A Day in the Life
This post was originally published on Learning Well Community in February 2022. You can see it by clicking here.
I’m so excited to be hanging out here and sharing about our day.
My morning starts off around 6:00/6:30. I don’t necessarily love waking up early, but starting my day off with quiet, my Bible, coffee, and intentionality makes me a much better mama.
It makes such a difference to wake up this way instead of being woken up and being needed right away! It took a while to get here. In those seasons with babies it wasn’t realistic, but it is one of my favorite life rhythms I’ve implemented! Especially now that I’m homeschooling.
Morning time
I love starting our day with intentional morning time! It usually happens during breakfast or right after they’re done eating, before the chores and other things happen. We use Morning Time from Brighter Day Press. Our time together includes:
✨Prayer
✨Reading the Bible
✨Discussing and asking questions
✨Memorizing scripture
✨Singing hymns
✨Reading poetry
✨Studying artists and composers
✨Reading a book aloud
Not all things happen daily, but the week includes all of those things. It has become my favorite rhythm we have in our day. It’s not always perfect, and I have to pause and discipline more often than I like. However, it has become a foundation of our day and I’m incredibly thankful I get this time with them instead of rushing to make it to carpool or get them on the bus.
Never say never
I never thought I’d be a homeschool mom. I was one of those people that said “never” whenever it would come up in conversation.
But then 2020 happened.
Over time I strongly felt called to homeschool, and I’m so thankful. Now when I hear another mom saying “I could never do that” or “I’d be terrible at teaching my kids”, I am quick to say that moms are incredible!! We are more than capable of raising and educating our kids. And if you are feeling called to homeschool, you are totally equipped to do it!
Math and language arts
Math and Language Arts lessons happen four days a week for us. My oldest is ten, so a lot of his work can be done independently. So while he is doing that, I am nearby helping my eight year old with his work. It takes us about one to two hours for them to finish, depending on the amount of distractions and snack requests that happen.
My five year old is playing independently during this time, sometimes doing something educational and sometimes riding his bike in the driveway or toy 4-wheeler around the yard. And sometimes interrupting repeatedly. When both the older kids are doing something independently, I will sit down and do some preschool work with him – letter sounds, writing, counting, etc. We keep it short and simple!
Figuring out our daily rhythm is still a work in progress as a fairly new homeschool mom. But most of the time this routine works well for us!
It’s never ever perfect. Not a day goes by that I don’t have to remind someone to focus. There are tears and frustrations. We are far from precious. But things don’t have to be easy or perfect to still be good.
Afternoon school
During lunch we usually have some TV time. It’s a time for me to have a little quiet break, and either get some things done around the house or just rest. Then it’s time for them to rest, too. This time lasts about an hour, then they play for a few minutes before we get the rest of our work done.
Afternoon school time is either science, history, or independent work – piano, typing, or handwriting. It just depends on the day (and the attitudes – theirs and mine ). And sometimes we just scrap it all and play instead!
Long live childhood
I love the freedom in our days now for my kids to just be kids. And I love the bond they are creating with each other.
On days when I question if I’m doing things right or doing a good job, seeing them outside playing, using their imaginations, and working together fills my heart with so much joy. I feel like they wouldn’t have such a strong bond with one another if we hadn’t decided to keep them home.
Encouragement
I loved sharing our day with you! It is far from perfect over here, and we are definitely still figuring new things out all the time. If you gathered nothing else from this day in the life, I hope you’ll take away these few things:
✨No one’s homeschool is exactly the same. Comparing ourselves to other moms will quickly steal our joy. You don’t have to do things like everyone else. Your kids need you to be YOU, not another mom on the internet. God chose you as their mama, and chose them to be your kids!!
✨Remember your why may be an often used phrase, but it’s so important to do as a homeschool mama!
✨Be willing to change your mind!! Walk in obedience to where God is leading you, and He is faithful to go with you!
✨It’s okay to not have it all figured out. You aren’t supposed to know it all. You will learn so much alongside your kids as you do life and school at home! Give yourself grace to not be perfect!!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!! I am very passionate about encouraging other mamas in their daily lives, knowing who they are and trusting God with all of it. I’d love to have you come hang out with me over on instagram @hannahhomegrown where I share more of my life and encouragement! Come on over and say hi!