rhythm of the day

lately i have been thinking about the rhythm of our day......really the lack there of. i am always so impressed with moms that have a set routine for their and their children's day. i also wonder how they maintain it. i had once tried to have a routine, even a schedule and it failed miserably!
right now i am trying a very basic routine. unfortunately our weeks have not been "normal" lately. this is the rhythm we are trying now:
morning
breakfast (hopefully before 8:30)
project/Craft/Hands on activity (the boys' best time is in the morning)
work with asher
asher's nap
lunch


afternoon
math for ike/nap time for ian
educational reading (history or fairy tales)
playtime
quiet time (ike)/time with ian
dinner

evening
after dinner cleanup
bath
jammies
story
bedtime for boys

after the boys are in bed it is time for a quick pick up of the house
mom and dad time
mom to bed (hopefully this is before 11:00pm)

so that is how i am trying to have our day flow. it is not going too bad but like i said, our weeks have not been normal. we have had lots of drs. appt. (we are changing from really good insurance to not so good insurance at the end of the month) and lots of visiting going on.


so how is your day organized? what is your advise for finding your rhythm? best scheduling tip?

Making Granola

Granola is a staple in our kitchen. We eat it all the time. It is a breakfast cereal, a yogurt and ice cream topping, with fresh fruit and a as snack. The recipe that I use is super simple and easily personalized.

It's also easy enough for the boys to help with.

A batch of granola fills a half gallon canning jar.

yummy yummy granola!

Granola Recipe

½ cup honey

½ cup hot water

½ cup oil (I use coconut)

2 tsp vanilla

4-5 cups oats (old fashioned)

1 cup coconut, shredded

1 cup nuts, chopped (walnuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or a mix of them)

1 cup of seeds (flax seeds, sunflower seeds (although I would use less than 1 cup) or sesame seeds)

 Preheat oven to 225. Put the oats in a large bowl. Mix in the hot water, add the nuts, seeds, coconut. Mix together honey, oil and vanilla in a small bowl (I heat this up in a double boiler since coconut oil can be solid at room temperature). Combine the oils and the oats, mix until evenly coated. Butter 2 baking sheets, spread granola out. Place the baking sheets in the oven, cook for about 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. The granola will be golden brown when done.