The importance of rhythms and routines

Way back in the day, when I had just one child, I remember people asking "Is he on a schedule yet?" And I giggled to myself, picturing a baby with a briefcase and a pocket planner, busily making his way from one meeting to another. But out loud, I simply said, "No, we just play it by ear."

Soon enough, playing it by ear wasn't enough. Juggling a baby, housework, cooking, playdates, my husband's schedule, social engagements-- we needed a plan! And that was just with one child. Now, with four, I find that our rhythms and routines are the foundation that hold up our day.

And please do notice that I said "rhythms and routines" and not "schedules." In my mind, schedules are cold and unyielding, while rhythms and routines and flexible and work to gently support and uplift our family.

What is a rhythm? To me, rhythms are those repetitive cycles that drift in and out of our lives like the waves. In our home we have daily rhythms, weekly rhythms, seasonal rhythms and yearly rhythms. Woven into our rhythms are the traditions of our family. Our rhythms nourish us and give us strength.

What is a routine? It's the day-to-day step-by-step processes that help everything to run smoothly. In our house, strong routines give predictability to our days and help to make those rhythms happen. I strongly believe that we all are at our best when we know what to expect.

I can honestly say that many of the rhythms and routines which we started when Michael was a baby, ten years ago, are still part of our daily lives. I would invite you to join me as I revisit our routines and help cement them, and perhaps you can work on a few of your own as well. We'll be looking at rhythms and routines on Thursdays, and will start this Thursday with meal routines. (Not meal planning-- we'll save that for later!)

So, start to think about your meals-- what are your goals? what is working for you and your family? what do you want to change? how do you create a feeling on peace and harmony?

And I'll see you on Thursday!

A tour of our schoolroom/dining room/playroom

I got a little restless this weekend and rearranged our "multipurpose room". You see, it's getting a little noisy and chaotic to have all five of us around the table all the time, and this leads to cranky children who can't get their work done. So I was left with the challenge-- how, in a small house with four little ones, can we make this work? So I did what I could to give everyone their own space.
I'd like to find somewhere else to put the trash can but, alas, we are fresh out of room. The gray box on the floor holds the stuff I'm saving for portfolios. The red file thingie on the wall holds reading logs, spelling test papers, papers to file, and a folder with each child's lesson planner and other papers for the week. Next to that, we have the paper storage-- from the top down it holds paper ruled for early elementary school, lined paper, graph paper, construction paper, and scrap paper. On top of that sits the finished work box.

I took apart my big cabinet and made two little cabinets. I miss having a high place to stasg things though.

This is Michael's corner, with his desk and his workbox. Eventually, I want to get something to set him box on so it's not on the floor. It's a little bare right now, but I'm sure Michael will make it his own in time. That is, if Daniel doesn't get to it first!

Yesterday...

And today!

This is the part I'm most frustrated with. We have Nicholas's workboxes and a shelf with toys. I really want to replace Nick's shelf with... something else, I don't know what... and move the toys shelf... somewhere else, I don't know where. We have a small house and many children. Space is hard to find.

And here's Nick's little corner of the room!

And Katie Grace's space. Again, workbox on the floor. Must remedy this situation.

And finally, our cubbies. I need to get our nature table back up. I'm also trying to get rid of the "non-Waldorf" elements, for the most part, and move back towards where we started.

Well, there you have it. It's small and cluttered, but it's ours.

I looked in my freezer and what did I see...

I inventoried my deep freeze the other day and this is what I found. Got any meal ideas for me?

13 loaves of whole wheat bread (we can get it for 89 cents a loaf at the Amish surplus outlet 45 minutes away, so we stock up every once in a while)

4 packs of whole wheat tortillas

3 packs of hot dog rolls

3 packs of rolls

8 "Flatouts" wraps (also from the Amish store)

5 rolls of Pillsbury cookie dough

9 bags of whole wheat flour

9 bags of unbleached white flour

3 bags of oat flour

1 bag of brown rice flour

2 bags of barley flour

1 bag of millet flour

1 bag of white rice flour

2 boxes of tapioca

19 quarts of homemade tomato sauce

4 quarts of strawberries

5 quarts of blueberries

1 bag of squished up ripe banana

2 bags of broccoli

1 bag of asparagus

2 bags of peas

2 bags of corn

1 bag of edamame

1 bag of sliced onions

1 bag of spinach

1 bag of green beans

4 pounds of ground beef

10 packs of sausage

1 whole chicken

2 packs of boneless pork

4 packages of bacon

1 bratwurst

1 pack of stew meat

1 bag of whiting fillets

a giant bag of chicken wings

1 bag of cooked chicken

2 packs of drumsticks

2 packs of chicken thighs

1 pack of lamb shanks

1 pack of wonton wrappers

1 half-gallon of organic chocolate milk I got on sale

1 pack of hot dogs

1 package of pepperoni

2 containers of Ben and Jerry's (Shhhh!)

8 bags of breastmilk

6 boxes of Neufachtal cheese

4 bags of tortellini

1 meal's worth of lentil stew

3 quarts of beef broth

5 quarts of chicken broth

From my notebook...

I saved this idea from an old Family Fun-- rain gutter bookshelves. How cool is that?

September Decluttering Challenge

I've joined the September Decluttering Challenge on MDC. Some mamas are counting items; I'm doing it by area. I'm trying to be honest and take pictures as things are. I'm learning that decluttering and general tidying go hand in hand. Things are neater, but still need to be decluttered more. That's Phase II.

Before decluttering, after Daniel attacked, LOL!

After. Threw away two pairs of undonatable shoes, sent extra jackets up the attic and sweaters and church shoes to rooms, and got rid of about 10 books. Is it really getting rid of them if you do Paperback Swap and get more books for them though? I also sent some LLL stuff down to the basement.

Before
After. Mostly I got rid of paper clutter on the top and tidied the books.

We're book people. I don't want to declutter my books! *stomps foot*

From my notebook...

Gift Wrap Station

It's never too early to start getting organized for the upcoming holidays! I love this great ideas from Family Fun.

A cute (and recycled!) ribbon dispenser made from an old cardboard box!

I did it!

Remember this post? The one with the killer squirrels and renegade clothespins? Well, I whipped out my trusty sewing machine and one of Katie Grace's baby dresses, and I made this! I added the step of tacking the dress to the hanger. The best part? I keep catching Katie Grace staring at it, as if in amazement that she was ever that little.

Peg o' My Heart

How serendipitous! My clothespin bag was attacked by killer squirrels (or something, I didn't see) and I need to make a new one. When I google searched, one of the first sites was from one of my favorites, Tipnut.com!

11 free clothespin bag patterns

This one from myluckychicken.com is cute, but the button holes might be too much for me.

And this apron from Mother Earth News is lovely, but again, beyond me.

I'll probably settle for this easy-peasy recycled shirt bag. Looks easy enough even for me!

Swiftly go the days...

I thought I would share how our day goes on a good day (and how I wish it would go on a bad day, LOL!)

Sometime between 6 and 7, I get up. I take care of laundry, including folding and sorting it into our laundry bins (dishpans labeled with each child's name). I also try to get kitchen chores started and do any prep work for meals. I try to get my shower at this time, get dressed, and start breakfast, all while listening to NPR. It's peaceful, because our family rule is that no one except Mama and Daddy can come downstairs before 7 AM.

I try to have breakfast going by 7 and then roust the troops. Michael and Katie Grace can usually be bribed with the promise of breakfast, but Nicholas is like his mama-- he'd sleep the day away if he could. The kids start their morning routine before breakfast by getting dressed, taking care of their night things, washing their faces and brushing their hair, and making their beds. After breakfast, they take up their laundry and put it away and brush their teeth. They also give their rooms a once over. This is when I run upstairs and finish getting ready for the day. Then I hang out the laundry and maybe water the garden.

We have devotions next. We'd like to do this with Daddy, but usually he's left for work by then.

Following devotions, we'll have art or music appreciation together. This is something that's still being worked out.

Next Michael goes up to write in his journal and I have circle time with Nicholas, Daniel, and Katie Grace. She likes to feel like she's helping lead it with the little ones.

Now the fun starts.
Katie writes in her journal while I teach Michael his math lesson.
Nicholas plays with Daniel.

Then Michael works on his math exercises while I give Katie Grace her lesson.
Nicholas still plays with Daniel.

While Katie Grace does her exercises, I do a math-oriented activity with Nicholas if there's time. Michael either finishes his math or plays with Daniel. He likes to read him books.

If we've made it this far without everything exploding, we have a snack. Usually it's about 10 AM. Sometimes we do a cooking project like making cookies or soft pretzels. I might run down and switch the laundry.

Next we have Christian Ed. This is also a work in progress. We follow the rhythm of the church year, so we might do an activity related to that. If it's a saint's day, we learn about the saint and maybe do some copywork.

Now we're coming up to what we call The Language Arts Big Fun Hour. It gets crazy.
I set someone up with copywork or handwriting and work on grammar or writing with someone else. Then we reverse. I send Katie Grace to read to or play with Nick and the baby, and I work with Michael on spelling. Then he has until lunch to: finish spelling, handwriting, writing or grammar, and read a chapter of whatever book he's reading. (Right now, it's Stuart Little). Next Katie and I do a reading lesson, followed by what we call "You Read to Me and I'll Read to You." She reads to me from an easy reader and then I read a chapter of a Katie book, usually American Girls. Then I go over her spelling, and she works independently. If there's any time left before lunch (and miraculously, there usually is) I do something with Nicholas.

Sometimes we even have time to clean the room of the day before noon!

*Deep Breath*

LUNCH! The hardest part of the day is over. The kids eat, I do any kitchen chores and meal prep that need done. I also try to get a few chores done. The kids run and play outside for a bit. They like to call it "recess." Then they come in for read-aloud.

The next couple hours are pretty negotiable. We always do a little Story of the World, we might do a little science. Sometimes we go on a nature walk or a field trip. We try to do art and music a couple times a week. I want to start adding some Latin into the mix as well. This is also a time for the kids to follow their own education interests.

Whatever we do, we're usually done by around 2:30. The kids clean up the school room while I check any papers in the finished work box, log attendance, whatever needs done.

Usually next the kids duke it out for screen time. They each get a half and hour, and have to choose between a TV, computer, or video games. The rest of the day is pretty much their own.

At this point, the day sort of falls apart. I suppose that's my next goal-- to have an afternoon routine for myself.

Some household projects

One thing I've been meaning to get to is my mantal. This week it went from this

to this




So, my next problem is where we store the extra blankets in the living room, because this obviously isn't working


Ideas?

Guess what I did today!

OK, it looks like I peed in 5 big jars, LOL! But nope, that's not it. I was inspired by both Emily's soup posts and an old post I had printed from Large Family Logistics, as well as some counsel from MOMYS on saving money on lunch meat-- I boiled a chicken, saved the meat for sandwiches, and made my own chicken broth!

Go me!

Ummm... Happy Arbor Day?

Monday is the day the city comes along and picks up all our lawn and garden clippings and trimmings and turns them into mulch. Everyone wins!

This is the little pile we started:


We made good use of all those kids we have and put them to work. Some worked more cheerfully than others.


Hey, camouflage! We learned about that!


And, finally, we get rid of the Christmas tree that's been hanging out in the yard next to the garage.
The Pile.

I'm having an organizational crisis.

I'm not sure why, but I can't seem to get anything done, and I'm exhausted. I've been meaning to make an appointment for a physical for a while, and I'm definitely going to do it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, if anyone is reading this and has any advice on balancing schooling and mothering and housekeeping and being a wife and everything else, please let me know.

A Housekeeping Retreat

This post from Are We There Yet? is twelve shades of awesome.

Happy New Year's Eve!

I've just spent the last five hours or so putting together my Household Management Notebook. God bless my husband. He made dinner AND cuddled the vomiting four-year-old so I could get it done. The camera is still lost, so no pictures, but I was able to scan the cover:


My scanner adds shadows where shadows don't actually exist. Odd.

The quote in the lower right corner is:
Start by doing what is necessary.
then what's possible,
and suddenly you're doing the impossible.
and is credited to St. Francis of Assisi.

If I ever find the camera (please, St. Anthony!) I'll post pictures, but for now let me tell you what the sections are.

First off, I have emergency contact information. If I ever lose this baby, I want to make sure it finds its way home. Then I have tons of blank filler paper (15 cents a pack at Staples back-to-school sales).

This is followed by:
Calendars and Schedules: So far, there's a 2008 year calendar, blank monthly pages, and some blank daily routine sheets. I also typed out their weekly commitments (Scouts, ballet, Odyssey of the Mind, etc). Eventually I'd like to map out our routine, but it's pretty loose so I'm not sure how it will look on paper.

Housekeeping and Homemaking: Right now I have a schedule of the room I focus on cleaning each day, a page of natural cleaning solution recipes, a seasonal chores checklist, a page on handwashing the dishes and mealtime clean up, and a page on cleaning in a hurry. There's a lot more I would like in this section. For one thing, I want to start an every-two-months deep cleaning rotation. I also want to start the kids doing chores without complaining. I'm still pretty much doing everything on my own, and when I ask them to help they do it grudgingly with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. It occurs to me that the oldest two at least should be helping out a little more. I downloaded Motivated Moms and may print it off to use here.

Food, Shopping, and Meal Planning: I printed off a Healthy Kitchen Basic Inventory (found at Kitchen Comforts), blank weekly menu planners (I like these because they include space for snacks!), a master grocery list, and a page for favorite recipes. I'd really like to be doing more from scratch, so I envision this going in here as well. I want to come up with some sort of routine/schedule for making things from scratch. I have a freezer and a pantry, and I want to come up with some way of keeping up with the inventory. Also, I need a meal routine. I'd really like to incorporate the Waldorf practice of different grains each day.

Volunteering and Service: I'd like to put my LLL info here (including those pesky meeting reports I forget to send!. I teach Sunday School as well, and can put some of that in here. If I was really good, I'd call my little ones on their birthdays and send postcards when they don't show up to Sunday School. I don't really have any MDC paperwork, but if I did I could put it here as well. There are also occasional things, like the Angel Tree at church at Christmas that could go here.

Planning and Projects: Right now there's just a vague 2008 month-by-month planning sheet, but oh, do I have plans for the plans and projects section!

Learning Together: All I have here so far is a print-out on making timeline books. I want to put the Waldorf curriculum chart in here, and my plans for the year and for the month. Plus a copy of Michael's affidavit and our daily log and a list of the resources and supplies we have. And... and... and... oh, there's lots that can go here. Library receipts! Not only will this help with our book log (oh, that's something else that can go in here- book logs!) but maybe we won't end up dropping $20 to clear our fines-- and that was at half off!

Faith and Family: Right now, there's just a list of saints' days. This is a subject that's near and dear to my heart, though, and I have lots to add to this section.

Contacts: This is my friends and family section. I downloaded birthday calendars from Jan Brett's website, and will add phone numbers here as well.

Health and Healing: Nothing here yet, but eventually I want to have PA law and our immunization exemptions, doctor and dental info, some natural healing resources, including a list of what remedies we have on hand because I always forget, and the like. I also want a page for each kid with a current photo, and maybe even the childsafe kits we had done at the health fair.

Gardening: Nothing here yet, but one of my goals this year is to get serious about gardening, beyond the few anemic tomatoes that manage to survive our tender mercies.

Vacation and Travel: You know, just in case we ever go on a real vacation and travel.

Finances: I'm not sure what will go in here because DH manages the finances. I am saving up for a laptop.

Other: Because there has to be an other.

So, wow. All those hours of work and I still have a lot to go.

I've gotten a lot done (but alas, no pictures). I moved the craft stuff to the basement and created a craft area. Where the craft stuff used to be, I moved our extra food. My next step is to move the superfluous school stuff to the basement as well. I also need to do a lot of cleaning tomorrow, and a huge pork roast to cook with sauerkraut. Yum.

Happy New Year!

Schoolroom/Playroom

I don't know if I mentioned it, but over the Christmas holidays we made some big changes. We moved the table to the breakfast nook and changed the dining room into a schoolroom/playroom. It's a little crowded at meals, but I'd rather be a tiny bit cramped for a half-hour a day or so than confused and unorganized all day long.

So, this is the erstwhile dining room. The door you see is to the kitchen. The picture on the wall is Our Lady of Good Counsel, one of my favorite representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and, in my opinion, a particularly good choice for the homeschooling room.









This is one of my favorite windows in the house. It looks out into the backyard. Since the pictures have been taken, it has our kite-paper snowflakes hanging in it.

The plastic bins I am not too crazy about, but they're really convenient and it's hard to find something that organizes so well. I did see this big white not-really-wood "pantry" at Big Lots I was thinking of buying, just to get things out of sight. There's also a lot of k12 stuff there that we're waiting to send back.


Books. We have too stinking many books. I know they say you can't, but we do. One of my goals is to get more baskets so the books can be stored with the covers facing out rather than the spines showing, for easier selection. If I do get that pantry thing, it would also be great to get the teacher books hidden away somewhere.

I'd also like to find some storage options beyond wipes containers. But again, the price is right and they're easy to find.

You can also see some of our "collections" on the window ledge--we have marbles, wooden beads, buttons, super balls, and magnetic marbles.







This picture turned out dark for some reason, but this is where we do most of our main lesson work. The view isn't great--it looks out on our grouchy neighbor's house--but we hung a bird feeder out there and might add a see-in bird feeder. We also bought some impatiens in a pot and have them on the table. Katie Grace loves taking care of "her" flower.

The little circle is a really pretty stamped beeswax design from NOVA Naturals.

This is a lot messier than it is now. There's tons of k12 junk on the shelves waiting to be returned. I finally just put it in the basement. You can see our nature table and a little corner shelf with a candle and aromatherapy diffuser.

The print is a really pretty angel I got from A Child's Dream. DH likes to call it "Saint Waldorf" *insert eye roll here*















A close-up of our nature table. This was our Winter Woods nature table. We're working on changing it to a Winter Adventures table, with people sledding and building snowmen and playing in the snow.








The rest of the corner with our easel. This opens into our living room. The French doors that go here are up in the attic, and I'm so tempted to try to put them back on, except I would end up spending most of my free time either cleaning little fingerprints off the glass or, more likely, cleaning up splintered glass from the floor.





The other side of the entrance to the living room. We have a set of playstands up in Katie Grace's room, but I'm a little reticent to bring them down. Right now, despite all the stuff in the room, it still seems pretty spacious, and I'm afraid that the playstands will make things see crowded.

We did find a big basket for the dress-ups, so we were able to get rid of the big ugly plastic crate. I'd love to get a less obnoxious kitchen.



Another inexplicable dark picture. There's a little shelf here with some other dramatic play stuff, and a block box. We're really blessed to have a set of kindergarten unit blocks from when DH was a little guy. Nicholas loves them.







Last but not least, the other side of the dramatic play area and the other side of the kitchen door. The big huge shelf has games. I'm not sure how this will work once the baby gets here. I'd love to find baskets to use instead of bins, but I'm not stressing over it. And the shelf was Michael's first birthday present, and we still use it every day!







So, that's a tour of our playroom/schoolroom. We do main lesson here mostly, but we spread out for other parts of our day. We do lots of baking in the kitchen, and we cuddle up and read in the living room. Nicholas and Katie Grace do lots of playing upstairs and they love to spread out and do floor puzzles or big complex play scenarios in the living room.

Sorry the spacing is all screwy. I just can't figure it out!