We officially started schooling when Hannah was ready for Kindergarten. She was 5 years and 5 months. Benjamin was 4 and 1 month. Noah was 2 and 8 months. Abbey was almost 12 months. We read lots of books, which was something that all four enjoyed. Abbey was still taking morning and afternoon naps. If Hannah was working at the table, then Benjamin and Noah would sit at the table with us and color or play with manipulatives. I tried to keep things as short and sweet as possible.

The next year, Hannah was 6 years/5 months. Benjamin was 5 years/ 1 month. Noah was 3 years/8 months. Abbey was almost 2. No more morning naps. Last year was hard. Hannah was doing first grade work. Benjamin was “in” Kindergarten. I tried Noah in a local church’s half-day preschool for three days out of the week, but he hated being the only one not at home. I thought I would be able to get more done with the older two if the third one was out of the way. I was wrong. By the time I got him to school and back home, we really didn’t have that much time before we had to pick him up. Our whole morning was disrupted by taking him to school. We disenrolled him after five months. He had fun, but not as much fun as he has at home (or so he assured me). Because Benjamin still needed a nap in the afternoons, I would spend the morning working with him. I put the emphasis on the three Rs. If there was time left in the morning, I worked with Hannah. Noah, when he was home, and Abbey would play on the floor: puzzles, coloring, blocks, looking at books and magazines. I had to mediate squabbles, and there were lots of interruptions, but (praise God!) we did it! While the other three napped in the afternoons, I worked with Hannah.

This year, my plan is not all that different. What follows is a list of things I actually do:
1. There are plenty of toys in the playroom: puzzles, easy games, coloring books, paper and scissors. I know it defies the logic of most housekeepers, but I don’t mind them practicing their cutting and pasting. They absolutely love to cut out shapes and glue them to another piece of paper.
2. I have given the little ones a small bowl of water and construction paper and let them “paint.” When the construction paper is wet, it looks as if they are really painting.
3. Hubby hates the smell, but cheap shaving cream on a placemat keeps them entertained for a good while. I just give them a pile of cream and they “write” in it or sculpt something. I DO have to stop whatever I am doing and wipe up when they decide they are finished, but it’s better than telling them to clean themselves up. They do enjoy watching the water turn to milk!
4. I keep flashcards of all kinds. Whether we are doing phonograms or math facts, I give Abbey and Noah a set of cards and tell them to practice “reading” their cards.
5. They will sit still and quiet when listening to a story on a tape!
6. Today, I asked Hannah to play teacher for the little ones because I had to do something one-on-one with Benjamin. Now that she can read, I think I will do this is more often.

One person asked about housekeeping. When do I clean up? What follows is the gist of what happens in a week. These activities happen around school. I don’t have a set time in the day for these things, but (of course) you already knew that. I taught Hannah how to clean the bathrooms and sort the laundry. The boys empty the trash cans when they need it. Each dynamic duo is responsible for their own rooms. All fab four are responsible for the playroom. On Mondays I mop the kitchen and bathrooms and don’t pick up the mop again until the next Monday unless I absolutely have to. I am getting ready to pass this chore on to Hannah as she loves to mop and begs to do it every Monday. I am holding off until she gets better at wringing it out. Dusting the sweeping/damp mopping of the den and hallway/foyer are done every other Tuesday. Wednesday is the day for cleaning our bedrooms and changing linens. I vacuum on this day, too. I am trying to make myself vacuum one more day per week because the men in our house are allergic to dust. Laundry is worked on everyday. The kids are trained to clean up their areas after a meal or snack. I clean the kitchen during the 15-minute clean up at the end of the day; the kids usually do the playroom during this time. The tub is rinsed out after every bath, I scrub the tub and shower the first of each month. Is that everything? I de-clutter when “I can’t take it anymore!”

If I miss a chore on a particular day, I do not stress about it. It will still be there tomorrow when I can try again…and ask for more grace!

I know it isn’t perfect. I’ve read all plenty of other websites about cleaning your bathroom EVERYday and some ladies out there actually MOP after EVERY meal, but that just is not going to happen at my house. My goal, and I try really hard, is to keep things at a level that will keep Hubby happy and less stressed when he comes home. He likes the den to be clutter-free, clean shorts and t-shirts to change into, plenty of sweet tea, and MEAT on his plate. The rest of the housekeeping is for me because he hardly notices anything else.

All this reminds me that I need to get back to Disciplines of a Godly Woman.