Morning Calendar Time

I'm really trying to get into a morning groove with the boys... Ideally, this is what I'd like to see happen. The day starts after I shower (before dh leaves for work).

• Breakfast
• Upstairs for chores (clean bedrooms, make beds, brush teeth, get dressed -- eventually by themselves while i clean up from breakfast)
• Back downstairs for morning calendar time. Right now, we just do the calendar -- what day it is, count up to the date (the boys insist we count the whole calendar AND the date... I let them use a hand pointer which they love!), we sing a "today is" song, talk about what we're doing that day and each boy writes the main thing (nic does it himself, joe gets dotted lines to follow, but he doesn't quite get that idea yet. He's learning a few of his letters all on his own anyway)
• 

• Eventually I want to follow that with a few more formal things -- count out the date in money, telling time, etc. but I haven't gotten that board made yet.
• Also eventually I want to follow this with independent, Montessori-ish type activities that they can freely choose from. So far, we do the activities, but I'm leading them and not leaving them out on shelves. One day I will trust that they can handle options and not just make a huge mess with it.
• Snack time
• Nap/quiet time
• Lunch time
• Free time -- usually a trip to the park, errands, crafts, etc.

And that should take us up til dh gets home, dinner, and bedtime :) Of course, it rarely happens like that and I have a hard time saying no to certain things... so we're scheduled for Goodsports ( a sports program for Nic) on Tuesdays at 11 (screws up naps, we fit in calendar time but then we're out the door). And we have brainstormers, our homeschool coop on Thursdays from 9-2 (we barely get out the door for that one). We have playgroups scheduled for 1:00 on Wed and Fri... and Mondays are usually good for a homeschool field trip... But... that's what ideals are for... something to strive for... not necessarily to maintain ALWAYS...

Til then... we're having fun along the way and that's got to count for something, right?