Building a homeschool routine and schedule

Thoughts turn to curriculum and schedules this time of year.

Not that I have it together or anything, but when I learn something, I always think I have something to offer because it takes me so long to learn something. That's because I have already found 999 ways that don't work!

I have a great tip today... and it only took me 9 years of homeschooling to learn!

Take several important subjects and start with those. For me, most important are reading instruction, spelling, and math. So once we can complete those everyday, I add one or two subjects more and do that for a week.

I am feeling pretty cocky at this point about being able to tackle Sonlight this semester. Last year, it was so unclear, but now I can look at the schedule(which is too much. They do that on purpose. You are supposed to choose what to use) and easily see that I am not interested in covering Aesop's fables or the poetry, for example.

It seems so simple to me now. We have already plugged in the SL read aloud(actually we listen to it on CD) to the daily schedule.

An aside: I hate to read aloud. Don't tell anyone I am a homeschooling mom who doesn't like to read aloud. And do SL, which as tons of books...Just add it to the long list of reasons why I should not homeschool. ;)I love to read. I love to share the story. But reading aloud is so slow and tedious. I don't mind reading short passages, but chapters are darn near impossible. God can use anyone, I tell ya. He doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls. ;)

We have even done SL science and the memory verse several times this week.

One day I will add in the history reading.

I kept feeling like last year was such a waste, that I never found my niche, that I didn't stick w/ anything. I learned so much and perhaps this is the year we will see the fruit.