Scheduling Children

I have about a million titles in my head of things I'd love to write about, but I'll stick with the most recent to save me time and hope to catch up later.
As in many households with children, the summer tends to be chaotic. Every morning brings the usual questions of "what are we doing today, when are we leaving, what is there to eat..." Oh the list is endless for a four year old. As a parent, you don't want the summer to slip away, which it inevitably does each year, feeling like your kids vegged out in front of the TV or at the pool all summer long. Each summer I set goals for myself and my kids and never seem to get around to any of them. Life is just so fast paced that it is sometimes a challenge to think further ahead than today. Well as I prepared for the new school year and a new season in our lives (homeschooling), I ordered some books from the Maxwell Family (www.Titus2.com). They are a fascinating family with eight children. Mrs. Maxwell has been homeschooling since 1982 and their family is madly in love with the Lord. On top of all that, they are financially brilliant. Their two oldest sons have already purchased their first homes with CASH and they live debt-free. Their books have been a total God-send. The first one I read was "Managers Of Their Homes". This book is primarily for homeschool families or families where Mom stays home with young children. The pupose of the book is to equip you with knowledge and tools to create a schedule for your family. Now, you may be thinking, "well my family is already on a schedule." Trust me, if you haven't read this book, your schedule CAN be improved drastically. Every person that stays home during the day has their own schedule on the "Master Schedule", even the babies. From the time Mom wakes up in the morning until the last parent goes to bed, your time is accounted for. This may seem extreme, but I felt so liberated as I finished my family's schedule and saw just how productive we could be even if we only stick to half of it! Think about how much time you waste during the day, cleaning up unnecessary messes, disciplining bored children, and even sitting at the computer. When you make your schedule as directed in the book, you schedule time for EVERYTHING. When the children are changing activities every thirty minutes or so, the fighting magically disappears (for the most part) and they actually engage eachother in imaginative play and interaction. Well, my schedule says Mom should be in bed at 10:30, so...Goodnight!
~audrey