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Continuing my recently (well…okay…NOT so recently) started “homeschooling series”, today’s topic is our daily school schedule.  Over the years our schedule has changed quite a bit and I have posted past schedule that we have used in previous blogs.  I usually review our schedule every fall (beginning of the school year).  I look over what works and determine what changes are needed to better suit our needs for that year.  I also tend to look at things in the spring as well because with little kids things change quickly.  Also, ever since I have been homeschooling I have been either pregnant or nursing and each requires different adjustments.

We are currently finishing up our 8th week of school and our routine is working out nicely.  While it very rarely goes EXACTLY like it is written below, this is our daily plan.  Things come up, of course; a baby needs nursed, a boo boo needs kissed, an attitude needs gently corrected, a squabble needs resolved, a tween needs a heart-to-heart…..the list goes on!  But that is what life is with 6 kids – the schooling is only a part of it.  

Here is what our daily schedule looks like now.  

6:00-7:45am –Wake.  I usually pry my eyes open between 6 and 6:30 (lets be real here….. occasionally it is 7:00….but then I pay for it later!).  Just for the record I am NOT a natural morning person! After I wake up and nurse Ezra, I get ready (dress, makeup, hair, tidy bedroom/bath), have a cup of coffee, and look over the day’s events (meals, appointments, etc.).  I would love to say that I have a quiet devotional (like I did before having Ezra), but quite honestly, in this short season of my life (nursing a small infant and getting up in the middle of the night), it isn’t happening in the mornings.  

7:45-8:45 – Breakfast.  One day (or two, if I am being extra nice and/or lazy!) a week I let the kids have “crap” cereal.  I used to never buy it, but after protesting Mike (my husband likes his sugared cereals) in the cereal aisle one day I self-righteously grabbed a box of his “crappy” cereal and compared it to my “most-certainly-more-healthy” cereal that I usually buy and low and behold there was NO difference in the sugar content…..  So now the kids get to pick out a “crappy” “fun” cereal once a week and it is a treat.  Other days we serve eggs and toast, yogurt and fruit, oatmeal, whole wheat waffles, bagels and cream cheese, etc.   

8:45-9:30 – Chores.  After breakfast we all get started on our chores: unloading dishwasher, dusting, trash duties, wiping bathrooms, swapping laundry, etc.   I will clean the kitchen at this time, trying to have it looking tidy and neat when done. Then we all make our way upstairs (where the bedrooms are) and do our personal hygiene.  The kids brush their teeth, dress, put away their laundry and clean up their rooms.  We have a chore pack system so they remember all the steps.  I will share that with you in another post.  I dress Ezra and Georgia and help Faith where she needs it.  I also make the younger ones beds and supervise.  I throw in the first load of laundry and then we head back down stairs to a clean kitchen/living room to start the day (SUCH a nice feeling!).  If the kids get done unusually early or I have to nurse they have a little free time.  

9:30-11:00 – Morning school.  The little ones are included in a “morning circle time” that includes prayer, The Pledge of Allegiance, scripture memorization, calendar and some form of poetry reading and/or Psalms.  Then the older kids get to work on the things that are more independent (handwriting, spelling, reading, typing, math facts) and I help Michael (my kindergartener) with his handwriting and math and we do a lesson in phonics. The little ones play in the other half of the basement (within eye and earshot) and in some dire situations (where they are not playing very well together or are unusually loud) I put a short educational DVD on for them.  Once I finish helping Michael I will do a short phonics lesson with Faith (my pre-Ker) and then I will usually play with/read to Georgia, Faith and Michael and help where needed with the others.  After school we do a “3 minute clean up” and head upstairs for free time.  

11:00-12:00 – Free Time. After school I swap laundry upstairs and take care of any diapers that need changed.  We then have a little free time before lunch which can include playing outside, board games, a walk or just hanging out inside.

12:00-12:30 - Lunch. I will usually read our literature selection at this time. We just finished “A Wrinkle In Time” and are now starting on “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”.  

12:30-1:00 – Chores and Outside Time.  The kids have 1 small chore to do after lunch.  Currently AJ and Michael stack wood in the garage for the woodstove, Maddie loads the dishwasher with lunch dishes, Faith feeds the chickens and Georgia and Ezra just look cute. Afterward they usually play outside for a bit.  When it is extremely cold I back the van out of the garage and let them have “open gym” in the garage.  

1:00-1:30 – Naps.  At this time I take the nappers up and lay them down for their rest time.  Our 2 year old and 4 year old currently nap.  While I am upstairs (after I lay them down) I fold the laundry and start another load if I am needing to do a little extra.  Sometimes I get it all done; other times I will finish it when the kids are doing their nightly chores.  

1:30-3:30 – Afternoon School. With the little ones down we dig into our historical fiction book we are working through (current selection: The Broken Blade).  Our historical fiction book corresponds with what we are studying in history. After reading a few chapters we start math and grammar.  We then finish up with history or science, alternating days.  

3:30-4:30 – Media Time.  This is the chance the kids get to play Wii, watch PBS, play on the computer, nook or ipod.  They sometimes choose to play outside or do other things but it is their 1 hour of screen time if they choose to use it. If they have any school work left over from the day they must complete it before they engage in any media time.

4:30-7:30 – Family time.  This time is not scheduled.  While I cook the olders have a half an hour of reading time in their rooms without their youngest siblings.  The younger ones ususally play or help mommy in the kitchen.  We usually eat at about 5:30 – 6pm.  After we eat dinner everyone helps clean up.  

7:30 – Bedtime Routine. Depending on who needs baths/showers (we alternate: littles one day, olders the next….otherwise there is not enough hot water!), we bathe the little ones and have the kids run through their nightly chores which is basically PJs, teeth, and clean room.  They gather in our room when they are done and we do a bible study with them which ends in our nightly family prayer.  Right now we are working through the shorter catechisms in a book called Training Hearts, Teaching Minds.

We try to get the littles in bed by 8-8:30 and the olders by 9.  

Before I go to bed (I am usually in bed by 11:00-11:30pm) I will tidy the kitchen/living room (I LOVE waking to a clean/organized house…make my day go SO much better!), workout (if I get to….lately I have been SLACKING!) and shower.  

That’s what is working right now…..hope I didn’t bore you to death!

Talking to many mommas, I have realized that laundry is the arch enemy to a lot of us! I will say having a system makes keeping up with laundry much more attainable.  I developed a system a couple of years ago and it streamlines my laundry activities into one central spot.....the laundry room.  It also allows my children to become active participants in the laundry chores which makes my load lighter and gives them added responsibilities.

Here is my laundry room....

And a closer look:

Over the years our "school room" has been moved around to many places.  We have used the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, and the extra bedroom in our basement.  Because we are a very relaxed family and I love the idea of incorporating learning into our everyday lives I tend to have inner turmoil over having a "school ROOM" per say.  I like the notion that school should happen where ever we feel inclined to learn at that moment.  Although the reality is that with eight people, at least three of which that have major focusing issues (Andrew, Faith and myself) and the many distractions of our household (read: 6 loud, busy children), we NEED to have a separate, purposeful room for our school work. Because of these exact reasons I have used my basement school room more and more over the last few years.  While at one time it was used mostly as a playroom, its main function now is that of a school room. I have given you glimpses of it each year we have used it in prior posts.  It is always evolving to better suite our needs.  This is what our room looks like this year!  This is a 360 degree photograph of our basement school room. 

This year we have three children that are "officially" homeschooled and I am doing Pre-K with our fourth child.  Here is our curriculum choices this year:

Andrew, 9, 4th grade

• Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting, D
• Spelling: Rod and Staff, 4th grade
• Math: Math-U-See, Delta and daily math drills/flash cards
• Typing: Daily lessons and practice in Typing Instructor
• Reading: Various grade appropriate novels to be read independently.  He reads one to three chapters daily depending on the length of the chapters.
• English: Rod and Staff English, Grade 4

Maddie, 7, 2nd grade:

• Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting, T
• Spelling: Rod and Staff, 2nd grade
• Math: Math-U-See, Beta and daily math drills/flash cards
• Typing: Daily lessons and practice in Typing Instructor
• Reading: Various grade appropriate novels.  She is reading one to three chapters daily depending on length of the chapters.  I have a difficult time finding books for Maddie since she is reading at a Jr. High level, yet doesn't quite understand the concepts of more mature literature...... I am still trying to figure out how to stretch her without overwhelming her with "over-her-head" literature selections
  
• English: Rod and Staff English, Grade 2

Michael, 5, Kindergarten

• Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting, K
  
• Math: Math-U-See, Primer
• Reading: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons and various grade appropriate beginning books. 
  

Faith, 4, Pre-K

• Handwriting: Informal pre-writing practice on unlined paper.  She pretty much knows how to write most of the letters we just need to work on good habits for forming each one correctly
• Reading: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons and various grade appropriate beginning books. 
  

Subjects that we do together:

• History/Geography: Story of the World, Volume 3 with corresponding map work, journaling and various activities weekly.  We also are reading various historical fiction books that coincide with our history study throughout the year.
• Science: God's Design for Science: Our Universe and Human Body
• Bible: Daily devotionals from Training Hearts and Teaching Minds, weekly scripture memorization and various Bible chapters read and discussed with the family.
• Literature: Daily classical literature read aloud times with discussion.
• Music: My plan is to start piano lessons with the oldest kids after the holidays.  I need to get my hands on a cheap yet nice upright piano that is compact enough to fit into the basement school room. 
• P.E.: Last year we co-oped for this and I miss it!  This year we just had too much going on to commit to once a week trip into town with a newborn.  I may use the co-op again next semester, so for now we are just taking advantage of the outdoor times and open gyms at the local rec center.  Also, the oldest three just finished up fall soccer a week ago.
  
• Art and Creative Writing: A lot of creative writing and art is sprinkled into our other subjects so I don't do a separate curriculum for this.  I do have an art history book that we occasionally look through and name famous works of art and discuss the history that surrounds them. 
• Home Ec: *smile* Homeschooling our kids gives us the wonderful opportunity to teach our children basic life skills that otherwise are left out of schools now.  They will be well versed in running a household because they are watching firsthand and helping with the running of this one daily. 

What are your curriculum choices this year?

We FINALLY started school!  I had planned to start late this year due to my little bundle of joy arriving right at the beginning of the year.  I figured that the school year would feel a little disjointed if we started and then abruptly stopped after just a week or two into the year.  So we waited till after delivery and our “baby moon” that allowed us time to snuggle all day with Mr. E. (which by the way I LOVE to do!).

Since we have started I thought I would share with you a couple of school related posts:

• Our Homeschool Journey (below)
• Curriculum Choices
• Classroom Photos
  
• School Photos of the Kids
• School Schedule

This is my 6th year homeschooling…..Yeah, you read that right!  It kind of scares me!  I will have to say that I didn’t really find my groove until the last 2-3 years, so if you are new to this, take heart.  You CAN do it!  

A recap of our homeschooling career:

Fall 2007: I started homeschooling AJ in Pre-K when he was 4 (he has a late birthday so most of the year he was 5).  We were not really convicted yet about homeschooling.  We started out with workbook based learning which was probably a bit too tedious and “table-worky” (read: he had to sit still) for our very active and young son.  I struggled with doing too much too soon and expecting it to be much more rigid than it needed to be.  (We had three kids at the time, 4, 2 and 10 months and I was pregnant with our 4th much of the school year)

Fall 2008: Our second year of homeschooling I was a little too intimated to do “real” school (since he was a 5 year old “true” kindergartener now) because we had just had our fourth baby RIGHT before the start of the school year. So with a newborn, a 19 month old and a just recently turned 3 year old, I bowed out gracefully for a semester and sent him to a GREAT Christian school about 25 minutes away.  God used this time to really convict me about homeschooling.  We ended up bringing him home in the middle of the school year and continued his education through Kindergarten at home.

Fall 2009: Our third year I had a first grader and four year old that wanted nothing more than to read read read!  She practically taught herself and could read (at three!) and was darn near the same level as my 1st grader!  So, I taught 1st grade and a very advanced preschooler this year with a 2 (almost 3) year old and a 1 year old toddling around!  

Fall 2010: Our fourth year I really started to get into a nice grove even despite the fact we added another baby in September, right after we started school.  I had a 2nd grader, a Kindergartener, and a 2 year old, a 3 year old and a newborn. 

Fall 2011: Being that it was my fifth year homeschooling, my confidence in what I was doing soared.  I was no longer in those “easy” early years where I could just “wing” it.  I planned better because of this fact and we had quite a great year.  We had a 6 week break in this school year because I (surprisingly) found out I was expecting and was throwing up for a good month or two at the beginning of that pregnancy)  We just adjusted the school year to allow for some summer catch up. Another awesome perk to homeschooling: flexibility!

first day of school

"The Fall of the Roman Empire" party

Fall 2012: This year, my SIXTH, I took the things that worked out so great from last year (planning) and ran with it!  I planned the WHOLE year, down to the projects we were going to do.  I gathered all the supplies I would need before the school year. I also made library lists that included call numbers of the books and asterisks to mark the books I would have to request from other libraries so that I remembered to allow extra time to get them.  I mapped out the kid's independent reading and our classic literature selections as well as our historical fiction books that will coincide with our history studies.  Although I am only 3 weeks into this year, I can see it will be such a blessing to have it all organized! This year I have a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, a Kindergartener, a Pre-K, a 25 month old and a newborn!  I am actually finding out that it is totally doable after feeling somewhat exhausted this summer from trying to figure out how I was going to make it all work (teaching 3 completely separate grades, teaching one to read, and keeping after a toddler all the while nursing a newborn round the clock).  It works out better in real life than it did on paper, THANK GOODNESS!  It CAN be done! When I feel something is not doable I have to remind myself that God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called!

Are you homeschooling?

How long have you been doing it?

I have had an iPhone for about a year now and LOVE it.  While I still prefer to have ACTUAL keys (instead of a touch screen), and the auto correct has embarrassed me more than once, I love having all the (FREE) apps and I use my phone for everything.  It is so nice to have SO much at my fingertips.  I thought I would go through my apps and how I use them in my daily life with you!

Starting with these:

Starting with the top left:

Text Messaging: Honestly, I really thought I wouldn't use it much, but I was wrong.  Texting has some advantages.  Namely, for me, is that there are SO many times I can't actually engage in a two way conversation where the caller isn't subjected to hearing the chaos daily on goings of my household (I have been on the both ends of that type of a conversation and it is hard to focus). In my "line of work" having uninterrupted time to talk is a rare occurrence....ya know, the homeschooling 3 kids while keeping up with a preschooler and toddler too......and soon nursing a newborn constantly.....yeah, that little part of my 24/7 profession!  With texting it is easy to answer when you can or delay a response when you need to discipline, serve a meal, or grade a math assignment.  Also, I send a lot of photos....to my sister (who lives 2 hours away), my parents and to my husband. 

Calendar: It is so nice to carry my personal calendar with me at all times and to be able to set reminders that will buzz you 2 hours prior (or 2 days prior) so I am less likely to forget my doctor's appointments, my kids practices, games, co-ops dates, and all that other stuff.

Photos/Camera: I will sheepishly admit that I barely ever take photo on an actual camera.  I know, I know, there is no excuse, but this iPhone is just so handy; it is always in my purse, has a decent camera on it and I can upload the photos to snapfish, facebook, photobucket or text to a friend/family member instantly.  Convience wins out!

YouTube: Yep, I LOVE me some informational how to videos!  Everything from (FINALLY) learning how to properly hand wash bras to gardening/pruning tips. Oh, and this is also a lifesaver in a restaurant when food is taking too long and I have a cranky/hungry 1 year old at the table....Dora the Explorer, anyone?

Maps: I can't believe I still remember a time when you had to have your navigator rotate large, cumbersome paper maps in their laps to find streets that written in the TINIEST print ever.  Yeah, reading a paper map is a skill you SHOULD possess, but if given the option, an instantly updated map with GPS with turn by turn is WAY better!

Notes: I keep notes on everything.  Some that are in my phone now are: blog topics, fall to do lists, crochet patterns, Nicci Lynn Production list (crocheted items I need to complete), what I need Mike to add to the hospital bag when it is time, movies that I want to see, sewing patterns that I want buy and the kids clothing needs and their sizes (in case I stumble on a good sale).

Clock: I use the "timer" feature ALL THE TIME!  It is my kids "time out" timer.  Yeah, otherwise I forget they're in their room/naughty chair and that is just ineffective parenting because by the time I remember that they are in time out I have forgotten what they did and I can't address the problem very efficiently then.

Bible - LOVE this app!  It has all different versions of the Bible and it will read it to you!  For morning when I fail to eat before the kids I use it to read us our Psalm for the day.  Also it allows me to listen to the reading (I try to get in one chapter a day) that I am on while I am getting ready in the morning, drinking my coffee or even in the van.  A nice way to get scripture in even when you are busy.  You can also bookmark scripture that you would like to meditate on, add to a prayer  request or memorize later with a quick swipe of the finger. 

Prayer Pro: Another one of my favorites.  It organizes all of your prayer requests and you can add photos, prayer detail, categorize the prayer and schedule it (pray for it daily or only on Mondays...etc).  It also allows you to email the person you're praying for and let them know that you have prayed for them today.  After your prayer has been answered you can check it "answered" and it is stored away.  Totally awesome app!

Facebook - yep, I rarely use facebook on my computer anymore....and it is convient to post photos with this app. 

Facebook pages - this is for my business FB page, Nicci Lynn Handmades.  Allows me to manage and post updates, coupons, photos, and announcements on my business page. 

Shopping List: LOVE this app.  I use this as my grocery store list app.  Once and item is entered the app saves it into the aisle that you designate it to and then you can arrange the aisles based on the store you shop.  So when I am going through the store it is all put in the order that it is in the store....no more wandering back 5 aisles to grab something that was further down on the list.  Also I can email, text or send the list to someone else, like Mike, if I can't get to the store.  SWEET!

 

Pandora - I stream music ALL THE TIME!  Even when we are out on a family walk we can have a litte background music.

The next couple are grouped together under "Photo":
They include:

BeFunky - Photo editor that is great

Instagram - Photo editor and frames

Pic Joiner - photo collage maker

Pic Shop Lite - another editor (I need to delete because I never use it)

Photobucket - allows me to upload to my photobucket account which is how I store/share my blog photos

Snapfish - where I back up all of my photos and where I print my photo books and prints from

Craigslist - Allows me to post stuff for sale and my husband has a bit of a Craigslist addiction. He uses this A LOT!!!

And the ones at the bottom:

Phone - no explanation needed.  It is, after all, an iPHONE!

Mail - Email.  Again, I rarely check it on my computer anymore.  Sorry for the short, auto corrected responses, friends!

Music - my Itunes music

Safari - Internet....used ALL. THE. TIME.

And I will be soon posting a "Page 2" to finish sharing my apps with you all!  Stay tuned!

With summer creeping to an end and families scrambling to fit in those last minute road trips I thought I would share with you how we organize our "bus".  While we aren't prepared for EVERYTHING, I do think we have most of our bases covered with what we have included in our van.  Before we dive into what and where of the stuff in our 12 passenger GMC Savana, I will give you a few of our van rules/systems.

• I normally clean our van out one or two times a month, depending on how much we are running around in it.  It doesn't take long but goes a long way in keeping the van in tip top shape.  The cleaning consists of vacuuming and removing any/all trash and having the kids take inside all the random toys that have been abandoned in the van.
• The kids are usually able to take 1-2 small toys in the van any given trip to "town" (our nearest real town is about 20 minutes north of us), and a couple more if we taking a longer trip.
• The kids are responsible for removing their toys and any trash they may have accumulated during the trip when they return home.  (Obviously, they sometimes forget - hence the need to clean out the abandoned ones!)

Now for the "what and where" of van contents.

Front Seat

We don't officially have a console in the middle of the two bucket seats in the front row, but we do have a big space.  I used a cheap basket to contain my "all the time" stuff.  Inside the big (lime green) basket is a smaller one (white) and a small bathroom trash can.

1. Trash can - just your normal everyday cheap bathroom sized trash can that fits those Walmart bags nicely
2. Cups - one for each of the kids and a sippy for Georgia.  I use them for passing out snacks.  The sippy is for water for Georgia since she has not yet mastered using the water bottles without spilling it all over herself. 
   
3. Juice box holder - Again, for Georgia.  For juice boxes when we pack our lunches so she doesn't squeeze it all over herself and her car seat. 
   
4. Hand sanitizer.  We use this a lot in the van; before eating snacks, after playing at the indoor playground, after grocery shopping....etc.  Around the neck of the sanitizer I have several hair ties.  Four females in the car, need I say more?
   
5. Glass mason jar with lid - This is were I keep a small amount of "emergency snacks".  It is usually filled with some kind of small snack cracker like goldfish (something all the kids will eat and doesn't take up much room). I keep these on hand for when we are out later than expected and I didn't plan and pack a snack.
6. Kleenex - do I even need to explain this one?
7. Hair brush - again, with the three girls and myself we are in need of a hair bush frequently. 
   
8. Clip boards - I keep clip boards in the van for various reasons; jotting things down, lists for stores/errands and also one of the "punishments" that the older kids receive for some misdemeanors is having to write out things like "I will keep my hands to myself in the car" 25 times and these are perfect for dishing those out!  

This is one of the clip boards.  It has a "pen pal" ( I am IN LOVE with these things!) attached to it so that I can keep a writing utensil with the paper and is loaded with wide ruled paper.  These also come in handy when the kids get bored......my kids love to write notes and draw.

Again, a pen pal so that I have a pen handy when I need one.

Passenger side door pockets: One bin is stuffed with grocery bags to refill the trash can when it gets full and also for things like dirty diapers, wet clothes, etc.  The other bin has some candy (for good behavior!) and an umbrella.  Honestly, I don't know WHY the heck I carry an umbrella.  I have literally NEVER used it.  Even when it is raining I usually don't have a spare hand to hold an umbrella with and there is no way I am getting 5 kids and myself under one umbrella anyway! (Maybe I ought to just take it out???)

Driver side door pockets: In one bin I have reusable water bottles that get used ALL. THE. TIME!  I swear, my kids are addicted to water (especially in the car)!  In the other pocket is a big canister of wet wipes - another item that we use all the time.  I keep one "in stock" in the utility closet at home so I always have one to replace an empty one with. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!!  I take an empty milk jug and fill it about 1/3 full and lay it on it's side and then freeze it.  When we leave for an outing we remove it from the freezer and fill the remaining jug with water.  It gives us a gallon of ice cold water that stays cold all day long, even in the car.  This is what I use to fill up the water bottles that I keep in the door pockets.

Bench Seats:

Under the first row bench is our "diaper bag".  It is just a regular back pack that contains extra diapers, a wet bag (a waterproof bag for keeping dirty/wet cloth diapers), wipes, an Ergo baby carrier, extra snappis, hand sanitizer and Butt Paste. The diaper bag stays in the car unless we are going to be away from the van for an extended amount of time (like a museum, zoo or the like) Also under this seat is a first aid kit.

I keep a small, cheap umbrella stroller under the seat of the middle bench.  I can grab it quickly as I am unloading the kids without having to open the back of the van up. This is the stroller I use for quick trips and  errands when I don't need the cup holders and basket on our bigger stroller.

This is the back (behind the last bench).  I keep this pretty much empty because this is where groceries and anything else we pick up while out and about goes.  I keep the larger stroller wedged in a little spot that is recessed so that it doesn't fall over when I open the back doors.  I also keep a picnic blanket under this seat.  It is nice for when we pack a lunch.  It gives us a nice place to sit down if the grass is wet....or in the case this year - if the grass is dry, dead and scratchy!

How do you organize your car?

What do you keep in yours?

Mike and I FINALLY got the garage mess under control a couple of weeks ago!  Since last year when we started our home based lawn business our garage has taken a turn for the worst.  Ever heard the expression “cramming 10 lbs. of stuff into a 1 lb. bag”? Yep, we were doing it! Our garage was bursting at the seams!  We bit the bullet and finally accepted defeat.  No way of arranging could untangle the mess of bikes, mowers, aerators, tillers and everything else that was now parked in our garage.  And don't even get me started on the van we now own that could quite literally eat and spit out an average sized minivan.  In another post I will show you the beautiful shed, concrete work and landscaping that we put in.  But this post is dedicated to my thrifty little ditty of a bike rack made for a cost of…..wait for it……$35!!!  This is my not-so-original design (that is a larger version of this one) for a bike rack that holds 8 bikes!

Or you can buy one for $350!!!

You will need - 

• 6 – 10’ foot sticks of ¾” schedule 40 PVC pipe
• 6 – bags of contractors pack (10 in each bag – so 60 total), ¾” PVC tees
• 6 – single ¾” PVC elbows
• Glue if you want (I didn’t glue ours – that way I can take it apart and add to it if I need to!)
• Hacksaw or PVC pipe cutters
• Rubber mallet to tighten joints.
  

You can cut all the lengths first or cut as you go.  I cut as I went so I could try out a section or two before I assembled the whole thing!  Now just assemble it according to the photo above. Obviously, use elbows on the ends and not tees.  I would say that if all the bikes are the same size I would make the sections (6” ones) separating the bikes a bit longer.  Staggering the handle bar height makes 6” work, but with two of the same size bikes the handles bars get a bit tangled.  Also, if you have any bikes with oversized (wide) tire you will need to add a little length to the 2" piece (2-1/2" to 3").

I even color coded so everyone knew their "assigned parking spot"!

Baby Essentials: Clothing and Diapers

Clothing:

This probably is going to be a short post considering that clothing is usually the easiest part of the baby gear!  You can buy your baby’s clothing second hand in a consignment store, at a garage sale, in a department store or even make your own.  

I think the biggest mistake new parents make is that they get too many outfits for their child.  I would encourage getting only a few newborn outfits.  Only one of my children thus far was ever able to squeeze into newborn size clothing.  Faith (my smallest baby who was right under 8 pounds) was able to fit in them a week or two before outgrowing them.  All of my other children skipped the size completely….especially our oldest (the one that had the MOST newborn sized clothing) who weighted a whopping 10 pounds 1 ounce!  Bag sleepers are great for this size as they can be used for large range of kids because there is little structure to them.  This item of clothing is also easy to sew even for a beginner.  Also there is a free pattern for a newborn dress that is darling (Faith wore it as her coming home outfit).  Here is the link for it if you are interested.  It is perfect for a summer baby.  If you tend to have large babies I would suggest making it a bit bigger (wider).  Faith (my smallest baby) barely fit in it.   Even in the larger sizes; don't go overboard!  They don't need 30 sized 0-3 outfits! I would suggest enought for a week or so; maybe 10-12 outfits at most.  At this point in our lives, with soon to be 6 kids living here, closet space is at a premium!

{Faith in the Itty Bitty dress}

Diapers:

Of course you will need diapers.  With my oldest I wasn’t using cloth diapers yet.  I never really needed newborn sized diapers for my oldest either.  He fit right into size one.  Most babies could benifet from at least one or two packs of newborn, but don’t go crazy with them either.  Full term babies are usually only in them for a few weeks.  As for cloth I would suggest skipping the newborn size as well.  Most newborns will fit into the infant size prefolds, albeit they will be a little big for a couple weeks.  If budget allows I would suggest between 2 and 3 dozen infant size diapers and 2 dozen premium size.  For each size I would also suggest to have at least 4 covers.  This should get you all the way from newborn through potty training.  

I am not going to get into the all the options of cloth diapering because it gets very overwhelming very quickly.  We use prefolds, snappis, cloth wipes, Bummis and Thirsties covers with the occasional mama-made fitted diaper thrown in.  If you want to see the options and read more about cloth diapers go to my cloth diaper tab or CLICK HERE to be redirected to that page.  Also I did a post a while back about starting with cloth diapers that shows how prefolds (both infant and newborn) fit and also how my mama-made fitted diapers fit a newborn and a toddler. 

Other:

Shoes: I don’t generally put any shoes save for the mama-made cloth/crochets booties until they are walking.  There is a pattern called Stardust Shoes for sewers that is great for babies and actually stays on a newborns foot quite well.  I made some for Faith when she was a wee one and have made several pairs since then.  They sew up easy and you can adjust the pattern to be reversible as well.  

{Stardust shoes made with leftover diaper flannel}

Socks: I have a strict rule about all the same socks for each child so that I don’t have to match socks and it applies to my littlest ones as well.  I don’t do colored, matching, patterned socks.  Plain white for me, please.  Borning, yes, I am aware, but the ease of it makes up for the pizzazz of multicolored socks any old day.