Rainy Day

It's fall break. And it's raining. All. Weekend. 

Jake is out of town and today my friend (who's husband is also out of town) brought the kids over and we spent the afternoon trying to occupy the kids with crafts. 

Which only worked for so long before they were all in the backyard playing in the drizzling rain.

9 kids, 2 moms, no dads. Unconsciously holding a rotation of children in our laps while sorting out the mysteries of parenting and marriage. 

You know you're talking with another mom when you can wipe faces, help someone off the potty, clean the kitchen, use a serious of snapping and hand motions to slow down and/or silence a loud/running mob, and never miss a beat in conversation. It's a maternal super power.

Today really felt like fall and I was reminded that Thanksgiving is soon. And in my heart I gave thanks. For big things and little ones.

Friendship. Family. Rainy days. Take-out pizza. Profound truths uncovered and sifted through together. Stampedes of rain boots. The sound of laughter and tag. Injuries, tears and prayers for boo-boos. Toilet paper tube owls. Shreds of construction paper that will be found around the house for days. 

Isn't it amazing how, through the lense of gratitude, a day that was supposed to be "wasting time" ends up feeling more like a precious gift. And I'm grateful for that too.

The Homekeeping Notebook: What's in it!

I sort of debated sharing what's in my notebook, in my last post. I thought it would be fun to look back at someday but decided that wasn't really the point of the post. But apparently some of you really wanted to know.

So here it is. But I'm sharing on the condition that you realize this: what works for one family might not work for another. 

AND. I said it in the last post, I'll say it again. What makes all this happen is not the binder, it's the mom. I will humble myself enough to tell you that when I was a young(er) mom ;) I would make beautiful lists and charts and not understand why my life didn't fall into beautifully organized bliss. It was because I needed to get up off my rear, quit looking at my beautiful lists and charts, and get some real work done.

Say it with me: a homekeeping notebook is an extension of your brain, not an extension of your hands. It does not actually do the work for you. Creative-type people (like myself) that enjoy making these books would rather make them then go do what's in them. It's a Pinterest generation fail.

Some of these pictures have an envelope covering the page because I don't really want the whole world to know all of my business. ;)

Lastly: Children must not ever be allowed to touch the notebook. It's mommy's master plan and without it, she will not survive. The end.

Ok I'm going to try to keep this as simple as possible. My Notebook:

Minus Kate's finger this time. I took these while she was napping. But they're all super lame pics. Sorry about that.

First:

My Supplies

This is a must so I can always find a pen when I need it. And it's also my hidden place for things that disappear like scissors and good erasers. And it's a great place to hide the matches.

Pencils

The good pen in the house

Scissors

Highlighter

Sharpie

Erasers
Stick-it notes (I'm obsessed and use them for everything)

Matches

Washi tape (I use it to tape paper invitations inside my cabinets)

My Calendar

This is NOT for appointments. It's my homekeeping calendar. 

I have two calendars. This one and my Google calendar on my iPad. 

The Google calendar is all my appointments, recurring (like weekly Bible studies) or not (like doctor appointments). Jake also has a Google calendar and we each have access to the others calendar, so we can see them overlap and know at a glance what's coming up and if either of us have plans on any given day.

The paper calendar I use for my personal, homekeeping notes like, which days a school lunch is ordered and for which kid, days special bills are due by, deadlines to send out birthday party invites, library book due dates, etc. Stuff I need to see and be reminded of but that doesn't affect what appointments are on the calendar. Does that make sense?

School Pocket-Folders

I have one of these for each of my kids' schools. It holds school schedules, important papers from teachers, a class newsletter (only until the next one comes out), etc. I also keep a stick-it note with the "official" arrival and dismissal times, PE days (because tennis shoes must be worn), and the morning bus drivers' phone numbers.

Scripture

The first two tabbed pages are just for inspiration. One is scripture. And I'll probably change it out occasionally. These are verses that have always inspired me as a wife, mom, and homekeeper. And I'm working to memorize them. I want these to be the first thing I see in my notebook when I flip to my tabs.

Job Description

I covered this one up because I think it's so personal to every woman. It's very specific.

It's listed in categories:

Wife

Mother

Home Manager

Ministry

Myself

What are the bare bones things your husband needs/wants from you? We are going through the Dynamic Marriage course with our small group so I have a literal list of my husbands needs, and I've written it out here. (Another reason it's covered) :) I look at it as often as I can to be reminded how I can best serve him.

What are your primary goals as a mom? That could be as generic or personal as you want it to be. But whatever you want to look back 20 years from now and say... Write that down. Its easy for me to slip into survival mode. But I want to parent on purpose.

If keeping the house clean, organized, and functional was an actual paid 9-5 job, what would the job description be? Just because we live in our workplace doesn't give us a pass to live in a sloppy house. How would you want it to look when you got home from a long day? Make it that way for your family! And write out those goals here.

What does your ministry require of you, physically? Write it down. And do those things. Be the best 4th grade sunday school small group leader you can be!!

I highly recommend every woman read "Taking care of the 'me' in mommy". If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your family. Now, I'm the queen of dry shampoo and letting myself wait too long to be recharged. So I'm not saying make yourself priority one either, it's still the bottom of my list. I'm just saying - there's a balance. Take care of yourself.

Cleaning (Daily)

Every morning, no matter what day, I try to do this cleaning routine. Try. :)

Dishes/Unload the dishwasher

2 loads of laundry: washed, dried, put away

Clean the counters and tables

Sweep

Tidy the whole house (everything in its place)

Make all the beds

Vacuum the living room

Some of these used to night routines, but I'd rather spend time with Jake than obsess over the last 3 dishes in the sink or the mystery crumbs under the table.

Cleaning (Weekly)

I'm not sure how clear these pics are so I'm writing it again.

Dust

Vacuum all carpet/rugs/stairs

Mop

Bathrooms 

Microwave and fridge (ours get nasty fast)

Windows/mirrors/TVs

Clean out the suburban

Change any dead light bulbs

I'm gonna talk about this weekly cleaning more in a minute.

Cleaning (Monthly)

Vacuum the couches

Clean the fans

Clean the walls

Ceilings and cobwebs

Vacuum the suburban

More on this in a minute.

Order of Days

Kim Brenneman in Large Family Logistics taught me to order my days. I've shifted my days just a little to fit my life better, but I do love doing things this way.

Monday: Cleaning Day. This is when I do my weekly cleaning list. And on the 1st Monday of the month I do the monthly cleaning list instead.

Tuesday: Project Day. Most of my projects consist of cleaning out closets or decluttering somewhere. Maybe someday I can actually stay organized.

Wednesday: Town Day. I schedule my lunch appointments, Bible studies and errands all for Wednesdays.

Thursday: Kitchen Day. Buying groceries and then prepping them for the week. Cutting up veggies, dividing the chips and pretzels into baggies for lunches, pre-making casseroles and soups for dinner, or making any homemade sauces, broths, etc. This doesn't always happen, but when it does, we save a lot of money. Things like single serve applesauce are way more expensive than just pouring it into little tupperwares for the week. And when dinners are planned and ready, we're less likely to drive thru, which is a fortune for us!

Friday: Office Day. Bills, budgeting, filing paperwork, catching up on emails, yada yada yada.

Projects

My list of projects to be done. Basically a to do list for Tuesdays.

To Do

Random to do's and reminders. I just chip away at this when I can.

Meal Ideas

4 Lists: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacktime, Dinner. Because sometimes I get in a rut and need ideas. I forget that one time I made Chicken Cordon Bleu and it was super easy and yummy. This is my reminder.

Meal Plan

Just for dinner. Made before I buy weekly groceries. We may switch the night of the meal, but I least I know I've got something in the house for each night. I print tons of blank sheets and fill up the sleeve. I could write it on regular paper but this is prettier and makes me feel organized. ;)

Grocery Staples and List

I printed up the staples that we need in our house at all times. And then after this section is notebook paper so I can write down my grocery list. This way I can quickly look through our family staples and not forget to write down something that we like to have on hand.

Yearly Goals

This section is under construction. I got the list from a pinterest post and I printed it with the intention of revamping it. But I might ditch it altogether. I'm still deciding. :)

Notes

I'm a visual person and sometimes I need to write out my thoughts to make decisions. Or jot something down quickly and file it in the right place later (calendar, to do list, projects). This section is just my scratch paper.

Decor

Just a sleeve that holds magazine clips, paint swatches, etc. that I don't want to lose. I love decorating our house but cleaning it is usually the bigger priority. So when I finally get to redoing a space, I want to have my ideas together.

My Clipboard

This is my paperwork "to do" list. Any cards I need to mail, school papers that need to be filled out, documents I need to read before they're filed, etc. I like to sit in my recliner with a cup of coffee and quietly work my way through the pile at naptime.

~~~


Mine is a 1 1/2 inch binder but use whatever works for you. I find that any bigger than that is a pain to lug around. Most of these pages are printed and in clear sleeves. I used a little bit of washi tape folded over the side to make tabs. The To Do, Grocery, and Notes sections are the only ones that have notebook paper as well. Any changes that need to be made to the printed pages, I write on stick-it notes and update/print on Office Day. :)

So this is what my weekdays days look like in terms of using this notebook: First thing every morning, I look over my notebook with coffee. Coffee is essential. Write that down. I make sure to look ahead a few days in my Calendar and make notes in my To Do list accordingly. Then I get the kids all out the door for school (which is a 2 hour process), do my Daily Cleaning list (usually under an hour), then my "Order of Days" tasks (breaking for lunch), and by naptime, I'm usually done and then I work on my To Do list or to do Clipboard. Then I run around getting kids picked up from school, do homework (checking my Calendar for school project deadlines), dinner (checking my Meal Plan for what's next), baths and bedtime. Now does it make sense why I can't function without my notebook??

So there you have it. If you just read this entire post, I'm very impressed. And you're either really nosy or you need some help in this area yourself. If its the latter, please feel free to ask me any questions! ;) I highly recommend making one for yourself if you don't have one already! And let me know how its working for ya. I hope this helps get you started!!

Not Just Being Busy: My Homekeeping Notebook

I'm always incredibly and genuinely shocked when my kids start school, go up a grade, have a birthday or say something increasingly intelligent for their maturity level. As if I thought they would be babies forever. "She's in 2nd grade!" "He looks so big!" "Did she just say that?" *gasp!* Like I didn't see it coming since the day they were born. But I am. I'm shocked. 5 kids in school this year. Whew.

I mean, are they cute or what?

And yes, Kate is home with me. I actually signed her up for Mothers Day Out but it was full and I was secretly happy.

*sigh* Summer is ending, school has started, and the busyness just changes to a different rhythm. And while I'm not usually as passionate about it as Jen Hatmaker, I'm welcoming this yearly change of season.

I've said this before, but my friends and I refer to back-to-school time as New Years. It really is. More than the actual New Years, its a fresh start. New school year, new teachers, new classmates (sometimes), new desk, new clothes... And for moms, a fresh start at our routine. New resolutions. 

And seriously. After all those weeks of summer, I feel like bionic woman with all but 1 kid in school.

So, it's a goal every year but I'm perfecting it: I want to make the most of my time and be ahead of the game. The Lord has blessed us with a huge house and a half a dozen beautiful and energetic tornado children. ;) Which means I've got a big job.

I'm going to keep this place clean and organized, finish projects, stay on top of the laundry and uniforms, pre-make meals for busy evenings, shop for deals on groceries, be on time every where I go and be the very best home-keeper that I can be. Because that's what I'm called to do.

People at church are always asking me, "How do you do it?" And they're probably just referring to how I got these 6 squirmy children into the building alone without a stroller. But IF they were referring to how I juggle the Spencer Clan, this is it.

This is my homekeeping notebook. It's my brain. And Kate's finger pushing it. Which wasn't really meant to be symbolic, but it sort of is actually.

I've had one of these for years, but I'm always tweaking it. My last one stunk so I'm very excited about this new one. I also tried to do a version of this on my iPad with Evernote. It was a fail.

If you are a mom with more than 2 kids, your house is clean, your husband is fed, your kids folders are signed, you get them to school on time and you juggle the madness in your head, I applaud you. I was not, however, born with a brain that has that much bandwidth.

Oh and this year, we have this.

Schedule and checklists posted on the fridge. I've tried this before too, but again, I'm perfecting it.

But listen. Just because the fonts all match and the washi tape is cute, doesn't make this whole binder/schedule system work. All the Pinterest boards and excel files on the planet don't make all this come together. A mom does.

It takes work. A lot of it actually. I don't care if you have 10 kids in 4 different schools, you homeschool, or have no school age kids but a baby and a toddler or 3: Being a wife, mom, and home keeper is hard work. If I'm not sweating at some point in my day, something's probably falling apart somewhere. It's just the truth. Moms. Are. Busy.

But. Why do I need a homekeeping notebook, charts and schedules? Why not just wing it? I'll tell you.

To stay on top of my game

To be a good steward of my time and energy (of which there is little)

To better serve my husband

To better serve my children

Because I think homekeeping is a lost art

Because God's word says that a wise woman builds her house (Prov. 14:1)

Because I want the heart of my husband to safely trust me (Prov. 31:11)

Because the more efficiently and effectively I take care of my family and home, the more ministry I'm able to be involved in (Because I also believe I'm called to my family first)

Because the years pass quickly

Because all of our busy rushing ends in nothing (Ps. 39:6)

And because I want to live on purpose and be a woman of excellence, not settle for just being busy.

Do you have a homekeeping notebook? How do you find it helps you?

**update: for those who were curious what's IN the notebook, see this post: What's in it!**

Tis the season?

I think all moms should get a vacation after Christmas. And I'm not talking about the kind where all your kids are home from school for two weeks.

I've talked to so many moms in the last 48 hours that are exhausted from this season. Its only the 13th. And I can totally relate. I told one of them last night that everyone should be very impressed if I haven't pulled out all of my hair by the end of December. 

I'm conducting an unintentional experiment with my phone- seeing how many reminders I can pack in without it exploding.

Ballet/Hip hop classes

Bible studies

Christmas shopping

Wrapping presents

Christmas productions (2 for one school, 1 for another, and 3 for church. Thankfully my kids aren't in the church ones, but I'm guessing Jake will have to work and I'd like to go to one of them.)

Christmas cards and all that that entails (taking pictures, ordering the cards, addressing and mailing)

$10 for 2nd grade service project by Friday

Canned goods for 2nd grade service project on Monday

Graham crackers for Kindergarten gingerbread house party by Monday

Fruit salad for 3rd grade party on Wednesday

Apple juice for 2nd grade party on Wednesday

Wrapped book for 1st grade party next Friday

Fruit tray for 1st grade party next Friday

Taking meals to friends who just had babies (because I can't imagine doing all this with a newborn)

And all this while still trying to keep up with day to day life with a half dozen kids.

4 of whom just got over strep.

Are we having fun yet?

~~~

So if you are one of those moms running around like a chicken with its head cut off... you are not alone. Go cry in your closet to the Lord for 10 minutes if you need to and dive back into the world of Christmas tree cupcakes, Tamiflu and snotty noses, wrapping teacher gifts, uploading videos of your kid singing Silent Night in the Christmas play to Facebook. Be patient as you wait in the long lines at Target with a crying baby as everyone glares at you. Try to act calm when your 3 year old pulls an ornament off the tree for the 589th time. Take a deep breath and remember the reason for the season.

The Prince of Peace.

Aaaahh, yeah remember Him? Lets let Him reign in our hearts and calm the crazy storms of the American Christmas season. Its not about all the rest of it anyway. Its about Him.

And come January, call me. We can have a girls night out. I'm sure we'll both need it.

The MANY sides...

I've thought about changing the name of my blog. I've never really been super crazy about it. It feels really self-centered.... or something. Like its all about me. And its not. But the point was this- I wanted a place where I can write the things that are in my heart, on my mind, or happening with my family. I could journal them, but this way family and friends can keep up with our family as well. And "the many sides" seemed to fit well since, as most mothers do, I wear so many hats.

Well, recently I've really been feeling every. one. of those sides. I'm a wife and I'm a mom. I'm an adoption advocate, adoptive parent, chauffeur, chef, crafter, cousin, granddaughter, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, friend, home economist, maid, and member of the DS community. And by the grace of God I am, above all, a child of God.

I think I'll keep the name.

The following should probably all be separate posts. But its all in my head at one time on any given day, so that's how I'm writing it.

Ashley and Emily are getting older and more mature every day. At their last doctors check-up, we talked about Ashley and uh... "girl stuff" being just a few years away. Things to watch for, how to handle it. Oh I'm not ready for that phase yet! Can we all just take a deep breath and slow this ride down?!

I've been talking with friends about our hopes and goals in parenting our precious children through the next several years. I don't want to miss even one of the very many teachable moments, training my girls to be ladies. Women of God. These years are so crucial. I want my kids to know they can talk to me about anything. I want to help them grow spiritually. I'm fully confident that I'm raising children in the end times and they need to be firm in their faith, able to rightly divide truth from lies. Sound biblical doctrine from the twisted things the world will throw at them. And I want to rally with other parents who feel the same way, to raise these warriors together. This is not for the faint of heart!

Meanwhile... recently I find that I could spend hours scouring my special needs and Down Syndrome boards online. Trying to figure out if things Micah and Abby are going through are common. 

Does anyone else's kids have these screaming/grunting fits? Does anyone else's kids try to escape? Is it "normal" for kids with Down Syndrome to have this difficult of a time potty training?

Everyone talks about how kids with DS are just the sweetest angels who are "otherworldly" and kind to everyone they meet. And don't get me wrong, Micah has a capacity to forgive that blows my mind. And Abby holds no prejudice, she can tell within seconds if someone is a genuinely kind person and will greet people with hugs that come from straight from her heart! But they also get angry, yell, don't want to share, push, hit, and are probably the most stubborn people in this house! (And if you know me, that's saying a lot.) :) Besides some physical and speech delays, they really are no different than anyone else.

But I constantly wonder- should I be disciplining them any differently? Should I be more sensitive? Do they get enough therapy for their needs? Am I doing something wrong?? Could I be doing something more??? *sigh* My mind could be full-time busy just navigating this road of parenting children with Downs.

Then there's the adoption stuff. MAN is my heart burdened in this area. If I had time, I would dive head first into this ministry. I've started a little group for the families at our church. I don't have a lot of time, or resources, just a strong desire to connect people. A desire to support adopting families and to encourage those who are home.

There are millions of orphans in this world. Children with no one to love, protect, and teach them. What will become of these kids? Lets just say the statistics are not good. If Jesus is the answer, and we are his hands and feet, where does that put me? I want to do something! Do you know how many kids are in my own county right now, in the vicious cycle of the foster system? Did you know most of them have to be housed out side of the county because there aren't enough foster families here? I could actually burst into tears right now just thinking about it. *BIG sigh*

As for my babies. I decided to really go full force potty training Abby and Mabry this week. (Because, ya know, I don't have enough on my plate this summer.) But literally- Mabry potty trained in one day. She has not had one single accident (aside from a wet pull up in the morning or after naps, which I don't count). I'm so proud of her! And Kate is so close to walking. Both of them are talking more and more every day. They are such cute, squishy girls and they just melt me with their adorable little smiles and personalities. Even Ashley will say, "Mom, Kate is just so cute, I can't stand it!" I mean, they are little and they have their moments and fits, but seriously, they are sunshine to everyone in this house. I could squish, kiss, tickle and play peek-a-boo all. day. long. AAHH! I love them so much it hurts!

Aaaaand, my husband. He has so much going on and he needs to come home to a somewhat sane wife. Who loves him, supports him, and does him good and not harm. In all things. I don't ever want to be so busy with the children and the house that I'm too emotionally checked out to be aware of whats going on in his world. I'm his best friend, beloved, and helpmate. First and foremost.


Did I mention I'm leaving for the Dominican Republic next week? Ashley, Emily and I are accompanying Jake and all the youth kids and leaders on the summer missions trip. Only we'll be staying with Jake's parents. (We've divvied up the 4 littles to some precious friends who are helping us out.) I'm so excited for Ashley and Emily to have a taste of another country, less fortunate than this lavish life we lead. But its been difficult to prepare them because, on one hand, this is Grandma and Grandpa's house. On the other hand, its the mission field. Its it's own unique thing, I guess.

Anyway, my mind is swimming trying to make packing lists and instructions for all four. Micah is his own world of instructions. ABBY is her own world of instructions. Then there's the babies with all of their gear.... Bottles, sippy cups, diapers (just for Kate, whoo hoo!), toys, doses for Tylenol, emergency contacts, medical releases. Then there's the packing for us... passports, copies of passports, books for the flight.... gonna have to weigh the bags to keep them under whatever the weight limit is... I'm nervous about customs with a 7 and 8 year old, just remembering how miserable it was going to Ukraine. And that was just me and Jake. But at least we'll be with a bunch of youth leaders and like 40 high schoolers. That should be fun. ;)

Back to my point. Or was there one? Oh right, the many sides.

Anyway, on top of all of this, the laundry and dishes in this house require so much care, I feel like I should mention them as a part of our family. Its like some crazy monster... if I threaten to break off a limb or two, he grows back 4 more. Where does it come from?! And Praise God for homemade laundry detergent, I'm loving that stuff. But ya know, every time I load the washing machine or dish washer, I try to remind myself that I could be hand washing all of this. Suddenly I don't mind so much. :)

~~~


I hope this whole post doesn't sound like complaining. I'm just... chronicling all of it. :) These are the many sides of me. Each a completely precious and sacred area of my life. I would never trade any of it away. I just have to find the balance in it all. And daily lay it before Jesus. These kids are his kids. Down Syndrome is no mystery to Him. Orphan care is closer to His heart than it is to mine. And I am doing what he created me to do. When you boil it all down, I'm Amy. Wife, mom, sinner saved by grace.

You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. (Ps. 71:21)
My flesh and my heart fail;But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Ps.73:26)

Birthday post: Emily and Kate

Why do kids grow so fast? Can't we find a cure for this? I mean really.


This month, 3 of my babies had birthdays. I posted about Micah's, but this is the official birthday post for Emily and Kate. :)

We had a little party for Kate. My last first birthday. :( As always we celebrated with some friends, some family, and a whole lot of kids. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Here are some highlights and many many pictures :)


I had the idea to have a pinkalicious party and just had to act on it. So I made pink cupcakes that looked just like the ones in the book. And we had pink treats of every sort. Pink filled oreo's, pink wafer cookies, pink iced animal crackers, pink chocolate covered strawberries, pink Jones soda's... you get the picture.

I posted pictures of her first year in the shape of a huge "1" on our chalkboard wall. Truth be told, its still up right now. I'm having a hard time bringing myself to take it down.

At first, Kate didn't like her cake! That was a first for my kids!! She tasted the icing but kept pushing the cupcake off her high chair tray! Silly girl. After a bit of persuading and "Are you sure?"'s she finally ate it. Not that I want her to indulge in sugar, but c'mon. When it's your birthday... :)

We had a pinata, which we've never done before. And I think it was a big hit. Get it? Ok, sorry, I had to.

Yes, we let Micah take a turn with the baseball bat. I'm fearless like that.

All the kids got to take two turns. That was one serious pinata.

(This is all the kids minus Kate and the Collins twins)

She loved her party and enjoyed all the kids. She was her usual happy, kissable, lovable self. She just took it all in.

Lovin' her baby

I love that button nose and confused look. :)

Kisses from her big sister

Kisses from Uncle John

I told you she's kissable.

The dress she wore for the party was the same dress that Ashley wore for her first birthday party. If you know me at all, you know how much I love sentimental things like that. It makes my heart so happy. :)

Jake's parents were in town from the Dominican Republic so it was really sweet that they got to be here. But my mom got sick at the last minute and totally took one for the team by staying home so no one caught her bug. I love you Mom, we missed you!!

That's pretty much it for Kate's party. My BABY baby is one. *sigh*

And Emily is now 7. We had a big family party celebrating 7 spring/summer birthdays (Jake, Micah, Emily, Kate, Jake's sister Hannah, her husband Nathan, and their son Graham) with Jake's parents while they were in town. And it ended up being on the day of Emily's actual birthday, so that was cool too.

We were going to do a big "friend" party for Emily but a lot of her friends have been in and out of town on vacations. The down side of a summer birthday. So I think I'm just going to take her and a few friends to see Brave and get ice cream, if I can find a time when everyone is here.

Now Jake and Ashley's birthdays are just around the corner!

Daily summer schedule

I like schedules. I'm a firm believer that kids are happier and more obedient when they know what's happening next and what's expected of them. I think I mentioned in my last post that I was tweaking my spring break schedule for the summer. Well, I've tweaked it and expanded it. A few people have asked me about my schedule, so I'm posting it here.

It won't be on my chalkboard the way the last one was because I need the chalkboard for my weekly menu, reminders, and the big girls' memory verses. So I've taken a screen shot of my schedule (that I made on Excel) and I think its going to be the "desktop" on my computer. For easy reference. So here it is. Spencer Summer Schedule 2012. Say that 10 times fast.

(Click to enlarge)

Other notes:

~Anything with a slash "/" means different thing on different days (ex. some nights I'll give Micah a bath while Abby and Mabry are reading)

~Free playtime for the littles: playroom or backyard

~Free playtime for the bigs: inside or backyard

~Outside playtime for all: playing in the culdesac, bikes, park or pool (should we be so adventurous). Or this will also be our time for "outings". Activities like the zoo, library, big park and such.

~Quiet time: reading, movie, or computer. (Micah and Abby wear out easily, so there's a chance they will both fall asleep during this time. They just don't get naps at school so I don't want to schedule them in, making them used to a regular nap time. Also, TV will be limited to one hour. Then they'll have to switch to books.)

~Craft time: coloring sheets or organized crafts

~Table time: Flashcards, writing, projects

Of course there will be days when we need to be flexible. And I'm sure the weekends will be different. But overall, I feel really good about this schedule. We'll see how it goes.

Operation Spencer Summer 2012

I feel like I'm getting a very small taste of what teachers feel like the week before school. Preparing schedules, getting the classroom ready, making charts...

Summer starts on Thursday and all the troops will be here, all day every day. Even if it were just Micah and Abby here all day, I would have to be at the top of my game. I can't turn my head for one second with either one of them. But throw in a rambunctious, fearless 6 year old who only wants to play with the boys outside (that should be fun in 10 years)... and an 8 year old who, while very helpful, will NOT STOP TALKING  is an endless reservoir of things to say and really wants me to listen to every last word. ;)

And mind you, I'll still have a busy baby who's learned she can crawl to the top of the stairs by herself but the only way down is falling... And an overly, ummm, "dramatic" 2 year old who can be running and laughing one minute and laying on the floor screaming with tears the next...

I have to have a plan. One that includes schedules, chores, charts, rewards, crafts, activities and books. Lots of books.

I'm tweaking my schedule from spring break (which you can see here). That one seemed to work really well. And I found some chore cards on Etsy that I'm going to replicate.

Click here for the Etsy listing

For rewards I'm deciding between a treasure box of goodies or sort of a coupon book of rewards. Like, "Good for one treat from the Ice Cream truck" or "Good for one bubble bath in Moms tub". Or maybe I'll do the treasure box for the little ones and the coupons for Ashley and Emily.

I also want to have an arsenal of craft projects up my sleeve. Pinterest is amazing for stuff like that.

And activities. I can't take them to the pool. At least not by myself, I'm way out numbered by kids who can't swim. (Micah alone will just jump face first into the water and sink like a rock.) The pool will have to wait for the weekend when Jake's home. But this list has some great ideas that we'll definitely do.

Click here for link.

Lastly, I'm making sure that we've got some good books for summer reading.

There will be some breaks. Like VBS. And later in the summer we're taking the big girls to the Dominican Republic to visit their Grandma and Grandpa. I'm super excited about that trip!

But that leaves 8 1/2 weeks, so I need to have this planned. Operation Spencer Summer is underway.