Every military maneuver needs a plan to be successful. After a bit of reflection on why it is so difficult to get our school day started at a decent hour, here is my plan of action to be successful during my boot camp:
  1. Start the afternoon before. Evening routines are nothing new to moms, but I contend that mine actually has to start earlier than the evening. By the evening time I am just pooped, and it is too easy to blow off laying out clothes and such. So each afternoon around 2:00, I plan to check the weather and calendar for the next day and, with the kids, lay out clothes for all of us wear the following morning. I will also tidy up the school area and lay out the materials we need to start the next morning.
  2. Ask what else can be done before bed? Have the kids do a quick tidy before bedtime. I need a tidy house before we can begin school, because the visual clutter is very distracting to me (I know, I am so weird.) The last push before bed will be to make sure that everything that can be tidy is tidy. If we start early the next morning, that means that they will not have time to muck it up before we begin. (And yes, it will be mucked up long before we are done, but that is just the nature of the beast 3yo.) I will try to shower at night if at all possible as well.
  3. Get to bed before 11:00. Earlier is actually better. I have been staying up much later than this. I do have to get out of bed with my early-risers, but my fatigue often makes me sluggish and start the day slowly. More sleep will help me move with more energy in the morning. This also means cutting out all caffeine after 2:00 PM.
  4. Do first things first. As soon as I get up, I am going to get dressed and really ready to face the day. I can quickly move through my morning chores and rousing the kids before getting coffee and breakfast.
  5. Leave the computer turned off. This is the biggest time suck in my mornings. I get drawn into the computer and lose track of the time. From now on, I am going to actually power it down at night and not reboot until we need it for school. In fact, I may use the slow, clunky PC for our school work needs and leave mine off entirely until school is done to eliminate temptations.

There’s the plan! And since it is almost 2:00 at my house, that means I need to get it in gear and get things ready for in the morning. We start our week off with Classical Conversations, and that begins at 9:00. So for tomorrow, the goal is to be on-time and cheerful as we get ready to leave our house by 8:15.

Be sure to stop by to visit other moms who are participating in The Homeschool Mom’s Boot Camp. 

Trending
100 Things for Kids to Memorize

The Planted Trees  
Teaching Stars 
The Crimson Covered Farm Life

Do you have something you would like to change in your home or homeschool? Join us for the challenge. Be sure to leave a link to your blog in the comments, and we will add you to our participant list.

Latest posts by Pam (see all)

PinterestSMS