A Spring Day in the Life of a Reading and Writing Homeschool Mom of 5

As Leah nears her first birthday, I am feeling like I am mostly out of surivival mode. Life as a homeschool Mom of five is still crazy, but I am able to find time for some of my hobbies again, give my older kids the time and attention they need, and spend some kid-free time with Ben.

Today, I am sharing what our day looked like yesterday.

6:00 am

My alarm goes off. It takes me a minute to wake up and realize it's my alarm. Luckily Ben is already up and gone to pickleball. I turn off my alarm, get a drink of water, and say my prayers.

6:15 am

I open my computer and start writing on my novel. I'm at the beginning stages and still trying to figure some things out, so I only get about 150 words, but it feels good to be writing again after having Leah. Then I switch over to my blog and work on a blog post. I have a little extra time, so I finish up a blog post on my personal blog (a sort of family journal I keep).

7:20 am

I get up and start making protien hot chocolate. While it's heating up, I start clearing out the dishwasher.

7:30 am

Oliver comes down and gets his hot chocolate. He likes it best when I have it ready before he comes down. Rylee and Ashtyn also come down and snuggle on the couch with books. I wake up Leah to feed her, but I let Parker sleep a little longer. I read in my scriptures and then in Anne of Green Gables while I nurse Leah.

8:00 am

I finish feeding Leah and let her play on the floor while I drink my hot chocolate. I keep reading in Anne of Green Gables. All the kids except Parker (who is still asleep) get themselves some breakfast.

8:15 am

I'm finished with my hot chocolate. Ashtyn is playing with Leah, so I wake up Parker and read a couple of picture books to Rylee and Oliver on the couch.

8:30 am

I have a pickup at Smith's, so I get dressed and load Leah up in the car. The kids are supposed to get dressed and start their chores and piano practice while I'm gone.

9:15 am

I get home from my pickup. The kids are in various stages of their list, so I get them going on the rest and put Leah in her high chair for some food.

9:30 am

Leah is done eating and the kids have finished up their chores, but still have piano practicing to do. I do my walk with Leah in the stroller. Rylee and Ashtyn come too (going ahead of me on their bikes) and Parker and Oliver stay home.

10:00 am

We're home and I put Leah down for a nap. The kids worked on their independent schoolwork some while I was finishing my walk. I make sure they have done it right and then we do some group schoolwork while Leah is asleep and do our homeschool reading. Once we finish, the kids work on their independent schoolwork more.

11:50 am

I'm finishing up a couple things like starting a load of laundry and putting dough in the bread machine when Leah wakes up, so I get her and feed her. I read some and visit with Ben, who comes out of his office, while I nurse.

12:15 pm

Leah has finished eating, so I get a quick snack before Ben and I go in the basement to do our pickleball drills and workout. Monday, we do lower so I do some squats and lunges after our drills. Ashtyn and Parker watch Leah for us (we pay them each a dollar).

1:00 pm

As soon as I come upstairs, Oliver asks to do screens. I get the Switch turned on for him and go in the kitchen. While Ben and I get food, we get in a conversation about modesty and clothes with Ashtyn. We eat leftovers and I put Leah in her high chair to eat some too. I also mix up some electrolytes to drink with my lunch.

1:30 pm

Ashtyn is doing a chore she owed me outside while the kids take a screen break to eat lunch and clean up their school.

2:00 pm

Rylee takes her turn on the Switch and Parker gets on her Switch. Leah and Oliver play in the living room while I put away all the groceries and clean up the kitchen. I get the bread dough raising in the loaf pan and switch the laundry over.

2:30 pm

I get the kids off their screens and we hang out together in the living room.

3:00 pm

I put Leah down for her second nap. Ashtyn comes in from her chore and gets on her Switch. The younger kids watch her play, which isn't my ideal (I like when they all do screens at the same time and we can just turn them all off, but it didn't work out that way today). I have a protien drink, figure out some things for our Easter egg hunt on Saturday, write some notes back to the kids (I have a notebook with each one that we trade back and forth), and then start writing in my journal.

4:00 pm

I get Ashtyn off her Switch and the kids go outside with popsicles. A few minutes later, cousins come over.

4:15 pm

I wake up Leah so she'll go to bed tonight and nurse her. All the kids are outside playing with cousins. Ashtyn and Lizzy pack up to go to the park.

5:00 pm

We do leftovers for dinner. Lizzy and Ashtyn eat some chicken and take the rest of their dinner to the park as a picnic. The rest of the kids play outside and come in to eat alternately. Leah nurses and then Parker wants to take her outside. I finish writing in my journal and make sure the kids all get some food.

6:00 pm

Leah gets grumpy, so I give her some food in her high chair and then she gets to watch some Signing Time. The kids and cousins all play inside and out all evening while Ben goes to help my sister-in-law unload a trailer.

7:30 pm

They are done unloading the trailer. Cousins get picked up and we get our kids upstairs to start getting ready for bed after a quick cleanup. The kids put on pajamas and Ben brushes teeth while I nurse Leah. We read scriptures and say family prayer. Ben reads a chapter book to Oliver and sings a song.

8:00 pm

Leah is done nursing, so I put her down to bed and come back in to read to the kids. We're reading Charlotte's Web right now. When I'm done reading, I lay next to Oliver for a few minutes until he falls asleep. Ben is downstairs loading the dishwasher while I do this.

8:30 pm

Our two youngest are asleep and the older three are reading quietly in their beds until 9:00. Ben and I have some of our homemade ice cream and finish watching a movie we started last week (I was falling asleep, so we had to stop it early).

9:30 pm

Ben and I get ready for bed. I like to be going to sleep by about 10. I brush my teeth, get on pajamas, and read in my physical book for a few minutes. Then I fall asleep reading Anne on my kindle.

It was a good and busy day, spending time together and making progress on many of our goals. I feel grateful for the opportunity I have to spend time with Ben, be a homeschool Mom, and pursue my passions. What do your days look like right now?