Is summer over yet??

We are coming up on about 2 weeks left of summer vacation. I can honestly say I am quite relieved. Summer vacation is a good, necessary part of life-at least for this homeschooling family. We need a break or everyone, Mom especially, will have a meltdown. June comes along and everyone gratefully sets aside their work for the year. However, we function so much better in general when we have our school routine in place. Chores get done faster, boredom rarely sets in, and we all feel like we are accomplishing something! Things are so much more peaceful around here when we are on a schedule. Yes, I could set up a schedule for the summer, but again, we do need a break from things, and I also think it is good for the girls to have that freedom sometimes. It sounds contradictory I know, but that is just how we work I guess.

So yes, I am looking forward to school starting again. Madeline and Brianna are so excited I could probably start tomorrow and hear not a peep of complaining, but I just can't bring myself to start before September-Before "fall", although I know fall isn't official until later in the month. In the meantime we are getting everything ready, which is good fun in and of itself. The girls have their school supplies all lined up in their school shelves-Lissie included, for I feel it is important for little ones to feel apart, and I have been gleefully printing out worksheets and charts and schedules, setting up lesson plans, and surfing the internet for ideas to make this year special. I almost feel prepared!

For your viewing pleasure I have included our tentative daily schedule for the year. Keep in mind that we follow our schedule loosely-I have no problem with straying from time to time. It is more of a guideline to keep us on track. And I'll admit it-I LOVE making schedules! I'm a bit geeky that way. Alyssa does have a slot on this schedule, but I've made it as small as I can and it is getting cut off. Sorry!

Time	Mom	Madeline	Megan	Brianna	Alyssa
8:00	Get ready for day	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8:30	Start Laundry/Chores	Chores	Chores	Chores	Chores
9:00	Devotions	Devotions	Devotions	Devotions	Devotions
9:15	Reading with Brianna	Math	Math	Reading with Mom	Playtime
9:30	Math with Brianna	Math	Math	Math with Mom	Playtime
10:00	Activity time with Brianna and Alyssa	English	English	Activity time	Activity time
10:30	M,W,F History T, TH Science	M,W,F History T, TH Science	M,W,F History T, TH Science	M,W,F History T, TH Science	School with the older kids
11: 15	Spelling and Word time	Spelling	Spelling	Word time	Coloring time
11:45	Get lunch ready	Free time	Free time	Free time	Free time
12:15	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00	Quiet time	Silent reading	Silent reading	Quiet time	Quiet time
2:00	W,F Music with Megan T, TH Music with Madeline	Music T, TH practice with Mom	Music W,F practice with Mom	Movie time	Movie time
3:00	Odds and Ends	Finish undone chores or free time	Finish undone chores or free time	Free time	Free time
4:30	Dinner prep	M dinner prep	T dinner prep	W dinner prep	TH dinner prep
5:30	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
6:00	Evening pick-up	Dinner cleanup	Dinner cleanup	Evening pick-up	Free time
7:00	Free time	Free time	Free time	Free time	Free time
7:45	Bath time w/Lissa	Free time	Free time	Free time	Free time
8:00	Put Lissa to bed	Free time	Free time	Bath time	Bedtime
8:15	Reading with Brianna	Free time	Bath time	Reading with Mom or Dad
8:30	Put Brianna to bed	Bath time	Quiet time	Bedtime
8:45		Quiet time	Quiet time
9:00		Bedtime	Bedtime