quiet time now

Remember this post? Well, I do. Because I'm still living it. I still have not figured out a way to make the hours between 1 PM and 4 PM work.

It seems like I'm always hitting my wall, just about the time I need to walk in the kitchen and start dinner (and I don't enjoy cooking). So, needless to say, I have to...I must, find a way to make our afternoons less chaotic.

Here's what Quiet Time looks like for us right now:

12:30-ish...I'm sitting on the floor, in the hallway, between all the kids' bedrooms, Reading Aloud. I love doing this. The kids love it. This is working. (it also gives Judah and Benjamin time to fall asleep)

1:00-ish...Quiet Time starts. Big Kids (the girls and Connor) are reading for approximately 90 minutes. This is Book Basket time (Science, History Independent Reading) and the last little while is for 'fun' reading.

. what does TJ do during this time? Well, he'll look through a book or two for about 10 minutes, and then he'll completely konk out. Every day. For about an hour. And he's 6.

. what does Wesley do during this time? It depends. Sometimes he peels the paint off his wall. Sometimes he changes his clothes a few times. Sometimes he sings. Sometimes he ______. And yes, I'm still fighting this 3 yr olds-must-nap thing. Because I think they must...but clearly, Wesley does not agree. He's back to being 'quiet' in our bed.

2:30-ish...Snack Time. Cereal. Tea Time has officially been reserved for Fridays. This time is still quiet, because evidently everyone is famished from Quiet Time. It's kind of odd how quiet this cereal-eating time really is.

3:00-ish...we should do Science. Or Nature Study. Or Art. Or Music. What do we do? I don't know. I usually spin around in circles from 3:00-ish until 4:00-ish.

So...

Tell me why. Why do our afternoons get waaay off track every.single.day?

Do large families just not do 'Nap Time?' How in the world do the little ones still get a nap...if everyone else is just going about their business...opening and closing doors? going up and down stairs? turning on faucets?

I've been thinking of really trying to get all our 'school' finished in the mornings. I think it may be feasible. That would push Nap Time back atleast an hour, and the Littles are up at 6:30 AM...I'm not sure they could actually stay up until 2:00 PM.

But it would completely free up the afternoon. For playing, and free time, and no more spinning. Just fun.

Or am I dreaming?

how we celebrate a birthday

Many of you who know us, know that we do not plan elaborate birthday parties for our children. We never have. It's always been just family. We'd do an easy meal, cake and ice cream, and most guests would bring a gift. But there has never been a petting zoo, a bouncy gym, a clown, etc.

BUT...since we have moved down here, where it would take family nine hours to drive to the birthday celebration, I have tried to come up with a few "special things" to make the birthday child's day a happy one to remember:

***Before the big day I make sure I have:

. Red Lipstick - for writing Birthday Messages on bathroom mirrors (I've been doing this a few years now), I buy the $1 tubes, and they last a few birthdays
. Paper Streamers - to hang from the birthday child's bedroom door and dining room entrance

. Balloons - just the simple kind, we blow them up and throw them all over the floor

 

***On the big day I am sure to make:

. Breakfast - at the birthday child's request (this has turned into donuts...often with Brian making an early morning run to Daylight Donuts)
. Dinner - at the birthday child's request (if a child is particularly enjoying dinner, they will anxiously announce, "This is what I'm havin' for my Birthday Dinner!"...you may hear that from the same child, about ten different dinners, all throughout the year)
. Birthday cake - any desert (not just cake) at the birthday child's request (some recents are: Strawberry Shortcake, Oreo Goodness, Carrot Cake, Pumpkin Pie)
. *Everything is eaten on a special "Birthday Plate" ...which is just a cheap black and white plate from WalMart, but it's only brought out on the birthdays for the birthday child...I would like to buy a nicer one that says CELEBRATE on it, but we have to prioritize here, and usually birthday gifts come before birthday plates...

***On the big day the birthday child is sure to get:

. cards - lots of homemade ones from each of their siblings, and one boughten one from the entire family. I would like to start writing a birthday letter to each birthday child every year. I did this once when Kylie turned 9, and she still has it. For now, I've really been trying to write a very thoughtful post on their birthday, like Kylie's 13th or Wesley's 3rd, and Korinne's 10th was fun to write!

. gifts - we try to think of something or a few somethings the birthday child will really LOVE

***An added bonus is being free from chores on your birthday, and believe me, they don't let you forget!***

children's book monday: madeleine takes command

Madeleine Takes Command
by Ethel C. Brill

We finished this Read Aloud last week, and let me just say that we all (Momma, Girls, and Boys) thoroughly enjoyed it, and we were so sad to see it end.

Madeleine Takes Command is a true historical novel about the 17th-century Canadian frontier (New France). In the story Madeleine de Vercheres, a 14 year old girl, along with her 12 and 10 year old brothers, bravely and heroically hold down their father's fort (while both he, their mother, and youngest siblings are away) against the Iroquois Indians, in defense of faith, family, and New France.

Not only was this a refreshing and welcome 'educational' story (we have not learned much about Canadian Colonization...OK, we hadn't learned anything up until this point), but it was also a wonderful book for my children (siblings) to hear because of the combined effort of Madeleine and both of her brothers to stick together, talk things through, and encourage each other through the attack. Their love and respect for one other was very evident.

If you haven't had the opportunity to share this story with your family, I highly recommend it, not only for it's historical content, but also for it's life application for families.

:: Happy Reading! ::

~Kathi

P.S. You can see other Children's Book Monday Reviews over at Elise's place...or Kristin's place.

early morning math class

A few weeks ago, we decided that Math at the end of Quiet Time was no longer working for us, and that a lot of time was being wasted at the start of our day.

We implemented a new morning routine for the older children that included doing their Math bright and early (6:30 AM for Kylie...Korinne and Connor to follow at 6:45). Everyone closes the books at 7:15 (whether they've finished the page or not), and heads to the Family Room for prayer with Dad before he heads to the gym or work.

So far...it's working wonderfully for us. The best thing is that it gets the worst part of the homeschool day (Math!) out of the way...*AND* Dad is still home to deal with any questions (Dad is the Math teacher here in the Bailey Home).

I've done a few things to make this early-morning-math-routine less painful for my little students:

. I make sure to open the blinds in the dining room (where they sit at the table and do their pages). Who doesn't feel better about things when looking at a Brand New Day?! This morning, the birds were even singing, and I slightly opened one of the windows, so the kids could hear them.

. I turn on very soft music. Right now, it's Vivaldi. I wish we had a copy of Hidden in My Heart that would play in our music player, that would be the most perfect early-morning-math-routine music!

. I go ahead and turn the tea kettle on, line up the cups and saucers, and put the tea bags in the cups. Sometimes I'm in the kitchen when the kettle starts to whistle, most mornings Korinne will get it. The girls have been drinking tea in the morning for a few years, but this is something new and exciting for Connor. It makes him less grumbly about having to do early-morning-Math, instead of listening to Mom read Stuart Little (he still grins, embarrassed, if you peek at him while he's drinking from his cup).

. I've even lit our Jesus candle a few mornings.


It's strange that such a small thing is making our days flow more smoothly, but it is. Maybe I should remember this, and switch up our routine more often!



:: Happy Homeschooling! ::

st patricks day book basket

A Pot O' Gold

selected and adapted by Kathleen Krull
illustrated by David McPahil

from Music K-8: "Though it may only be a small emerald isle, Ireland's heritage is very large indeed. In A Pot O' Gold, noted writer Kathleen Krull and illustrator David McPhail bring this legacy to life. This anthology compiles classic and rare examples of Irish culture including songs, poems, stories, recipes, and even a little blarney. From legends of leprechauns and fairies to the classic poetry of Yeats and Joyce, this treasury is a perfect way for anyone to share the wonders of Ireland."

:: Happy March! ::