Day in the Life - A Homeschool Mom's Winter Tuesday

It is crazy to me how quickly the flow of your day can change when you have a baby. They grow and change so fast, sometimes even month to month. We are currently in a pretty good flow, even though it's busy juggling a baby and homeschooling four older kids. I love this stage!

Today I am sharing what a day in my life looks like!

6:00 am

I woke up at 6:00 am. I had an alarm set, but I actually woke up a few minutes early and decided to get up then. I said my prayers, did some stretching to help with a foot problem I've been having, got some water, and worked on editing a YouTube video and writing on my blog. The one thing I didn't get to was writing on my novel, which I had hoped to do.

7:30 am

I put my computer away and made some protein hot chocolate for my husband, my son Oliver, and myself (the girls used to drink it every day, but they got tired of it). I emptied the dishwasher while the hot chocolate was heating up. Oliver came down right at 7:30 when his light turned green, but my girls slept in a little and trickled downstairs over the next hour. Leah was awake, so I nursed her while reading my scriptures and then reading a book on my Kindle. Oliver played with blocks.

8:00 am

When Leah was done nursing, I continued to read in my chair while drinking my hot chocolate. Oliver and Leah played and my older girls got themselves breakfast and snuggled on the couch with their respective books as they came downstairs.

8:15 am

After my hot chocolate and changing Leah's diaper, I left Leah with my oldest daugher, Ashtyn. I took a quick shower and then took Leah with me into my room while I got ready for the day and put away some laundry.

8:45 am

Once I was ready for the day, I put Leah in her high chair and gave her a banana and bread with jam. The older kids started their list (which includes them getting ready for the day, practicing piano, and doing their morning chores). We had a really busy Monday, so the kitchen was a mess. While Leah ate, I cleaned up the counters so I could lay out the kids' school materials and have a less chaotic environment for school (the living room was still a mess, but I left that as I knew the kids would be playing all day).

9:30 am

Then it was time for Leah's first nap (she's currently on a two-nap schedule). The kids had started their independent schoolwork, but once Leah was down, I helped them each with some things they needed help with before we did our group study and reading. I also made some fried eggs with toast for my husband and I and cut up apples for all the kids.

11:00 am

When Leah woke up, I nursed her while reading on my Kindle. The kids took this time to finish up their individual school stuff.

11:30 am

When Leah was done with her nap, I started a load of laundry and ground some wheat (it's loud, so I can't do it while Leah is napping) before my husband and I went in the basement for our workout. We pay my two oldest daughters to watch Leah while we workout four times a week. We always start with pickleball drills using the partial pickleball court we have set up in the basement and then get some mobility and weight training in. Tuesdays are chest day, so we did bench pressing and then biceps and shoulders.

12:30 pm

When I came upstairs, Ashtyn had gone to a cousin's house, where she works as a "mother's helper" for their kids. We got some lunch and my husband and I visited while we ate, before he went back to work.

1:00 pm

Once lunch was finished, I let the kids play on screens, and they took turns with the Switch and their DS. While they did that, Leah played in living room and I got some chores done. Then I played with Leah until her nap.

2:00 pm

Once Leah went down for her second nap, Ashtyn came home and the kids all went outside to play. It has been unusually warm for this time of year and they are loving it. Since the house was quiet, I decided to go ahead and record this month's YouTube video (my goal this year is one video per month).

3:00 pm

When I came out from recording my video, the kids were all inside, reading on the couch or coloring at the table. Leah was still asleep and I had time for my walk (about 30 minutes) before she was supposed to wake up and before I needed to start running kids around for their activities, so I put in my audiobook and left the kids to their quiet activities. One of the perks of my husband working from home is that I never worry about leaving the kids for things like my walk, because he's there if anything happens.

3:45 pm

I got back, quickly changed the laundry over and got bread dough going in the bread machine. Leah was still asleep, so I left the rest of the kids and drove Ashtyn uptown for her theater class, then just drove right home.

4:05 pm

When I got home, I woke up Leah so I could nurse her. She doesn't usually sleep that long, but I needed to wake her up both so I'd have time to nurse her before running my other girls to an activity and to make sure she'd be ready for bed that night.

4:25 pm

As soon as I finished feeding Leah, I turned on Scooby Doo for Oliver (he didn't want to come with me) and loaded up the other kids to drop off Rylee and Parker at an activity at the church. Once I dropped them off, I took Leah over to Smith's to pick up a couple of things before picking up Ashtyn at her theater class. My kids are starting to get old enough that it can be a juggle to drop them off and pick them up for their various activities.

5:00 pm

After I picked up Ashtyn, the three of us stopped at the library for just a minute (I had a hold I needed to get for Parker and I wanted to get some new DVD's) and then we stopped by my in-laws to grab something Ashtyn had left there the day before.

5:30 pm

We went and picked up the other girls and got home. We turned off Scooby Doo, Ben came out from his office, and we cleared off the table for dinner. We had leftovers for dinner.

6:30 pm

After dinner, the kids cleaned up the living room. Ben read the submissions for writing group and I wiped down the bathroom. Once the kids finished cleaning up, I vacuumed the living room and then made some energy bites as a treat for writing group. The kids played until bedtime, enjoying the clean floor space.

7:30 pm

Then it was time to start bedtime. We brushed teeth and the kids got on jammies while I nursed Leah. While I nursed, I read the submissions for writing group. Once the kids were in bed, we did family scriptures and prayer. While I put Leah down, Ben read and sang to Oliver. Then I read aloud in a novel (we're currently reading Farmer Boy) to the four older kids. While I read, Ben loaded the dishwasher downstairs. Right now, I lie next to Oliver to read and when I finish the chapter, I stay there until he falls asleep. The girls can then read with their lamp on until 9:00.

8:15 pm

Oliver fell asleep by about 8:15, so I kissed the girls good night and came downstairs for writing group. The last member arrived just a minute after I came down and we were able to start writing group. We went through our submissions and then had time to visit before everyone went home. I love everything about our writing group, but one of my favorite things is the chance to visit with other adults without the kids around.

10:30 pm

Because of writing group, Ben and I got to bed later than we normally do. We started our bedtime routine a little after 10 and I was getting into bed by 10:30. I read a chapter in my book (I'm currently reading Across the Waters by Susan Evans McCloud) and turned off my light. Then I read in my Kindle until I got sleepy, which only took a minute. I was asleep before 11, which was later than I would have liked, but it was worth it for writing group.

That was my day! It was fairly typical day for our family. What do your days look like right now? What are some of your favorite or least favorite parts?