Filling my Hours

As I have time on my hands, with MB being gone, how exactly have I been filling my hours. Well we have decided to implement a little more schedule into our lives as an experiment. We want to see if it might improve MB's attitude. Last night I sat down to work on one that we would put on the wall. But as I worked on it I realized that one 'daily' schedule for the whole week would not work. Monday-Wednesday it would be fine, but I need to different ones for Thursday and a totally different one for Friday. I do not have that much wallspace to spare.

I have been reading recently about a lot of home schedules and master notebooks being put together. So I have decided to enter the fray and create a notebook for us. Here is my table of contents:
1. Schedules
monthly calendar
daily schedules
chore schedules
2. Menus and Food Storage
Freezer Inventory
Grocery Lists
Recipes to try
Meal Planning Info
Take Out Menus
3. School Plan
School Calendar
MB 3 month plan
K 3 month plan
Books to get from library
Field Trip Info
School Shopping/Wish List
MB/K activities information
4. Needs
Clothing sizes
Shopping List
Household Wish List
5. Important Info
Doctor
Insurance Info
Phone Contact List
Birthdays

So I have created six different daily schedules and inserted them in the notebook. I will use the whiteboard and just post each days scheule from the masters. I have also included our chore list and made up one just for the girls with the chores I expect them to start doing this fall. I have also included that inventory I did of the storage freezer and created a meal planning list for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This just lists out some of our tried and true meals for me to choose from when I am making out our weekly menus.

I still have a lot of information to incclude to finish off this first draft. But I am hoping that the experiement works. If nothing else I will at least have the information saved somewhere for future reference.

The other thing I am mulling over and trying to decide how to do it is a new behavior/attitude modification tool. I first saw this idea in a story on the Dilley family (sextuplets). They use a picture of a ladder on a bulletin board. The children move up and down the ladder depending on behavior and attitude. At the midlevel the children are showing acceptable behavior. Here they have their normal privileges. Below the mid-point, their behavior is at varying degrees of not acceptable and have different privileges taken away and more chores added. Above the mid-point, their behavior is above acceptable and are given extra privileges.

I like the idea that MB can see the effects of her behavior on her privileges and what she is allowed to do. It is tactile and visual. It is cause and effect. I want to start using it. I just have to figure out how to make it and where to put it. I am starting to understand why classrooms have so many cork boards.

That is how I have filled this first day. I am still waiting on a new project, so until then I will keep working on these home projects. I miss MB, and this keeps me from actually calling out there and checking up, even though I really want to.

Peace,

Amy