Here are my tips for creating a schedule that works:

1. Consider your personality, and your family's natural habits and preferences. Are you most productive in the morning, afternoon or evening? Do you like following a consistent routine from day to day or do you often get bored, and need a change of pace? Don't limit yourself to a traditional schedule. A schedule that works is a schedule that meets your family's unique needs.
   
   
2. Plan your day around specific anchors such as mealtimes and rest times. Even if you don't have lunch at the same time every day, you can still follow lunch with daily read-alouds and outside time. Designing your routine around anchors allows for flexibility, while bringing a consistent, predictable flow to your day.
   
   
3. Make a list of tasks you want to accomplish each day, and schedule them around your anchors. Begin with the most essential tasks first, such as chores and the 3 R's, then schedule in a few extras. Take care to limit yourself to what you can reasonably accomplish. Over-scheduling can be as much of a hindrance as not having a schedule at all.
   
   

Here are some strategies I've learned for teaching multiple ages:

1. Start with the youngest and move up to the oldest. I begin our days by reading or playing with my toddler, then teaching my kindergartner, then moving on to my 3rd grader. I've found that my younger children are less likely to interrupt school if I give them a bit of one-on-one attention when we start our day.
   
   
2. Foster independence in both older students and younger siblings. I give my oldest personal instruction in subjects like language arts and math, and I look for materials that will allow him to mostly work on his own in other subjects, like spelling. I also work on teaching my younger children to entertain themselves for short time periods. It sometimes helps to have specific toys set aside that only come out during school time.
   
   
3. Learn as a family. We study subjects like history, art, science, and Bible as a family, making adjustments as needed for each child's level of understanding. This not only saves time, but builds strong family bonds. It is amazing to watch my 2 year old absorb information about biology and geography, and I've found that I am learning just as much as my children.