BOC, too many History read alouds?

We have been using SCM’s History guides and loving them.  However, I am noticing 2 things and wondering if anyone else has tips and ideas….

1. Our Book of Century entries always fall to the wayside (last year I printed out little pics of the books we read for different people in the time period, colored them and added them to a long strip of cardstock.  I have also printed a huge BOC for family use, and it is. ..Empty!)  I never seem to know what to put where, and they certainly are not motivated to do it on their own at this point.

2. I have 7 and 9 yr boys who just this year are reading on their own and growing in that skill (silently and aloud).  The extra history read alouds for the 4th grader I have to add to the 1-3 grade And the Family read aloud.  Even spread out into the weekend, tea time, evenings, we are struggling to get them done within each term following the Guide, and not drag on far into the afternoon pushing to finish, never mind very many oral narrations.  Most of them we really enjoy, just not sure what to cut out (we’re doing Modern Times this year) or how to move along faster.

Part of the problem with History is I have to fit the bulk of it into 3 days with 2 partial days on the weekend due to co-op day and Daddy being home on Fridays for errands, activities, etc. so I do not have 5 solid days to work with.