Moms of littles...tell me about your morning schedule if it's working

[Meadowlark]

I'm thinking I need to change a few things to make our day go more smoothly. Right now, it feels like chaos despite all of my tricks and ideas. Basically, I have teacher intensive curricula and active preschoolers and toddler running amuck. We do an hour of "quiet time" in the morning when my 3 littles go off to their rooms, which works well. I need to figure out how to structure the rest of the morning, while giving my younger 3 some much needed attention too, but still getting most of school done with the olders. Once we hit noon, all is good. We have a nice routine of read aloud, naps, quiet time, etc going. It's just the morning that is making me nutso. I thought maybe someone could point out the obvious of what I'm not doing.

[Tawlas]

I'm all ears! I only have one little and it drives me bonkers! What curriculum are you using that is teacher intensive? Maybe someone can give you some pointers there?

 

I use the high chair a lot with my littlest. She wants to be doing what we're doing. Unfortunately, her idea of joining in with the Story of the World colouring/listening is streching out across the table top, crumpling papers, knocking over pencil crayon jars, grabbing the felts and scribbling on others papers and playing with the buttons on the CD player and turning everything off. If she's in a high chair I can keep her supplied with her own felts, one at a time, with her own copy of whatever picture we're colouring and when that runs out, I can give her some little activity (like pompons and an empty vanilla bottle to drop them in for example) and when that runs out, a snack with lots of little pieces to pick up one at a time (think raisins, cheerios and blueberries!). That gives me a half hour or so :P

 

Its hard. I think it's easier to adjust what you're doing with older kids since toddlers aren't that adjustable. Hopefully there's more help out there!

[Hkpiano]

We start out with Circle Time into which I intersperse fun things for my 3 year old: nursery rhymes, weather, songs, etc. I also allow them all to have a snack during Circle Time which helps him to be willing to sit and be quiet during that time.

 

Then I move on to math. We are doing Right Start for both of my older two kids. It is very teacher intensive and they are on separate levels, so whoever is not doing math will play with their little brother during this time while the other child and I do math.

 

After that, we do Handwriting without Tears and the 3 year old sits at the table and colors or puts stickers in his sticker book. Then we do Story of the World or Science and he will sometimes listen to that or run off to play. Sometimes we'll bring toys out for him if he really wants to be with us but is not wanting to sit and listen. Often DD will go play with him. Since she's only in K, I leave it up to her whether or not to participate in History and Science each day.

 

Next is DD's reading lesson. It is DS7's job to entertain his brother during this time because it is only 10-15 minutes but she needs to be able to focus.

 

Usually after that I'll read aloud our literature selection and DS7 will read something aloud to all of us. Since he is on a second grade reading level, usually his book is very appealing to his brother and sister so we all listen in. :)

 

Then we'll do Spelling and Writing, and again everyone is back at the table so DS3 usually asks to color again. After that, it is lunch time!

 

DS3 is very rambunctious and can be pretty distracting but we've found a rhythm that works for us, I think mostly because we're not doing any one thing for very long. There is variety plus he gets one-on-one time with his siblings which he likes a lot!

[KSinNS]

It's always mayhem with the littles. We keep story time short in the morning. J sits on my lap, and if M is noisy, I ask her to leave the room. She doesn't have to sit still.

 

During people's one-on-one time, J sits with me or plays in the schoolroom. He puts things in his mouth, and we have a million legos, so I can't leave him alone or with one of the bigger kids. He draws on the table and tries to eat the erasers and destroy things. I encourage him to use paper, and try to keep the dry erase markers out of reach (he spends lots of times trying to get those-he knows where they are). It's not a big deal if he draws on stuff with regular markers because I can wash them off. I have lots of toys in the school room, but destroying things usually keeps him entertained longer.

 

M will come into the school room and look at books or colour for a while, but mostly she'll play with D or T when they aren't doing school. They like playing together, so that keeps them all out of trouble. She's not too much of a challenge these days, but every now and then, she'll get bored and decide to stir things up. Same rules apply, she can hang out so long as she's not disruptive, but if she's disruptive, she has to go somewhere else.

 

S usually works in his own room, once he's done with me because he can't handle the racket-between J and D, the schoolroom can get pretty chaotic. Neither T nor D are all that independent, so except for about 10 minutes of overlap, I usually only have one of them with me. 

[Mommy to monkeys]

We have been kind of in that same boat. . .not being able to get the amount of "school time" in during mornings because of my toddlers running a muck. Once they were down for nap we had a lovely lengthy read aloud time and a little quiet time. But I've had to give that up. I love it. But I've found we can't have afternoon read aloud time (or quiet time for me) AND get school done efficiently. I just can't have it both ways right now.

 

Basically we get done what we can in the morning in the midst of the chaos. Then we go outside or hang out together before lunch. After my twins are down for naps (around 1), it's noses to the grindstone till 3 or 3:30.  I work individually with my kids during this time, so THEY are still getting some quiet time in the afternoon. I just don't. And we moved all our read aloud time to 8 when I put my toddlers to bed for the night. It's exhausting the snot out of me, BUT it's what's working best for everyone else right now. I figure I only have ONE MORE hard year with littles and then it will get a bit easier. ((YEAH!!!))

[Meadowlark]

We have been kind of in that same boat. . .not being able to get the amount of "school time" in during mornings because of my toddlers running a muck. Once they were down for nap we had a lovely lengthy read aloud time and a little quiet time. But I've had to give that up. I love it. But I've found we can't have afternoon read aloud time (or quiet time for me) AND get school done efficiently. I just can't have it both ways right now.

 

Basically we get done what we can in the morning in the midst of the chaos. Then we go outside or hang out together before lunch. After my twins are down for naps (around 1), it's noses to the grindstone till 3 or 3:30. I work individually with my kids during this time, so THEY are still getting some quiet time in the afternoon. I just don't. And we moved all our read aloud time to 8 when I put my toddlers to bed for the night. It's exhausting the snot out of me, BUT it's what's working best for everyone else right now. I figure I only have ONE MORE hard year with littles and then it will get a bit easier. ((YEAH!!!))

Ok, now I feel guilty for taking my afternoon "sanity break" :-) I really do look at it that way though and figure if I don't get some alone time, there's just no way I could make it until 5:00 when dh gets home. Actually, I think my kids are spent by about 1:00 too so I'm not even sure I could do school with them anyway. As it is, my 2nd grader reads for the hour, and my 1st grader listens to books. So I guess it's a win for all of us.

 

I feel like if I could just manage my time/be more organized/have a plan, our day would be so much smoother. My preschoolers want to do school so much-and they have their own workbooks and sit at the table with us. Problem is-my olders usually need help with something and my preschoolers are noisy! Then, there's the 1 yr. old chewing markers and climbing on the table. So it's chaos.

[Mrs. A]

We have our morning basket/circle time in the mornings and do everything together. My 2 &4 year olds participate if they feel like (usually the 2yo just plays nearby, or sits on my lap or talks so loud that everything is disrupted!  :lol: ). But I save one-on-one work for the afternoons when 2yo goes down for her nap. At least.... that's what WAS working. Now she has started getting out of her bed during naptime and my energy has been so low and my back/hip pain has been so bad with this pregnancy,  I haven't had the stamina to get her back up the stairs and enforce the time in her room. I'm going to need a new strategy now. Drat! :glare:

[Mommy to monkeys]

Ok, now I feel guilty for taking my afternoon "sanity break" :-) I really do look at it that way though and figure if I don't get some alone time, there's just no way I could make it until 5:00 when dh gets home. Actually, I think my kids are spent by about 1:00 too so I'm not even sure I could do school with them anyway. As it is, my 2nd grader reads for the hour, and my 1st grader listens to books. So I guess it's a win for all of us.

 

I don't necessarily think you should go without. My oldest is 12. Your oldest is 8.  There's a big difference in work load there!  I've never had 5 as I jumped from 4 to 6, but when my oldest was 8 we were still able to get an hour of quiet time in every day(most days anyway. . .).;) I think what made it work back then was focusing mostly on the 3'rs, reading aloud a lot, and the rest only happening when we were having good days.  Find what works best for you. There's no one right way. 

[Meadowlark]

Can you all tell me about your circle time? Besides doing calendar and reading, what else do you do and what resources do you use? I need concrete idea for how to implement this.

[Mommy to monkeys]

One more thing, having a house full of just little ones was more mentally stressful for me than now having some older kids in the mix.  When I felt like I was the only grown up, I started to lose it by naptime.  Now I know my older kids aren't adults, but they aren't little kids anymore and we relate to each on different level than we did a few years ago.  They don't frazzle me like they used to. In fact I think they help me stabilize quite a bit.  That's the difference for ME in why I needed the afternoon break a few years ago but can live without it now.  

[Mrs. A]

Can you all tell me about your circle time? Besides doing calendar and reading, what else do you do and what resources do you use? I need concrete idea for how to implement this.

 

 

For us this is when we do content. So daily we do:

Prayers

Bible reading/lives of the saints

Calendar

Memory work

Exercise

 

Then each day of the week has a different subject

Monday: history (ancient)

Tuesday: art/music

Wednesday: nature study

Thursday: geography

Friday: American history 

 

I also try to fit in some Spanish a couple times per week, though it's not always tied to a particular day and I try to include some short fun read aloud to help them practice their narration skills a little. My eldest has to narrate on his own at other times as well, but I'm finding that my 6yo needs the support of doing it together for now.  

[Coco_Clark]

They all get up between 5-8 (depending on the child).  My husband is a naturally early riser so I am able to sleep in until 7:00 when he's about to leave.  This is a huge blessing as I am NOT a morning person.  I used to try to get in some "me" time and be fresh to greet the children but it just doesn't work.

 

Everyone prays before daddy leaves, then gets dressed and eats breakfast and does their morning chore.  I put in laundry.

 

At 8:30 we start our Morning Time. I start with picture books (everyone gets to bring me one).  Then the toddler gets to wander off if he wants, though he generally likes to stay in the same room and climbs up and down the couch.  But he is quiet for the most part.  This took a LOT of training, and yes, when he got loud he would be locked in a bedroom to "cry it out" even though I never did so in any other situation.  Morning reading is just that important to me.  Anyways, after the baby is released we do bible, a poem, memory work, and 1-2 chapters.  I used to release my middle son before the chapter book but he is newly 5 and required to listen now.  Once a week we add a saints life.  We are done by 9:30.

M-Th
9:30-10:30 is DS7's one on one lesson time with me.  We save all independent work for later in the day.  As long as its done by 3 is he allowed to do it when he pleases.  DS5 and DS2 watch an educational video, it's the only way to keep them from bickering.

 

10:30-11:30 is DS5's one on one lesson time with me.  We do a lesson, then independent while I sit there with him, then a lesson, ect.  We almost never use the full hour as he is a diligent worker and my PreK expectations are light.  DS7 plays with DS2.  He calls it "baby school".

 

Everyone breaks while I take a breather, switch laundry, clean something, make lunch, ect.  We eat around 12:30.

 

Fridays we spend 9:30-1 doing Nature Study.  

 

Around 1 DS2 goes down for his nap and we re-collect for another hour of school.  Something fun and interest based like History, Science, Art, ect.  At 2 DS7 is reminded to finish any unfinished work.  I do more cleaning, fold laundry, ect.

 

DS2 wakes up around 3.  As long as DS7 has finished his work he is allowed video game time.  He often partakes of that.  We also often walk to the park and they play there while I read a book.  This is generally my down time and I'm lucky in the fact that my kids are fairly independent in play.  

At 5 everyone has to clean up their activities and do their afternoon chore and I start dinner.

My only real "alone" time is as night.  The kids all go to bed at 7:30 and I don't until 11 or 12 so that is quite a few hours.    

 

 

[Coco_Clark]

Ok, now I feel guilty for taking my afternoon "sanity break" :-) I really do look at it that way though and figure if I don't get some alone time, there's just no way I could make it until 5:00 when dh gets home. Actually, I think my kids are spent by about 1:00 too so I'm not even sure I could do school with them anyway. As it is, my 2nd grader reads for the hour, and my 1st grader listens to books. So I guess it's a win for all of us.

 

I feel like if I could just manage my time/be more organized/have a plan, our day would be so much smoother. My preschoolers want to do school so much-and they have their own workbooks and sit at the table with us. Problem is-my olders usually need help with something and my preschoolers are noisy! Then, there's the 1 yr. old chewing markers and climbing on the table. So it's chaos.

 

I dont think you should feel guilty for the "sanity break".  I went through a stage with 3 boys between 15-24 months in the house and you can BET during that hour they were all asleep the big boys were NOT allowed to talk to me.  Lol.  Sometimes sanity is sanity.

 

And for the record, in case it helps, a 2 or 3 year old would never be allowed to sit at a table around here and call interrupting real lessons school.  I'm just cruel that way, I guess.   I always told them that school was something you did when you turned 5.  

[Meadowlark]

I dont think you should feel guilty for the "sanity break". I went through a stage with 3 boys between 15-24 months in the house and you can BET during that hour they were all asleep the big boys were NOT allowed to talk to me. Lol. Sometimes sanity is sanity.

 

And for the record, in case it helps, a 2 or 3 year old would never be allowed to sit at a table around here and call interrupting real lessons school. I'm just cruel that way, I guess. I always told them that school was something you did when you turned 5.

Very interesting. I am basically of that same mindset and it worked, until about a month ago. I too, believe there's really no need for formal work or anything, but...and here's where it gets tricky...I DO need to nurture them, give them attention and make them feel valued and part of the group. These past few months, I've basically been shooing them away because I haven't figured out how to have them in the room with us because it's just always a 3 ring circus. They almost never just "go play" or occupy themselves, even when I get out special toys. They just always want to be a part of what's going on.

 

So, they got some workbooks for Christmas and now are all excited to "do school" with us. I'm trying to figure out how to rework our day to fill their tank first. The problem is, I really like to get down to business right away with the older kids and knock out AAS, AAR or math. I think I may just have to get over it and start with them first. I had tried that back in August and it lasted all of 2 days. The baby just didn't let me even sit down, whereas now she might even sit and listen as she will be 2 in March. I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm getting there. Of course, then I'll be sad these days are over as I'll only remember the sweetness and not the crazy/difficult days.

[Coco_Clark]

You mentioned your olders being pretty spent by 1.   What about spending the afternoon with the littles?  Its not filling their tank "first", but if they know they will get mommy later (because its been that way for several weeks and is now routine) they may be more out of your hair in the morning.   I get the needing nurturing thing.  And I know in this house, sometimes when very littles are asking for "school" what they really want is just some attention and they've learned that's the only way to get it!  I've been very guilty of that before.

[Meadowlark]

You mentioned your olders being pretty spent by 1. What about spending the afternoon with the littles? Its not filling their tank "first", but if they know they will get mommy later (because its been that way for several weeks and is now routine) they may be more out of your hair in the morning.

I kind of naturally do spend more time with them now when they wake up from their naps, probably because the boxes have all been checked and I'm a lot less stressed knowing that I got school done.

 

I don't know-I keep picturing everyone else's kids coloring quietly or playing house with their dolls. Is that just my fantasy? My kids just are not toy playing kids. They like to do things but only initiated or led by me. Coming up with their own fun? Going off into the other room and building with blocks? Not likely to happen. I admit I find my natural positive personality changing to a growly, negative, impatient one...and I don't like it one bit. The constant stress and chaos is getting to me and it can't be fun for them either. So they're getting a growly mom and minimal attention from me, which is creating needy kids who long for my attention even more.

[Guest nkexiangpe]

I think it's easier to adjust what you're doing with older kids since toddlers aren't that adjustable.

[blondeviolin]

My littles like to be lazy in the morning. The 3yo eats breakfast and then either looks at books, colors, does a puzzle, or asks for the TV. My littlest guy doesn't even wake up until ~10. He won't eat in the morning, but will sit on my lap and drink milk happily. If I can get my butt out of my warm bed around 8, we can knock out a good chunk of stuff while the littles are cuddling or enjoying a show. I often try to get my 5yo done in that time because then she and he 3yo go okay while I finish up with my 7yo (he's a quick worker when he buckles down) and my 8yo (who is usually finished with independent work at that point).

 

The only problem that creates is that my olders feel left out because they want to watch TV too (even if they claim Blue's Clues is babyish).

[FO4UR]

You can still wear baby on your back, close to mom and yet not chewing on markers.

 

You can relax your expectations for the next 6 months. (Then reevaluate.)  Marker chewing never killed anyone...how to contain the messes is the big question.  Also, the 8yo and 6yo do need to be doing school.  However, it won't put them behind if you whittle the next 6 months down to 15 minutes or learning to read, 15 minutes of math, and 10 minutes of copywork. Combine even the 3 Rs if you can.  It's not ideal. It's surviving the next 6 months.  Do read alouds before bed while dad rocks baby. Read aloud while kids are eating.  Read aloud while everyone colors. Ask dad to read aloud to 2 while you bathe the other 3, then switch.

 

You need to teach your dc how to play in the next room.  Spend time on the floor explicitly teaching the 8yo how to play safely with the 1 yo.  Don't tell them that is what you are doing, but think about it as setting up the family dynamics for the next school year.  Work on teaching the 3, 4, and 6, 8 yo taking turns, following each other's ideas, and cleaning up their play area. Get them started in play and then get distracted with baby or fixing lunch.

 

 

As 3 and 4 yo become school age, combine them unless there is a major reason not to.

 

 

 

[La Condessa]

We have a good routine for the first part of the morning, and I've been working on extending it to cover schooling up until lunch time. Here's what we do when it works as it should:

 

~6:00 or 6:30 the boys are up and I feed the baby, change diapers and dress them, make our beds and get myself ready for the day, move laundry and start breakfast cooking. I also empty most of the dishwasher and set the silverware holder on the counter above the drawer where it belongs so my 2-year-old can do his morning "chore" of sorting the cutlery away.

~7:00 or 7:30 the girls wake up and I get them started on dressing themselves and making their beds. I've been trying to have them do a simple morning chore I assign, but I think I need to come up with something the same for them to do each time, rather than me telling them what to do. I also do the girls' hair.

~7:45 or 8:00 we eat breakfast. I usually finish first, brush my teeth and get my 2-year-old's toothbrush ready for him and then start the baby's morning breathing treatments while the kids finish. They carry their dishes to the sink afterwards, and the girls rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher (my oldest is good about this now, but I usually have to catch the 4-and 2-year-olds after every meal to make them do this). I send ds2 to brush his teeth while dd4 wipes the table and dd5 does her piano practice. Then the girls brush their teeth. After breathing treatments, I wash dishes from making breakfast.

 

Ds2 generally gets into mischief at this point, so I've started trying to set him up with an activity at the table to occupy him at this point, like coloring or cutting construction paper. This is tricky because my oldest wants to join in, and the 2-year-old with scissors can be dangerous if I get distracted (not to himself, they are kid scissors and he cuts well, but dd4 is missing a chunk of hair from the back of her head). So I recently got a booster seat for him that buckles so he can't leave the table activity without my help. I am trying to use this time to do a little violin time with dd4, and then ds2 will usually demand his turn, too.

 

Next we go upstairs to the playroom and have Circle Time. The kids all participate, though ds2's attention will waiver and he will wander off to the toys during the read aloud. Next I do math with dd5 there in the playroom, where I can keep an eye on the younger two. She likes to have my undivided attention for her subjects, but she also has a tendency to draw them out unnecessarily so that we run out of time for anything else in the morning, so I've decided I need to set a time limit. After that time, I am starting math with dd4 next to her, and letting her finish up any work she hasn't yet with input from me only if she has trouble. (Preschool work is 100% optional, but dd4 would choose to do every subject every day if I could find time for her).

 

I am also just beginning to train ds2 to do towel time for this time, with 3 activities set up on 3 towels for him to choose from (like a stack of books, lacing cards, etc.). I've tried just letting him free play the whole time we're in the play room, but he plays for a while and then starts to get more and more wild.

 

After math and towel time we read some stories. First dd5 reads a story, then I read another picture book or two for the little ones. I feed the baby while doing phonics with each girl while the other one plays with little brother with the playroom toys. Then, it's lunchtime.

 

ETA: I forgot to include that dd5 does her handwriting practice after piano, while I am doing violin with the youngers.

[mamamindy]

I'm not sure if I should respond...since our mornings aren't really "working"...  But I think that's just the thing:  if you have this many small people that NEED you in the morning, your expectation of getting intensive school done with older children are just not going to be met.  At least that's what I've come to realize.  So I am realigning my expectations for this year, and I'm thinking I'll be a lot less disappointed.

 

*I* appreciate all the great advice you've received, and may work it into our day as well.

 

Since the littles can only handle so much time playing/entertaining themselves, I only plan on a half hour here or there in the morning for instruction.  And I am using this for my youngest (he's 5) and during the other time we will do other things that they can join in on: read alouds (while snacking!) play-doh and watercolors while listening to audio books, but mostly just playing together.  My kids do this well, so I'm capitalizing on it. :)  And like PPs have mentioned, I'm saving the mom-intensive stuff (that I need to NOT be interrupted with) for when my littles are resting in the afternoon.  (We have a non-negotiable quiet time from 1-3 for my littles.  Of which I will pull DS out if he wants to participate in History/Science reading.)

 

Something I've tried is having my oldest get up a little earlier than the others (she's a morning person anyway) to get one of her non-negotiable, mom-intensive subjects out of the way.  For us, this is math.  This took sacrifice on my part since I really appreciate my quiet mornings - and like you, I really need "me" time! - so I get up a half hour earlier to make up for it.  I also put my children to bed pretty early (7:30 for the baby and 8pm for the rest) because, like I mentioned, I really need ME time, and this has been the best way to get it.

 

I also teach my DC together where it makes sense.  In addition to content areas, we are doing language and spelling together.  I just have different expectations for them.

 

It helped me to step back from looking at the day-to-day and realize that it WILL get easier, and even if we don't get to all the great plans I have this year, we will have more years.  YKWIM?  Teaching your children to play and work together is valuable, also.  You're doing a lot of that while they're small.

[Meadowlark]

I'm not sure if I should respond...since our mornings aren't really "working"... But I think that's just the thing: if you have this many small people that NEED you in the morning, your expectation of getting intensive school done with older children are just not going to be met. At least that's what I've come to realize. So I am realigning my expectations for this year, and I'm thinking I'll be a lot less disappointed.

 

*I* appreciate all the great advice you've received, and may work it into our day as well.

 

Since the littles can only handle so much time playing/entertaining themselves, I only plan on a half hour here or there in the morning for instruction. And I am using this for my youngest (he's 5) and during the other time we will do other things that they can join in on: read alouds (while snacking!) play-doh and watercolors while listening to audio books, but mostly just playing together. My kids do this well, so I'm capitalizing on it. :) And like PPs have mentioned, I'm saving the mom-intensive stuff (that I need to NOT be interrupted with) for when my littles are resting in the afternoon. (We have a non-negotiable quiet time from 1-3 for my littles. Of which I will pull DS out if he wants to participate in History/Science reading.)

 

Something I've tried is having my oldest get up a little earlier than the others (she's a morning person anyway) to get one of her non-negotiable, mom-intensive subjects out of the way. For us, this is math. This took sacrifice on my part since I really appreciate my quiet mornings - and like you, I really need "me" time! - so I get up a half hour earlier to make up for it. I also put my children to bed pretty early (7:30 for the baby and 8pm for the rest) because, like I mentioned, I really need ME time, and this has been the best way to get it.

 

I also teach my DC together where it makes sense. In addition to content areas, we are doing language and spelling together. I just have different expectations for them.

 

It helped me to step back from looking at the day-to-day and realize that it WILL get easier, and even if we don't get to all the great plans I have this year, we will have more years. YKWIM? Teaching your children to play and work together is valuable, also. You're doing a lot of that while they're small.

I just love your signature! :-) You, me, and BlondeViolin should get together and share our best tips as we all have 5 kids 8 and under. That would be SO fun!

 

Maybe what I'm missing is the warm, loving, positive environment that I used to be able to give. When my older two were preschoolers, oh my....we spent hours and hours cuddled up on the couch reading. We did crafts-stress free, FUN crafts. Just the thought of getting paint out makes me want to hyperventilate at this point. I need to find balance. I know I can't go back to those days and it's silly to try, but I do need to foster some positive energy around here. I'm not sure how to achieve that. Maybe starting a morning gathering/circle time? Maybe adding in a religious book or reading? Singing songs? I just don't know, but all of these ideas are definitely helping.

[dsbrack]

I kind of naturally do spend more time with them now when they wake up from their naps, probably because the boxes have all been checked and I'm a lot less stressed knowing that I got school done.

 

I don't know-I keep picturing everyone else's kids coloring quietly or playing house with their dolls. Is that just my fantasy? My kids just are not toy playing kids. They like to do things but only initiated or led by me. Coming up with their own fun? Going off into the other room and building with blocks? Not likely to happen. I admit I find my natural positive personality changing to a growly, negative, impatient one...and I don't like it one bit. The constant stress and chaos is getting to me and it can't be fun for them either. So they're getting a growly mom and minimal attention from me, which is creating needy kids who long for my attention even more.

I have a 3 year old that fits your description perfectly.  He is very social and hates being alone even if I set up a play station for him.  Since I don't have another older child to help play with him, I've just started including him.  It does make school more chaotic having him at the table or in the same room but I just don't feel right shoeing him away all the time.  I cuddle him during read alouds and make sure he has a chance to pick some stories too.  I made several quieter busy bags up that we keep in a bin beside the table.  I also let him play with playdough or color.  When we get out he chalkboard, he gets one too.  He plays with the math manipulatives.  I let him cut and glue paper if we are making a craft.  Basically, I take whatever we're doing and try to make it little kid friendly.  I've actually been amazed at what my little sponge has picked up just from being with us. 

 

He still loves to chat and it does get noisy sometimes.  If gentle reminders to keep the noise down aren't working, it's probably time for me to help him find something else to do or for all of us to get up and shake out some wiggles.  I've had to work at adjusting MY expectations for what a school day will look like.  I'm not going to have 2-3 blissful, quiet hours at the table with my oldest without interruptions while we work through his subjects. I'm just not sure there is a better way for this kind of personality without another person in the house to help keep him occupied.  I value independent play and am trying to build that skill in him but it happens at other points in the day.  I'm pretty sure he's never going to be the kind of child to play for hours on his own.  If he is by himself too long, I notice a difference in his happy, bouncy personality and I don't like it. 

 

All of this to say, I understand where you're coming from and get the frustration! 

[ForeverFamily]

I am appreciating all of you sharing your schedules, as one of my new years resolutions is to figure out a better schedule for our family.  Right now my 21 month old stays with me while doing school in the morning.  I usually try and get my 9yo's schools finished before lunch.  I also try and sneek in my 5yo's math during that time as well.  My 9yo is pretty good at enduring of all the craziness my 3yo and 1yo create in the morning.  Often my 7yo and 5yo run off and play together and their 3yo brother will sometimes join, so about half the time I am just left with the 1yo. 

 

After lunch I put my 1yo down for a nap and focus on getting school done with my 7yo.  She has a really difficult time concentrating with disctractions so this is the best time to do school with her.  Then at some point I will get around to doing reading with my 5yo.  Unfortunately, I have done a horrible job of doing any sort of preschool with my 3yo or getting around to read alouds.  Something I hope I can change this new year.

 

As far as quiet time, that is another goal of mine to fit this in some how.  I really haven't had ME time since my kids were all napping age.  I do sometimes manage to squeeze in a few minutes between finishing school and starting dinner.

[Tawlas]

I'll add in a few more things I do in the morning with my littlest, besides include her as much as I can during our group work. I don't know if it will help or not.

 

I have all of her toys put away in tubs in various closets, categorized I guess you could say. Most of the kids' toys are put away, really, or we end up wading knee deep in them all around the house!

 

In her room, I have all her toys on one set of shelves in her closet. There's an empty book case in her room. Each day I take out a few toys, usually a bigger one, a few smaller ones, a couple of board books and a chunky puzzle. I also choose a few ziplocs of super simple ziploc baggies which I keep in a large tub in the hall closet as well as a few shoe box sized tubs of smaller things from the kids' Quiet Time Closet. Those things are either really tricky to share or have a ton of little peices so need to be used with care so they don't scatter and get lost. I choose all these toys while the kids are eating breakfast, listening to an audio book.

 

When school is about to start, when she's freshest, I put her in the play pen with one or two sets of toys (for example the box of magneatos and a box of dominos). She plays (hopefully) for 15-20 minutes while I work one-on-one with dsd8. I'm lucky to have my dh home at that time, so he'll rescue her from the playpen when she's done and sit her down for her "second breakfast" (she's a light eater early in the morning so needs a snack earlier). She hangs out with him for a half hour or so, at which point, I'm done with dsd8 and I can spend a bit of time with her. I read her a story in my bedroom armchair while the big kids have their snack, then I show her all the toys in her room. At some point I'll get up and leave, she always comes lol. But we do our group work next, which she does in her high chair (see previous post lol).

 

After she's fed up with the high chair, usually my Ker's attention span is shot as well, so he does "school iPad" on her bed (which is super high so she's out of his hair) and I shut them both up in her bedroom and she'll play happily for a while because she's not alone.

 

This is when we all take a break and the boys take her downstairs to play in the playroom for 20-30 minutes. Finally, the third adult in the house (who works from home) will come and get her and usually takes her outside for a 1/2 hour. By the time they come back, I'm done my one-on-one with ds7 and it's lunch time.

 

This is the theory any how. I'm sure you can imagine, it doesn't always (usually!) go according to plan! But it's still good to have one loL!

[lots of little ducklings]

Hmmmm… well, in my determination to dig out of the morning blues we'd fallen into, I got up extra early this morning, dragged my sleep-deprived self into the schoolroom with a hot mug of coffee, and completed math and la with DD 5 and DD 4 before even sitting down for breakfast (I treated each of them to a cup of herbal tea while we worked, so they were utterly delighted with the new routine.) The others (DS 7, DD 2, and baby) tend to be sleeping or slow-starters, so my hope is that this helps me harness some previously-lost time. 

 

For today, anyway, it worked! I've really been cheating those two in my attempt to get the "more important" stuff done with DS 7, so while we didn't get to everything today (do we ever?), at least the majors were accomplished with everyone. And I had time to cook. Now, if that 7 month-old figures out how to move, I'll probably be back here begging for more advice.

 

Oh, and we do enjoy morning meeting as often as we can get to it, so I'd definitely recommend it.  DD 2 must. do. everything. the rest of us do, soooo…. she joins in.  After each meeting, everyone gets a chocolate chip for good behavior / good work / memory mastery / etc., and this shameful bribery has really helped a lot.  DD 2 takes it very seriously now, and we all giggle and wink at each other when she "recites" for us in her adorable little voice.

 

Best wishes!   

[KSinNS]

Our circle time is short-maybe a bit of the bible, maybe another book, maybe both. Today we sung a hymn, which was fun. I love to sing and they like it, too, so I'm hoping to teach them to sing in harmony. We'll see. I do keep it really short, partly because I have to have school done by 12:00 most days. We tie in memory work to their violin practice (they recite a poem for their teacher) and I do poetry and my husband does history at afternoon snack. And we read together again in the evening (if I"m home from work).

 

Truthfully, I don't think school with littles around can be much but chaotic. Well, maybe it can be, but not with my kids, and not in the amount of time I have. My younger kids have had very different early years than my older kids. I don't know that it's bad. They get less of the "let's finger paint" and more "let's get in the van!" But they spend more time out and about in the big world. They know tons of people, and have seen and tried all sorts of things (including the taste of markers and glue :-}). 

[happypamama]

My littles are 1, 3, and newly 6 this year.

 

We finish breakfast, and I clean up and dress the two little ones if I haven't already. They go play with toys, and I see who is first block that day. We rotate who works with me first, whether that's 12yo, 9yo, or 6yo. If it's one of the older two, the 6yo finds something to do on his own. It's not usually too hard. Sometimes I set up painting or such for the 6yo and 3yo, and usually, when I'm setting up work at night, I set up some little activities (puzzles, fine motor stuff, mazes, cut and paste sheets, etc.) for the young ones, but a good deal of the time, they just play with trains and toys and each other. Sometimes they go upstairs and put on CDs of music or audio books. If all else fails, and they're really bored, I put on storylineonline.net, and they listen to people reading them stories.

 

So whenever the 6yo's block comes around, I read to and with him, do math with him, practice writing with him, etc. the 3yo is pretty much glued to his elbow, so he listens in and comes along for the ride. And the 1yo (currently 16 months) generally just plays and plays; he is a super active toddler who just wants to go and go and go. Only the 1yo naps routinely, and in the afternoon, so I don't use that time for scheduled schoolwork, just for completing anything that hasn't gotten done yet that day.

 

But the secret seems to be that there are three small boys in my house, and they seem to adore each other, so generally they just play together.

[fruitofthewomb]

Ok, now I feel guilty for taking my afternoon "sanity break" :-) I really do look at it that way though and figure if I don't get some alone time, there's just no way I could make it until 5:00 when dh gets home. Actually, I think my kids are spent by about 1:00 too so I'm not even sure I could do school with them anyway. As it is, my 2nd grader reads for the hour, and my 1st grader listens to books. So I guess it's a win for all of us.

 

I feel like if I could just manage my time/be more organized/have a plan, our day would be so much smoother. My preschoolers want to do school so much-and they have their own workbooks and sit at the table with us. Problem is-my olders usually need help with something and my preschoolers are noisy! Then, there's the 1 yr. old chewing markers and climbing on the table. So it's chaos.

This is my house! I totally understand! I just can't make myself do much school work in the afternoon bc my mind is mush & I would end up having a meltdown before bed. But sometimes I feel like I need to suck it up & give it a good shot. Wish I had good advice but I am in the same boat!

[BlsdMama]

My only obvious thing to note that teacher intensive and mom of many littlest are generally not matches unless the teacher intensive part takes place during naptime.  Limitless need management, guidance, and interaction.

 

After trying everything ;) at least twice, I've come to find that two things are true:

 

1.  Creating kids that self start in the AM and can do some amount of work independently is both good and necessary.

2.  Situations in which little people are left to themselves never end well.

 

:)

[Shellydon]

When I had littles, I did the bulk of school while they napped.  When they are 3 and 4 I put them in a fun play based preschool for 2 mornings each week (8:30-12:30).  I would hire a homeschooled high school student to watch the 1 year old for 2 hours during that same time and we got nearly all the week's school done at that time.  The rest of the week, we'd do a few small things during the 1 year old's nap time.

[Squawky Acres]

I didn't post on this topic for a while as I wasn't sure if I knew of anything that worked.  Our mornings can be chaos as well; but I have been encouraged to hear from other moms that it does get easier.  It is discouraging to look at all of the wonderful things families with older or fewer children are accomplishing, when it is a struggle for us to just find a quiet moment to sneak in our math lesson.  I have played with the idea of scheduling for a while, but keep giving it up as the toddler and 3-year-old aren't very schedule-able.  At one moment, they can be playing quietly or looking at books, and then they decide to color themselves pink with permanent dye ink pads.  Or, the 3-year-old gets out the Squishy Human Body kit and feeds the organs to the toddler (both happened this week, and it is only Wednesday). 

 

One thing I have learned is to contain the toddler.  I have a mother's helper come in once a week for a few hours so that I can try to clean something.  She is a homeschooled teenager from a large family, and very matter-of-factly strapped the toddler into the highchair, gave him some interesting toys, wheeled him to wherever they were, and left him there (supervised, but strapped in) . . . for a very long time.  I was planning to talk to her about how this didn't seem very developmentally appropriate for a child who needs to roam and explore, when it occurred to me that he was actually quite happy to be there playing with his toys in the same room as everyone else.  And then she was able to do things like read books to the others, play games, do puzzles, and make craft projects -- just handing him enough of whatever it was that they were doing to keep him occupied.  Eventually, he would protest, and she would let him out.  

 

I have adopted this approach for the mom-intensive subjects -- alternating him between his chair and a pack-and-play filled with pounding toys and interesting puzzles.  The 3-year-old sometimes sits with us at the table and colors, and sometimes plays in the playroom.  He is much less trouble when he doesn't have a co-conspirator.

 

[Momof3]

I don't have any past 1st grade, so I know the work load/time spent schooling will increase some as time goes on...but for right now, everything's working great for us. 

 

Baby still naps in the morning. Not *always*, but most days... That helps. a. lot. 

 

Kids are up 7-ish. We have breakfast at 8:00. This gives them time for devotions & morning chores...and I can feed the baby, start the laundry, and make breakfast...

 

We start school at 9.

 

20 min Bible, 20 min Math, 20 min Language. They finish up what they didn't get done later on...

 

Baby usually goes down for morning nap during math...toddler plays by himself, or asks incessantly if it's time for "preschool" yet. 

 

We have snack at 10, and I read picture books to them for 30 min or so... Toddler likes this (snack and stories).

 

Then I do preschool with him while the older ones finish up anything they have left. Or they do memory work. Or they play. (Baby is awake by the end of this, and wanting his snack.) (10:30-11:00)

 

Then we all regroup for health & science. We do a lot of hands on stuff. Or a nature walk. Or a short documentary. Toddler likes this. (Baby likes this, too...esp. if it involves splashing in a big bucket of water...) (11:00-12:00)

 

Then we do Spanish. (12:00-12:15/30)

 

Then we do lunch. (12:30-1:00)

 

Then we have 30 min clean up time...everyone helps, and we make it fun. Baby usually sits in the highchair...

 

Then I read a story while they lay in bed...then I catch up on Bible reading, emails, planning, etc. until Baby & toddler fall asleep...and I tiptoe out of the room...

 

Fridays we *just* do History & Art...with a lot of music listening. So everybody's happy. The older ones don't have math...the toddler gets to paint...and Baby gets his snack as usual. :)