Planning for the new year

This year is going to be different :) why? I have a plan (yes I hear you LOL) No seriously it is going to be different. I have found the perfect systems. Yes combine MOTH with Flylady (takes care of the house) combine MOTH with Workboxes and a Charlotte Mason philosophy (takes care of school) what else do I need :)

So here's what I did. First read through MOTH book to refresh my brain. Then laminate the A3 Master Plans. Sit at the computer and make up little squares that fit the Master Plan. (Little squares must be 1/2 the size of a master plan square - because master plan squares are 1/2 hour time blocks and CM recommends 15 min lessons) Write every lesson you can possibly think of on the squares. Print on 5 different colour papers. Using Velcro cut in half stick squares to plan.

We are using Sonlight and FIAR. As I will be using 3 different LA's with3 kids and my own kindy mix with Monkey I wanted 1/2 hour with each child so that was the first to be blocked out on the chart then group time (which is really Read-Aloud time) Then schedule the computer, DVD for Maths and ipod so no one clashed and so I was available to help Bunny with her Maths. Then fit in anything else essential around this. Any spaces left on the chart are for fun boxes.

Here is a picture of our planning wall in the Dining/Kitchen Room where you have to look at it everyday. (underneath are the older girls job charts, younger ones use chore packs and to the side is my flylady jobs)

We have just finished our first week and it worked really well. There were a few small changes that i had to make to the chart but overall it stayed the same. When it came to planning the workboxes I made a smaller chart with all 4 children on one page with the fixed items on and then blank spaces for the fun boxes. Instead of the 12 boxes Sue uses I used 16 boxes (each box represents a 15 minute time slot) You can download a blank chart here.

This takes care of school so what about the home? Well using Flylady's system I spent 2 weeks before school started and put up in each child's room a Morning and a Before Bed Routine. Then I redid the morning chores list both Zebra and Duckie decided they were too big for chore packs so they have a list underneath the MOTH planner, Bunny and Monkey have chore charts. I typed up Flylady's missions from last year edited to fit me (each Zone listed separately) with a detailed room clean on the same sheet then laminated the lot. This hangs next to the MOTH planner and tells me what to do each week (I change it each week). Just think once this is done my whole house cleaning is planned out for the year for good!!!