Just an Average Day of HOMEschooling Boys

I was planning on posting a step-by-step picture story “Day in the Life of . . .”  for the Heart of the Matter link up this week

. . . but I sorta got busy – which is PRECISELY what an average day for us is – BUSY!!!

Before we started school I posted my schedule/routine dilemma .  A minute-by-minute schedule is just ridiculous to try to maintain , but it sure looks pretty on paper.  The truth is there is no “average” day around here.  I have 4 kids.  4 boys at that.  I’m 8 months pregnant.  My husband only works 2-3 consecutive days a week & has a rotating schedule.  We live on a farm.  We HOMEschool.  We do have a routine or list of things to do each day & we try to start as soon as our morning chores allow . . .

1. I typically wake the boys up around 7:30am. 
   • With the exception of Mondays or late nights the night before.  I would MUCH rather be late in starting school than starting “on time” with 4 grouchy kids.  The same goes for me.  Sleep is becoming more & more difficult – I learned a long time ago my kids need a rested mama much more than an on time grouchy teacher :)
2. They start their day with making their beds & chores. 
   • This usually on takes about 15-30 minutes; however, it is a farm & there are always unpredictable chores needing to be done.
3. Then we eat breakfast. 
   • Some mornings it is just a quick bowl of cereal.  If Big Daddy is home, I’ll cook a “country breakfast”.  If we are running “late” we will work on memory work & Spanish during breakfast.
4. School begins!  Starting by 9am-ish a always the goal, but just a goal.
   • If we are running fairly close to a 9am start, we usually begin with Memory work, Spanish & Science, then move on to independent studies.  If we are too far past 9am we jump right into independent studies. 
   • My 5th grader has his own planner & works in whatever order he wishes (sometimes if it is his dad’s day off, he’ll get up extra early & get it all done before we are even awake).  His independent work (devotional, handwriting, math, writing, history/state study & science work) must be done before any playing or electronics. 
   • My mustangs start with Math on Mondays – we watch the MUS video & then do a lesson together, then they do one alone.  The rest of the week I start with All About Spelling & reading with one, while the other works on handwriting, math, & explode the code work, or has center time.  Then they switch.  Once those are covered we move on to language & writing.
5. LUNCH
   • The boys will check the animals’ water & finish any unfinished or necessary chores & play outside until I have lunch prepared.  Lunch is usually done by 1pm
6. Back to school
   • Once we are done with lunch we head back over to the school{barn} & finish our work.  The littler boys play for a while while I go over grammar & help Tyler with anything he is having trouble with or requires my teaching.  Then we finish any core work we haven’t made it to.  OR hopefully jump right into geography & history to mark our last subjects off the To Do list.
7. FREE TIME
   • After schoolwork is done the boys have free time, I do housework, meals, or have a little free time myself. 
8. Dinner
   • We eat pretty late most of the time, b/c we like to wait for Big Daddy to get home.  It is common for us to eat around 8ish.  We snack on fruit in the mid-afternoons & veggies or “healthy” snacks in the afternoon to hold us over.
9. Bedtime
   • This has been HIGHLY neglected for a long time.  My kids really don’t have a bedtime.  SHAME ON ME!!  Sometimes they are all tucked in & fast asleep by 9pm, sometimes they stay up & we watch a family movie or nature show together & they aren’t in bed until 10-10:30pm  YIKES!!  Some weeks my husband doesn’t get home until after 8pm for 5/7 days of the week, so I sacrifice bed time for daddy time.  Not always, but more often than I probably should.  We are much better about our bedtime routine during the fall & winter.  It is just so hard to be in bed or wind down when the sun is still out.  Plus, it is so hot right now it isn’t even cool enough to play until 7ish.

*In between all of this, I’m moving laundry, picking up the house, cleaning up after our 2 year old, returning phone calls, squeezing in computer time, etc.  I really try to stick to my weekly routine (Cleaning day, laundry day, etc.) & get my stuff DONE before I “play”. 

And just to keep it real & humor you this is what a typical day for me is filled with:

Which leads to this:

And ends with this:

And that, my friends, is what my day is truly filled with – daily boy/brother-doms!!

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