I love to read.  And our curriculum is heavy on literature, so the girls need a lot of time to read as well.  Fortunately, they all like to read, so that helps.  In spite of our universal affinity for reading, I found we were still having a hard time fitting all the reading in to each day, and I certainly didn’t have any spare time to read for pleasure!  That is, until I discovered what has become my favorite hour of the day.

After lunch, I grab my heating pad, a glass of water, and a timer.  We all grab whatever book we’re working through and blankets, and we settle in on the couches.  I set the timer for thirty minutes and everyone reads quietly.  Bliss, I tell you! Pure bliss!  😉  After that thirty minutes, I will then read to them a chapter from a read-aloud book, which typically takes another thirty minutes.  This change in our school routine has been a huge blessing.  We aren’t able to do it every day, but if we go too long without it I get that dry, desperate feeling, similar to missing my quiet times for too long.

This hour has replaced “rest time”, which never was very restful anyway once all the kids gave up naps.  I spent most of that time brooding because I could hear them all upstairs not resting. This way, my ears get an hour of quiet and we all get to do something we enjoy together.

What about you?  Have you found a creative way to fit something you enjoy into your daily/weekly schedule?  Feel free to share in the comments section!

Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!

~ Sara