A “Day” in My Life: Homeschooling and Working at Home
Welcome to a day in my life.
I often get asked how I do it all? The easy answer is I don’t.
However, I love getting to peek into someone else day to find out what homeschooling and “Life” look like for them so I can get inspired to maybe change up my routine. Sometimes it works, sometimes I fall flat on my face. Most times I learn something new.
Therefore, today I am sharing what homeschooling and working at home look like for me.
Won’t you grab a cup of coffee and join me?
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6:00 AM
I hear it. The dumb alarm. I bury deeper talking to myself and figuring out what day it is. Right, full school day and working. I can lay here longer or I can use the quite time to my advantage.
6:30 AM
Dragging myself out of bed. I stumble over the cat as she goes flying by and reach for my much-loved coffee maker. I fill up my mug, grab my I-Pad and a favorite blanket as it is winter and chilly.
After taking a few minutes of reading, glancing over our school day, I start to create the “to do list” for me. Planners are my friend. Now if only I would stick to it.
7:00 AM
I drag out my computer and wait for it to wake up. Since this will take a while I take advantage of the quiet to drink my coffee and check Instagram and my online community of working moms in The Club to see what other homeschoolers have going on today.
I need the little boost to know I am not alone in this struggle of balancing both working and homeschooling.
7:30 AM
I am making breakfast and my hubby has headed out to work. I hear feet. Four furry ones as Max comes tearing out of the bedroom. He has heard the toaster pop. He follows me staring as he knows I cave and give him a piece of the crust. See the stare below? How do you resist?
The kids soon follow and start making breakfast. Chaotic noise fills the kitchen as they crash, bang and rattle around the kitchen. Apparently, eggs and hashbrowns were the picks for today.
We eventually meet at the table with tablets open and ready to read.
We read aloud, taking turns and discussing our point of view over the material.
Then the kids ask what their chores are for the day. They each get at least two. I try to either chose new ones they need to learn or pick ones I hate doing. 😉
They take their schedules and disappear. Homeschooling this stage is odd for me. They often prefer to do their lessons on their tablets snuggled into bed under the warm blankets.
This is great for when I am not with them but makes me miss the younger years. Yay for independent learning?
Please note: For a full list of curriculum mentioned in this post please check here for Grade 8 and here for Grade 9, thanks!
8:00 AM-9:30 AM
I refill my cup and head to my computer to start working. I open my inbox and cringe. I know the kids are busy and I have time to work.
I started using timers recently to try to keep myself focused on the task at hand. I, also, keep them across the room.
9:30 AM
My daughter comes out to share what she has learned in math today. I get her to explain it to me. I find this is the best way of knowing whether she really understand what she is learning.
I remind her I am about to jump on Facebook live in The Club and ask her if she needs me for anything.
She decides to curl up on the couch with Max and read. She drags out her favorite blanket and pulls some favorites from the bookshelf. Today I notice it is Great Illustrated Classics.
I go down to my son’s room and ask him what he has done. He tells me he’s completed French for the day and is half way through his math. We discuss it for a bit then I tell him I am going to do a live video if he needs anything. He doesn’t.
I set up my I-Pad and get ready to talk. Even though I’ve done this a few times it still makes me nervous.
10:30 AM
I am finished with all my online things for the morning and my daughter starts to do her typing course. She loves typing.
While she does that I start some housework, loading dishes and the washer.
Refilling my coffee cup I get ready to do ASL and Art with my daughter. It is nice to feel needed. I am not any good at either but it is fun to learn. This gives us our one on one time we need.
Next, she pulls out her English and I see great joy spread. “Uh oh! No…..nooooooo!” She starts giggling. The best thing for my kids is when they know more than mom.
She loves to read me her words and I get to guess what they mean. Some of these words I have never heard before like “multifarious” and “recalcitrant”. She thinks this is super funny. 🙂
When we are finished I need a refill and she darts down to tell her brother how she is way smarter than mommy.
11:30 AM
When both children come to a break we gather around the table. We make lunch, while I gather up our history books.
Whoever is done eating first gets to read the Story of the World chapter out loud. They also get to ask the questions. I hated history when I went to school but I love Story of The World.
Today it is my turn. I sit with the textbook waiting. There is a lively conversation going on about if we were made like bananas. Don’t ask. Life with teenagers is always...interesting?
Then I pull out the outline, map, and worksheets from the activity book and give those my daughter. There is an extra one today and it does not go over well. Her happy bright cheerful mood has switched off like a light switch. Click!
She has decided she doesn’t want to do it.
Isn’t that just too bad? I leave her with directions and let her glare at the back of my head. Life is hard kiddo, we all have to do things we don’t like sometimes. Just ask me about the pile of never ending laundry and dishes hanging around.
Moving on, I assign my son the Kingfisher pages and he reads, researches and writes an outline to share with me on what he has learned.
Not long later she calls me to say she has finished the sheet and we check it together. The switch has gone back and the glare fest has been forgotten. For now.
1:00 pm
Next is science which if there is an experiment we all do together, but if it is reading or videos they do on their own.
Today we were supposed to do an experiment but because I forgot to check and didn’t have a red cabbage we were unable to complete it. Instead, we watch the video and I add the cabbage to the list of things to get next time we are in town.
2:00 PM
My son lets me know he is ready to do Writing with Skill and Analytical Grammar. I love Writing with Skill as it teaches things about writing I never knew.
Grammar, on the other hand, is a different story. I want to run away but he loves it. How much more coffee can I handle today?
We settle in at the table and read through the lesson. He works on the Unit and then I read the answers out loud while he checks his work.
Because I read the answers out loud we start giggling half way through. “The ART, is linking verb, …” My son says he hopes no one over hears us or they would think we are crazy. I remind him we are…and he agrees.
I change the diagramming page rules to the same as his math program. If he gets the first one right we quit. If he doesn’t he has to get 3 in a row right. This way I know he gets it but he doesn’t get discouraged. Making the changes we need a is a homeschool blessing.
This is our one on one time together. Needless to say, I am super happy with the teacher’s manual.
3:00 PM
Usually by this time they have finished all their lessons.
They start in on their chores right away because they want the free time afterward.
I get reminded of laundry again and work on a few more chores as well.
3:30-5:30 PM
The kids are finished. I ask them if they have played outdoors yet today and bribe them for 30 minutes outside with hot chocolate for a treat.
Once you get them out it is hard to get them in.
They ask to be called in by 5 pm.
I head to the computer to get some writing done.
Evening
Supper is finished. We had gnocchi and alfredo chicken. Quick and easy. The last person eating clears the dishes off of the table.
The kids are sharing silly jokes and being normal teenagers. Whatever “normal” really means. They are happy, which makes me feel like maybe I am doing the right thing.
Sometimes depending on how I am feeling we pull out a game to play but tonight they inform me they have been waiting all day to plan on some new Minecraft coding thing.
Fine…don’t play with me!
I settle in to do one more block of online work – proofreading. I love how I can write something and read it 100 times and still miss at least one mistake.
So happy that is done I settle in with my book and a mug of sleepy time tea.
I listen with one ear as they start “discussing” some color change on the blocks of sand. I try to keep quiet letting them figure it out without me. After all, I’m trying to work myself out of a job.
It goes on for a few minutes when a compromise has been met. Majorly unfair in my opinion but I say nothing. If they are happy…what do I know?
[irp posts=”3756″ name=”Our Favorite Games for Teens to Reinforce Learning”]
10:00 PM
It must be snack time my son is standing in front of the fridge declaring there is nothing to eat. He rattles around the kitchen finally deciding on a peanut butter and pickle sandwich.
I make coffee and preset it for the morning.
Taking supper out for the next day I remind them we need to get up early to make lunches in the morning. This is the highlight of the week. Lunch in a bag. Ha!
Hugs around and it has been a good day.
I’ll take it.
Do you work at home and homeschool? What does it look like to you?
Take care
Jen
PS. This is part of a day in the life series. Read the rest of the series!
1. A “Day” in My Life: Homeschooling and Working Outside of Home
2. A “Day” in My Life: Homeschooling and Working Inside the Home
3. A “Day” in My Life: Homeschooling and Working
Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
