Wonderful Mornings

Our routine continually shifts and changes as the needs of the kids and family changes. We've been on an unconventional schedule with Steve working seconds but it seems to be working quite nicely for everyone (except that Steve probably doesn't get enough sleep).

One of our goals when we moved here was to simplify our lives. It's been slow progress with lots of give and take but we've managed to trade the running and overcommitments for lots of time together at home. We figure there will be time for all that other stuff later.

Since we started homeschooling I estimated I'd gain 2 hours of travel time to and from school. There was time for helping little ones on with shoes and coats and layering up the baby and buckling everyone in their seats. And don't forget the gathering up of bags and snacks and lunches and homework and library books. There was waiting in line for drop off and pick up and on Maya's preschool days I had an extra trip to make.

So our mornings now are certainly simplified. We all have our morning chores before breakfast. Our mantra is "if you don't work, than you don't eat." Each girl is also assigned a day of KP (Kitchen Patrol) and their job is to be in the kitchen helping mom for each meal. This gives each girl a chance to spend time one on one with mom and for me to mentor them individually. My 7 1/2 year old can safely use the gas stove top and put things in and out of the oven. Her specialty is scrambled eggs.

Breakfast is quite often a large affair--even if it is only cereal and toast. We set the table and eat together. It is quite amazing to have the freedom to take a longer breakfast and teach one of the girls to make pancakes or to sit a little longer at the table together just talking or planning our day or reading aloud. Often I will make muffins or cinnamon rolls while the kids are in bed. I figure there is nothing better than waking up to the sounds of mom in the kitchen and something wonderful smelling in the oven.

We're usually finished up with breakfast by 9:00 and afterward we either do school work or we spend time on special activities or outings with Dad. On those days we can easily get our school lessons finished up in the afternoon after Dad goes to work and while Charlie is napping. I know in the upper years the school day will get longer, so I really cherish these early years when we can accomplish a full day of studies in 2-2 1/2 hours.

Lunch has become our large meal of the day when I and my helper cook and set the table. Our dinner then is much like everyone else's lunch as at that time Dad is at work. And since we have only one car (the motorcycle being un-usable in the cold) we stick close to home most nights. The kids have lots of time to play with friends, help around the house, hang out with mom, care for the dogs, read, and imaginative play. At bedtime I have the privilege of snuggling in their beds and reading aloud to them.

It's not always rainbows and sunshine, as you can imagine. There are those days when someone wakes up grumpy, or I didn't get much sleep, or someone just doesn't want to help with lunch, or math isn't going well, or so-n-so can't stand to read one more page of her literature book, or no one has clean underwear and you couldn't find two matching socks to save your life. But overall we're really enjoying this stage of our children's lives and count ourselves blessed to have them home with us. Everyday. All day.