Hoorah for Routine!

Well, it was difficult at times, but the Isaksen troops survived a 17 day Christmas break...that was all 7 of us together 24/7. Some moments were delicious, fun, exciting, while others are not blogworthy (lol). My kids and I thrive on routine. So, it was nice to get back to it today. The plan is to homeschool everyone through the end of the year once we get moved back to Oregon ((7 weeks and counting)). However, during the break we homeschooled everyday. I don't know how I ever managed to homeschool everyone before? It was CRAZY! Everytime I sat to read or give instructions, Joe decided it was time to scream loud enough that I couldn't possibly read over him. Because of the sleep problems I have, nap time for them is nap time for me. I just don't have the stamina to stay awake during that 1-2 hour period. I would love to have that time to exercise when I get my energy back. Anyway, I just don't know I managed before and I'm not sure how I will manage after the move. The only thing I can think of is to have loads of faith, prayer, and look for ideas to occupy them all. The thing is, I feel strongly about homeschool and I feel like that is what our kids are supposed to be doing. Burn out is likely though. Here in Iowa, the kids don't have a nice yard to play outside in (who would want to play in this freezing weather anyway). Once we get moved I am praying for a nice back yard that is fenced in. Oregon has beautiful weather year round. This could be the answer to my insanity. It would be SO nice to say "Okay...go out and play while I....". Also, I am seriously considering the "community closet" thing like the Duggars use. I don't mind tossing loads of laundry in..the tricky part is dividing it all into drawers and closets upstairs. It would be SO nice just to pull it out of the dryer and seperate it in a laundry room thingy. I got behind on laundry during vacation and am still catching up. Anyone else feel this pain? Hahaha! We are going to Iowa City this afternoon to get the U-haul decals off the truck we bought for the move. Yes..did anyone know that you can practically buy a moving truck for around the same price as renting one to drive accross the country?