The Great Adventure: Getting More Organized with Our Time...

As we finish up our 7th week here in NYC (wow...have we really been here that long already?) I'm realizing that we can't go on in our current schedule, or lack thereof. We're finishing our 4th week of school, and while we have finished most of what we set out to do in that time, I feel like I'm in constant "catch up" mode and not using our time as efficiently as we'll need to long-term. In our previous life in Texas (LOL) we had a basic routine that we stuck to more often than not, which included chores, school, errands, meals, etc. Here I haven't turned many chores back over to the children, haven't yet figured out how to work in necessary errands, (every outing, besides just walking to the park, requires either lots of walking or navigating the subway system or both, and dealing with stores whose aisles aren't wide enough to accommodate a stroller, etc.) and although we're accomplishing most of our homeschool goals, we don't have a set schedule for subjects, so I end up having to teach when I should be cooking, or when I'm tired in the afternoon. THIS ALL MUST CHANGE!! :)

The first step I'm going to take is to start making myself go to bed earlier and get up earlier. I am naturally a night-owl, and being in New York encourages me to continue to be a night-owl...everything seems to happen later here. I guess they don't call it "the city that never sleeps" for nothing! I suspect, however, that we will be more productive if we can start school by 8 a.m. and finish everything but history or science before lunch. Once we've done that for a week or two, I plan on implementing my next step, which will be implementing a set schedule to order at least the school portion of our days. There...now that I've told y'all, I'll actually have to do it! Some accountability would be a good thing!

Now, since some of you only put up with my ramblings because you come here to see pictures of the children, here are some photos for you! I forgot to take the camera to the playground today (we went to a sprinkler park nearby) so you'll have to settle for random photos in our apartment that I haven't gotten around to posting yet!

Those of you who are somewhat familiar with New York City may have heard of the Naked Cowboy, who plays his guitar in Times Square in nothing but his tighty whities and cowboy boots. Well, here's our version...