I need HELP with my schedule! Or do I?

This morning we went to the schoolroom at the community clubhouse with my friends and their children to do a craft. I was in charge last minute so I had them make toilet paper roll robots and color butterflies. After lunch I had projects for school planned, but fell asleep during reading time.

As you know this is my first year of home schooling my children and I am still trying to figure things out.  I need help with our schedule.  Most mornings after we have eaten and are dressed we get to work, math, journal writing, calendar, and whatever other projects and activities we do in our schoolroom.  Even though I don't take my kids to the grocery store and on errands during the day, there are many days that we have other activities.  This week has been a perfect example, Monday: the parade, Tuesday: MOPS, today: craft with friends.  These days I try to do school in the afternoon.  Then there are the days where for some reason or another things aren't going well for me or one or ALL of the kids and we don't get as much done as we had planned.  I have a friend who grew up with friends that were home schooled and she says that she always wanted to home school her children (alas, she is a single mother and has to work.)  She said that she would do school only three days a week.  I know I am rambling and rambling, but my point is, I don't have a schedule!  I don't know when our breaks will be, what we will be (or wont be) doing in the summer.  Sometimes I worry that I am not having them do enough.  Sometimes I worry that I am making them do too much.

I usually don't voice this (or any) home schooling concerns with anyone.  For one, I don't want my husband to think I am a slacker and panic that our kids will always have a first grade IQ.  Second, I don't want my certain "friends", who think I am weird for home schooling anyway,  to have that I-told-you-so attitude.

If anyone has any ideas, tips, schedules that work for them, or just words of encouragement, PLEASE let me know.  I need your help!

How to Make a Robot

Last night my sister Natalie and her famous artist husband, Justin Clayton stayed over. This morning while we were doing our math, spelling, and writing, Justin was in the next room painting "Peppermint no. 2" It was fun for the kids to peek in and see his progress. After getting the basics out of the way first thing, and having a snack break outside, we made robots!!! So here's how to make an awesome robot...

What you need: empty toilet paper roll, aluminum foil, scraps of colored paper, glue, pens, markers and pipe cleaner.

1. Wrap toilet paper roll in aluminum foil, tucking in the ends.

2. Use scraps of colored paper, glue and markers to decorate with buttons, control panels, robot face, etc.

3. Use pipe cleaner for antennae, arms, etc,

And that's how to make a robot!

Today we also watched a Bill Nye the Science Guy about Storms, wrote letters to grandma Kay, and I read Halloween books to Isabel and Sylvia while Luke read his book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl.