The schedule as of this minute, subject to change without notice for no good reason

I mentioned once I like to schedule and plan, and I mentioned they are always tossed out the window.  One kid or another makes them not work well.  Or dr's appointment'ts, or my impatience, or the sun shining, or something.  Well the same has happened to that plan and schedule I made up last month.  We have however evolved something of a schedule that is working, for now.

It started slowly, with some obvious ideas like you need to do piano before naptime, because during is out of the question and after is often time to get ready for scouts, music, 4H, whatever.

Then the more a I looked at the day I realized, nothing important gets done after naptime!  In the 8 years that I have had a kid in my house, NOTHING work related beyond dinner and leaving has ever happened after naptime.

Oh sure someone cooks and cleans up dinner, a load or two of laundry might happen, and the occasional scout thing finished up.  Plenty of reading, but nothing consistent, nothing without an urgent reason - like a bill due today, or newsletter needing to go to the printer yesterday.  Rarely there is a surprise walk after dinner, or amazingly spare 10 minutes before bed for a longer story.  Mostly it is running from one spot to another, or lounging around with relief because we don't have to run.  Changing diapers, and such don't count as work, those are just maintained.

So I mentioned this to my kids, and asked them what sort of things needed to occur every day.  Those were the things we should try to plan before naptime is over.

It seems to have evolved into something that is kinda consistent and kinda works and kinda gets enough done.

Schedules work best when they evolve, based on things you cannot change (the time of classes), and things that are not worth changing (like my apparent evening lack of usefulness), and things you can change (like when you practice piano).

Currently  the day looks something like this Mon-Thur (except when we eat lunch early to leave):

breakfast and waking up whenever they occur
8:30 -PE practice (Martial arts type things from friends and books, though no class as yet)  If you aren't done with breakfast you don't get to join us.
9am piano for Dude, after Recorder for Princess, clean kitchen for Little Man
9:30 all begin 'seatwork'  I bring the stack of books they pick and choose order to get their projects done.
Any kid who will need to be out of the house for a class or some such gets a shower in here.
11:30 lunch (earlier if we have to leave) and clean up
12 Naptime/quiet reading/writing/whatever just be quiet and leave me alone!
after is totally dependent on where we need to be for the day

Friday we try really hard to go on a field trip, as simple as the park, or fancy as a science center or zoo.  Saturday we nearly always have a scout event, Sunday is generally church and relaxation if we can.

So far this is getting the 'quiet' projects done in a timely manner for most of the kids.

I also looked ahead to the future, who will do what reading/language/math/etc. when.  I have the next 16 years all mapped out.  Not that I expect to follow them, but it sure is fun to take a 'snapshot what if'.