I thought it would be fun to write a “Day in the Life” post! I am not sure I have written one before? I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Simple Homeschool, which always does a series this time of year. I wish I had written these frequently over the years with little ones because the days change as frequently as the children do! I picked Friday, which was what the kids call a “stay home” day. There were no appointments that took us out of the house or that brought visitors in. I aim for a stay home day at least once a week.
6 a.m. Paul and I are up! We both get ready for the day. I can hear Caleb stirring in his crib, so I move quickly to get through my morning routine before the day really begins.
6:30 a.m. I get Caleb up for a diaper change and check his temperature (99.8). He started coughing yesterday, and I am sure he has caught the cough/fever virus that has plagued Abby all week. Thank goodness his fever is low. I give Caleb his bottle while Paul makes our breakfast. He does this every weekday morning! Eggs over easy for both of us, plus cereal for him and oatmeal for me. Oh, and tea, of course.
6:40 a.m. Ryan wakes up and comes straight downstairs. He says hello and then heads back up to play quietly in his room while we enjoy breakfast just the two of us. We like having this quieter time together. Well, it used to be the two of us! These days, Caleb is often crawling around while we eat.
7 a.m. Miles emerges from his room, comes down to say good morning, and then joins Ryan upstairs.
7:15 a.m. The boys come down for breakfast. This morning, cereal is on the menu for the big boys, while Caleb has banana and toast. I make Paul’s lunch, fill water bottles for the day, and start on breakfast dishes.
7:30 a.m. The boys are finished with breakfast and race back upstairs to play. Abby has woken up (She is an awesome sleeper!) and comes down for her breakfast.
7:45 a.m. Caleb is not interested in breakfast (very unusual) and is getting fussy. He feels warmer, so I re-check his temperature. Now we’ve hit 102, which explains a lot. Time for ibuprofen and a thorough suctioning of his nose. Neither are well-received.
8 a.m. Paul says his goodbyes and leaves for work. With a cranky Caleb on my hip, I give instructions for starting the school day. The boys get dressed, brush teeth, and make their beds. Miles gets the boys’ laundry started. I oversee the above, negotiate an appropriate outfit with Abby, and fill in Ryan’s assignment book for the day. I should write it down the night before, but I don’t always feel like it!
8:15 a.m. Ryan practices the piano, and I read several books to Miles and Abby.
8:30 a.m. Caleb starts his morning nap. This is a “hard stop” in our morning, where I head straight for the schoolroom and start Miles’ schoolwork. Miles always chooses to start with math, followed by calendar questions, skip counting, and the first half of his reading lesson. We are working on words that end in “ng.” Ryan sits at the table with us and works on his math. Abby runs about doing as she pleases.
9:15 a.m. Snack break for all! The kids eat Chex, cashews, and dried cranberries. I have a rice cake with peanut butter.
9:45 a.m. Before we get back to schoolwork, I set Abby up with kinetic sand at the kitchen counter. Miles and I finish his reading lesson and then tackle handwriting. Miles hates handwriting, and it is usually a 30 minute battle. Today, however, he breezes through the work. Whew! Ryan opts to take his grammar test.
10 a.m. Miles is done with school for the day! He happily joins Abby to play with kinetic sand.
While Ryan finishes his grammar test, I flip the laundry to the dryer and start a second load. (I do an average of 2 loads per day, 6 days a week.) I grade Ryan’s grammar test, and we go over the corrections.
10:20 a.m. Ryan moves on to handwriting and then his Wordly Wise test. Caleb wakes up.
10:30 a.m. I offer Ryan a break, but he wants to go ahead and review Latin. Within two minutes of starting to review, it’s obvious he needs a break. He agrees and requests alone time to play with Legos. Permission granted.
Abby is still playing with kinetic sand. Miles heads upstairs to play with K’nex and Snap Circuits. Caleb is ready for a bottle. By the time he finishes eating, Abby is tired of the kinetic sand. She entertains Caleb while I clean up the sand all over the kitchen floor.
11 a.m. Caleb plays in the play pen, Abby sits at her desk doing her “schoolwork,” and Miles continues to play with Snap Circuits in his room. Ryan and I complete spelling and writing.
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Lunch for the kids while they watch The Cat in the Hat. I catch up on dirty dishes, start the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen, start bottles soaking in the sink, and flip laundry. Caleb gets a clean diaper and clean clothes, temp check (100.3), Tylenol, and nose suctioning.
12 p.m. Caleb starts his afternoon nap earlier than usual, no doubt due to illness. Ryan and I review Latin. It goes much better after a brain break and some food.
12:10 p.m. Rest time begins!!! We are all more than ready for a longer break. The big kids start with Kindle time. They are required to work on a learning app first (although it hardly feels like learning), and afterward they usually select Minecraft. After 30 minutes, the Kindles turn off automatically. How I love this feature! Then they are free to play whatever they desire, as long as they remain in one of their bedrooms and are quiet.
My brain is fried at this point. I always eat lunch (a big salad) and watch a show that is enjoyable but not mentally taxing. Today, it’s Downton Abbey, a series I am thoroughly enjoying re-watching. I also use this time to respond to emails, texts, phone calls, and do any online shopping for upcoming events. I set up for our science experiment and (surprise!) flip laundry.
1:30 p.m. Caleb wakes up early from his nap. He is fussy, so we snuggle on the couch until the boys come down.
1:45 p.m. Abby stays in her room to “rest” while the boys come down for science. We have been studying rocks, and today’s lesson is “Ice Weathers Rock.” We fill balloons with water until they are approximately the size of a golf ball, and then coat the balloons with plaster of Paris. The boys sketch the “rocks” that they have made and hypothesize about what will happen after the rocks have frozen.
2 p.m While the rocks set, I clean up from science (and make a solemn vow to never use plaster of Paris again!). The kids have snack (peanut butter graham crackers) and watch an episode of Wild Kratts. I rinse the bottles that I had forgotten were soaking in the sink and feed Caleb.
2:30 p.m. Time for history reading! We are currently reading If You Lived During the Time of the Civil War and Who Is Davy Crockett? as part of our study of the 50 states. A chapter or two each day works well.
2:45 p.m. Our rocks have set, and we transfer them to the freezer. Tomorrow, we will take them out and see what happened. School is done for the day!
On the days when we don’t have any after school activities, the big kids head outside for at least an hour around 3 p.m. Today, it is in the 30’s and windy. I know they won’t last long, but fresh air is still needed. The boys bundle up. Abby stays inside since she still has a lingering cough.
3:10 p.m. The boys return. At least they tried! Within minutes, they have pulled out paper and various coloring/writing instruments.
Caleb is beside himself by now, courtesy of illness and a too short nap. I lay him down in his crib, hoping he will sleep. I join the kids at the counter and work on next week’s grocery list and meal plan.
4 p.m. I am done with meal planning, and the kids are ready to move on to scooters. They zip around the downstairs. Caleb is not interested in a 3rd nap after all and wants my full attention. We’re back on the couch!
4:45 p.m. The big kids are scattered throughout the house, playing happily. Paul calls on his way home from work. He offers to pick up dinner, and, even though I have something planned, I accept immediately.
5 p.m. I empty the dishwasher and set the table.
5:30 p.m. Dinner time!
6 p.m. After dinner each night, we all work together to clean up the house. The children are responsible for their rooms, anything they took out downstairs, and the items in their stair basket. I am constantly straightening up downstairs, and any upstairs items that have made their way down go into the appropriate basket. My job is the kitchen, and Paul plays the role of supervisor (not of me, but the kids).
6:15 p.m. Baths for the youngest two and showers for the oldest! The bedtime wind-down begins. About six months ago, we opted to stagger bedtimes so that each child will get one-on-one time with a parent every night. Even though it means a longer bedtime routine, we love it!
6:30 p.m. Caleb’s bedtime (Paul reads 2 books, followed by singing and snuggling.)
7 p.m. Abby’s bedtime (I read 2 books of her choice, followed by singing and prayer.)
7:30 p.m. Miles’ bedtime (I am currently reading By the Shores of Silver Lake with him, followed by 15 minutes of silently reading Flat Stanley in bed, and prayer.)
8 p.m. Ryan’s bedtime (Paul is currently reading The Hobbit with him, followed by 15 minutes of silently reading The Adventures of Paul Bunyan in bed, and prayer.)
After Ryan is tucked in, Paul and I usually have a Laundry Folding Party. I dump the clean laundry on our bed over the course of the day, and my goal is to fold it all each night. It has actually become a pleasant shared job because we can talk over the day’s events without interruption.
Evenings are also the time when I work out, shower, watch a show, and read. And Paul and I always have dessert….Shhhhh, don’t tell the kids!
10:30 p.m. Lights out, with the sincere prayer and hope that all of the children sleep through the night.
Well, there you have it! A stay home school day, Krueger style.
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