My Daily Action Plan

I'm a fan of schedules, routines and a plan for one's day.....as long as you don't become a slave to it.  We work better off of a scheduled routine for this phase of life and I thought I  would
share it with you and some thoughts about how I run our household (although some days I think it runs me!)

Wake @ 6 M-F  {This is how the sheet of paper I have my "action plan" on is notated....}

I do get up at 5:20 5 days a week to get Norman up but I lay back down until 6.
At 6 I put water on to boil, make some coffee and do my Bible reading (from Sunday school book), study (I am reading through the New Testament, I'm in 1 Peter right now) and any memory work I'm doing.  Right now I'm not personally working on any.  Suggestions?

On my paper it looks like this:
Wake @6:00 M-F
Bible reading, study, memory
EXPECT INTERRUPTIONS

There will be interruptions.  Norman leaves at 5:45.  I wake Lee at 6 before I sit down with my coffee.  I wake Greg at 6:30 and sometime in there Abby will wake up.  I can guarantee it.  I'm trying to train her to snuggle back in either her bed or ours and watch a little cartoons until 7.  This is a reminder to myself to roll with the punches.

@7 M-F
start laundry
shower

I try to do 2 loads of laundry every day.  If I have to work I do an extra 2 loads the day before or the day after.  I don't do laundry on Sunday unless it is an emergency.  I put the clothes in the washer and get in the shower.  Unless Abby has slept late she takes a shower with me.  When we get out I make breakfast (cereal, oatmeal, granola, pop tarts) for me and Abby.  By the time I am done with breakfast (and a 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee) the laundry is ready to go on the line.  I prefer to take it outside.  If I am fairly certain it will rain before 1 I dry it in the dryer but I would rather not.  I'm not sure how long I will keep that up when it is freezing though.  I check on the chickens and let them out to free range after I hang up the 1st load of laundry.

@8 M-S (Saturday)
Housework (routine +)

After hanging the laundry out I might take a few seconds to check facebook, then I get started on my cleaning routine.  If there are dishes from last night I do those, think about supper, and sweep the whole downstairs (picking up as I go).  If I haven't made my bed I do that now.  Depending on what my chores are for the day I might get them started now or I will do school prep (especially on Mondays).  I also hang out the 2nd load of laundry.

@9 M-F
homeschool

We try to start homeschool at 9.  If we are a little late that's ok.  We are using My Father's World K and Alphaphonics at this point and some little odd workbooks with Abby.  School takes about an hour. 

Lunch Prep
Lunch
Cleanup

When homeschool is done I decide what lunch will be and depending on the time I go ahead and fix it.  The littles and I like to eat lunch early, in between 10-11.  Lunch is usually canned soup, sandwiches or leftovers.  I don't always do the lunch dishes after lunch if there aren't very many but I do try to straighten up the kitchen afterwards with a mind to the rest of the day's plans.  Abby and I usually go check for eggs after lunch.

@12:00 M-S
Housework and laundry

It is doubtful that I finished the day's chores earlier so I do that now.  If I've been diligent with my list this won't take long.  Around 1:00 I bring in the laundry, fold it and put it away (except the boys, they all put their own laundry away - Bear now, Lee and Greg when they get home from school).

@1:00 M-S
Read aloud
Memory work (kids and Me)
school projects

We read all day.  I usually read a book after breakfast, after school, after lunch and any other time the kids can talk me into it.  I would say we average 10-15 books a day.  I will read several after my chores are done.  We are trying to remember to run through memory work again and if we have any outside stuff we want to do (we call it school stuff) we do it now as well. 

@2:00
My projects: sewing, knitting, reading, blog, baking

This is time I have scheduled for me.  I have a project list I will share that I am trying to work my way through but lately I've been sitting down with a good book.  :)  At this time I will do any baking I wanted to work on, kitchen prep work (making instant oatmeal packets, granola or frozen snacks for example) or errands.  On Mondays and Fridays we will often run errands during this time slot.

@4:00
Supper prep
supper
supper cleanup

This time slot is very fluid.  Bear has soccer practice on Monday evenings.  Greg has soccer practice on 2 nights a week and basketball conditioning on other nights.  Bear and Abby have awana on Wednesday night.  Sometimes Norman works till 8:30 p.m. Sometimes Norman goes to an auction on Tuesday nights.  Supper might be late (Monday), early (Wednesday) or not at all (some Tuesdays).  It seems we rarely manage to eat together.  This does bother me but it seems to be a season of life with bigs and littles (the littles can't wait until 8 for supper because they will be in bed!).  This is also why there are usually dishes in the morning.  If someone doesn't manage to eat supper until 8, I'm not likely to do those dishes then.  lol  I'm human! Around dark I go out, count chickens and lock them back in the pen for the night.  Norman and the older boys take care of the feeding and watering, although I could easily do the food.  The waterer is very heavy full.  I keep track and ask them to do it when it needs done.  I also take "chicken numnums" out throughout the day (kitchen scraps like stale bread, egg shells, leftover fruit, etc).

@7:00
my projects (see above)

I rarely sew this late because I need to concentrate, but I will knit while watching TV or blog.  If the kids have the TV I will read a book (and some to Abby)....if I'm really tired I will surf pinterest or facebook. 

I prefer to be in bed by 9 but that rarely seems to happen in this house!