Our Rythm

We actually haven't altered our routine drastically, but I've changed what we do in the slots of time that we have a little bit. Since we've been doing this for about a week and a half already, I'll put up an example of our day(s.) This is long, since our preschool is our day--That includes waking up and going to bed! :)

I wake up at about 5:30 or 6, hopefully before the kids are awake. I take a shower and then Dylan wakes up. We get coffee and Dylan's banana and head upstairs for coffee and family time in bed. Then I get dressed, and get the kids dressed. **You would be amazed at how much more time I have and how smoothly the morning goes if I'm showered and dressed with the kids dressed before we go down to have breakfast!**

We go downstairs and I make Jupe's lunch for him to take to work. Jupe showers and gets dressed, the kids play in the living room. Then I make breakfast and we all sit down and eat together, unless it's one of the days Jupe has to leave early.

Jupe leaves for work, Dylan and I wash the breakfast dishes and Dylan plays at the sink for a while.

Then we have Circle time:

our autumn 3 billy goats gruff circle


We put a colorful silk on the floor with a candle in the center and various natural items like pinecones, stones, leaves, etc. Lately Dylan really loves to hear "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," so we have 3 pinecones of 3 different heights, a blue colored mini silk as the stream underneath a curved piece of bark that serves as the bridge, and a knobby stick that is the Troll. We light the candle (Dylan likes to blow out the match) and we sing morning verse:



Good Morning, dear earth; Good Morning, Dear sun!
Good Morning dear stones and flowers every one!
Good Morning dear busy bees and birds in the tress!
Good Morning to you and Good Morning to me!


Then I tell the story--I do plan on changing the story periodically, but I think it's good for Dylan (at this age) to get to know one story for a while so that he can think about it and learn it and not be confused by lots of other story images--then Dylan blows out the candle and we put the circle things away on the Nature table, which will change now and then but currently holds ferns, shells, stones, pinecones, fall leaves and four little elves that I made from felt and wool.

The Troll is going to eat Dylan up!

Our first Paintings

After story, we do some sort of hand work or art activity. This week we did painting, coloring, playdough (since we don't have modeling beeswax yet) and cooking corn muffins (two days.)

Then we have free play or outside time while Molly taks her morning nap.

Then it's house work time--just one "chore" a day, we try to make it fun.

We sit and read a book before we wash hands and have snack. I think reading a story makes the transition from play to sitting and eating a lot easier. After snack, we wash our dishes and clean up the food, and get ready for our morning outing. (at this point, it's about 10 or 10:30.)

Our outings are usually play group, mommy and me preschool, grocery shopping, trips to the farmer's market, play dates and/or trips to the park.

We come home from our outing around noon. We wash hands and make lunch together, then sit down and eat. Afterwards we clean up and wash our dishes and then go upstairs to read a book and have nap time.

After nap, Dylan is usually a little clingy and grumpy, so we do another circle story time and then we wash hands and have tea with a snack.

After snack we have free play and then either go outside to play, or jogging (and then to the park,) or out to town again, depending.

We try to be home by 4:30 or 5 to make dinner, Dylan helps and then we have a story or play while it cooks. I also usually fold laundry at this time.

We have dinner between 5:30 and 6.

A simple Autumn center piece

We do outside play with Daddy until 6:30 and then quiet play until 7pm. Then it's bath time and then book and bed. :)