Chores and Schedule

I have been asked to post the chore list for my children as well as our summer daily schedule. I thought it would be easier to post it all here. This is what works for us and helps me alot. We have learned to be flexible, but try to stick as close to the schedule as possible with hourly adjustments if needed. John and I do not give allowance or rewards for this list of chores. It is done to help out the family. We do have extra chores as needed that can be done for money. Our prayer is that our children learn to help their family (especially Mom), learn to work hard, and learn to work together to accomplish tasks. Note: we have our big cleaning day on Monday and can accomplish Monday and Tuesday chores in an hour.

Daily Chores (all children)

put clean laundry away

clean room - make bed

straighten living room

recycles and trash (boys)

load/unload dishwasher (girls)

Monday:

Ernie (10) - wipe down upper kitchen cabinet fronts and appliance fronts

dust walls for spider webs

dust top part of tv cabinet

vacuum living room and study

Abby (8) - vaccuum couch and chairs,

clean window sills in living room and study

dust blinds in kitchen and bedroom

Emma (6) - dust lower part of tv cabinet and railing to upstairs

dust blinds in kitchen and bedroom

Jonathan (4) - dust living room table

wipe down lower kitchen cabinet fronts

Christian and Isabella help where they can. Give them a rag and they will clean anything. They love to help fold and put laundry away too.

Tuesday:

Boys - clean baseboards and doors in living room

Girls - clean baseboards and doors in kitchen

Wednesday:

Boys - take out all trashcans from all rooms

Ernie also vaccuums living room and living room rugs

Girls -

Week A - clean windows in living room and study and clean kitchen chairs

Week B - clean their bathroom (I clean it on week A)

Thursday:

Everyone - clean up the yard and the yard toys

Friday:

Everyone - clean up the basement toy room

Abby vaccuums living room

Daily Schedule:

7am - breakfast, devotions, Bible memory time,

teeth, dressed (has started taking longer than 45 minutes, so we adjust)

7:45 - clean bedrooms, then play in basement

8:30 - chores

9:30 -play

11am - lunch

12pm - naptime for younger 3

reading the older 3 (45min - Ernie and Abby / 30 min for Emma + 15 min of worksheets)

We read a book together 1-2 chapters a day (currently reading the Crown and Covenant

series by Douglas bond)

Math Games (Right Start Math)

2pm - outdoor/indoor play (or maybe a movie)

2:45pm - straighten living room and bedroom as needed

John usually returns home by 3:30 - 4pm and bedtime is around 7/7:30pm.

My Boys

Aren't these fellas gorgeous!

They wanted matching shoes.

Ernie is a great big brother and the littler ones just adore him. They are always playing ball of some sort, running around and rough housing.

It's so hard to say goodbye...

I received a Boppy when Ernie was born. It helped me through the nursing of Ernie, Abby, Emma and Jonathan. As a baby, Jonathan became attached to it. He always had it with him and it became his pillow in his crib and big boy bed. (Thankfully, when I was expecting Christian, the sweet ladies at Community Bible Church gave me a shower. Along with many splendid gifts I received the one thing I really needed ... A NEW BOPPY)

Jonathan's Boppy has seen him through good dreams, nightmares, many hours of peaceful sleep as well as illnesses and not much sleep. It made it through many washing cycles, but all good things must come to an end. Boppy developed a hole that could no longer be fixed. We took many pictures so Jonathan will never have to forget his Boppy.

Abigail turns 8

Precious Abby turned 8 on April 9th, 2010.

What a gift we received from the Lord! Abby is our easiest child at present. She is extremely helpful with a servant's heart. "Lil' Momma" is her nickname and sometimes Christian and Isabella choose her over me. Caring, sweet and a hard worker. Abby finished 2nd grade this year with straight A's and the "Ant Award". She loves art, gymnastics, and Irish dance.

May God always be glorified in your life, Abby! We love you!

Abby's birthday found us, once again, at Cracker Barrel for dinner.

Picture below is of the gift she received from Gram and Grampa Dickmann. It is a purse with other little goodies that once belonged to Great-Grandma Lehr who went Home to Heaven a year ago. The loss of Gram Lehr was rather hard on Abby. She still cries when she thinks about dear Grandma Lehr. Abby loved this gift!

Kara made Abby's birthday cake

Abby with our wonderful former neighbor, Judy.

Tea Party

The girls decided to dress-up and have a tea party...

on the jungle gym.

Izzy did not want to miss out on the fun.

Egyptian Feast

2nd Grade at PCCA is the Egyptain Festival.

My beautiful Egyptian girl, Abby.

Mrs. Doyle had the wonderful idea to mummify a chicken and this is the result: King Cluck I. (No it does not smell.)

Abby's encomium on the Biblical Egyptian midwife, Shiphrah. (Never too early to get teaching my girls about midwifery.)

Mrs. Doyle and the children did a fabulous job. The food was yummy and the decorations were perfect. Yay Ann Hatfield.

4th Grade Medieval Feast

At Providence Classical Christian grades 1st - 4th have different festivals/feasts that showcase what the class has learned that year. Ernie's class has had fairy tale (now Old Testament), Egyptian, Greek/Roman festivals. The last year is 4th Grade's Medieval Feast. Quite an elaborate evening with a meal served by the families, a game of Pass the Parcel and usually a time of learning from a real Knight. Unfortunately, the Knight, Karl M. Kindt III, was unable to be there due to being in Paris during the volcanic ash issues. We still had a wonderful time and wonderful food.

Ernie chose to be King Charlemagne.

During Pass the Parcel, Grandma opened a layer that had her do jumping jacks.

Ernie's 4th Grade Teacher, Mrs. Paske, and her husband, PCCA's 5th Grade Teacher, Mr. Paske, as they made their entrance.

Easter Pictures

Since this summer we have 2 weddings, I went simple on the Easter clothes. Ernie was thrilled, but my little boys LOVE to dress up, so they wanted suits no matter what.

Some days I just can't believe they are all mine and how incredibly blessed I am. God is good! We are blessed to have a quiver full.

My Girls

All My Handsome Fellas

While I was getting Christian ready, Isabella just sat right in his lap. How could I pass up the photo opportunity? Of course, our ham, Emma, saw the camera and rushed over for the picture.

Laundry with Isa

As most can imagine, laundry for 8 people is quite a task. I am EXTREMELY blessed to have a Mom who has decided this is where she wants to help me. My wonderful Mother does all the folding of the laundry and puts it away for us during the school year (during the summer the older children are responsible for their own clothes).

There are usually loads of laundry being washed everyday and I put it in baskets. When Mom gets some spare days, she folds it all. The 3 smaller children all love to help in one way or another - Jonathan matches socks, Christian folds dish towels and rags, and then there is Isa...

Not much help but she sure is cute!

Exercise with Isa

I love to exercise. Yes, I really do. My favorite right now is Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred. Quite a workout and in a short amount of time. Perfect for the stay-at-home Momma with 3 children (4 & under) at home with her. Of course, as any Mom knows exercising isn't easy when the children want to do it "with you." Most days I schedule Jonathan's computer play-time during my exercising time so Izzy can be put in her pack-n-play to play toys and watch big brother. Some days that just doesn't work out and this is what happens:

Izzy loves Jillian too. She sits sucking her thumb watching me exercise. Eventually, she gets up, jumps around during the cardio, but then comes the ab work which is done on the floor. This cartoon shows what exercising with Izzy is like:

In case it is just too small the Mom says, "I'm glad one of us is enjoying this." as baby has triumphantly climbed mount Momma and claps her hands.

All in a day

It's hard to be the baby!

Christian and his ash

6am - my room

Christian: "Dad, I have a ash"

John: "You have a what?"

Me (still trying to get some sleep): "He said ash, he means rash, but it's really a bruise."

Christian: "Yeah Dad, a Bruce"

Just another Day in Paradise!

Ever hear of an ...

Ever hear of something called an Iggy Miggy? I hadn't until the Family Talent Show.
It's always fun to learn something new!