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Our family dynamic is rather unique. Homeschooling two children with an eight-year age difference, presents quite a challenge. You won’t find shared learning experiences going on in our home, but rather a tug-of-war with me in the middle.
Although we follow a general routine, a typical day in our homeschool feels unpredictable and frantic. It’s no wonder, since the attention span of a two-year old dictates our lives right now.
If you have a little one that leaves you exhausted, this is especially for you. I hope you can find encouragement knowing you’re not alone. As I tell myself every day, “Hang in there, this won’t last forever.”
It’s Friday…
8:10 a.m. Wake Up
My daughter Julia comes in and we all cuddle on the bed to talk about any dreams we had last night. She also asks about our plans for the day. My son Miles finds the doctor kit and gives us shots and checks our ears. I get dressed while he empties my sock drawer.
8:30 a.m. Go Downstairs
My daughter and I continue getting ready in the bathroom, while the little one increases our water bill. He loves those faucets.
8:45 a.m. Eat Breakfast
Today it’s leftover homemade pumpkin muffins and fruit for breakfast. Since Miles has transitioned himself to the “big boy chair,” mealtimes are more complicated.
Just a couple months ago I was able to teach my daughter’s math lesson at the table because Miles was contained in his high chair. He was relatively happy, as long as he had his water to play with. Now I try to keep him at the table by reading to him.
Today we read Panda Bear, Panda Bear and Tomie’s Little Mother Goose. The book selection does not keep my daughter entertained for long, so she heads off to start working on her keyboarding.
9:15 a.m. Clean Up
Miles has left the table. I’m cleaning up the dishes. It’s not long before I hear crying because he wants to go into the office where his sister is working. I pick him up, finish the dishes and then distract him by soliciting his help in getting a load of laundry started. Thankfully, Miles loves to put the clothes into the washing machine. I then get him dressed for the day.
9:45 a.m. Math
Math calls for some direct instruction, so I always need to have a plan for my 2 year old. Sometimes I can give him some of the math materials we’re using and he’s thrilled, but other times he starts yelling and slaps the books out of our hands.
Today I am proactive. I pull out a new set of Lego Duplos he got for Christmas that are still in the package. He is content to dump them out and play with them for a few minutes, long enough for us to get through the short lesson. Julia constructs the barn for him, so he can put his new animals in it.
10:00 a.m. Julia starts her workbook pages (affiliate link) and I take Miles to go hang laundry on the porch and put another load into the wash.
10:15 a.m. Miles and I read My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy. Then he plays with his Lego Duplo barn (affiliate link) some more.
10:30 a.m. Read Aloud
Miles plays with his memory game for a bit on his own and then announces “Joo-a play blocks.” Julia joins him on the floor as she listens to me read The Little Princess. Miles is done playing and climbs into my lap to nurse for a while. Then he gets down and starts playing with his toys again.
Read aloud is ended abruptly when Miles starts throwing his barn across the room. I send Julia off to work on her Latin and I nurse Miles to calm him down. We read a couple books together, Read to Your Bunny and Good-Night Owl. Then I spend time playing with him on the floor.
11:15 a.m. Word Study Test
The gentle tug-of-war game continues. I’m nursing Miles and reading Tomie’s Baa Baa Black Sheep and Gossie, while at the same time I’m giving Julia her word study test. Once we finish, Julia reads to herself and Miles and I go off to gather and fold the laundry.
12:00 p.m. Science
We move to the dining room for science (affiliate link). Miles plays with Unifix cubes and some colored pencils while we’re doing a lesson on Beryllium and Magnesium. We manage to complete 20 minutes of work before I have to take Miles again to reconnect. This time he wants to read Freight Train.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Dinner Prep
During the next hour I make vegetarian chili and cornbread. Miles plays happily, Julia works on some writing and helps with some household chores.
I hold Miles on my hip for part of my time in the kitchen. He likes to see what I’m making and although my forearm starts to burn and I often have to switch him to the other side, it’s worth it. I talk to him about what I’m doing so he’s absorbing new vocabulary and learning how things work. And it helps me concentrate. I can’t cook when he’s pulling on my leg and crying, “Mommy, uppy” nonstop.
Usually I try to get upstairs for nap before 2:00, but today the cornbread is in the oven. I use the few minutes remaining to finish reading the chapter we started in The Little Princess.
2:15 p.m. Naptime
I nurse and sing Miles to sleep and feel myself getting more relaxed in the process. It’s such a peaceful time together.
2:30 p.m. Alone Time
Julia has finished her work at this point, so she grabs a snack and watches a video on her iPad.
I grab my coffee, a bowl of peanuts and dark chocolate chips, and my laptop. I sink into my chair and put my feet up. I cherish this time of day. Usually I check my email and work on planning my math class for co-op or do some blog-related reading and writing. Today I start typing up my notes for this post. Unfortunately, Miles doesn’t nap like he used to.
3:15 p.m. “Mommy, Uppy”
I hear the footsteps and the crying begins, “Mommy, uppy… Mommy…Mommy, uppy.” I take a deep breath, run to the bathroom and head upstairs. I could bring him downstairs, but he’d be miserable with such a short nap. So I get into bed and nurse him back to sleep.
I stay there for the next 45 minutes. Naptime tends to be my thinking time. Today I manage to sneak away and go back to my laptop a little after 4:00. But only five minutes later I hear footsteps again. “Mommy, uppy, mommy.”
4:10 p.m. Family Time
The time before dinner can be a trip to the library, a walk around town, a stop at the thrift store, or time playing in the yard, but today Daddy is home. All four of us hang out together talking, playing, cuddling, folding laundry and working out our evening plans.
5:15 p.m. Start Dinner
I try to do as much as I can during our lunch break to prepare for dinner because as the day gets later, my energy level and patience decrease significantly. So tonight all I have to do is heat up the chili, grate some cheese, cut the avocado, toast and butter the cornbread. Maybe that’s why I make so many soups.
5:40 p.m. Eat Dinner
I miss the days when my son would sit in his high chair. Meal times are not very restful for our family right now because he insists on sitting in a chair like we do, but he doesn’t always sit. He stands, gets down, walks around, comes back, and so on. I never experienced this with my daughter. Is it a boy thing?
If we eat at our tiny kitchen table and one of us sits with our chair right next to his, he can’t really escape. But tonight we eat in the dining room. Miles eats most of his food, then hops down, ready to play again.
6:10 p.m. Clean Up & Get Ready to Go Out
Tonight is a special night. It’s the father/daughter dance at the community center. I help Julia do her hair and find some earrings to wear. I help my husband figure out what to wear too. As they’re getting ready, I spend a few minutes nursing Miles again and read I Am a Bunny and The Gingerbread Baby.
7:00 p.m. Mommy & Son
Miles is delighted to have all my attention now. We play on the floor with toy after toy. He loves to build towers, put bristle blocks together and stick all the fun body parts into Mr. Potato Head.
7:45 p.m. Shower
On nights when my husband is home, we take turns with showers and he gives Miles a bath so I can have some free time. But tonight I opt to shower with Miles, since it’s easier. He could spend hours collecting the water that runs off my nose and chin into little bottles and pouring them out.
8:30 p.m. Quiet Play
I know it seems late to be playing, but a later bedtime works for us right now. My husband and daughter come home and share about their evening at the dance. Miles and I read one more book, The Hat, before calling it a night.
9:00 p.m. Bedtime
After our family prayer, I take Miles up to bed. Once again, I nurse and sing him to sleep. Julia spends this time with her dad. They snuggle on the couch and he reads to her.
9:30 p.m. Freedom!
I come downstairs to kiss my daughter goodnight. She goes up to bed and I finally get some time to connect with my husband. Tonight it’s a show on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn, a cup of coffee and a talk about our day.
Midnight: Past My Bedtime
I usually get upstairs by 11, but tonight I decide to write up my day so I won’t forget the details. I will read myself to sleep in no time at all tonight. Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday. A day to recover.
Note:
I couldn’t possibly keep up this pace every day. Every Tuesday and Thursday we go to a homeschool co-op. I teach a math class for 4th and 5th graders, get time to socialize with other adults, and take Miles to story time at the library. Julia takes my math class in addition to Spanish, Latin and Music. She also cherishes time to hang out with her friends. I’m grateful for the wonderful group of people, the high quality classes, and the welcomed break it gives me from long days at home.
So, some days we’re coping, other days we’re thriving. It’s the nature of living the homeschool life.
To read more homeschool day in the life stories, head on over to Jamie’s blog. She hosts this series for homeschool families each year. Enjoy!
