Schedules or Routines

Schedules or Routines....

aah....{I LOVE them!!}

So people ask me...ALL THE TIME...how I keep it all together, how I keep up and stay so calm?

First off let's just make one thing clear... I DON'T do it ALWAYS!!! No I am not perfect, nor are my children.

Second I love to be organized....sometimes too much so! Sometimes I won't do something until I get it all organized, well this can be a good and a bad thing.

So let's get to the main reason for this post...

Schedules and/or Routines

This is how we do it... or how I am doing it.

I have done this in the past...and LOVED it...but I don't know life happened, things changed.

Looking at the picture above...

I took a white poster board, and divided it up into 6 equal parts, with a smaller 7th area.

The smaller area is the time area. This is where I put our time's that things are suppose to be done in. Now I am not so troubled if something says it should be done at say...7:30 and it doesn't get done at that time. I like the time's for a goal, a hope, and sometimes for nothing! I can take them or leave them, not everyone is that way. Actually, one of the A's gets seriously bugged when we are not done with something at the time it says we should be. So I am teaching the children that the times are a guide, but not something that you have to have. We just move on to the next items, even if it's not at the right time. Just as if you finish something earlier than stated...you just move on.

The extra allowance or needed extra time, will all be equaled out later or during free times.

I used the smaller post-it notes, in different colors. (well I had to double up one color, for the time being} I also found that the longer skinnier post-its would have worked better for our layout, so next time we will use those. (like the purple and orange on the end) Each person or group of kids is a different color. I grouped my youngest three.

This is our summer schedule, so in the next few weeks I will be changing it around. Meaning that the post-it notes are wonderful for this! Just peel them off stick them where needed, or throw them out as needed.
In my slot I have my time, my time one on one with a child, cleaning time, free time, personal study and personal devotional time. Again these are just guides, no where on there do I have a clean up throw-up time, or messy diaper time, nor is there a referee time or whatever else my 7 blessings throw my way!!! {that might be nice though, maybe I could discuss that with them, and see if they would all agree!!!!}

Then each kid, has their chores, personal devotional, individual study time, Math time, free time.
I put on each post-it the subject or thing they should be doing at that time, the time I feel it should be finished in, and then moved things around until it all fit, or threw out things that just plain didn't fit!

Now for our school schedule, I might change from doing individual kids columns, to days of the week? I am still toying with that idea. As we do certain subjects certain days of the week. Or certain activities, clubs, classes only happen on certain days of the week. That is why the names and times are in pencil ( and you can not see them)

Well I hope this might inspire someone. Maybe help someone with a routine or schedule they are trying to figure out. I also like that the post-it notes are easy to change. After a week or so of our schedule. I ponder it. I think what really is not happening as stated? Is there just no way that will happen as scheduled? Does someone always finish something before I thought, and have too much free time? If so I think of a better way to organize it, or if it's something that is really needed. I love that it is easy to re-vamp to change to fit our life. At one time I had a schedule on a wipe off board. Which I loved for that reason, the problem if anyone touches it, it gets erased. Which does not work. Then I thought of post-its. So far they are working...great. I did put it up high enough, hopefully little hands won't get a hold of it!!!!