I love being a homeschooling mommy! I wouldn’t have it any other way!

So, why did I freak out (just a little bit) when Kristen asked each of the Company Porch writers to blog a “typical” day in our homeschool?

Because life with preschoolers is unpredictable at best…totally chaotic at worst!

Nevertheless, with much fear and trepidation, I have decided to take on the challenge. However, before I begin, let me set the record straight…

1) I do not “do it all”.– I have been asked the “how do you do it all?” question plenty of times, and the answer is simply, that I don’t. My priorities may be different from your priorities, but we all have them. I have my own battles with laziness and selfishness. I have learned that many of the “must do’s” that I had once imposed upon myself were actually completely optional. Letting go of some of these things has freed me up to be a better manager of my time at home.

2)I do not have a perfect house.–Those of you who know me “in real life” are giggling right now because of how painfully obvious this is, but it is so easy to put one’s best foot forward on the internet. Please don’t assume because I write about homemaking, that I have the immaculate home of June Cleaver. I have been fighting a knock-down-drag-out-battle with clutter since 1996, and clutter has won more rounds than I have.

3) I do not use an alarm clock.–Actually, I have two alarm clocks. Their names are Micah (age 2) and Eliora (age 4 months). Occasionally, my almost 5 year old and almost 7 year old forget that they’re not supposed to be alarm clocks anymore. If I have any hope of getting anything done before the children wake, I need to allow the sunshine to wake me, without the aid of something that makes a buzzing or beeping noise.

4) I haven’t included things like errands, grocery shopping, play dates, etc, here. You can figure that on days that I have to do those kinds of things, something else “gives”.

5)I am still learning.–One thing  that those of us with “littles” need to accept is that the schedule, no matter how perfect it may be on paper, is in a constant state of flux. One week, the baby is sleeping through the night. The next week, she’s going through a growth spurt and is waking 4 times a night to nurse. One day, the toddler keeps his pants dry all day long, the next day, you might as well have put him in a diaper. We have to remember that God is in control even when we are not. Responding to life’s interruptions with a bitter and angry attitude is akin to shaking our fists at God and saying, “I don’t like the plan you have for my life!” Better to let go of rigidness and work, instead, toward peace.

6)I fail. Miserably. Everyday.–I do not have it all together. What I write here is better seen as the “ideal” I strive for rather than the happy state of affairs that I live day in and day out. I still have a long way to go.

Okay, so what does a typical day around here look like?

The Morning Routine– When I get up in the morning, there are a few basic things I must do right away, if I’m smart. These are get dressed, read my Bible, and start a load of laundry. If I don’t get dressed right away, it may be almost lunch time  before I realize I’m still in my pajamas!

The same holds true for laundry. Keeping up with the laundry is a never-ending task around here, especially since I use cloth diapers. I generally switch the laundry whenever we change activities. If I keep up with this, I can get 3-4 loads done by mid afternoon.

While it is important for me not to neglect reading my Bible, it doesn’t necessarily need to be “alone time”.  We mothers of preschoolers need to dismiss the notion that our quiet time doesn’t “count” if we have a little person with us. This morning, I read my Bible while my two year old sat next to me, paging through my hymnal. He stumbled upon a favorite hymn of mine, and I sang it to him (very quietly). It was blessed.

I usually take a few moments to check my email and download a couple of podcasts that I regularly listen to at this point. I often do this while nursing the baby, but not always.

Once they’re awake, the older kids usually do a pretty good job of dressing and getting themselves ready. While it’s tempting the let the little ones hang out in pajamas all morning, things usually go better if I get them into “day clothes” right away.

Breakfast– I’m a big fan of breakfast, but not a big fan of cereal. As a result, I usually set aside time to make something–muffins, eggs, pancakes (if I’m ambitious), oatmeal (if I’m not). For days that demand a quick breakfast, yogurt with granola works pretty well. The children help with setting the table, and we all eat together.

Family Worship– Immediately after breakfast, once the table has been cleared, we have a time of family worship. We read a Psalm, sing a hymn, and pray together. We also practice our questions and answers from the catechism for young children.

School–How much time this takes, and which subjects we cover, varies greatly from day to day. We almost always practice our handwriting by copying a verse of Scripture. During this time I usually nurse the baby, and get out some special toys to keep the two-year-old occupied.

Outside Time– By the time we’ve finished our schoolwork, the children have generally exhausted every ounce of “sit” in them. So, they go outside to play, for at least an hour. If the weather is bad, they have free play time in their playroom in the basement. The baby often naps during this time, and I load the dishwasher and start lunch while watching them play through the back window.

Lunch–Lunch is almost always leftovers from dinner the night before. I pop it in the oven and let it do its thing so I can keep doing mine.

While we’re eating, we’ll generally listen to a sermon or other edifying podcast that I’ve downloaded from the internet. R.C. Sproul’s “Renewing Your Mind” is a favorite, in that it is short but not at all “fluffy”, and Dr. Sproul’s voice has a soothing effect on tired little brains.

Why do I do this? For a few reasons. It helps them to transition from loud outdoor play to quiet rest time. I also want them to practice sitting and listening so that they’ll have an easier time of it when we ask them to sit and listen quietly at church. Perhaps most importantly, though, is that I, as their mom, need to continue to learn and grow. This “feeds” me so that I can continue to “feed” them. (Oh, and I’m usually nursing the baby at lunch time, too.)

Read Out Loud–Once we’ve cleaned up from lunch, I try to have a time of reading out loud.  Admittedly, there are days when everyone is too tired for this and we just skip straight to…

Quiet Rest Time–This is the time when my 2 year old naps.  The older children don’t nap much anymore, but they are required to read quietly in their beds for an hour. The baby is sometimes awake for at least part of this time. I’ll nurse her while I read or type at my computer (this is prime blogging time). If I have other things I need to do, I’ll tie her to my hip or on my back in one of several carriers (I’m a bit of a babywearing addict), and switch the laundry, do the lunch dishes, go to the mailbox, and start preparing for supper.

Arts and Crafts– The older children are usually done with their “hour” before the two year old is awake. When the come downstairs, they have a time of drawing and coloring at the table. They would draw almost all day long if I let them, so I decided that we needed to set aside a specific time for this activity to avoid whining. Sometimes we do other things, too, such as playdough, water colors, etc.

Afternoon Chore Time–During this time, the table is cleared from all our artwork, and we start to tidy up in anticipation of dinner time and daddy coming home. We fold and put away our laundry, clean the bathroom, sweep and vacuum the floors, take out the trash, and unload the dishwasher. I almost always put on some upbeat, worshipful music to make this time more pleasant.

Math–Yes, we do math while I’m making supper. Once I’ve given them some direction, the older two can usually do their math mostly on their own. I give the two year old some counting bears or other manipulatives to keep him busy. The baby sometimes naps, sometimes has “tummy time” on a blanket, but more often than not, rides on my back.

Supper–The children clear their places and help to set the table. Once again, we all sit and eat together. This is very important to me. We try to have quiet conversation, and sometimes listen to peaceful music. I nurse the baby. This is her “fussiest” part of the day, so I have to be careful not to allow fatigue and frustration to get the best of me.

As an aside, Daddy may or may not be home from work yet. We are in a season where my husband is working very long hours. It’s not ideal, and not easy, but we’re thankful that he has a job. I used to try to hold off on dinner until he came home, but I eventually realized that this only lead to whining, hungry children who didn’t get to bed at a decent hour. Better to have them eat when they’re hungry so that they can be cheerful when Daddy comes home.

Getting Ready for Bed–We start preparing for bedtime right after dinner is done. If we’re all cleaned up and in pajamas right away, that just means more time for reading. My children love to read out loud before bed! This is one of their favorite times of day! Then we say prayers, and I tuck them in. My oldest is sometimes not that tired yet, and he’s allowed to read by flashlight in bed until he falls asleep.

While it is tempting to do otherwise, I try to go to bed shortly after the children. Afterall, it all starts again in the morning, and little ones are exhausting!

They are so worth it, though…don’t you agree?