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With five children at home with me all day, every day, all summer long, …..um, I lost my train of thought. I guess that’s because I have FIVE CHILDREN! At HOME! WITH ME! EVERY DAY! And yes, I’m planning to begin homeschooling (more) after this summer, so this is something I need to know how to deal with.

You may be wondering how I’m going to stay sane. You’ll be happy to know that I have a PLAN.

A few years ago I heard from Flylady the great idea to make “camp” at home. Just like when kids go to day camp and they have lots of fun activities around a theme, you can create this at home. And so I did a one-week camp that summer. I called it “Camp Creation” and based it around the seven days of creation. Each day had activities based on what was created on that day during the creation week. It was a big hit.

Last summer, I was very pregnant, and just didn’t have it in me to do a camp. The boys attended a 3 week day camp at the preschool, and after that I did try to use some good scheduling ideas to manage things, though, and wrote about them in
Summertime Kids-How Scheduling Can Stop The Madness!

Children definitely have more fun and behave better when they have some kind of direction to their time and they’re not just on their own with “free” time all day long.

This year, they’re all at home. I decided I needed to plan something. I got great ideas for CampWannaLaffaLotta from LifeAsMom.com

The weekly themes she suggested were just right, so I’m keeping most of them the same. Last week was Week 1, and we were Down On The Farm. This week we’re Under The Sea. We’ll also have a week going on a Jungle Safari, then Camping in the Great Outdoors, and Blasting Into Space.

That’s 5 weeks. I’m not sure yet of the rest; I’m figuring this out as I go along. I haven’t had much time to post my links and activities, but there’s always next year. Right now it’s time to have fun!

And I don’t have a name for my camp, so if you think of one for me, pass it along!

Visit Flylady’s CampGonnaWannaFly page here

What’s your summer-fun plan?

Day 17 of Flylady’s babysteps is to set a bedtime and stick to it. I love this. And I hate it.

I love to sleep. So this is something that I actually want. I want to go to bed at 10 each night and wake at 6 in the morning. Somehow, though, I have trouble getting there on time.

I know that if I can get dinner served on time (6pm), then we can be done by 6:45, I can finish cleaning up by 7:30 (hubby gets kiddos ready for bed). And by 8 when the kids go to bed, I can have some time to myself or to spend with my husband. And then I can get ready for bed no later than 9:30 and to sleep by 10. I know this.

And yet….it doesn’t happen. It’s the dinner at 6 that is the problem. I have a lot of trouble getting dinner prep started on time (probably because I don’t want to stop the nap time and walk away from the computer). But, if I would, many good things would come from it.

I’d get enough sleep AND get time to myself in the evening. It’s a good trade off.

So, I’m going to go to bed on time. Which means I’m going to walk AWAY from the computer at 4 when it’s time to wake the kiddos from their nap. That’s my plan.

And since I make my bed every day, it’s nice and inviting.

Here’s a post I wrote on sleep a while back with interesting facts, including how much sleep different people need.

I have four children, ages 6,5,3&16 months. And a baby due in about 4 weeks (yay!). The 3 older boys have been at day camp for the last 3 weeks, but today is the last day. They will ALL be home, with me, until school begins again September 1. (*Gulp!) They will ALL be home/out of school when the baby is born and for a few weeks after that. What am I going to do with them?

I am a big fan of homeschooling. I did it for one year of preschool, and am taking a break from it until they get a little bit older; they need to learn Hebrew which I believe can best be done by immersing them at school, and I do not feel I can homeschool when so many of them are so young. So, my plan (at the moment) is to begin homeschooling the oldest after first grade and add a child each year after that.

The reason I bring up homeschooling is that one of the biggest challenges of homeschooling is: how to get schooling AND housework AND playing AND (fill in the blank) done without everyone killing each other?

I find a similar challenge during vacation time. My boys love to play together, and are good at finding things to do. But after 2 days off or so, I find that there is not only an increase in bickering and injuries, but also they are more likely to find things to do that…ahem…I don’t approve of. While free time and “boredom” can stimulate creativity, I find that lack of boundaries/expectation/direction leads to less than desirable behavior.

What to do? Just as a homeschooling family must do, you schedule. Schedule, schedule. I know some of you are thinking that it doesn’t sound like much fun for them, that you want them to be able to relax and enjoy themselves, and think of their own activities. I’m not suggesting an absence of free time. Instead, I’m suggesting that even free time gets scheduled.

Most of the help in scheduling I learned from Teri Maxwell, in her book Managers Of Their Homes. www.Titus2.com It was the only guide I found for step by step help in creating a schedule for a large family that had time slots for all that was necessary.

Some of my favorite tips are:

• Schedule play periods for 2 siblings together. They strengthen their relationships and get along better than they do when there are 3 or more.
• Schedule meal helpers
• Schedule one on one time with Mom or Dad
• Schedule playtime alone; every child should learn to entertain himself
• Choose activities for different days of the week so that they rotate and the children don’t get bored. Example: Monday fingerpaint, Tuesday playdough,Wednesday blocks, etc.

Kids love dependable routine. They are much more likely to go along with the program if you already know what the program will be. And I really think it’s the only way to stay calm in the eye of the vacation storm.

I’ve tried it the other way during vacation time. I didn’t like it much. This time…I’m ready.

What are you doing with your little ones during summer vacation?

I graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in 1995, and from Life University School of Chiropractic with a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree in 1999. After practicing a few years in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl, I met my husband-to-be, and six months later was married and living in Jerusalem, Israel. Fast forward seven years, and here I am. I have four rambunctious boys, ages 6,5,3,and 1. And baby GIRL #5 is due to join us soon, in August, 2009. Though I’m not actively practicing Chiropractic, I not only adjust my family and friends, but I still teach others the benefits of a natural and healthy lifestyle. Through this blog, I hope to be able to share the benefits of my knowledge and experience, as well as the challenges and adventures of day to day life with lots of “littles” around.