A Day in the life of a 4th, 3rd, 1st, preschooler and toddler

It has been a struggle for me this year to be motivated in the mornings.  Maybe it has always been this way and I have forgotten, or maybe I was in a different season of life where I didn't feel like I needed to accomplish as much.

I'm trying to have a idea of what we are eating for breakfast before morning comes, or I end up letting the kids rummage through the pantry and eat Ritz crackers while I lay in bed a few more min. 

I think I need to be getting to bed at a earlier hour, I have such a hard time getting up in the morning before 8:30.

Usually the 2yr old "baby" comes in and lays in bed with me around 7:30.  We snuggle for about 15min and he slides down the bed and heads upstairs to play.  The other two boys get out of bed between 6:30 and 7am.  I hear them play or argue upstairs.  Sometimes they rummage through the fridge and find cheese sticks, or a banana to tide them over until I make breakfast.

Around 8am Karmin and Rose get up.  I see the sun coming through the windows and guess it must be around 8.  It is best that I get my sluggish self out of the warm covers and figure out what breakfast will be.  Some days, Karmin takes it upon herself to make pancakes or eggs. Some days I ask her to.  Some days I do it.  It just depends.

Today, I get up and the boys have already helped themselves to making toast.  I add some more bread to the toaster.  Rose decides on a banana.  One of the kids grabs a boiled egg. 

It's now 8:45. Most everyone has eaten, so a few chores begin.  Karmin heads out to feed the chickens, Jesse cleans out the dishwasher.  I tidy up the kitchen.  James is watching Rescue Bots with Luke.  Rose starts her checklist of school work.  

9:15 I finally get my contacts in my eyes and change out of my pj's.  Jesse (1st grader) and I usually do  school work together in the mornings while the girls do theirs and trade off during their piano practicing to play with Luke and James.  But today the boys are watching TV a bit longer and I am snuggling on the couch with a grumpy 1st grader who is never interested in school work.  We play a geography quiz on the iPad.  Read out of his early reader and review his skip counting.  He is making progress but resists me at every turn.  The most consistent motivation for him is his free time. When I tell him the sooner he gets his school work finished the sooner he can play.

10:30. I take a break from school work and start some laundry, then check my email.  I try and get some eggs washed (we have chickens) then I turn off the movie with James and Luke.  It's been a treat for them today to watch an hour of shows.

11 am Jesse started on his independent work.  Check on how the girls are progressing and try to coax a whining 4 year old into reviewing the alphabet song and flipping through a deck of cards.  While Jesse sits in front of us and trys to pursuance the 4 year old that school work is good for him.  

I check on the girls and the oldest is making excuses for why she can't start on her own school work.  Her attitude is sour, and I send her out to walk the dead end road up the hill and see if that will work out some of the attitude.  When she comes back we talk about if she wants to do school work quickly or slow and have no time to play this afternoon.

12ish we have left over lentil soup and chips, while the boys eat apples with peanut butter and a few nibble on boiled eggs.

After lunch is when I brew a cup of coffee to keep me going.  I give the call that we will be doing a group reading in 20min but that soon turns into an hour.  I can't seem to keep my eyes open and I try to lay down for 20min  I hear the 3 boys playing in the other room and the girls are finishing their school work.  

1:30 and Luke goes down for a nap.  I get a phone call, and get distracted at my reading goal.  By 2pm I finally sit down with the kids.  The girls usually draw while I read, but today they are crocheting.  James, the 4 yr old is playing quietly with Legos and Jesse actually is snuggled next to me.  We read for 30min.

2:30 Karmin and I work together on her history writing lessons.  It is a short lesson because I promised to make it short so that she could play outside.  It is difficult to get them to want to play outside, but the day is sunny even though it is crisp and they seem to have a on-going saga from yesterday's time outside.

3:00 The 2 yr old, decides to wake up early.  We snuggle on the bed an watch rescue bots for a few min.  

I finish some laundry and tidy up the kitchen.

4pm the kids come in from playing and they watch a show on netflix too.  While they do this, I start dinner.  We are having hamburgers and tater tots.  A rare meal here.

5:45 dinner is finished.  Each child has a rotation for who does the dishes and who cleans out the dishwasher.  I help clean up dinner too.

6:15 I work on finishing the 4th graders writing with her, and grade The 3rd graders school work.  Mark works with Rose on problems she missed in math. And Jesse reads a book to Mark. Then Jesse and James play with legos and Luke is be-bopping around everyone.

7:00 I leave to relax in a bath

7:30 I remind Karmin that she needs to finish typing her writing paper.

8:00 James and Jesse get ready for bed.

8:15 the girls and I finish watching Anne of Green Gables together.

9:15 Luke goes to bed, the girls brush teeth and head off to have quiet time in their room where they crochet or read.

10:00 Mark and I  chat about the day, and I'm ready for bed.  

10:30 as I am in bed I realize I hadn't kissed the girls goodnight.  Something they never let me forget. They must be still awake! I go an check on them.   Yep, they are.  Time for bed girls.  Turn off the flash lights.

 And the next day begins...