsible for cleaning that area and keeping it clean throughout the day.

 

I haven't quite ironed out our school schedule yet. It goes something like this:

 

6:00am Wake up

6:15am ds13 & ds12 - Math

7:00am dd7 & ds 5 - Grammar

8:00am Permanent Jobs / Daily Chores

8:30am Breakfast / Clean up breakfast

9:00am Group Schooling

10:00am Individual Schooling

12:00pm Lunch

12:30pm Clean up lunch / Perm Job check

1:00pm finish schooling and/or free time

5:00pm Dinner

5:30pm clean up dinner / Perm Job check

6:00pm Baths

7:00pm Reading together / Bible Study / Family Games (etc...)

8:00pm Bedtime routines (older children can read in bed if quiet)

 

I am more of a routine type person and don't stress out if 9:00am is approaching and we are no where near the point of sitting down as a group. This "loose schedule" helps the children stay on track and helps me out when I get stressed. The part I haven't worked out is being available for each child when they need me. :)

[Canadianmumof5]

Are we considered a big family?? Dunno but we definitely need a schedule in order to operate effectively around here (or at least I need it!).

 

I am going crazy now since we are on summer break & there is no schedule AT ALL! I mean, we do have lunch & dinner at fairly consistent times every day but that it about it. Breakfast, chores, bedtimes.....all of that is completely out of whack right now but we are starting back to school in the next 2 weeks so that will change.

 

I don't have a set schedule for specific chores to be done every day. It really depends on what needs to be done which is why I set up our chore chart & chores to be given out on a daily basis. You can check out my blog for our chore system and you can even download/print out the chore cards that we use. During the "school year", I put the chore cards into each of the kiddo's pockets the night before once I've had a chance to take a look around & see what needs to be done.

 

As for a school schedule - OH YA BABY!! We need a schedule around here. I am total Type A so I have everything planned out for each kid by the half hour. I know it sounds really anal - but it works for us. Again, you can take a peek at the blog if you like. It shows you how I set up their daily schedules as well as their weekly schoolwork.

 

Anyway - good luck with finding the right tools & balance for your family. I couldn't be half as effective without mine. :001_smile:

[happypamama]

We're only kind-of-sort-of a large family (three older children plus an almost-toddler), but I definitely find that having a pretty strict routine works best. I'm just still figuring out what that routine is. :)

 

Everyone has his/her own Klean Kanteen that looks different from everyone else's and is therefore instantly recognizable. They drink milk at most meals, but at least the water bottles cut down on cups for water between meals, in the car, at bedtime, etc. Each child has a bin for shoes too (well, not the baby yet), and a three-hook set of hooks (the kind with one on top and two smaller ones below) for his/her jacket, hat, and backpack.

 

Each child has his/her own jobs to do in the morning, and these do not rotate, so there is no remembering who needs to do what. I've experimented with having them do those things after breakfast, and the reality is that it works better for them to be done before breakfast -- hunger motivates them to move faster! Then after breakfast, we can clear the table, brush teeth, and move right into schoolwork.

[Oakblossoms]

Have you considered using the schedule and doing school for 3 or 4 weeks and then taking a week off? I find we can follow a schedule for 4-6 weeks. Then we need to a week to veg. If we school year round we can afford it.

[BakersDozen]

The thing is, they immediately put one towel down on the ground when they get out of the shower, and it winds up being the "mat" until the next person takes their shower....then they put down another towel because they don't want to step on a wet towel, etc......

This would make me nuts! :D When I was doing "towel training" (kind of like potty training, lol!) I had a different color towel for each kid (I used old towels we had on hand). It was easy to see whose towel was left on the ground and who, consequently, got to do a bathroom cleaning task for me (they did the task immediately so as to not have a delay in the consequence). I sure had clean drawers and cabinets during that time... ;) Towels on floors are a pet peeve of mine (obviously) so our dc are taught from the time they can walk to hang up their towel (you should see the little hooks for our toddlers halfway down the walls so even they can hang their towels up :)).

 

Having individual towels help eliminate anyone using someone else's or getting another towel out. I have one ds who for some reason kept getting out a clean towel so I gave him permission to, however I charged him $1/towel beyond his original towel. At the end of the week I earned $5 and he went back to using only one towel.

 

What kind of bins do you use for their toothbrush supplies? Sorry image is sideways!

 

And our girls' towel bar (forgive the dirty mirror...dd didn't clean the bathroom yet):

 

Rebecca - If you'd like I can send you our school and chore schedule. PM me. :)

[justamouse]

It's a schedule, but it's not strict. Strict schedules make me drink vast amounts of vodka.

 

I have a schedule in that I have a list I'd like to accomplish--how and when is left to the flow of the day.

 

I could never, ever label people's bins and do towel hooks or all that. I have hampers in the bathrooms, when they're full, they're put in the laundry room and I wash them. When something is dirty, I clean it. My house is clean enough to easily have company over at any time.

[Tasia]

I schedule most things, but our schedule varies a lot because of our kids' activities and Dh's work schedule. It's important to my youngest that we follow a general schedule/routine, so I figure it out the night before, then go over it with him in the morning. Now that the older boys are old enough to feed and clean up after themselves, they don't have to stick to all parts of my schedule.

 

Do you have set days for laundry, mopping, etc? I have a system for laundry, not a schedule. My own laundry is separate and gets done about once a week. Dh takes care of his own dress clothes. For Dh's casual clothes and all of the boys' clothes, I keep five laundry baskets lined up in hall outside the laundry room. One is for white t-shirts and socks, one is for jeans and other dark pants, one is for other darks (including underwear and pajamas), one is for "nice clothes" and one is for athletic clothes. When their hampers are starting to look full, they bring their clothes down and sort them into the baskets. Each morning, I wash the two biggest loads, fold them and have one of the older boys put them away. If the older boys want something specific washed, they do it themselves. Everyone has one towel that they hang up in their room to dry between showers. I decide when to wash them and hang them back up in the same place. Everyone has two sets of sheets, so I change the sheets every Friday and wash the dirty ones when I get a chance over the week.

 

Do you make your kids stick to a schedule (wake up time, chore time, eating time, etc) Ds4 gets up at 7, goes to bed at 8 and eats at 7:15, 10:30, 12:00, 3ish and 6ish. The older boys get up on their own, but I wake them if they have somewhere to go or something to do, or if they sleep past a reasonable time (9:30 or so). For school, I'll have them all up at 7. They eat breakfast and snacks whenever they want, but I make lunch and dinner, so they eat when I eat. My kids don't have set chores, but if I ask them to do something (or give them a time to do it), they do it when I ask, not when they feel like it.

 

Also, do you have any sort of "must do's"

One bath towel per kid. Beach/pool towels are separate and get washed as soon as we get home.

Designated snack boxes. I have three boxes on the counter - one full of fruit, one of granola/cereal bars, and one with packages of popcorn, a bag of pretzels, a box of crackers, a package of rice cakes, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. There's also one in the refrigerator with fruit, vegetables, cheese and meat. My older boys (and their friends) are free to eat as much as they want from those boxes, along with water or milk. When they were younger, it was a lot simpler, with just fruit and granola bars.

Lockers. We replaced one of our porch closets with five lockers (5-foot tall cupboards with a drawer, two shelves and four hooks). Hats, mitts, scarves and some extra socks go in the drawer, sneakers and boots go on the shelves and coats and sweaters are hung up.

Dishes go in the dishwasher. My kids aren't allowed to leave a dirty dish anywhere but the inside of the dishwasher. If they're the one who puts the last bowl, glass or plate in, they turn it on. If it's full of clean dishes, they put them away first.

[Pamela H in Texas]

A few things:

 

We have color coded cups. Everyone has their own color tumbler. You may have one per day (if you get a second, you volunteered to do dishes which the 17yo really appreciates).

 

In addition to the cups, we are the same color on the calendar. Pic of that:

 

We also have picture schedules: http://edufunmom.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/we-practiced-this-morning I'm actually reworking these this week so we'll be ready for school.

 

By the front door, we have a few things to help. We have three baskets for shoes (it used to be four and may need to go back to four). People need their shoes in the correct basket. We also have hooks (small ones for keys, leash, poop bags, etc and large ones for adult coats, hats, purses). We also have kid hooks. Every kid has two hooks. That is where your backpack, coat, hat, and the one's weighted vest goes.

 

On the bedroom doors, there is a small plastic organizer that holds small brushes for each kid in that room. On their doors is also any temporary awards (then it goes in a binder for keeps) and the toothbrushing chart when we use one.

 

Most things have a certain place they are to be. Medications are locked. So are binders of documentation (foster care). All cleaning supplies are in one location (except laundry stuff which is above the washer/drier).

 

Toothbrushes are characters for each child so no confusion there. Brushes are color coded.

 

We have a tot-clock which keeps kids in bed until a certain time and wakes people up to get up on time on school days. It also has "singing to sleep" and white noise at night. It is your job to be in bed before it starts (I don't do an elaborate bedtime routine..it's not my thing). We have a paper-plate clock which shows the next time you're looking for on the livingroom clock (so that it is a matching game as my kids aren't able to read a clock well yet).

 

We have charts up for savings, AAS, memory work...

 

I want to steal the towel thing above!

 

And we desperately need a better solution regarding laundry. I feel like we always have clean laundry that needs putting up.

 

We also need a better solution regarding meals. We eat out *way* too much on top of spending more than I wish at Costco and Walmart.

[mykdsmomy]

Thank you again for taking the time to respond. I have all the links that were suggested open right now :)

 

It helps to hear/see how others manage their home/time!

 

In my own narcissistic world, you would all come to my house and help me get organized :tongue_smilie:

 

I definitely want to do the one towel per person/one cup per person, etc....however, I know if I just assign an existing towel or cup, they will just disregard it...or someone's towel will get used by someone else, someone will breathe on someone's towel, etc :glare:

 

I'm wondering if a sharpie might work to label them?

 

The cups will be the same problem. I have a set of acrylic tumblers I got from Costco a few months ago...there are two sized and they are purple/aqua/orange/green....if I had originally assigned colors to them, then it wouldn't be a big deal....but how do you MAKE them use their own dang color? I could see there being a million excuses why so and so had to use so and so's cup :rolleyes:

 

I know a lot of it will be initial follow through on my part....and turning into a bit of a psycho mom until they realize I'm serious and I'm laying down the law...

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'm a routine or framework person. Strict schedules make me revolt (yes, I realize against myself :confused:). We do things usually in the same order but not the exact time each day.

[Renee in NC]

Yes and no. When school starts, we'll have a much stricter schedule, but for now it isn't much. We do use too many cups, too many towels, and the house is only spotless for about 15 minutes once a week.:tongue_smilie:

 

I need to get more organized as my work responsibilities go up, and the dc's workload increases with school. I plan to have "Morning Chores", "Afterschool Chores", and we'll keep our "After Dinner" chores that we have now. We'll eat at 6pm (dh cooks) and have homework/study time from 7-8 or 9 (depending on age.) Some will have to do homework in the afternoon, too, but hopefully not too much.

[Mommyfaithe]

Not scheduled....but routined.

 

I am reading this thread with interest. I could never make an actual schedule....something always gets in there and bums it up and then I feel like a total failure.....sigh

 

I just sort of do stuff routinely....and I am working on getting some new things into the routine....and also policing my kids better:D

 

 

ETA: I am hyperventilating reading this thread!!! I know in the long run all this planning and scheduling probably makes life simpler and you get stuff done faster......and my dh would probably think I was the s3xiest woman around....

But, just looking at all the policing to get these schedules and routines into place after having a darn free-for -all for the past few stressful years....well....it gives me hives!

Edited August 12, 2012 by Mommyfaithe

[CyndiLJ]

I started homeschooling at the same time as our family grew larger by two pre-teens, sort of moving us officially into larger family category with five kids. How I struggled! Not only did I now have waaaay more laundry, dishes, shopping, etc. but I also needed to figure out how to structure our HSing days.

 

It was a nightmare.

 

I loved all the cool schedules I saw online from other families. I so wanted those chore charts, those day by day and page by page planners. I ached to have every day structured and well organized.

 

It just wasn't for me. I found I spent countless hours organizing, and realized the stuff would still get done anyway with little fuss if we just developed good habits. I also realized that I didn't want our new daughters feeling they had moved from one orphanage into another, and that they needed to learn how to schedule themselves, how to occupy themselves (thus needing less structure, actually), and how to be more relaxed in their days.

 

When it came to scheduling school work, I eventually had one of those "Duh" moments when I realized that as long as we were working hard and taking it all seriously, I didn't need to go into what for me was overkill mode and schedule every page for every day. Instead of "If you build it, they will come." my motto became "If you work, it will get done." No more lists upon lists. Instead I generalized and made a check off sheet for each kid with "Language Arts" or "Math" listed for each day of the week. When they work on a subject, they circle it that day so I can see progress being made in each subject. At the end of the week, keeping it loose, I realized they were doing MORE than when I limited them with certain pages for certain days. Seriously. A LOT more. We now almost always finish our workbooky stuff by February and move on to another level.

 

I AM driving nuts by too many cups and tried the one cup a day thing, the color coded towels. etc. and found it was more hassle than it was worth. We all take 20 minutes to clean, everyone does what they like and sometimes what they don't and I don't really have to assign tasks, they sort of do it on their own.

 

I admit it is all simplified when you have kids who don't complain, argue or think work is a four letter nasty word. It also helps that I can trust them 100% to not mess around and get right at their school work without stalling. In fact, many mornings, they'll be at the table working already when I've just barely made it out of the shower. I don't really know how we are so fortunate to have developed this in the kids, but somehow we have and it is a complete and total blessing. We all work as a team, no one gets "stuck" doing the least favorite stuff without it being shared equally, and mom doesn't feel taken advantage of.

 

Sounds like a fairy tale, I know. But our home life is more relaxed, maybe because I gave up on it looking "perfect" and actually gave the kids ownership of their lives in some areas. I am not sure, but whatever it is, it worked and I spend my days pretty happily and without a ton of stress, AND we accomplish a lot with our school work.

 

Cindy - Who is glad she gave up on it looking like a military facility!

[mykdsmomy]

 

 

ETA: I am hyperventilating reading this thread!!! I know in the long run all this planning and scheduling probably makes life simpler and you get stuff done faster......and my dh would probably think I was the s3xiest woman around....

But, just looking at all the policing to get these schedules and routines into place after having a darn free-for -all for the past few stressful years....well....it gives me hives!

 

RIGHT??!!!! But I do think it would be worth it...and I'm willing to try....do it with me :) We can complain about our non compliant children together :lol:

 

I started homeschooling at the same time as our family grew larger by two pre-teens, sort of moving us officially into larger family category with five kids. How I struggled! Not only did I now have waaaay more laundry, dishes, shopping, etc. but I also needed to figure out how to structure our HSing days.

 

It was a nightmare.

 

I loved all the cool schedules I saw online from other families. I so wanted those chore charts, those day by day and page by page planners. I ached to have every day structured and well organized.

 

It just wasn't for me. I found I spent countless hours organizing, and realized the stuff would still get done anyway with little fuss if we just developed good habits. I also realized that I didn't want our new daughters feeling they had moved from one orphanage into another, and that they needed to learn how to schedule themselves, how to occupy themselves (thus needing less structure, actually), and how to be more relaxed in their days.

 

When it came to scheduling school work, I eventually had one of those "Duh" moments when I realized that as long as we were working hard and taking it all seriously, I didn't need to go into what for me was overkill mode and schedule every page for every day. Instead of "If you build it, they will come." my motto became "If you work, it will get done." No more lists upon lists. Instead I generalized and made a check off sheet for each kid with "Language Arts" or "Math" listed for each day of the week. When they work on a subject, they circle it that day so I can see progress being made in each subject. At the end of the week, keeping it loose, I realized they were doing MORE than when I limited them with certain pages for certain days. Seriously. A LOT more. We now almost always finish our workbooky stuff by February and move on to another level.

 

I AM driving nuts by too many cups and tried the one cup a day thing, the color coded towels. etc. and found it was more hassle than it was worth. We all take 20 minutes to clean, everyone does what they like and sometimes what they don't and I don't really have to assign tasks, they sort of do it on their own.

 

I admit it is all simplified when you have kids who don't complain, argue or think work is a four letter nasty word. It also helps that I can trust them 100% to not mess around and get right at their school work without stalling. In fact, many mornings, they'll be at the table working already when I've just barely made it out of the shower. I don't really know how we are so fortunate to have developed this in the kids, but somehow we have and it is a complete and total blessing. We all work as a team, no one gets "stuck" doing the least favorite stuff without it being shared equally, and mom doesn't feel taken advantage of.

 

Sounds like a fairy tale, I know. But our home life is more relaxed, maybe because I gave up on it looking "perfect" and actually gave the kids ownership of their lives in some areas. I am not sure, but whatever it is, it worked and I spend my days pretty happily and without a ton of stress, AND we accomplish a lot with our school work.

 

Cindy - Who is glad she gave up on it looking like a military facility!

 

My problem is my kids have too much ownership :tongue_smilie: I haven't been militant enough and so now they expect they can just spend their days doing whatever they please and any time they are asked to do chores, it's like I'm asking them to run a marathon :glare: I want your kids :lol:

[Canadianmumof5]

I started homeschooling at the same time as our family grew larger by two pre-teens, sort of moving us officially into larger family category with five kids. How I struggled! Not only did I now have waaaay more laundry, dishes, shopping, etc. but I also needed to figure out how to structure our HSing days.

 

It was a nightmare.

 

I loved all the cool schedules I saw online from other families. I so wanted those chore charts, those day by day and page by page planners. I ached to have every day structured and well organized.

 

It just wasn't for me. I found I spent countless hours organizing, and realized the stuff would still get done anyway with little fuss if we just developed good habits. I also realized that I didn't want our new daughters feeling they had moved from one orphanage into another, and that they needed to learn how to schedule themselves, how to occupy themselves (thus needing less structure, actually), and how to be more relaxed in their days.

 

When it came to scheduling school work, I eventually had one of those "Duh" moments when I realized that as long as we were working hard and taking it all seriously, I didn't need to go into what for me was overkill mode and schedule every page for every day. Instead of "If you build it, they will come." my motto became "If you work, it will get done." No more lists upon lists. Instead I generalized and made a check off sheet for each kid with "Language Arts" or "Math" listed for each day of the week. When they work on a subject, they circle it that day so I can see progress being made in each subject. At the end of the week, keeping it loose, I realized they were doing MORE than when I limited them with certain pages for certain days. Seriously. A LOT more. We now almost always finish our workbooky stuff by February and move on to another level.

 

I AM driving nuts by too many cups and tried the one cup a day thing, the color coded towels. etc. and found it was more hassle than it was worth. We all take 20 minutes to clean, everyone does what they like and sometimes what they don't and I don't really have to assign tasks, they sort of do it on their own.

 

I admit it is all simplified when you have kids who don't complain, argue or think work is a four letter nasty word. It also helps that I can trust them 100% to not mess around and get right at their school work without stalling. In fact, many mornings, they'll be at the table working already when I've just barely made it out of the shower. I don't really know how we are so fortunate to have developed this in the kids, but somehow we have and it is a complete and total blessing. We all work as a team, no one gets "stuck" doing the least favorite stuff without it being shared equally, and mom doesn't feel taken advantage of.

 

Sounds like a fairy tale, I know. But our home life is more relaxed, maybe because I gave up on it looking "perfect" and actually gave the kids ownership of their lives in some areas. I am not sure, but whatever it is, it worked and I spend my days pretty happily and without a ton of stress, AND we accomplish a lot with our school work.

 

Cindy - Who is glad she gave up on it looking like a military facility!

 

This sounds aspirational for me but not reality. I see that your youngest is 9; was the above how your house was when they were little like mine? If so, then you were immensely blessed with pretty much perfection!!!!

 

We need our military facility for basic training right now :)

[Canadianmumof5]

Not scheduled....but routined.

 

I am reading this thread with interest. I could never make an actual schedule....something always gets in there and bums it up and then I feel like a total failure.....sigh

 

I just sort of do stuff routinely....and I am working on getting some new things into the routine....and also policing my kids better:D

 

 

ETA: I am hyperventilating reading this thread!!! I know in the long run all this planning and scheduling probably makes life simpler and you get stuff done faster......and my dh would probably think I was the s3xiest woman around....

But, just looking at all the policing to get these schedules and routines into place after having a darn free-for -all for the past few stressful years....well....it gives me hives!

 

You must be doing something right to have homeschooled all this time!!

You deserve way more credit than you are giving yourself :)

[NancyNellen]

I think the "military facility" feeling happens when you try to do too much, too fast. If I decided that I wanted to be more healthy today I wouldn't wake up tomorrow and expect to eat only non-processed organic greens, drink only water, and workout 2 hours a day. It would be impractical and everyone knows I would fail. Undoing long-term habits takes time and patience and, most importantly, a willingness to move slowly and persevere. Training our children is the same way. We have always been a more scheduled family. I am my Type-A mother's daughter. So we don't know the "military-facility" feeling. Our lives are quiet and orderly, and we have plenty of quiet free time to pursue interests other than school. We are far from perfect, but I like the feeling of knowing that I could entertain last-minute guests without having to cancel school to clean, or that we can head to the zoo spontaneously for the afternoon because chores are done and dinner is in the crock pot. For me, having a schedule and being organized means far more freedom than just winging it. But maybe it's just my personality type :lol:

 

I would suggest that you start with the things that drive you the most nutty. If it is the cups, assign colors, grab a Sharpie, and explain that anyone found using a cup other than theirs has volunteered to wash the dishes that day. If you desire to make changes and your children don't seem interested in complying for the reasons you have given, create reasons that are harder to say no to :tongue_smilie:

 

Towels would be similar. Get a hook for the back of each child's door (2 or 3 if they share a room). Each child gets a different towel and it gets hung on their hook. If they are found using someone else's towel or they forget to hang their towel back up, they have volunteered to clean the bathroom. Compliant children are usually that way because they have been trained to be compliant. So, if your kids have generally not been it will take a little bit of training.

 

Add in new elements to the schedule and new chores slowly. Don't forget to check their work consistently in the beginning, so that they understand they cannot outwit the system.

 

We are, after all, training these small people to be competent and giving members of society who take pride in their work and are willing to work hard (even when no one is looking!) That takes training and practice in all areas of life. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

HTH,

[Mommyfaithe]

It's a schedule, but it's not strict. Strict schedules make me drink vast amounts of vodka.

 

I have a schedule in that I have a list I'd like to accomplish--how and when is left to the flow of the day.

 

I could never, ever label people's bins and do towel hooks or all that. I have hampers in the bathrooms, when they're full, they're put in the laundry room and I wash them. When something is dirty, I clean it. My house is clean enough to easily have company over at any time.

 

I knew we were soul sisters.

[Myeightkiddies]

So many times through the years I've tried to maintain a strict schedule; however, I found it to be personally exhausting for me. Now, I keep a mental schedule which allows for flexibility.

 

My goal is also to keep excessive clutter out of the house, and to simplify things as much as possible. We purged before the move, and while we unpack, I'm purging more. The house we purchased is as big as the one that we had previously overall, but it isn't. Our previous home was a large ranch (about 4k sq ft). This current home is three levels with about the same sq ft. The overall space is here but not in some of the places it was previously (as in our kitchen now is much smaller than the old one). Reducing clutter will just make life more simple. We had a lot of clutter due to rarely moving and never moving out of the area, until now. It's good to reduce it. The children (and dh) still have a lot of things but it's definitely better and more manageable.

 

With towels, I'm pleased with my current set-up, which really makes things simple. I have replaced all my colored towels with fluffy, white ones. Now it doesn't matter which bathroom has which towel. We just divide the clean towels and distribute to the appropriate linen closet on each floor. The same is true with washcloths and hand-towels. All of the old colored towels are now considered rags. We have a separate location for them. My only regret is that I didn't do this years ago. The general rule is that towels are brought down to the laundry room after use. I just do a load of towels daily. Keeps everything clean.

 

The children do re-use the same drinking glass each day. They keep them in one location in the kitchen. If they used a different one each time, the dish washing chore would be far worse than it is. And, if they just left them anywhere, the kitchen would be too cluttered to cook. They do wash their own glass throughout the day and after each use. I wash the little guy's glass for him.

 

Most other chores are done regularly. Vacuuming and dusting is done two to three times a week. Once a week the baseboards and closets are vacuumed. Bathrooms are cleaned about three times a week with spot cleaning done as needed. The entrance way, hall, diningroom (kitchen one), and kitchen are swept daily. Since they are wood, they are mopped about every other day. Rooms are expected to be kept clean as they will be vacuumed a couple times a week.

 

As far as who does what really just depends. I will just tell someone to do a particular chore. I'm good about remembering who has done what so I try to pick someone different and spread things out fairly. I don't make a chart because it reduces flexibility and requires policing. If the floor needs to be vacuumed and DD isn't home, I don't want to wait until they get back later that night to do it. I will have another child do it. When DD gets home, she can do something else that needs to be done. Next time the floor needs to be vacuumed, that DD can do it, and the other child can do something else.

 

My chores are simple as far as keeping track of what I need to do. I do dishes throughout the day by hand. After dinner I will use the dishwasher. I prefer to wash by hand as it is easier on my body. My 12 year old dd enjoys unloading the dishwasher (strange I know), so I usually ask her to do that the next morning.

 

I do laundry daily. This chore will be easier when DH hooks up my second washer and dryer. Some of the girls will wash their own clothes. I do my ironing once a week usually. The day varies as it is such a time sink. As long as DH has ironed shirts to wear to work, the day doesn't matter.

 

My bedroom is picked-up daily. I don't usually vacuum or dust it. It is vacuumed and dusted on whatever day the rest of the main floor is. The layout of the house is odd in that the master bathroom is also the guest bathroom. :glare: It all has to be cleaned with the other main/guest areas.

 

I cook dinner five to six days a week. Typically I do not on Saturday. There is either a festival, get-together, dinner out, dinner brought in, grilling, etc. on Saturday. Sometimes on Sunday I don't cook. Once in awhile DH has something he wants to make/grill/smoke. Lunches I don't usually make for the group (just little guy). The same is true for breakfast. Everyone is picky that usually they prefer to choose what they'd like. On weekends/holidays, I will make breakfast regularly.

 

Anyway, the house gets clean and stays clean. Chores are spread-out. No one is bored with doing the same thing. It works for us. DH thinks the children should do the dishes more often, but for now, I'm fine with doing them. Keeping house for a large family is exhausting and time-consuming no matter what. It's just part of the deal.

 

I know that strict schedules work well for many people. I think that it is great that they found something that works. I would love to have something so organized and laid-out work for us; however, I have tried so many times. It just doesn't. It really stresses me out and seems to make everyone unhappy. The way we do it requires a lot of mental work for me in remembering who has done what, but it only takes me a moment to think about it. I don't fuss with it all day. For example, I walk into the living room and say, "I need dusting done and vacuuming of the main floor. DD1 and 3 start dusting. DS2, I really need the dogs bathed so work on that. DD2 and 4, vacuum after they dust, but just do the floors. The baseboards will be later this week but if you see any debris, go ahead and vacuum it. DS1 and 3, work on cleaning up the basement so that it can be vacuumed shortly. I will need ds2 to vacuum it after the dogs are bathed. Ok, get busy and thanks." They just start doing it. The reason why DS2 is going to vacuum the basement after the dogs is because it will take DS1 a while to work with the 5 year old on cleaning the entire basement. It's big and has sleeping areas and such. Usually while the girls are dusting and vacuuming, I will have them do something that I see that needs to be done such as blinds, bird cage, cabinets, etc. Anyway, it all works out to roughly the same effort/time investment.

[BlsdMama]

I've fought it forever but I'm starting to think it's the only way to regain my sanity.

 

I hate having a set schedule...it's just not my personality. I like to wing it....but that isn't working out for me because my house is a disaster and I'm constantly overwhelmed!

 

If you have a large family, do you feel like a schedule is needed?

 

Do you have set days for laundry, mopping, etc? Do you make your kids stick to a schedule (wake up time, chore time, eating time, etc)

 

I don't want to go all crazy mama on everyone....but I need to gain control of my house!

 

Also, do you have any sort of "must do's" (sorry, Mrs Mungo...I think I just killed a kitten)

For instance: One designated towel per kid. One cup with their name on it, etc?

 

Any/all tips are welcomed :bigear:

 

LOL, laundry in a large family is EVERY day. I'd never keep up otherwise.

 

Schedules make me cranky. If I have everything figured to the minute and it's just me, well, fine. If it's little kids, you KNOW things will come up - discipline issues, potty accidents, diaper changing, surprise messes, snack times... CAN you schedule? I used to be a huge MOTH fan. Huge. I made beautiful color coded excel spreadsheets, perfectly timed, for us to follow for years. Then I always thought it was MY fault for not following them.

 

So, no, I don't like schedules and that's been an evolution for me. However, I'm a big fan of ROUTINES. That means that each day follows a close order, allows for interruptions, and there are a few things that are at a predictable time. When school is going, my kids will all be up by 7AM. We will all eat breakfast, do chores, and be ready to start school. We'll have Bible time and then they'll work independently while I focus on little kids and one on one at the table. Now, is this a "schedule?" No. It follows no strict time frame, but we all know we'll stop for lunch around 12:30 or so. Then we'll all clean up and I'll put the littles to bed and do phonics with the others. Then I'll have time to work one on one with the older kids.

 

When the littles wake up they'll head outside for a bit. :)

 

Routine - YES!

 

Kill the schedule. Too stressful.

 

Mondays are "Recovery" days for us - scrub floor, wash sheets if needed, make the house shiny. Fridays (we try to do every other) is Errand Day - groceries, appointments, etc.

[Ellie]

A friend with six dc had a very strict daily routine: They all got up, made beds, got dressed (including shoes) before they came downstairs in the morning; they ate breakfast together and cleaned the kitchen--no in-between-meal snacking; they prepared and ate lunch and cleaned the kitchen--no in-between-meal snacking; they prepared and ate dinner and cleaned the kitchen...not sure about evening snacks, but if there were, it wasn't every many for himself in there, I'm sure. :-)

 

I don't think they had a schedule per se; I think it was just the routine.

 

I don't know how they did laundry or anythng; I just happened to be over there one day and we talked about her daily routine.

[allymom]

No strict schedule here, it doesn't suit my personality. And my oldest DD goes nuts if we do have a schedule and we veer at all. She's a very by the book type and can't handle getting off schedule. So it seems better to me to not have it written down because we will get off schedule. I don't have any set days for chores or town days or anything. This may change as my kids get older. But currently, we have a rough school schedule that I do try to stick to, certain subjects in certain orders, with some subjects alternating days. That I stick to, but again, it's not written down because it makes us all nuts if it is. And we have meals and snacks at fairly set times. Bedtime is pretty set in stone too. After that, anything goes.

[Murphy101]

I knew we were soul sisters.

 

Maybe we are long lost triplets bc I'm with you gals.

 

Those MOTH schedules where every moment is accounted for make me want chocolate and wine before I even get out of bed. It gives me a stress induced eye twitch just looking at that color coded board.

 

And I consider myself rather organized!

 

Even if it is mostly due to over compensating.;)

 

I think the schedule is less important than knowing your personal domino effect. I wrote about it a longtime ago on my blog when someone asked how I plan my days. Can't link to it right now tho. Nursing while on ipad and cutting and pasting is too much to ask of my left hanf. Sorry.

 

You don't need to be über detailed and organized. You just need to be organized enough to meet your priorities and goals. That's the entire point of any schedule/organization.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Martha
Apparently spelling is a function of my right hand.

[MyLittleWonders]

I had to go find it. :lol: So, here is Martha's personal domino effect post. I love the idea, and interestingly enough, having the dishes done before bedtime is one of my big ones too.

[Pamela H in Texas]

The cups will be the same problem. I have a set of acrylic tumblers I got from Costco a few months ago...there are two sized and they are purple/aqua/orange/green....if I had originally assigned colors to them, then it wouldn't be a big deal....but how do you MAKE them use their own dang color? I could see there being a million excuses why so and so had to use so and so's cup

 

I don't think you will be able to have ONE cup per person AND have them use only that cup. MAYBE if you did dishes at the end of the day and they just had to get one out of the dishwasher in the morning? But there *will* be a reason that won't work (someone wakes at 11pm and needs a drink to stop a coughing fit, someone is ill so can't really use just one cup anyway, etc). Each of our kids have their own SET of cups. The big people got cups from the local fair (all those dentists trying to get you to choose them). The little people each have a set of five little tumblers (ours are green, blue, dark blue, orange, and red). So there will be a 2nd cup usage if we have a green smoothie or someone is ill or someone gets up in the middle of the night. And they get THEIRS.

 

And I think the reason it works is that it was something SPECIAL when it was implemented. But look at my signature. I mean, the kids were 6, 4, and 3 at the time. Your own special cup *is* kinda cool as a preschooler. I wouldn't expect a set of preteens to think it was quite so cool.

 

Along that line, if I took my kids to Target later and told them they could pick a towel each, they'd be so happy. Their very own towel!?!?! They would probably wonder what the special occasion was! Again, I would think twelve year olds might not be so excited :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

I want to thank those of y'all who talked about not being able to have a schedule because life gets in the way. And I want to thank y'all even more for saying how much you did or would feel like a failure. THis is HUGE for me! As you can see on my calendar in my other post, we have a LOT of appointments (though we took a two month break from most of them for Aug/Sept).

 

Anyway, so I try to say, "this is what we're going to do" and it looks like, when I made an hourly schedule, it would work. And then there is the WIC appointment or someone gets sick or whatever. Now the baby has MRSA which means more work during diaper changes, baths, and medication times. The new baby has diarrhea. Monkey has started the "he touched me" thing VERY early in life. She wants to play with the new baby on HER terms; but if he looks at her when she doesn't want to, she throws herself on the floor screaming. Have I ever mentioned I really like things pretty quiet around here? I think Monkey needs a new memo!

 

So is History going to be done at the same time MWF? Ummmm, no. I wish.

Instead, I think it is going to work better for us to have a checklist and we get it done daily. Anything you didn't do yesterday, do it first today. Then work our way through the checklist again. We probably will put the list in a general order knowing the daily walk should be ABOUT 9am and then we'll come home and do FFL when we can all get together again (them doing something more independent while I run through diapers and wipe noses and go potty myself and throw the load of laundry in the drier).

 

I just don't think it is very reasonable to guess that I'm going to have a perfect schedule and do it daily. And I will feel like a colossal failure if I try! I'm sick of feeling like a failure!

[chickenpatty]

I've got 6 who are school aged this year and I've tried several times to have a strict schedule, but it has never worked out.

 

So... we start off our school year with a "loose" schedule and go from there.

 

By "loose" I mean,

8:45ish Bible

next (whenever next is) Math

next (whenever next is) English

You get the picture:)

 

Maybe I have more of an order that I like things done, but not a specific time or amount of time to do them. It is too much for me to keep that tight of a ship.

[Susan in TN]

Just wanted to add a quick link if no one has already mentioned it:

 

"How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up After Themselves...And Like It"

 

I haven't read it yet, but I'm going to order it. Sounds like it might be well worth the $7.

 

http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/LettersFromAuntJune/

[mykdsmomy]

I wouldn't expect a set of preteens to think it was quite so cool.

 

 

I'm to the point where I don't care if they don't think it's cool. :lol:

 

I want to thank those of y'all who talked about not being able to have a schedule because life gets in the way. And I want to thank y'all even more for saying how much you did or would feel like a failure. THis is HUGE for me! As you can see on my calendar in my other post, we have a LOT of appointments (though we took a two month break from most of them for Aug/Sept).

 

Anyway, so I try to say, "this is what we're going to do" and it looks like, when I made an hourly schedule, it would work. And then there is the WIC appointment or someone gets sick or whatever. Now the baby has MRSA which means more work during diaper changes, baths, and medication times. The new baby has diarrhea. Monkey has started the "he touched me" thing VERY early in life. She wants to play with the new baby on HER terms; but if he looks at her when she doesn't want to, she throws herself on the floor screaming. Have I ever mentioned I really like things pretty quiet around here? I think Monkey needs a new memo!

 

So is History going to be done at the same time MWF? Ummmm, no. I wish.

Instead, I think it is going to work better for us to have a checklist and we get it done daily. Anything you didn't do yesterday, do it first today. Then work our way through the checklist again. We probably will put the list in a general order knowing the daily walk should be ABOUT 9am and then we'll come home and do FFL when we can all get together again (them doing something more independent while I run through diapers and wipe noses and go potty myself and throw the load of laundry in the drier).

 

I just don't think it is very reasonable to guess that I'm going to have a perfect schedule and do it daily. And I will feel like a colossal failure if I try! I'm sick of feeling like a failure!

 

 

Thank you for this :grouphug: I think routine is going to be more workable than a strict schedule. We have a similar "kid" situation as yours....I need flexibility but ds8 needs to know what happens next or he's bouncing off the walls. Well, he'll do that anyway...but I'm sure a routine will help him to know what to expect next instead of me always trying to redirect him.

[Murphy101]

I don't think you will be able to have ONE cup per person AND have them use only that cup. MAYBE if you did dishes at the end of the day and they just had to get one out of the dishwasher in the morning?

 

Yes, this is exactly what is done here. The dishwasher is full every night after dinner and every morning is emptied before breakfast is started.

 

But there *will* be a reason that won't work (someone wakes at 11pm and needs a drink to stop a coughing fit,

 

They use their toothbrush mug for that. They each have one in the upstairs bathroom. If its clean enough to use when brushing teeth, then it's clean enough for the occassional 2am sip.

 

someone is ill so can't really use just one cup anyway, etc).

 

:confused:I have absolutely no idea why a sick person would need more than one cup.

 

Each of our kids have their own SET of cups. The big people got cups from the local fair (all those dentists trying to get you to choose them). The little people each have a set of five little tumblers (ours are green, blue, dark blue, orange, and red). So there will be a 2nd cup usage if we have a green smoothie or someone is ill or someone gets up in the middle of the night. And they get THEIRS.

 

I'm glad that works for you, but that would be quite a few cups in this house and I wouldn't appreciate the extra dishes. Even before we switched to coffee mugs, I only has 2 of each color tumbler for them. Usually we just rinse out the mug/glass and carry on.

 

And I think the reason it works is that it was something SPECIAL when it was implemented. But look at my signature. I mean, the kids were 6, 4, and 3 at the time. Your own special cup *is* kinda cool as a preschooler. I wouldn't expect a set of preteens to think it was quite so cool.

 

My kids, all ages, love their personalized mugs! They are really very territorial of their mugs. LOL

 

My olders like a sense of personal ownership. That this whatever is theirs and the law of the house will uphold their rights to it. LOL In a home where so much is shared, having something that isn't is quite the appreciated indulgence for any of us. We don't indulge it often because we want them to be generous, but there's a few things we do to make life easier for everyone. Dealing with arguments about who used which towel would drive me batty. Mugs aren't an issue though.

 

Not saying there is anything wrong with your system. Just offering another perspective. It really depends on household dynamics.