Being efficient with our time ...

We are back in school this week. I look forward to breaks more than anyone ... I also look forward to getting back to routine more than anyone! So, I am a happy camper being back in the routine of school.
I worked on a master schedule a little over the break. I desire to me more efficient with our/my time. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of a person. I need more balance. I need to be able to have a set schedule, but also enjoy having the ability to stray from set schedule or even just adjust as needed. So, I have a set schedule. I like to follow it as closely as possible ... and try very hard not to stress out and make the rest of the family miserable if it's not perfectly followed.
I have placed in to our schedule a few non-negotiables, however. I am super excited about those!
Aaron started piano lessons yesterday!! I tried teaching piano lessons to Martin a couple years ago. It really went well, but we started right before Rosalie was born ... then we moved ... and piano lessons got set aside. I kept meaning to pick them back up again, but in the midst of it all ... Martin lost interest in playing. He really doesn't want to play piano at all.
Aaron is so excited about playing. He loves music so very much ... and I am thrilled to be starting him in lessons. So, he is taking piano lessons every Monday afternoon at 4 PM. That's right. It's a set in stone part of our schedule that is a non-negotiable. I used to always think that it was such a great thing that we wouldn't have to pay someone to teach piano lessons to our children ... what a great money savings!! It really is a perk - don't get me wrong. I can tell you, though, that it's a a lot easier to get your child to a lesson when you have money riding on it! We never missed a single soccer practice ... nor did we miss an ice skating class. However, it is so easy to say, "oh, we'll get to that later ... or let's just do that tomorrow!" So, I have learned that we must schedule it as if we have to put our coats on and drive somewhere. (or it just won't happen)
I also noticed that our school day kept starting later and later throughout the fall semester. Rich and I would linger over our coffee in the morning ... thus giving us a late school start ... and him a late work day start. Wow. That's easy to do when he works from home.
So, I have decided that we need to be more disciplined about the morning and getting started.
Our mornings:
7AM - coffee with Rich
7:30 - breakfast/Bible reading and prayer
8:00 chores
8:30 - Scripture memory
9:00 Get Aaron started on written work
9:15 - History, read aloud, Geography, elective, Bible, Poetry with Martin
10:00 - read alouds, elective, Bible, Poetry, and History with Aaron
10:30 - Martin and Aaron are doing independent work while I start dinner prep
11:00 - Boys outside for PE (weather permitting)
11:30 - lunch
12:00 - Martin continues independent work - Aaron does German on Monday/Thursday/Friday
12:30 - Music Appreciation (Having so much fun with this! We are studying the music of Franz Haydn for the next couple of weeks)
1:00 Martin does German on Monday/Thursday/Friday

Aaron has piano lessons 4 PM on Monday.
Martin has recorder lessons 4 PM on Thursdays.

I put this schedule to the test today ... and it worked really well. I am so pleased with how well the day went.

If anyone is wondering ... Jonathan and Rosalie played with play dough, and played in their room while I was doing school with the other two. I also put in the leap frog Letter Factory DVD for them to watch. Jonathan is all about writing letters these days. I am amazed at how much he loves to write ... and how easy it seems to be for him.