FULL Schedule?

Well, today was as calm as yesterday was chaotic...I guess the Lord figured I needed it!

My morning started on time and no one woke early to disturb my Bible study time - yea!
I was able to get breakfast started and receive the toddler I watch without a hitch, and David (nearly always the first one up) greeted me with a happy "I love when I smell breakfast and wake up!" That boy is ALWAYS all about food....after every meal, I am asked 1) "May I have a snack?" and 2) "What's for (insert mealtime-to-follow here)?". I was also surprised to see my day was free of any activity outside of the home...a rarity, but o-so-welcomed!

The family was up, fed, dressed and ready to learn by 9a.m. and we jumped right in to take full advantage of the time. Claire provided for the kiddos a small break with a tantrum over some perceived injustice and then woe-FULL demands for a tissue to blow her nose and wipe her eyes (a cute quirk we alternately love & tolerate because of her OCD-ness about it!), but that really was the only hitch. Surprisingly, we were done with our studies by 1pm, with the children humoring mom by waiting until then to eat lunch :-) !

Our afternoon was spent coloring, playing games, completing puzzles, and (of course) imaginative play. If anyone out there wants a FUN game of Chess, I highly recommend No Stress Chess, as it allows players of ALL ability the opportunity to learn the game while playing it, together! It took me 3 years to finally purchase it as I had only seen it online and didn't want to pay the shipping. (I HAVE 5 CHILDREN AND HAVE TO BE CHEAP!!!) We finally have the game because we attended a book signing with Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson & Red Pyramid fame) and the B&N at La Cantera had the game 20% off and on display!!! Oh, happy day....

Our evening routine was smooth and spent with dad, who put off his school studies and provided the kiddos with branches from our very-green oak trees as he trimmed them up. Many-a-fort were started before the daylight gave way to night light and everyone came back inside for a before bedtime snack.

We owe our pediatrician a hefty Christmas gift for his suggestion that our children take Melatonin a half hour before bed to cut down on the 'I need (a drink, to potty, a snack, to re-brush my teeth, to change my pj's or bedsheets because of crumbs or a water spill) routine. Now they have snack, Melatonin, get pj's on and teeth/potty duty done in time for a story, kisses and prayer and sleep almost as soon as the lights are out. God Bless that man!

So now I'm keeping with my 'blog-goal' for the week, and once I sign off I think I'm going to re-organize the bookshelves from the 'new, easy on the eye and not working' system back to the 'old and cluttered looking but worked' system. (I tried to place all books in order of subject, rather than giving each child their own school shelf, and instead replaced the shelf with organizing bins. Though I am a patient person, I am not patient enough to stick with a system that clearly isn't working and is taking precious time away from our studies!)

During and After that, I will be doing laundry....I really want to find a machine that has 'Large - Over Sized -' and 'Breeding' as setting options...mine is at the 'Breeding' stage right now!

I hope all my Tuesdays are this simple, as they are my only 'off' day from taxi duty, and though we 'home' school, I rarely feel we spend enough time here!