How in the world will I teach two children, manage a super busy crazy toddler, and care for a crawling baby this year?  This is how.  In theory.  But but but here's the thing before you sigh in frustration thinking that we are serenely and peacefully living this perfectly routined blissful daily schedule or on the opposite side, thinking that we are creating robot children who never have time for spontaneous play or opportunity:

These schedules are to pacify my neurotic type A personality.  I need to know that I CAN do this.  I need to know that getting everything done that I hope to is actually possible.  When I have a schedule and routine, I feel much freer about going off-schedule, which we very often do.  Does that make sense?  When there is no expected rhythm or routine, I feel out of control and I don't like it.  I lose my peace.  That to me is way more shackling than a flexible schedule. When there is a default mode and the knowledge that if we were to choose we could do things in this way, I feel like I can have a handle on this life.  I feel freer.

So, that's how I do things.  I write routines and meal plans and chore lists and then...I don't really use them.  Though, sometimes I do.  It works for me.  I never promised to make sense all the time.

I do find that the boys thrive with some sort of rhythm in the home.  And they also do well having expectations laid out for them.  It's encourages cooperation when chores or lessons are a result of being on the list rather than something that seems to be made up on mom's whim.  We often get sidetracked from these little routines for good and not so good reasons but again, that's okay.  (Case in point, I do realize that I am living in the land of unicorns and elves when hoping that Luke will be taking a morning nap during the morning lesson time.)  But I just need to know that it can happen not necessarily that it will.

These are simple charts created in Word and I'm okay with that.  They're hung on the refrigerator for easy reference.  Next to them will be the chore lists.

Of course, as with all things in family life and when dealing with real human beings in a real and very imperfect family, this is all subject to change.  Peruse at your own risk...