Snapshot: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Recently I had a friend ask, "So what do you do all day? How do you get stuff done?" I had to laugh because our days are so full, and every day can be sooooo different. Even on days with regularly scheduled activities, the in between stuff can vary. But, I thought I'd take notes on a day in our life.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are fairly similar, with some exceptions for afternoons.

So, a day in the life of a homeschool family:

5:30 am last snuggle with the Husband, time for him to go to work.

7:00 am. Rise and shine. Morning chores for Mama: Medicate and feed the dog, feed the cat, stoke up the fire, fill the water pot, walk the dog, feed and water the chickens, fill nest boxes, collect eggs, open the sunporch windows for passive solar heating, tidy the living areas, organize today's lessons, prepare breakfast.

8:00 Time to wake the Boy. I climb under the covers for a morning hug and one of my favorite moments of the day. He moves so slowly as he wakes up, no pointy elbows to the nose..just a sweet snuggle.

After the morning wake up, clock time becomes irrelevant as we move into homeschool time....

We breakfast then take a morning walk. We check for eggs and bring in firewood.

Back to the table to start the morning routine with a wee bit of reverence: light our work day candle, recite our two morning verses.

Now we get to work. Math warmups...5-10 problems to get the brain going.

Followed by Latin. Any readings or written work due on Tuesday. This usually takes an hour and a half.

Envirothon studies. There are four topics to study each week, Aquatics, Current Issues (conservation this year), Wildlife, and Forestry. On Monday we usually work on Aquatics. This takes about an hour.

Snack time! While the Boy reads and enjoys a snack, I usually do some housework: laundry, make beds, take the dog out, sweep or vacuum, empty/fill the dishwasher...you know, the drudgery-of-being-a-housewife kind of stuff. (For me, anyway.)

Piano practice, 20 minutes. Then music theory, 45 minutes. During this time I usually collect eggs, check on the animals, plan dinner, and continue housework.

(During these work "alone" times for the Boy, I have to remain available. As soon as I try to sneak away and make a cup of tea I will inevitably hear a "Mom?! I need your help!" Which is, in all reality, my job.)

Lunch!  We usually throw together something simple, leftovers, for example. Then we each get a little free time. I check email, make phone calls, collect the mail, "administrative stuff" The Boy will read, or as of late, work on his origami Star Wars figures.

Main Lesson. Ok, I know ML is supposed to be in the morning, but we had to adjust. Latin and Envirothon are so "heady" that the Boy was in tears more often than not, when we worked those in the afternoon. It was too much of a struggle for him to go into a heavy academic mode after lunch. Things have worked out so much better by switching them around. Main lesson always goes smoothly...he loves the afternoon readings, perusing library books, and artwork.

Snack and outside time. (Around 4:30 pm) The Boy will often run to the neighbor's to hang out or he'll work on some project in the yard (a fort, target practice with his bow and arrow, play with the dog, etc.) Meanwhile, I might walk the dog, check for any last eggs, finish housework, start dinner, and/or finish any outside chores that need completing. As the sun sets, it's time to close up the south facing curtains and trap in all that solar heat for the evening.

Daddy's home. Hugs and kisses for all. Husband and I try to fit a work out routine in right after work, as long as he's home by 5. Any later than that and we both are too hungry and grouchy. 

After working out and showering, we gather at the table for supper.

Fully satiated, we clean up, close in the animals for the night. Then we read, play games, work on a project, watch a little tv, and/or snuggle up on the sofa until bedtime.

Husband handles the Boy's bedtime routine, while I usually load up the firebox, take out the dog one last time, then get her settled in her crate. Then it's off to bed for the grownups.

A really full day.