Daily schedule woes

my3boys,
I am finding that I think it’s similar with us in that we really need to get going on that school work early on or else it just seems like we’re lagging behind the rest of the day. We’re still in the learning curve stage right now with our schedule as we just started school last week and are implementing a new routine/schedule. Last week, things went really smooth as we followed the schedules set up. BUT, this week proved different b/c there were a couple of days that we didn’t follow the schedule out. I have to say I can see a difference for sure! By not following the schedule as I had set it up on those couple of days this week, it seemed like we were lagging behind on those days, trying to wrap up loose ends of school before bedtime. So it seems that the original schedules I made that we followed last week are probably our best way of doing things for now. Ah, the process of learning what works and what doesn’t. 🙂

Don’t I know it!  I try to be flexible, easy-going, follow rabbit trails, etc. but I’m just not wired that way.  I feel much more accomplished when we know for certain that we (I) did our best to do what we set out to do.  Yes, I’m a list maker-marker-offer!  Of course I want the kids to learn and create and such, but I start losing it when we’ve gone off the deep end.  It just doesn’t feel good to me.  Awhile back my oldest mentioned that he didn’t feel very accomplished on this given day and didn’t feel he even deserved to play video games.  He said he didn’t feel as if he had “earned” the right to relax.  I said, “I know exactly what you mean.”  And, I do.  Most of our days are going to go one way or another and usually it’s up to me to make it feel as accomplished as possible.  I know much is out of our control, but I just mean computer time, late sleepers….well, really, the pace I set in the morn, I guess.

We start school next week and I am excited about what we have planned and hopefully I can find a schedule/routine that feels right. 

Amen Rebekah! Hear Hear!

I LOVE CM too…but #1 She didn’t have children, did she? #2 She ran a school…so all the children were school age. #3 She had other teachers too…didn’t she? #4 She probably had a cook to make meals? I’m guessing, she didn’t have to stop everything and run to the kitchen to whip up a meal for the masses. #5 Did she have to do her own shopping? #7 Was she married–with all that entails? #7 When we try to get the ideal perfect CM education, do we realize that we are trying to recreate not what one woman did, but that one woman and ALL her helpers…and #8 she and they did it without a nursing baby at the breast or a toddler who just spilled the forbidden bubbles on the carpet and danced in them or a husband who asked us to rearrage the priorities for the day to accomdate X…etc. –the littles make my days take longer than if they were all older! #8 Also, she obviously lived in an area a tad more conducive to outdoor exploration…when we hit wind chill -25, I am sorry, but my kiddos and I are NOT going to study the rabbit prints in the snow. I won’t normally go out in sub-zero–which is pretty often here! And my friend in Phoenix has the same thing…when it is 120, they stay INSIDE!

We always must be careful in what we are trying to do. Are we trying to mimic all the details and kill ourselves doing it…when I read 4 hours a day I just about sat down and cried. It is not realistic. It is not really doable…for many reasons. And a napsack and a hike out for the day with a 7, 4, 2, and 9mo gluten free dairy free on a budget 1/2 the size of some of the ones I read about here the other day –so no sanck foods, no fillers–is funny. It would take a suitcase or two of stuff to do a little exploration like that. And I am NOT physically up to it most days.

OR are we trying to create the astmosphere? discipline? life? that she espoused? Am I inpired to get out with the children more–yes. Am I challenged to bring nature indoors if I can? yes! Am I willing to problem solve and plan for outdoor explorations…maybe even when daddy is home, absolutely…

she was a great woman with great ideas. but she was just that a woman…in her unique circumstances. as are we. unique. and i can’t kill myself trying to squeeze my life into her sized/shaped life. It is like trying to wear someone elses shoes on a 15 mile hike. setting self up for failure.

again, we must take this insane pressure off. use these ideas and methods to inspire and grow ourselves…not copy –not make into one more law based rule we must follow or we just aren’t doing it right! the cm way. And, let me confess…that I am preaching to myself as well!

Also, I might as well say. I am doing more science than is recommended. And more of probably several things…as relaxed as I can…but I am house bound, snow bound, ridiculous minus temps, etc. for many many months…with some very HIGH energy kids…I am trying to create a wonderful learning enviornment for my very science/art oriented spongy girl who is desperate for new ideas, acitivities, etc…and who without them just gets into more and more trouble as she bounces around this house in the winter…so if my children are FLOURISHING as we study more and do more activities and stimulate them with ideas…that is what I am going to do. I am using all of the CM methods that I can…but I am refusing to make her word–my law. That place is reserved.

Sorry for the vent. I am a very law based person. AND this is an area I am determined to grow in. Please know that I mean no disrespect to CM or SCM …or any of you ladies. I have been very blessed by all…

but I don’t want all this wonderful cornicopia of awesome ideas and methods to become one more spiritually binding rule to live by…

we are individuals and as such are responsible before GOD to husband our individual resources in our individual circumstances…standing before GOD, I am not going to be able to say…well, I did it that way cause CM said so…LOL. I must take ALL thought and sift it…and find the grains of truth in it that apply to my specific life and circumstances. There could be many other grains of truth in it that would apply to others…maybe when children were older, etc. I am not saying throwing out truth. I do believe Truth is Truth…Jesus is the Truth…I am not saying truth is fluid or anything…just that we must take what are so many amazing ideals…and see what fits us.

Gotta run…really had no idea was about to write all that.

jo

Please forgive me if my posts were discouraging.  I was just trying to express that it was okay to have outside activity in intervals and not in such a huge unrealistic chunk. We don’t like being overheated and in the direct sun, so we get our outdoor time in the morning before 10:00 and in the afternoon after 3:00.

While my schedule looks like a lot, I have very relaxed days. And we do live in a rural area on about 3 acres…and my children have outdoor responsibilities and projects because of our acreage. Outdoor time is a great incentive for my children to get their personal responsibilities done.

I hesitated posting my schedule…but I was asked. My husband leaves early for work and is working on some personal fitness goals early in the morning…and I am too (after having 7 children).  As a family we try to get to bed early to accomodate his schedule. I get together  before breakfast (while nursing baby) with my older children for an hour  to do our teacher intensive work…before I am needed by the more dependent younger children.

Janell

Agreed! Janell, inspiring!

Janell, don’t apologize for sharing!  I love your ability to make this work…you were not discouraging!

Sara, just get them out as often as you can that is practical.  After that, you’ve done your best.    You are the sole teacher, and like many others have said, you do not have a governess, a laundress, a cook and a nanny so let some of it go!  =)  No more reason to stress over it.  =)

I always took the advice from Charlotte to “never be inside when you could be without,” etc., to be related to the need to work against our inertial tendancies to just stay indoors.  It seems that a lot of what I read in teaching books of her time period deals with similar problems to what we face today – children are cooped up and get into trouble, children have too much desk work and get into trouble, children are increasingly away from nature and hence lack empathy for the natural world and obsevational skills.  In fact I think one of the most profound experiences I have had while learning about CM methods is realizing that these issues were alive and well in her day – and not only have we not vanquished these problems, they are so much worse now!

Here is what I look for in my own household as far as feeling like I am accomplishing my goal of having my children feel comfortable out of doors:  making plans/accomodation for them getting wet/dirty, trying to be aware of which of their activities could be done outdoors as easily as indoors (playing barbies or whatever); intentionally taking advantage of each kind of weather and each time of day – going out in the rain, going out after a rain, going out as the sun is going down, etc; trying to help them take note of the patterns of nature (“oh look there is a black eyed susan, we haven’t seen that since last summer”) – part of that, for us, is keeping a bird list and taking care of our bird feeders.  

I agree with all the above postings about Charlotte herself not having the same kind of household obligations we do – and I do not think it is a good idea to frustrate ourselves with daily goals – as if every day in every season would be the same!  But I do think this is an important issue and one that almost every family needs to be mindful of – here is an excellent book about it from our own time period LOL “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv.  To be honest, this need to have my kids living part of their lives outside is a big part of why they are not in public school.  And us moms need to be outside, too!

I guess all I am saying is that we can make other goals than just an hourly goal for being outdoors – and maybe these goals can be more attainable over time than a strict hours-per-day goal.