School Snapshot

As promised, perhaps more for my sake than for yours, I am back to give you a snapshot of an average school day in our little one-room school house. We are into November now, so I can say with some confidence that I have finally stumbled upon the recipe for success in our homeschool days, at least as far as consistency is concerned. I'll be honest, there are some years where I was much more creative with my lesson planning (ahem, threekidsago, cough, cough) but I have never managed to hold to a schedule as well as I have so far this year. 

When I say the word "schedule", I mean it in the loosest possible sense. There is very little that happens at an allotted time during our days, but I have learned to take activities that need to get done and pin them to something that will always happen no matter what. And that usually means food. So this year, our days look something like this:

6:00 Mom awake, morning prayers, drink coffee by myself

6:30-7:30 Everyone else wakes up slowly, eats a bowl of cereal or lays on the couch reading. Their only task is to get dressed by 8:30.

8:30 Real breakfast is served (YES I'm cooking breakfast every day! This is new!)

   Monday is oatmeal

   Tuesday is pancakes

   Wednesday is eggs

   Thursday is cereal (we have a church class in the morning so we need to get out the door)

   Friday is yogurt and granola

9:00 I play our school song (This year it is Multiplied by needtobreathe- just try listening to this song without dancing!) while we clean up the school table from all of the mad crafting that inevitably went on the day before. I've found that I just can't make sure the school table is clean at the end of the day, so I've enlisted the kids to do it for me! I mean, with me... hey, it was their mess anyways!

   Then we begin with prayer, followed by our subjects that everyone learns together (history or science). Then the girls are excused... but they don't usually leave... and we do some math or English. 

It is unbelievable how much has changed in my motivation to do school each day, simply by making sure breakfast is served at 8:30 (or, let's be honest, 8:45 or even 9:00) and then we transition directly to school from the breakfast table. The kids don't have time to get engrossed in other activities, I don't have time to get distracted by dishes or laundry; we drop everything and go to school! Just like normal people! 

After this, the kids are free to do what they want until lunch time. Sometimes I serve a snack, sometimes I read a story, sometimes the kids scatter instantly to every corner of the house. I call them back around noon for lunch, which I usually eat while I'm preparing it. We all sit down at the table and if Blaise is in a good mood, I read a chapter from our current Boys Book Club book while they eat. If it doesn't work out at lunch, I read it during afternoon snack. 

After lunch, I have my ideal schedule and my actual schedule. Ideally, one of the kids would read a story to Edith while I clean up lunch, then I would put her and Blaise to bed and the rest of us would have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time for about 20 minutes. This has happened in reality about twice. Children are notoriously bad at following my plans for their nap schedule, believe it or not. When it does work out, it's dreamy. But when it doesn't, we roll with it.

Following D.E.A.R. time... or C.T.K.W.E.E.D.W.T.W. Time (That's "Clean The Kitchen While Everyone Else Does What They Want" Time), the three big kids usually do our afternoon assignment lists. The trick to making assignments more palatable is to either A. Have a child like Audrey who would like nothing better than to practice her handwriting and math all afternoon or B. Put something they enjoy (i.e. something on the computer) at the end of the list. 

Max's current list looks like this:

-Math Worksheet

-Handwriting Worksheet

-Read 1 Chapter of assigned book, find one word you don't know

-Practice Taekwondo

-Practice Piano

-Duolingo (online Spanish class)

Lucian's list:

-Math Worksheet

-Handwriting Worksheet

-Grammar Lesson

-Read 1 Chapter of assigned book

-Practice Taekwondo

-Practice Piano

-Typing Lessons 

Audrey's list:

-Handwriting Worksheet

-Reading Lesson

-Math Worksheet (sometimes)

-Practice Piano

-Starfall Phonics (online)

Once their lists are completed, they are free to do whatever they like for the rest of the afternoon. Often we have afternoon snack and storytime together, sometimes we play board games together, occasionally we do an art project, but most days the kids entertain themselves with all sorts of creative pursuits that don't take any guidance from me. 

We have dinner when their Daddy gets home, and then the kids have chores to complete before they are free to do what they want after dinner. We usually start winding down around 7:30 with prayers and stories, and then on a normal day the kids are in bed by 8:00. 

Looking at our daily schedule all laid out like this, it actually looks like we accomplish a lot each day! One of my biggest fears as a homeschooling mom is that I am going to fail my kids by not teaching them what they need to know. While other kids go to school for 7 hours a day, we never "do school" for more than three hours, four days a week. But we accomplish a lot in a little time, and we make a point to make learning a way of life. It might not always look like school, but those little brains are growing all the time. I can't wait to see what they become some day!

Gardening

Late night flash cards with Dad

Audrey loves choosing the letter of the day!

Making apple pancakes... while Edith falls asleep at the table 

Learning doesn't have to happen in a classroom

Sometimes we light things on fire in school...

Learning from a sibling

Lucian is very self motivated in his piano practicing

Outdoor D.E.A.R. Time with the neighbor girls

Our Book Nook

And yes, we do schoolwork at the table sometimes

Extra, Extra

Paul and I made the decision early on in parenting that we would actively guard our family's time together. We have had the kids involved in a smattering of activities over the years, but the bulk of our evenings and weekends are dedicated to time together. In the last year, however, our kids have started to show interest in very specific activities, so we decided it was time to follow their lead. I have always had a mild fear that my kids would miss out on their calling because I failed to introduce them to it at the right time, but it has become abundantly clear that they will find their way in spite of not trying out every activity under the sun.

In  January, Audrey started ballet classes at St. Paul Ballet, and it has been perfect! For young kids, St. Paul Ballet offers drop-in classes on Saturday mornings, early enough to not interfere with other weekend plans. The drop-in option was perfect for us! When we were around, she could go to ballet, but if we had other plans or were out of town, she didn't... and we only had to pay for the classes she attended! Her teacher Miss Siri became her hero, and she can't wait to start again in the fall!

Lucian took a soccer class at the YMCA this spring, and then his dream came true when we signed him up for Team Soccer this summer! He and his buddy Augustine are on the Yellowjackets, and it is a BIG DEAL. Actually the league is through West St. Paul Community education and is super low-key, but they get to play actual games, which is what Lucian has been waiting for his entire life. He is on cloud nine.

And then Max, my boy who just wants to perform, was given the opportunity to be in a real live play! Community Ed in a neighboring town put on a performance of Peter Pan and Max signed up and was given the role of Michael! He had to memorize over 40 lines, and I was a nervous wreck. But he remembered every line and delivered them with confidence and enthusiasm! Way to go, Max! Grandma Yantes was even able to make the trip up to see him perform, and we were so glad to be able to share the experience with her.

I think this year has marked the beginning of a new era. Next thing you know, I'll have a collection of "(Fill-in-the-blank) Mom" bumper stickers on my car!  In all honesty, though, it has been a joy to see them begin to express their diverse personalities and find out what makes them tick. They have also been incredibly supportive of each other, which just makes my Mama-heart melt. I have always known that I love my kids, but I am beginning to realize more and more how much I like them!

Art in Bloom

Paul just returned from a week-long work trip and I am still alive! This is thanks in no small part to the help of my wonderful friends and especially my mom. She was here almost every day, carting kids to and from various activities and helping me through the crazy dinner hour. She even took pairs of kids to stay overnight to give me (and them) a little break!

When she took the girls overnight, I used the opportunity to do some activities with the boys that I wouldn't dare do with all five kids in tow. Audrey is a bit of a ticking time bomb right now, and Edith is just an unpredictable two-year-old. Without them, I felt safe bringing the boys out to Jimmy John's for dinner followed by a quiet trip to the library to pick out chapter books and get their very own library cards!

On Thursday morning, I was feeling really brave and decided to check out the opening day of Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It's an annual exhibit that I have always wanted to see but have never before had the opportunity. So why not bring three boys, one baby in a stroller, to a museum on a crazy busy opening day of a super popular exhibit?? Nobody's crazy here, nope, not me!

It actually went really well, except for a bit of fussiness from Blaise. Without the girls, we were able to linger in front of each floral arrangement and compare it to the painting it was created to represent. We asked questions and pondered and discussed... I felt like a total boss homeschooling mom! Since those moments are few and far between when I'm out in public with the kids, it was nice to once feel like I was doing something impressive.

 

In the first room, I had a woman approach me to ask if I was homeschooling. She told me that she homeschooled her kids a generation ago and all these years later was so thankful for that time with her kids. She was so encouraging and inspiring to me! Then throughout the museum we constantly had smiles and way-to-go's sent in our direction.

Of course we still have many (many, many, many) crazy days and I often find myself wanting to pull my hair out, but it was a lovely morning of encouragement and beauty to give me a boost as we close out this school year!

 

Hurricane Edith

My spunky little gal has been keeping me on the run lately! The great loves of her life include destroying everything in her path and climbing up onto every surface in the house. At times it seems she has a death wish; if she happens to make it into the front yard, she will wait until someone is watching her, look that person in the eye, smile, and then book it directly for the road! I was bringing in groceries the other day when this exact scenario played out. I saw her looking at me, just waiting to see what I would do next. I didn't move, knowing she would take off. But she began to move toward the road anyway, just as a car was coming around the corner. I bolted, waving my arms wildly as she tore into the middle of the road. Thankfully we live on a slow, quiet street and the driver saw me in plenty of time. But I honestly don't know why I'm not going gray yet...

While part of her destructive nature is personality, another part is simply greater opportunity to create chaos. She manages to wander off unsupervised much more often than the others did; in our old house we were generally within eyesight of each other at all times. If a kid was missing, it took a matter of seconds to locate them. Now we have more square footage, many more little nooks and crannies, more bathrooms (!!!), and a lot more ways to sneak away. Plus, with three older siblings there are more craft supplies, more bathroom supplies, more toys with small parts, more markers falling onto the floor just waiting to be uncapped. More books just waiting to be pulled off the shelf. 

But the worst of all is the bathroom. She has learned how to open all of the drawers and cupboards, which hold such treasures as makeup, lotion, band-aids, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine products, and toilet paper, all of which have been poured out, unwrapped, squeezed empty, chewed on, or thrown in the toilet at some point or another. And then there is the toilet itself! I have found her washing her hands, dipping her toothbrush, wetting down her hair, attempting to drink the water... And it's always a toss-up whether the kids have remembered to flush or not. The worst, by far, was the day I caught her in the bathroom after a sibling (who shall not be named) forgot to flush a big job. She took it upon herself to "clean up" by throwing the mess from the toilet bowl into the bathroom garbage can! I caught her red-handed (well, not red-handed... you know what I mean), and I nearly died of shock and disgust before I was able to call in my dear husband to help with the cleanup.

But in spite of all the craziness, she is still the joy of my life. She keeps me laughing when she's not screaming at me, and she gives me the greatest snuggles in the world! Just a few days ago, she looked at me during dinner and said "Ya you, Mama" (which translates to "I love you, mama"). Melt my heart. Yes, you can have whatever you want!

 

And the joy it brings me when I see her siblings dote on her is indescribable! They love to read to her, hold her, chase her and sing to her. They can't get enough of her budding language skills; they constantly ask her to repeat phrases to them and then laugh at her attempts to say "Minecraft Creeper" and "Ob La Di, Ob La Da". They always want to be the first to offer her a banana and yogurt in the morning because they know that food brings her such joy.

    

She is growing up as the fourth child in a growing family, and in that place she has learned to make her needs known. Her screech could break glass, and when she throws a fit she will wail on anyone in sight. Paul has nearly gotten his beard ripped out on occasion. But she is well loved and she knows it. She is going grow up to be a strong and capable woman with a heart of gold. Just don't try to take her blankie.

On Holy Saturday

These holiest days of the liturgical year have taken on somewhat of a stressful undertone for me for the past few years. I am constantly worried about whether I am doing enough to instill in my children a love for their Catholic faith, a respect for traditions, a desire to grow in holiness. We have many traditions that we return to year after year, ones that our children have come to expect and joyfully anticipate. We attend soup supper and Stations of the Cross every Friday throughout Lent, culminating in a visit to a neighboring church on Good Friday for the Living Stations. We make a crown of thorns out of salt dough and toothpicks each year, and when all of the toothpicks have been removed (through acts of love and sacrifice by the kids), we spray paint the crown gold and glue on jewels for Easter. For two years now, we have done a simple version of a Seder meal to give the kids an idea of what the Last Supper might have actually looked like. And yet, I always worry that it's falling flat. There is so much richness and we are barely scratching the surface.

But tonight, everything came into focus, even if just for a moment. We had spent the evening decorating our crown and our prayer corner for Easter, and we had sent the kids to bed before praying the second day of the Divine Mercy Novena. Of course, with Easter tomorrow, the boys were absolutely nowhere near ready to fall asleep. Partway into the second decade, I glanced up and saw one little boy creeping down the stairs. When he saw my smile, he dove for the couch and joined right in. His brother was close behind, and also waited for my go-ahead before snuggling in between his mom and dad. We didn't skip a beat as the boys joined in for the remainder of the Chaplet. When we were finished, we said goodnight again and they went back upstairs.

I am so thankful to have been given a small reprieve from my worries as a mother. In that moment, I saw so clearly that what we do is sinking in. They are taking to heart what we are teaching them. But maybe the most important realization I had was the importance of leading by example. I'm convinced that finding their parents praying together after bedtime is worth more to my children than all of the activities I could possibly plan for them. If I never make another liturgical year themed craft with my children again but they catch me praying regularly, I will have nothing to worry about. If I can show my children love and compassion rather than constantly reminding them how they should be treating one another, I'm on the right path as a mother.

On this Holy Saturday, I will rest in the hope of the resurrection, and in the joy of knowing my children are doing the same.

Our prayer corner decorated for Easter

Say What?

Edith said her first phrase today, "Mo nana" (more banana). I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone, since her love of food is a well-known fact. It got me thinking about the first phrases of each of my children, and I realized that they are all perfect little capsules of their personalities. Now, I'm not saying that Edith is defined by her love of food, but it sure is central to her life right now! Here are the others, to the best of my knowledge. But remember, I'm a mother of four... if these aren't accurate, I claim Mommy Brain.

Max: "Macky wanna run!" My former little-ball-of-energy has turned into a big-ball-of-energy! He has learned how to channel his constant motion a little bit, and as he learns to read he is spending more and more time with his nose in a book. But even when at rest, he seems to nearly vibrate with excess energy!

Lucian: "I did it!" Results-oriented from the beginning, the older he gets the more I see how driven and focused my second-born is. He wants to be given tasks, and he will not rest until the tasks are complete. Part of our daily routine is a checklist of things to do, such as "make bed" and "do something creative". He jumps out of bed each day and completes his list before his older brother has even thought about his.

Audrey: "Audrey do it!" I'm not certain that this was her very first phrase, but it was definitely an early one. Unlike her older brother who enjoyed proclaiming his success, Audrey was more interested in demanding to be allowed to do things on her own. Whether she was able to complete the task or not was irrelevant. She did NOT want any help! This trait has faded a little bit lately; I think she realized that it's nice to have people do things for you sometimes. But her independence and refusal to be told what to do is staying strong. Look out world!

Time will tell what Edith's first phrase really says about her. Maybe it is an early indicator of a love of cooking, or maybe she'll study monkeys in their original habitats. Who knows? But I can't wait to see how her little personality develops!