Schedule

This year I planned our routine a little differently, and so far it is working really well. I have been helped by looking at the schedules of many other moms. I'm throwing this out there so it might be of help to someone else. It is a loose outline that we use as a guide, not as a master. Since I linked to resources in my Curriculum Post, I've only added a link if I am mentioning a new resource. Here is our schedule:

7:00 Aiden reads the Bible to Daddy and they answer questions from the Greenleaf Guide; I read my Bible, pray and get dressed
7:30 Get everyone else up and get breakfast on the table (planned the night before hopefully :0)
7:45 Breakfast and clean up
8:15 Back to the table for Bible time:
Pray
Sing Psalm we're working on
Jeremy reads and leads discussion on one chapter of the Old Testament (in sequence)
Memory Verse Review
Sing Hymn we're working on
Pray
8:45 Jeremy leaves for work
9:00 A & A (Aiden, 8; Alex, 6) pick up a bit and have some free time; I do a simple activity with R & R (Riley, 5; Remy, 3). I usually choose the activity beforehand instead of asking them what they want to do. Then I read a picture book listed in Five in a Row and do one of the activities for that.
9:30 Everyone together on the couch for Classical Conversations Memory Work (History song, Science, Math, and then go to the map to point to places for Geography), reading a few Sonlight books, and Prudence with the Millers
10:15ish R & R Room time in separate rooms; A & A at the table with me for math, First Language Lessons, Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (Alex), Handwriting/Copywork, God's Great Covenant, and The Story of the U.S.A. from Sonlight.
10:45ish R & R join us at the table to color and do Kindergarten papers while A & A wrap up. Aiden usually goes to another room to read a chapter of whichever Sonlight Reader he is on. I ask him questions about it using the excellent Instructor's Guide and he narrates what he read.
11:30 Get lunch together and have boys pick up a bit.
11:45 or 12:00 Eat lunch together at the table. I read the chapter of Proverbs that matches the day of the month and hold up pictures from Hidden Treasures to see if they can tell how it goes with the Proverbs.
12:30 or 1:00 R & R rest time. I lie down with them for a minute and tickle their faces; A & A have separate rest time in other areas doing a quiet activity or looking at books; I check my e-mail, read, and rest for about an hour (usually with an interruption or two). Then I read a Sonlight book to the older boys.
3:00 Snack time!
3:15 (Because snack time does not take long around here!) This is a flex time. I do something different each day of the week:
Monday: Artistic Pursuits
Tuesday: Veritas Press History Card Review
Wednesday: Copy maps while listening to Children's Music Masters
Thursday: Science Experiment
Friday: Preschool Art
At least that's the plan :0). Some days they just play or do one of the things mentioned next.
4:00 Usually everyone goes outside or does some kind of free play inside. I plan to play some active games with them during this time, but have not done that yet. I sometimes use PE at Home if it is rainy or they watch a video. Rosetta Stone Spanish or Sign Language For Everyone DVD fit well here if they want to do that (I don't assign either one right now). About this time I start getting dinner together.
5:00 Jeremy gets home, we hang all hang out, eat dinner, clean up, and then hang out some more. On Thursdays we eat together quickly at 5:00 and then Jeremy and I take turns taking one of the boys out on a "date" for 2 hours.
7:00 Bible Time
Pray
Sing Sunday-School type song
Jeremy reads and leads discussion on one chapter of the New Testament (in sequence)
Sing Hymn we are working on
Pray
7:30 or 8:00 boys go to bed and look at books and/or listen to book on tape
8:30ish lights out

There is a lot of FLEX in this routine and lots of extra time built in. That helps us stick to the flow. It's always discouraging when you look up and see that you are an hour behind. So I've tried to leave more than enough time for everything so that we are usually ahead of schedule and feeling relaxed. Things go along much better if I ignore the computer most of the day and don't answer the phone in the morning during school. I'd also like to mention that I don't have a new baby and I am not pregnant. My youngest one is 3 1/2 now and so it has made things much more predictable and manageable than they were in the past when all 4 of them were pretty young.