daily routine for hsing, aka, how to keep my sanity and not be Supermom

[Robersonlass]

I am having a hard time with daily "routine". I want homeschool to be enjoyable but I feel like I am fitting it in. Maybe I need to do it the other way around and fit the other things in.
Waking up, bed, breakfast, shower, me dressed, kids dressed, laundry, treadmill, clean kitchen and then it is time for lunch and I feel like we should have done homeschooling during the morning.
What works for you?

[lumpofclay]

Well, I may not be the best to answer because I feel like I've tried it fifty-million different ways! :rolleyes

We're working on getting our school finished by lunchtime, during the fall, winter, and spring. During the summer, we'll "school" in the afternoon hours. Ideally, we'd all be up and dressed early morning, and then spend 20 minutes or so doing our blessings. (I pick two a day, M-F.) Then we'll do school. After lunch, they'll be free to do whatever they want. Most days, we have gymnastics or dance practice too. (DD#1 is on the competive gym. team, so lots of practice!) In the summer, they'll have practice and free time int he mornings, and we'll school in the afternoon, which is the hottest part of the day here! I'm heading more towards a CM approach. We're going to try Ambleside Online for next year, and will spend the next few months wrapping up this year and preparing for next. This means shorter lessons, which I think will help me get things finished in the afternoon. FlyLady gave me the idea that a little bit of cleaning goes a long way. Like I said, two blessings in the morning (10 min. each). After lunch, we have 15 minutes of quiet time. Then while the girls do whatever, I work in the zone (40 minutes total). This is really helping out with things. I'm finally starting to adapt FlyLady's principles to meet our family's needs! :tu Just that few minutes of quiet time (which the girls are happy to have and are more than welcome to stay longer, and they usually do) helps me so much!

[blessedmomof4]

Here is our daily schedule:

Wake/breakfast
Housework/Errands/Girls play
Lunch
Lay the 2yo down for a nap and then I get school stuff ready
School time/finish up housework
Play/2yo wakes up
Dinner

I used to do school in the mornings but it just wasn't working. The girls wanted to play and get some energy out so their attention to school was NOT there. I was feeling rushed in the mornings b/c I felt like we HAD to start by a certain time. Then my youngest dropped her morning nap.

So I tried doing it after lunch when she was napping and the girls had gotten in some playtime. Their attention/focus on school work was TOTALLY different!!!!! And I wasn't feeling rushed and like I had to get stuff done b/c I did it in the morning.