What does your day look like?
When the boys were younger, the day would start a little later, but be finished quickly because I am a firm believer that playtime is learning-time for young ones. We could finish chores, have breakfast, get school done in a couple of hours, then have lunch, take naps, and play! Woohoo!
Then it changed to where they would get up later, which made our day start later, which made our day run later, and then we’d find ourselves still working on school at 5 or 6 in the evenings! Ugh! I loathed those days!
I tweaked our schedule this year (along with another thing I’ll share tomorrow) because I just could not face another year of dragging school to be an all. day. long. affair. There was some grumbling at first, but it ended quickly when they realized how much faster our school day went. And, when they realized they had entire afternoons for free time, they were sold on the idea!
As always, we get up and do chores first. That is part of the work ethic of our family. As 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
I’ll admit that I resisted doing our mornings this way at first. I wanted to coddle them and let them enjoy the morning, but Hubby convinced me that the “chores before breakfast” way was no different than what the generations before us did. As a child, he had to take care of the chickens before breakfast. He said many a farmer, and the farmer’s children, had get up to take care of chores before they sat down to breakfast. When he asked what kind of work ethic I wanted my children to have, the answer was clear. Morning chores it is.
So, the boys are up at 6:30-6:45. They get themselves ready for the day, and do their chores. Breakfast is served around 7:15 to 7:30, and at 8:00 school starts.
Now that they are a bit older, they work somewhat independently. On Monday morning, I give them a checklist for the week. It has all of their assignments listed on it, so they know what needs to be done and when it is due.
They spend the mornings working through their lists. Some assignments can be done all on their own. Some they use their brother as a partner, and some they need me to help. But they are doing quite well at learning independence skills, which I know are necessary for the next levels of schooling.
For the most part, they can wrap up their work for the items that are due each day around noon. Then we have lunch and after wards, they have the afternoons to work on Scout projects, ride bikes, play in the yard, play video games, do yard work, help Hubby, etc.
After tweaking things for years and years, I think I’ve FINALLY got a hold on things. Ha! It only took 8 years! 😉
