Today, we are off at the Georgia Aquarium celebrating a six-year-old girl’s birthday! She’s the one that loves hammerhead sharks. There are also sea turtles there for Middle Girl. (Field trip following our science projects). Oh just general fun for all! Today’s Weekly Wrap answers a question I’ve gotten a few times lately. I’ve also shared the week’s happenings in the photo captions.
I do not have boundless energy! In fact, I’ve shared with lots of folks that I feel like this year especially is a stretch with the age range. Two early risers and two that like ‘talk time’ late into the night 
Plus my Middle Girl keeps me busy in the middle of the afternoon with baking, art projects then more baking and art projects.
The frugal dress ups: The $7 costume Nana found for Littlest Girl, 20-year-old hand me down pumpkin for Lil’ Buddy and the paper doll costume Middle Girl made herself from poster board.
Following our recent weekly wrap and science fair project posts I’ve been asked How do you fit it all in? How do you do it all? Well, we don’t. But to fit in all the learning we do enjoy each week…
It comes down to:
- Daily prayer for wisdom.
- A supportive husband.
- Regular date nights.
- Layers and levels of unit studies.
- Encouragement from fellow homeschool moms. And…
Helpful habits. We have habits stretching back a dozen years. Each one added one at a time to compliment our day. Tweaked with each new child. Adjusted often. Because in our habits we often find freedoms.
A sample day:
- Mom’s Quiet Time
- Before 8:45 (helps get the children’s day started. Including individual quiet time)
- Math time alternating Teaching Textbooks on the computer for older three while…
Graphing candies for living math this week.
- …I oversee workbox time for 4yo and K (Helpful habit – Little Ones First)
- Morning room time for younger two or they play together
- Rod and Staff English lesson for older three
- Spelling, Handwriting for 4th grader
- Tapestry readings – older three OR Apologia lesson – older two (unit study!)
Answers in Genesis God’s Design for Life: Human Body – We studied nutrition and the food pyramid.
Lunch (Make Supper at Lunch)
Working on our Tapestry of Grace history lapbook as a review of the unit.
One More Thing After Lunch. This is how we work in the other subjects. Each day we will complete one or more of the following (notice I did not say all!):
- Nature study (unit study!)
- Answers in Genesis Human Body Unit Study lesson (unit study!)
- Visual Latin/English From the Roots Up
- Tapestry of Grace arts and activities, geography (unit study!)
Spontaneous nature study – Let’s smash an acorn! Found a little insect inside.
- Tapestry of Grace/English writing assignment
- Art/Composer Study (unit study!)
- Sketch Tuesday
- science fair projects (once a year)
- prep for our Tapestry of Grace unit celebration, lapbook review
In the evenings with Daddy: read alouds
The girls’ Drama Troupe Christmas production is set in medieval times – a nice compliment to our Tapestry of Grace studies.
Also weekly:
- Once a week my two oldest girls attend Drama Troupe. This time is lengthening as we get closer to December performance time. They are both also practicing a sign language and a dance routine. This means lots of practice time at home too.
- Piano lesson – 4th grader. Daily practice for her and for 8th grader to maintain her skill level.
- Choir, Bible study, puppets, mission friends, youth group
Look at those beautiful pictures! I had the privilege of teaching Nana’s Tree Reflection pastel tutorial at our homeschool enrichment day this week.
Electives:
- Enrichment Day: One morning a month we might participate with our homeschool group – which includes poetry, art, geography, composer study, nature and more.
- Creation Club: One-two afternoons a month we enjoy a nature walk with fellow homeschoolers.
- Pastel Tutorials: Nana joins us after work for supper sometimes. Prior to us setting the table, she may teach a pastel art lesson. She treats us to this a couple of times a month. We’d love for you to join us as well. There are currently 34 tutorials for you to enjoy for free here.
One Afternoon Quiet Time, Middle Girl got out my sewing bucket and dressed Barbies in felt medieval style. She referred to Living Long Ago for ideas.
So See?
- I have help.
- The children do many things on their own. (Spreading things out far and wide, as pictured above) 🙂
- Our habits are the bones of our day.
Related:
- Our Hodgepodge Curricula here.
- Helpful Homeschool Habits – Those we take advantage of every homeschool day.
Our weekly home blessing.
- The Housekeeping Habits That Bless Our Home – the practical – since I couldn’t possibly keep the house picked up by myself!
In upcoming weeks I plan to share more of the practical how-tos of our Hodgepodge, including the weekly Tapestry of Grace meetings I have with my older children and our family unit study reviews. I’ve made it a habit to share a helpful habit each Friday!
Thanks to Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers for hosting the weekly wrap-up!
All that shared, there are always tough days, things to work through and studies carried over to the next week. How about you? How do you fit it all in? I’d love to hear…
Amen to helpful habits. I don’t think I would have survived having four active children homeschooling all these years if we didn’t have established habits like the ones you write about in this post. What a great post to help other moms and to see that even though you may look like you are a super-mom(which you are of course), there are plenty of behind the scenes systems and supports to make that happen. Thanks Tricia for sharing.
Yes, amen to habits! Thank you for your kind comment. Plenty of behind the scenes systems indeed.
LOVE this!! A few thoughts (or questions – lol):
1. When do you plan for school and how long does it take?
2. When do you prepare workboxes for the little ones?
3. When do you shop?
4. How long is quiet time and what are the “rules”?
5. When do you write? (I know you’ve already answered this for me, but I thought others might like to know, too.)
6. Could you do a post on any tips or tricks you have for being online? I find myself wasting h-o-u-r-s of precious time when I’m answering emails, uploading photos, writing posts, gathering ideas for school studies, etc. So, for instance, all your posts include lots of wonderful photos, but from experience I know photos can take quite some time to sort through, upload and add into a post. Any tricks? Have you found ways to keep everything streamlined – like checking in on Facebook, Pinterest, blogs and the like?
Okay, I know that was more than a few questions. Feel free to take your time answering them or feel free to write as many wonderful posts as you like to answer these questions!
Oops, I just remembered your post about quiet time, but I’m not able to scroll up to delete it above (??). Anyway, I’d still like to know approximately how long quiet time lasts. AND, do you have any extremely active kids who don’t like to be alone? (I have two of those and lovingly describe them as Hammy (from Over the Hedge) on crack.) I’m years into this journey, but still have yet to figure out how to reign them into a quiet time.
That’s all for now. And shouldn’t it be?! :o)
Cindy!! You have just planned out a series for me. Thank you! I really appreciate this sort of feedback. Because I do love to help and encourage fellow homeschoolers and parents.
Right away I can point you to my Annual Planning and Goal Setting post: http://habitsforahappyhome.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/mama-on-vacation-planning-and-goal-setting/
And yes, I have answered the Afternoon Quiet Time in a couple of posts but I have another drafted answering some of the specifics you mentioned. https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/2011/05/helpful-habit-%e2%80%93-afternoon-quiet-time/
And, I’d love to talk about the how do you do the shopping soon! Hodgepodgedad recently shared about the Evernote app we use for the grocery list. But I’ll be sure to share about the ‘when’ soon too http://habitsforahappyhome.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/evernote/
Thanks for getting the ball rolling in my mind 🙂 Will also plan to talk technology habits as well.
Happy Birthday, 6 year old!! Your week sounds a lot like ours. I have been thinking about doing a day-in-the-life post. I agree with you fully. We could never do what we do if I did not have the help of God and m husband. Now that Katie is older, she, too, helps to teach, take the littles places and to help with cooking and laundry so that I can attend to the teaching. We also have an afternoon focus each day, in which the subject varies. And, yes, the truth is that we never get it all in, but we get just enough in. You are such a blessing to us with all you share.
Phyllis – hugs from me and 6yo for the BD wishes! Yes, it’s a family effort, isn’t it? And that’s one of those beautiful benefits of homeschooling.
I really appreciate you sharing some of your “tricks”. I am struggling right now with finding time for lesson planning, filling workboxes, photocopying, and my writing. I don’t have #2 on your “it all comes down to” list when it comes to homeschooling or housework or encouragement, so that makes the struggles that much harder. I am falling behind in laundry, housework, de-cluttering, organization, and planning. I will be reading all of the links in this post to gain some tips and perhaps some wisdom. Thanks for sharing.
Sharla – please be encouraged by the fact that I have two baskets full of laundry sitting next to me as I type this. There are seasons. Sometimes that simply means survival and getting in the 3 Rs. I’ve been there a plenty with this Hodgepodge. And, as I said, each of these habits were added one.by.one – working on one and getting it down before adding another. Baby steps. Place it all in His capable hands…He will give you rest and help you to mount up with wings as eagles.
I like how you say “our habits are the bones of our day” — so so true. Your wrap-up post today inspired me to be more intentional about habits. Thank you.
Every time I visit your blog I learn at least one thing new and gain inspiration. You area blessing!
And Mary, you are a blessing to me with your comment. Thank you!
You are a pretty super mom, but I can see how having such good habits in place makes such a big difference. Even with just schooling one right now, the lack of good habits here is killing our days, but I really need to take time to prioritize all the habits I need to be working on because trying to *POOF* them all instantly in place is overwhelming and rather impossible.
Thanks for this post. I have some more concrete food for thought in figuring out where in the world to start. 🙂
How wonderful that they are such good helpers.
I always try to work with my little one first too. It really does help to give her that attention first because there she is her only playmate when I’m doing school with big sis.
I definitely need to work on some other habits though.
Thanks for sharing! This post was full of helpful advice:) Making dinner at lunch is something I do sometimes, but I think it needs to become a habit. I love the way it frees up our late afternoon and evening just before Daddy comes home.
Hi Tricia! When I read your post title, I laughed to myself because my answer would be: we don’t! I only have two children, but I often feel like we live in a junk drawer, know what I mean? “Clutter, clutter everywhere, and we can’t find a thing.” Love the encouragement in your blog! You are a blessing to me.
Baby Steps, that is what I’ve been taking for several months now & they do work, trmendously. We don’t get everything done each week, but enough to say that we have had a school week. Making progress slow & steady, that is our motto.