Pizza Massage 🍕 - Fun Activity with the Kids!

 This is a super fast, super fun activity that the kids love. I would say it's best suited for ages 2 and up. 

Birth announcement and story (and pictures!)

We are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of Peter László Anderson!

Peter was born last Monday, January 15th, at 10:11 p.m. weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and measuring 21 inches. 

Birth story below. Please do not read on if blood and guts make you queasy.

New Baby on the way!

Regular readers will not be shocked to hear that we are expecting another little one! :) This makes Baby #10 on earth - double digits! 

 Nine week ultrasound - yes, there's only one!

I am currently 12 weeks pregnant, with a due date of mid-January 2018. That will make five babies in my 20s, and five babies in my 30s. Who knows what my 40s will bring?!?

Anna's 'family'

Now for the million-dollar question: How am I feeling? In a word: fantastic! This has been my best pregnancy by far. It has only taken me almost two decades to figure out how to overcome hyperemesis! I will do a detailed blog post on what new improvements I have discovered this time around.

And now for a fun little fact that was entirely unique about this pregnancy: I did not know I was pregnant until I was almost 8 weeks along! (TMI coming, so stop reading now if you don't want to know) When I was 4 weeks pregnant, for the first time ever in 15 pregnancies (five of which ended in miscarriage), I had a cycle after becoming pregnant, at the exact time that cycle would normally have been due. It was a little lighter and a day shorter than a normal cycle, but I thought nothing of that because the difference was so minor and I was still nursing Chloe every few hours. Just before my next cycle was due, I had a few days of nausea that felt an awful lot like morning sickness. I took a cheap little Dollar Tree test in the middle of the afternoon a few days shy of 'being late'. Normally, only the super sensitive early pregnancy tests show up for me, if taken first thing in the morning, after I am a couple of days or more late. The fact that this cheap test, taken in the afternoon, days early, came back BRIGHT and BOLD positive was a first for me. Plus, my morning sickness does not start quite that early. I knew this could only mean that 1. there was more than one baby in there, or 2. I was farther along than I thought. It was at this point that I remembered my previous, lighter than usual cycle and the penny dropped. I did go for an ultrasound the following week just to make sure of dates and rule out multiplicity, both of which it did. 

In spite of having done it so many times, pregnancy is still not my cup of tea. Being four weeks further along than I usually am when I found out was a huge bonus, because I find every day of being pregnant a chore. Babies are a blessing, no doubt about that, but I think pregnancy and birth are part of the curse. It's definitely not the wonderful, magical time my romantic brain imagined it to be as a child. With this pregnancy being so much better in regards to nausea, I actually did for the first time ever almost enjoy the first trimester. I only felt despondent for one day, when nausea and fatigue coincided with a day that my little people were all sick and throwing up. In bed. In the middle of the night. Yeah, that was rough... Thankfully, my big boys volunteered to do all the cleanup and laundry the next morning.

I was able to stay active and go bike riding with my husband many evenings. I was able to eat sensibly and healthy and only gained a couple of lbs during this time, compared to the typical 15 lbs in the first trimester alone as the only way to stave off nausea in previous pregnancies was to munch on something non-stop. I was down to being within 6 lbs of my Weight Watchers free lifetime weight when I found out I was pregnant, and no longer allowed to go to the meetings (they do not allow pregnant members). Needless to say, I didn't want to undo much of my hard-earned progress in a matter of weeks. 

Size M maternity clothes for the first time since my first pregnancy? - Yes please!

The other kids are excited. They could hardly keep from spilling the beans to their friends before we were ready to announce it. 

Cute little Boaz in church

Enjoying some cereal on the sofa with me on a particularly tired day. 

I'm hoping for a little sister for Chloe. It would also settle the score of five boys and girls each. Plus little girls are just the sweetest!

Chloe's Birth Story

My actual due date with Chloe was Friday, May 20th. Of our kids born up to that point, two had been born on their due dates, two had been born a few days after their due dates, and the rest had been born in the week before their due date. All that to say, our kids typically arrive right on time.

I had also learned from previous births that I typically have on-and-off contractions for 2-3 weeks leading up to birth, so for me that is another clue how far out actual labor is. These contractions started on Monday, May 2nd, a little over two weeks before Chloe ended up being born. The last few weeks leading up to the birth can be frustrating (especially for those who have to live with me!), but I think that letting baby choose his/her own birthday is one of the first gifts we give them, so I just wait (and wait and wait). Typically, baby comes right around the time I am thoroughly convinced that they will never be born. 

By the middle of May, the contractions had changed in nature, to where they no longer went away when I lay down or went to sleep. This, too, is an indicator that these contractions were now the real deal. That fact, however, is offset by the fact that I live in a house with 9 other people, 8 of which are kids that make noise and have all sorts of needs from sun up to sun down, which psychologically does not lend itself to being the perfect labor and birth environment. I knew that until my body pushed past the "point of no return" during the peaceful night hours, the contractions would mellow and space out during the day. After a few nights of sleeping only between regular contractions that came anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes apart, I finally felt I was in labor for good on the night from Monday to Tuesday, May 16/17. 

So around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, May 17th, I texted my mother-in-law and asked her to fly out. She had been on standby, ready to leave, for a couple of weeks. She has been here for the last three births before this current one, watching the kids while I am in labor. Even before that, she would come out as soon as baby was born to help for as long as she could get time off from work, but has come out in time for labor ever since retiring (she used to be a flight attendant). 

However, by the time the sun came up on Tuesday morning, I knew that was not going to be the day I gave birth. The contractions were still coming every 5 to 15 minutes, but they were much milder, too mild for being past that "point of no return" which I'm guessing is around 5 cm dilation for me. As usual, my husband took the kids to their P.E. class that morning, while I stayed home resting after not having slept well at night for almost a week by that point. After P.E., they picked up his mom at the airport, and were home in time for lunch and naps. I was supposed to have a prenatal appointment that afternoon, which I cancelled because I knew birth was imminent, and I was too uncomfortable to leave the house. I, too, lay down for a nap instead. 

In the evening, we left the kids home with Grandma for a trip to Costco. There were a few last minute things we needed, plus I figured the walking would help move labor along. It was about 10:30 p.m. when I got to bed that night, and I slept well for the first hour. At 11:41 p.m. the contractions had picked up in intensity to where I could no longer sleep through them. In fact, I could not even stay in bed in between them, as I needed to get up and move with the contractions to help ease the pain. 

Let me tell you, the hours between midnight and sun up are the worst hours to be in labor, at least for me. I was SO tired. The contractions were coming very regularly every 8 minutes at this point, ever increasing in intensity. While they lasted, I got much relief from leaning over the birth ball and rolling with it from side to side. I did this while standing up, with the birth ball on a raised surface. While it offered relief, it was impossible to sleep between contractions while standing up, and I was too tired lie down and get up again in between them. 

After about an hour of laboring this way by myself, I woke my husband around half past midnight to ask him to set up the birth pool, which involves inflating the pool, fitting it with its liner, connecting the hose to the shower head, and then fill the pool with water (which takes a while as we wait for the water heater to keep up). As with Boaz, the birth pool was set up in the office, which doubles as our guest room, and has a bed in it. In between filling the tub, my husband would doze off on the bed, while I was laboring and trying to rest. The contractions were still very manageable, but only as long as I was able to move with them. But like I said, standing up for 7 minutes in between them didn't do much in the way of letting me sleep. 

Around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18th, I finally figured out a way to sit in the corner seat of our sofa in the living room in such a way that I could sleep between contractions, while still being able to move and work through them when they came every 8 minutes. So for the next 3 hours or so, I slept on the sofa, and woke only for the contractions. They were definitely painful, but manageable. My husband was asleep in the office next door, only waking to turn the hot water on and off as needed. 

Sometime around 4:30 a.m., I suddenly woke with a start, shivering and nauseated. This was an indication that labor had shifted into a new phase, and things were about to really pick up momentum. I woke my husband, and asked him to call the midwife and tell her it was time to come. I had wanted to hold off on that as long as possible to allow her to sleep, but as it turned out later, she had not been able to sleep much at all that night, knowing that I was in labor and could call at any moment. 

Once I was awake, there was no going back to sleep. I started throwing up (very typical for me in labor), but otherwise, I felt great between contractions. During each contraction, I would again lean over the birth ball on the guest bed, while my husband put gentle counter-pressure on my hips with his flat hands on either side. 

The birth team consisted of 4 ladies: my midwife (the same one I had used for the previous three births), two ladies who she had trained and who are just finishing their midwifery education (who had also been at my last two births), and a new apprentice midwife she was teaching. They showed up sometime around 5 a.m., and let themselves in silently so as to not wake the kids (labor plus kids just doesn't mesh well, and it was too early to send them all out of the house for the day). I remember hearing the cat, who prefers to sleep outside, meow - my only indication that the birth team had arrived and let the cat into the house when they came in. Later, one of the midwives told me that when she opened the door to let the apprentice in, my cat had leaped on her and scratched her up, something she has NEVER done - she must have been spooked by my being in labor. The ladies were setting up their stuff, making themselves coffee and letting me do my thing.

Around 5:30 a.m. or so, I asked my midwife to check me for dilation, and I think I was at a 6, though maybe it was 7. Things were going well and very manageable, so I didn't care much about the exact number. Having had the same midwife for the last four births, I knew she would have a good idea of when baby would be born, so I asked for her prediction. She said she would be very surprised if baby was born before 7 a.m. or after 10 a.m., so that was my "window." Might seem silly, but she's always been right in the past with me!

I got into the birth pool around this time to give me additional relief, and for the next couple of hours, I would sit in there resting and chatting, then turn over for the next contraction so my husband could push on my hips. In past labors, I always wanted counter-pressure on the tailbone, but this time, it felt much better to have him push to the right and left of my tailbone, on the hips. Between contractions, we were still laughing and talking.

By this time (about 7:30 a.m.), my mother-in-law had taken all the other kids out of the house, although they were so quiet I hardly even heard them leave. I was dilated to an 8 or 9, and I could feel the baby right at the cervix, but not pushing past the tailbone and ready to descend into the birth canal. The baby has to navigate a "turn" at that point, which is very noticeable. Once they clear that turn near the tailbone, they are born within the next minute or two. This baby, however, just stayed put right where it was. This was partly due to the fact that I was not yet fully dilated, although I knew from past experience that the last lip of my cervix typically doesn't get pushed aside until baby comes through, and I often do start pushing at 9 cm dilation.

It was around this time that my midwife told me the baby likely had its hand up by its face, based on the fact that he/she was not coming down sooner, and the fact that my hips felt like they were being split in half during contractions. This was NOT what I had wanted to hear. It meant that I could be stuck in this transitional phase for anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 days - just however long it took for baby to navigate past my tailbone, having increased its head circumference (the largest part to be born) by having a hand on its face/head.

Strangely, from the get-go, this labor had reminded me of Isaac's birth. Isaac is our second-oldest child, and my first home birth. His birth was going well, and was pretty manageable like this labor had been, except for the very end, when I got stuck in transition for several hours without any progress. After he was born, we learned that not only did he have a very short cord, but that he was making it shorter by having it looped up and through his legs. It took so long for him to be born because his cord had to stretch, stretch, stretch for him to be able to descend. By the time he came out, the cord was stretched very thin. I remember the last couple hours of that labor, I had gotten out of the pool, and was passed out tired on the bed in between contractions, waking only as they peaked and biting down on my husband's hand in pain. We have since learned to keep washcloths on hand for that! ;)

Having already experienced what it felt like to get stuck in transition, I was really discouraged by the prospect of having to relive that. Remembering Isaac's birth, I got out of the tub, and tried to rest and even sleep between contractions. At this point, labor was a lot more difficult to manage, because I no longer felt that each contraction brought me a little closer to holding baby - it felt like I was making zero progress, while in a lot of pain, with no end in sight. I remember telling my midwife to transfer me to the hospital via ambulance, so they could just deliver the baby via C-section, because I was DONE with labor. The ambulance was not due to any urgency, just the simple fact that I though riding lying down on a gurney would be a lot more comfortable than sitting in a car - ha!

After a couple of hours of that, around 9:30 a.m. I got another little burst of energy, and got back into the pool. It only took a couple more contractions until I finally felt the baby clear the tailbone, and descend into the birth canal. I knew he/she would be born with the next few pushes.

The head crowned with the next contraction, and while it was stuck there before the next one came, the midwife and I felt knuckles on both sides of the head. We had suspected one hand by the baby's face, but not two! I remember yelling for someone to put pressure on my perineum to keep it from tearing, then with the next push the baby was born at 9:48 a.m, just before my midwife's predicted delivery window ended. The cord was pretty short, I think just over a foot and a half, which probably didn't help labor progress any faster. I had to lean down carefully so as to not pull on the cord while checking to see if we had a boy or a girl. I had thought boy all along with this pregnancy, but had started to think girl toward the very end and while in labor. I was washing the dishes one night close to the birth when the name "Chloe" came into my mind as a choice for a girl, and was relieved that my husband liked it and we now had our girl name choice settled.

 This is how she was born, and still likes to sleep.

I knew I was supposed to get out of the tub as soon as baby was born (to better monitor blood loss), so with the help of my midwives, I moved out of the tub and onto the bed. The placenta was born shortly thereafter, followed by a lot of blood. It would have been alarming if not for the fact that I always bleed a lot after delivery, and my midwife knows this. They were keeping a close eye on me, monitoring my blood pressure and giving me stuff to control the bleeding, but I was not worried about it. I think that my body just makes an excess of blood while pregnant (blood volume increases anywhere from 150-200%, so there's a wide range of normal there), which is why I can afford to lose more than average without any complications. My iron levels, blood pressure, energy, and milk supply in the days after delivery were all stellar, which means that whatever amount of blood I lost was not an issue. I have donated blood before and felt far worse.

My husband called his mom to tell her the baby had been born, and that it was a girl. They were not too far from the house, and came home immediately to greet the newest member of the family.

 
 

Admiring her little fingers

My husband drained and cleaned up the birth pool while the midwives got me settled and kept monitoring me. In spite of Chloe's two little hands being born alongside her larger-than-average head, I had zero tearing. I had some pain near my tailbone from when she had to squeeze by there, but after a few hours that was gone, and I felt like I had never even given birth.

I hadn't eaten much in the last two days leading up to the birth, but I was still not hungry at all, and just ate a cheese stick. There was also cake and milk for everyone - knowing the birth was imminent, I had made birthday cake the night before.

Around nap time, the midwives left, the little boys napped, and my mother-in-law took the older kids out of the house so us parents could also rest in a quiet house.

About 10 days old and loving her bath. 

The midwife and her team came back to check on us on days 1 and 3, and at 1 and 2 weeks postpartum, which always includes flowers for baby and chocolate for mom. Chloe is growing and gaining well, and there have been no issues whatsoever with either her or me, except that I think she has a slight intolerance to me consuming dairy products. Mostly, she just gets colicky if I drink milk straight up, but seems to be fine with cheese etc. (though I have cut out all dairy for the time being just to make sure). I am not a fan of milk, and rarely if ever drank any while pregnant, which may be why she couldn't handle me drinking it now.

 

Boaz helping check Chloe's oxygen saturation

My husband drove me to see my chiropractor the day after giving birth, to set my tailbone straight again and to check Chloe for any misalignment. The chiropractor I see has taken care of me with my last 6 pregnancies, which I am certain plays a large part in my natural deliveries. I see her all throughout my pregnancies as often as I see the midwife for prenatal checkups. She is trained in the Webster technique, which is very gentle, and does not involve "cracking" my joints. 

Other than that, I have been home resting and holding baby. My mother-in-law left earlier this week after having stayed and helped for two weeks. Yesterday and today, I ran my first errands, not because I had to but because I was going stir-crazy from having been cooped up in the house so long. All went very well - Chloe actually likes the car seat, something most of our kids hate with a passion! I can't wait to go back to church this Sunday morning, though I will take some more time to phase in the evening services because I am going to bed early these days. 

Thank you again to all who prayed for a safe, easy delivery!

Baby's Little Nest

Can you tell that with the school year finished, I have more time to blog? :) I have been having fun preparing for baby in my extra time.

We needed to get a new bassinet, but I wanted to just use a Moses basket this time around because it is much smaller, more portable (since baby might need to nap in different rooms on different days), and non-toxic. I absolutely detest that virtually all baby products in the US come doused in flame retardants, which are known carcinogens, and are what I believe the biggest culprit behind SIDS. Whenever possible, I try to avoid them. 

Amazon carries a really nice Moses basket. They also sell an organic mattress pad for it, but that may or may not mean it has been treated with funky chemicals, not to mention it looks thin and stiff because it is covered in plastic. The bumper pad I found was nice, but too pricey.

Instead, I opted to buy barrier cloth and wool to make a mattress, and flannel and sateen tape to make the bumper. I already had wool batting in the house for the bumper, so my total cost was far less than getting these items ready-made, plus I had fun making them.

Thinking about getting a Moses basket reminded me that back in Germany when my brother was little (he is 16 years younger than me), my mother used a special hanging cradle for him, which he loved. This contraption basically consists of a soft spring attached to the ceiling that moves very gently up and down and side to side if the baby stirs at all, with a net hanging from the spring that holds the Moses basket (or a pram top or car seat - recommendations in the Old Country are not subject to the same safety concerns as here). Sadly, amazon.de does not ship this item to the US, but I was able to get it from a different online vendor in Germany. I was getting nervous that it would not arrive in time, but it did get here in less than 3 weeks total.

This beautiful hanging cradle now adorns my room, though we do also have hooks in the ceiling in two other rooms of the house should it need to be moved for a nap. The motion of this cradle is almost magical. I like to bump it when I lie in bed just to admire it. It swings/rocks about 70 times per minute, mimicking mom's heartbeat and motions. I can see why babies would love it! 

For now, Boaz gave it a little test drive, and certainly enjoyed that.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my mother-in-law had given my bedroom a fresh coat of paint on her last visit here, and had also decorated the room with some new pictures and other items. She did not hang any pictures on the walls above the bed, because she knew they were likely to get knocked down by little people sleeping in my bed.

One morning this week, I woke up and thought, "I should stencil something onto this wall!" and did just that. It took me all afternoon until almost midnight, but I got it done in one sitting. There really was no other option as I was using a projector, and there would have been no way to get it to line up exactly a second time if I took it down in between working on the project.

This is not the room I plan to give birth in, but these verses always make me think about pregnancy, birth, and child rearing. 

 A look around the rest of the room. It is the smallest bedroom in the house, but I really like how it turned out. This will be my little quiet retreat during the postpartum recovery.

The girls were all impressed with my art work, but one of their big brothers quickly gave me a reality check when I overheard him telling his sisters, "It's not like mom is some great artist or anything, she just used a projector to throw it on the wall, and then drew it on." Oh-kay! I agree it's not the Sistine Chapel, but it was tedious work, and took a lot of time.

In addition to the bassinet, I also wanted to make a quilt for baby. The fabrics I had on hand had actually been picked out for a blanket for Boaz, but I never did get around to making him one, so I was going to use it this time around instead. However, once the quilt top was assembled, I realized it was far too big for a little baby, and would indeed be better suited for Boaz, who is now in his own toddler bed (and mighty proud of it). 

Miriam really has an eye for making things look pretty. She not only put the quilt on his bed, but then went on to decorate his little "den" by matching the safari theme of the blanket with a stuffed elephant, a book about a giraffe, and a tissue box of the same color. Then she snuggled up with Boaz in his bed and read stories to him. :)

Miriam and Becca have been wanting to learn quilting, which I thought they are just a tad too young for, so instead I picked up some pre-printed/quilted flannel top for them that they could use to practice just the layering, quilting, and binding part on, without having to actually do any piecing. Once they are done, those little quilts will be plenty warm for the baby - not like we really need much in the way of blankets in this summer heat.

Yesterday, my husband and I finally also settled on a girl name, after already having chosen a boy name some time ago. This is pretty unusual for us to do ahead of the birth, especially because both names were picked by me this time. Don't ask what they are, though - we won't tell until after baby is born and named. Announcing baby names ahead of time is a rookie mistake that seems to invite others' unsolicited opinions. ;) Both are New Testament names, so you can have fun guessing if you like.

And with that, we are all set for baby here, and are just waiting for his/her arrival any day now. :)

Mummy Dogs

As part of our "All Through the Ages" history-based unit study, the kids and I have been studying Ancient Egypt.

We try to have a special meal and/or activity each week relating to each era, so when I saw the idea of "Mummy Dogs" on Pinterest, I was immediately sold on them. Basically, they are like "pigs in a blanket", except that we used pretzel dough instead of biscuits, which we then wrapped mummy-style.

The kids had a blast. For me, this definitely beat the idea of "mummifying" each other in rolls and rolls of toilet paper... :)

The benefits and pitfalls of scheduling

Note: I am NOT talking about scheduling young babies in this post. It is my personal preference that a very young child (in our house that is typically under 12-15 months, give or take) should be allowed to eat and sleep on demand. While I do try to have them in a good routine by 2-3 months of age, the pattern for that routine is based upon each individual child, and I just gently encourage their pattern, aligning it with a consistent schedule for the rest of the household. I never allow a young child to be left to cry to learn to soothe themselves to sleep, much less when  they are hungry).

With only one more week left until we start homeschooling again, I have been fine-tuning and honing my daily schedule, and "test-driving" it for the last couple of weeks to see if it had any major flaws. I must say, I am rather pleased with the fact that it has been working out well for the most part. 

Before I share my schedule, I wanted to give a word of caution to new moms, those just starting out homeschooling, those with more young children than older ones to help set the pace and stay on track: PLEASE do not look at this and try to pattern your own day after mine. I am very serious about this. 

I tried to make a schedule like this, using a popular Christian scheduling book/kit, about five or six years ago, when our oldest child was only six years old. The problem was not with the book on scheduling itself, nor was it with my schedule. Rather, at that point in my life as a wife and mother, it simply was not possible to adhere to a schedule broken up into 15-minute increments. I am sure that this system worked well for the authors of the book, and many others in different situations than mine, so I am not trying to criticize the book at all.

When you have only young children (in my experience, this is typically younger than 6), or more young children than older ones, there simply are too many variables to make a rigid schedule. You may have scheduled a half hour to read your Bible, only to find yourself interrupted with true emergencies that cannot wait such as diaper blowouts, someone getting hurt, etc. (truly, I am still learning that the possibilities for these interruptions are endless). 

Instead of the schedule being a tool to help you, it will become a scourge and a master, hanging over your head all the things you are not getting accomplished, rather than having the freedom to delight in your young children. It is far more important to be a joyful mother, than to have a perfect house. The basic, minimal chores and cleaning can be accomplished in windows of opportunity, whenever they arise.

So rather than having a detailed schedule like this one, for years I had a pattern, what we would do each day, in which order: get up, get dressed, have breakfast, clean up, Bible time, run errands, lunch, nap, play time, dinner, bath time, bed. If we got interrupted somewhere along this routine, we would deal with the diversion, and then pick up where we left off. But there was no time frame attached to the whole process.

Over time, as dealing with the kids became easier, the pattern would gradually become more sophisticated, and certain "anchor points" in the day would get their set time: Bible time by 9 am, lunch by noon, kids in bed by 8 PM, and so on.

Having older children is a great asset for many reasons: 

• They help set a pattern: When you have two parents and four older children all following a consistent schedule, the younger ones simply fall in line themselves, assuming it's just the way things are.

• They help offset interruptions: While the inevitable emergencies occur just as much as ever, I now have older ones to either help me deal with them, or carry on whatever I am supposed to be doing while I fix the problem. Example: unexpected diaper change during Bible time - one of the older boys can keep reading out loud, while I change the diaper. 

• They are self-motivated: Allotting a certain time for a certain activity can quickly become a source of frustration with young children. "Hurry up and finish dinner, we got a late start on the meal and you only have 5 minutes left" is just too much to ask of a young child. Older ones, however, will on their own read the clock, assess where they are at vs. where they are supposed to be at, and take pride in being responsible and helpful. 

• They help get the work done: With only young children, when mom is the one to do the vast majority of work around the house, there are more things that need to get done, than there are hours in the day to do them. Planned neglect has to become a way of life. The areas that need to be neglected on any particular day cannot be scheduled ahead, but rather are based on the necessity of the moment. I remember distinctly that the first time I tried to work out a schedule like this, I struggled for a full week trying to cram everything into the 15 minute slots, only to realize I needed about 26 hours in each day, not counting breaks for myself. Now, I have older children to help shoulder the work load, and I can delegate many of my chores.

I would say that the main benefit of having a great schedule is that it is a tool to keep everyone on track. Like a financial budget, it helps offset guilt: Should I really be sitting around reading or sewing right now? Am I neglecting something important? It also helps stay motivated: I just need to bite the bullet and brush the kids teeth (or whatever other dreaded chore is looming), and then I am done with that for the night. 

All that to say, the schedule below is the result of 13 years of marriage, and 9 years of homeschooling. It is more detailed this year than it was last year, but probably not as sophisticated as it will be one year from now. It is what works for our family, and not anyone else. I am sharing it in hopes it will give you ideas or be of help in some other way.

		Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
5 AM
			get dressed, groom, read Bible, work o.n computer (emails, online orders, scheduling, meal planning, blog, library book lists, etc.), go over calendar and plan daily activities, feed and care for food starters (Mon: get deposits ready, Thu: have breakfast ready for Dad and Isaac by 6:45 am)					get ready
								read Bible
6 AM								produce co-op (kids cook breakfast)
		make bulletin
7 AM		cook breakfast, get bread/kombucha/dinner/etc. going, dress little kids, fix girls’ hair, keep everyone on track
8 AM		eat breakfast
		clean up (dishes, wipe counters, put away leftovers, sweep), brush little kids’ teeth
9 AM		get ready for church, morning chores	Bible time
			work with girls	P.E. class at the park (walk, play w/ babies, computer time)	work with girls	piano lessons	field trip (or  same schedule as Mon and Wed)	weekly housecleaning
10 AM			work w/ John		work w/ John
		church
			work w/ Isaac		work w/ Isaac
11 AM			work w/ Solomon		work w/ Solomon
			lunch prep
12 PM			eat lunch
		eat lunch	clean up (dishes, wipe counters, put away leftovers, sweep), lay youngest three down for naps
1 PM		clean up	work with Miriam and John as necessary					library errands free time
		free time
			All Through the Ages with Solomon, Isaac, John, and Miriam art or other projects (or errands while kids stay home and do their reading)
2 PM
3 PM			German with Solomon, Isaac, and John
			chores, laundry
4 PM		dinner prep
			dinner prep
5 PM		eat dinner
		clean up, evening chores	dinner
6 PM			clean up (dishes, wipe counters, put away leftovers, sweep), evening chores
		church
			practice piano w/ girls		get ready for church	practice piano w/ girls
					church
7 PM			bath time, brush little kids teeth & get them ready for bed			bath time, brush little kids teeth & get them ready for bed
			story time			story time
8 PM			put little kids in bed			put little kids in bed
			laundry, cleaning, pick up house			laundry, cleaning, pick up house
		get kids in bed
9 PM		get ready for bed, brush teeth, shower, school prep, computer time, plan for next day			get kids in bed	get ready for bed, brush teeth, shower, school prep, computer time, plan for next day
					pick up house, get ready for bed
10 PM		free time (read, sew, crafts, etc.)
		vitamins, water, etc.

Blogger has thrown off the format to have different size boxes for equal time slots, but on my actual schedule all rows are the same height, making the schedule much easier to read:

 

The only things not included in the above schedule are Solomon's ASL class, which meets every other Sunday afternoon, and my weekly soulwinning time, which for right now is Friday evenings (my husband will carry on with the things I would usually be doing in my absence). Once the days get shorter, I will start going during my free time on Sunday afternoons. 

To those criticizing aspects of my schedule, or saying that I am not spending enough time on this or that: I am not claiming that me or my system are perfect. It's just what works for us, ineffective or ugly as it may be. Feel free to blog your own superior ways on your own blog, to your own audience.

And with that, seeing it is just past 7 AM, my time on the computer is up and I am moving on to breakfast. :)

Have a great week, everyone! :)