A Day in the Life of the Kelloggs.....

Back for the last week of the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop 2012!  Today, a day in the life of the Kelloggs!

I'm going to make this brief, otherwise it will take you all day to read it! ;)  I posted a moment-by-moment day a few years ago HERE.  Of course, this is more of an ideal schedule.

Here we go...

6:15 Mama showers and gets ready for the day.  May forfeit shower for extra sleep some days.

6:50 Personal devotions

7:20 Make Breakfast before the kids come downstairs.

7:30 Wake children, eat breakfast together.  We go over family rules and memory verses and also pull up worships songs on the iPad for family worship time over breakfast.  We try not to listen to I'm a Soldier in the Army DAILY per BooBoo's request. Then we do a formal bible study together.  This year we are following a curriculum based off THESE movies.  

7:55 Helping Habits (chores) 

8:00 Myra's nurse arrives and starts Myra's checklist of therapy, brushing teeth, stretching, massage, cloth diaper laundry, etc.  This is new to me and I will have a hard time not being very involved with her throughout the day.  But, the help is much needed because I could never get through all I need to in a day without some extra hands these days. Last school year was very difficult.  They will be here until noon.

During this time Sid and Princess Pea are working on independent work like piano, devotions, copywork and math.  Each kid has their own "independent work" checklist that they work through each day, so no one is asking me constantly what they should be doing.  BooBoo is playing alone upstairs, reading books, doing file folder activities and hopefully staying entertained.

I start working with Angelica Pickles (1st grade).  She has to be very motivated to work hard and not be difficult.  I allow her a candy treat after morning or afternoon work is completed with a good attitude.  We are working on Horizons Math 1, Language Smarts B, First Language Lessons, All About Spelling Level 1 and eventually All About Reading Level 2 when it comes out in September.  This isn't her only individual time with me, so we don't have to get through all this in an hour.

9:00 Angelica Pickles continues work we've started together and Sid continues independent work like CQLA, Wordly Wise and Drawn into the Heart of Reading.  BooBoo will have some computer or iPad time.

I start school with Princess Pea (3rd grade).  She is a fast, hard worker.  We will get through jump starting lessons in CQLA, Beginning Reasoning and Reading, Drawn into the Heart of Reading, Language Lessons for the Young Child 2 and any math that needs explained.  The rest of the work she will continue on her own in the few hours before lunch.  I have scheduled some time for reading aloud Laura Ingalls or American Girl doll stories in this hour.  Angelica Pickles and BooBoo might sit in on these stories, too.

10:00 Princess Pea continues work we've started and Angelica Pickles and BooBoo are now playing nicely together upstairs....ideally.  ;) The older kids take little breaks when they do piano practice, bathroom breaks, playing with the kitten or getting distracted by the little ones.  They aren't working constantly for 4 hours.  They have plenty of time to get their work done and still take little breaks.  Sid needs lots of redirecting but Princess Pea does a good job of not getting too distracted.

I begin jump starting lessons for Sid the Science Kid (5th grade) in Reasoning and Reading, Drawn into the Heart of Reading, CQLA and Vocabulary from Classical Roots if needed.  Most of his curricula really do a good job teaching right to the student.  I'll just be here for guidance when needed, such as for writing lessons and using graphic organizers for reading.  I also have scheduled time to read to him the Cooper Kids Series during this time. 

11:00  By this time it's possible Princess Pea is done with her morning work and is playing with BooBoo and Angelica Pickles.  Angelica Pickles will have computer or iPad time.  Sid will have some work.  He may have a longer break between 9 and 10 if he's waiting on me to explain some things and finishes his independent work before 10.

I start PreK with BooBoo (PreK4).  We are reading books together and working through All About Reading Level 1 and Horizons Math Kindergarten.  A full hour seems like a long time, but I expect to be PLAYING with him during part of it.  Games, maybe Starfall.com, light sabers...whatever.  I just wanted to block some time with him, otherwise he will get lost in the mess of older homeschool schedules. 

11:50 If Myra isn't happy with the nurse I'll need to make lunch quickly so I can take her at noon when she leave.  Kids will do Helping Habits to help me get lunch on the table.

12:00 We do Character Training stories over lunch time.  Thursdays we leave for Myra's therapy at noon, so those days the kids get a little less time with me in the morning.  

12:30 Helping Habits to clean up lunch and prepare for afternoon school.

Our afternoons get a little crazy.  We leave for therapy at 4:30 on Mondays, 1:30 on Tuesdays, we leave for dance at 3:30 on Wednesdays, we leave for therapy at noon on Thursdays and have swim lesson at 2, and on Fridays we have co-op from 9am through lunch for 8 weeks every Fall and Spring.  

So...our schedule is different every day.  Sigh.

But, almost every day I try to give the older three kids another 20-30 minutes with me individually to answer questions and check their daily work.  We do God's Design for Life science on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I do All About Spelling with Sid and Princess Pea on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  And this is also our time for Tapestry of Grace.  I will have at least and hour daily to do read alouds, work on maps and work on projects.  I hope that's enough!  Some days we will do Tapestry at therapy to not waste another hour.  The kids can finish projects during their independent work times if needed.  BooBoo and Miracle will hopefully nap well!

And that's it!  Phew!  I really hope I can sustain this schedule for 36 weeks.  I have scheduled in 6 catch-up weeks throughout the year to help me from getting behind, and hopefully give us a lighter schedule for that week.  Then I have all of June if I need it.  So, I have some wiggle room.  

I look forward to reading about more schedules at Heart of the Matter!