Daily Drugery er Details

WOW! After writing down everything I did today, even though the house is still a mess and nothing seems done, I’m impressed with myself! I did A LOT! (This is pretty boring reading so feel free to skip this entry)

Morning-
7:30 Wake up (I stay up till 11pm or midnight and have a hard time dragging myself out of bed in the morning).
7:32 Wake up kids (for the 2nd time that morning, Dave just did it about 15 minutes ago when he left for work).Get dressed
7:35 Make bed, check kids’ progress, remind of morning chores
7:40 Make breakfast with kids who are ready
7:50 Kids start eating
8:00 Bible story while kids finish breakfast
8:20 Boys do workbooks, Oral Latin drill with girls while clearing dishes
8:30 Dd#2 goes in timeout for playing around and talking back instead of doing Latin with us.
8:35 Dd#1 Math, Mama assembles items from lessons for tomorrow’s Book Club Co-op
8:45 Mama organizes library books that need to be returned
8:50 Answer 2 kids’ questions about their schoolwork.
8:55 Crosscheck library books with overdue list online (I have several that are overdue…)
9:10 Break up argument with boys. Need to lay my hands on 7 books for the library – they’re lost in the house.
Help Ds#3 with school. Reprimand Dd#1 for playing with dog instead of doing school and give her a small scrubbing job as a consequence.
Get Dd#2 out of timeout. Call her 4 times as she won’t come. As she’s headed downstairs she says in a superior tone that she was busy sewing. Send her back in timeout for 10 minutes for her tone of voice. She yells and stomps upstairs. Tell her to go in timeout in Mama’s room so she won’t be tempted to play. She says OK, but doesn’t go. Give her an additional 2 minutes for lack of compliance. She complains – give her an additional 2 minutes.
9:20 Check on Ds#3, put in a load of laundry
9:25 Discuss timeout with Dd#2, send her back upstairs so she can compose her indignation.
9:30 Grade Dd#1 math paper.
9:35 Check e-mail
9:50 Talk with Dd#2 who storm out in frustration that I won’t let her argue with me and justify that she’s right. I explained, but she didn’t want to listen. I accepted her less than penitent apology and gave her a chore to do before she starts school (something physical helps abate her frustration more than something mental). She growls and stomps off. I sent her back in timeout for 10 minutes. She screams at me. Now it’s 15 minutes in timeout. She yells that I’m unfair. Now it’s 20. She went upstairs.
9:55 Help Ds#3, give Ds#4 a consequence for catching him writing on his desk and the school table with markers. Ds#4 isn’t allowed to touch a marker until his birthday in the spring when he’s 5. (I’m not kidding.) Give Dd#1 her math paper and discuss it. Give her additional math practice and remind her put away school books she left out in the other room.
10:00 Make coffee, play math game with Ds#4, help Ds#3 with school and remind him to pick up his puzzle from yesterday.
10:15 Just as the timer went off, I heard Dd#2 playing piano in timeout. Put her in time out on the steps where I can watch her for refusing to be obedient in timeout (the rule is you do NOTHING in timeout).
Get cup of coffee (my first food of the day), assign boys a math game to play with each other.

Check on Dd#1, get math sheets for boys
10:30 Break up a disagreement with boys, put in a load of laundry.
Dd#2 is sweet and sorrowful – morning chores for her.
Assign Ds#4 a math sheet, read with Ds#3
10:55 Get Ds#3 started on math sheet, check Ds#4. Find TV controller for Dd#1’s math review.
11:00 Check boys’ math. Assign boys’ writing.
Re-explain helping verbs for the 5th time this year to Dd#2, assign a language memory song to the tune of “This Old Man” - Dd#2 “I’m NOT singing a BARNEY song!”
11:30 Boys’ lunch. Mama gets a 45 minute phone call to explain decisions for next year’s co-op.
12:00 Girls’ lunch, boys’ playtime
12:20 Mama eats for the 1st time today.

RECAP – Kids are done with :

Dd#1
History Text reading & research
Math
Bible Story & Bible reading on own
Poetry memorization

Dd#2
Empty Dishwasher
Memorize Helping Verbs
Bible Story

Ds#3
Handwriting & Language worksheet
Math game & worksheet
Bible Story
Reading out loud

Ds#4
Handwriting
Math game & worksheet
Bible Story

12:30 Load of laundry, read Book for co-op tomorrow (nothing like procrastination to motivate a mom) Have Dd#1 fold laundry while she listens.
12:50 Boys continue to play. With girls – Latin drills, poetry reading, memorize Stations of the Cross.
1:45 Have kids finish clearing table from lunch. Get Dd#2 started on Language worksheet (more helping verbs) and Dd#1 started on defining words from her history novel literature guide.
Make tea.
2:10 Pour a cup of tea. Read to younger 3 kids from history text (SOTW).
2:30 Piano teacher comes. Dd#2 works with piano teacher, Dd#1 continues to define, Mama does a narration with Ds#3. Ds#4 pretends to do a narration with Mama.

Grade Dd#2’s language paper and all 3 younger kids’ math papers.

Encourage Ds#3 to gather up trash and take it out. Ds#4 helps with the trash.
3:00 Dd#1 piano lesson, Dd#2 math test, Mama keeps track of how many people e-mail to sign up for the upcoming field trip I just set up.
3:15 Read to Ds#3 from Treasure Box books, and then a children’s book on the functions of the brain.
3:40 Ds#3 gets his first piano lesson.
3:45 Discuss with piano teacher Dd#2’s lack of progress and pay for lessons.
4:00 Print Ds#3’s history narration and maintain kids’ history folders in preparation for the Ancient Greece lapbooks they will make.
4:15 Print up Dd#2’s piano checklist as dictated from piano teacher to get her to slow down instead of rushing through her practices.
Reprimand Ds#3 for coloring a wooden box meant for school supplies.
Put on a Leap Phonics DVD for boys – Storybook Factory
4:45 Do a load of laundry, set Ds#3’s wet shoes on the dryer to dry.
5:00 Give books to Kerri who stopped by to look at last year’s science books.
5:20 Get girls out the door for a dinner date with their grandma.
5:30 Write up Dd#1’s spelling words on flash cards for review.
5:35 Kiss Dave when he comes home and chat with him about the day.
- spend 45 minutes typing up my list of what I did today!!
6:45 Eat left-overs for dinner that Dave heated up.

That was 4 loads of laundry - about half still need folded. I still haven't found the overdue 7 library books. Oh, I can hardly wait for Dave to put the kids to bed and I get some quiet and time to do what I want (read overdue library books before I have to return them).