It has been 4 years since I wrote a proper day-in-the-life post. My how fun it was to reread about life then and compare it to now!
6:20 a.m. Paul and I can never resist pushing the snooze button a few times, so I will not pretend we are up at 6. Paul heads down to make our breakfast (something that hasn’t changed) while I get ready for the day.
6:30 a.m. The kids are allowed to get out of bed, and they rarely sleep in. Miles wanders in to talk to me while I am putting on my make up. I can hear the other three chattering to Paul downstairs.
6:45 a.m. We scoot the kids back upstairs, so that Paul and I can enjoy breakfast by ourselves. Even though it’s only 15-20 minutes, we find our days run much more smoothly when we have a quiet(er) breakfast. There are occasional interruptions if there is a squabble.
7:05 a.m. The kids come down for breakfast, and Paul heads up to shower. The big three are in charge of getting their own food. It might be as simple as cereal, or I might have something homemade like breakfast cookies. Today, Miles offers to make bacon and eggs for him and Abby. Ryan has cereal. Caleb always has cashews and Cheerios with a glass of milk these days.
While the kids are eating, they play Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Alexa. I wash breakfast dishes, empty the dishwasher, distribute multivitamins, and help answer the harder questions Alexa throws at them. I also try to cook or start dinner (i.e. throw ingredients into the Instant Pot) first thing in the morning. Game changer!
7:45 a.m. Morning Routine begins for the big 3. Usually, Paul would take Caleb to preschool at this time. However, they have delayed their post-Christmas reopening a few weeks due to high coronavirus case counts. Piano practice, getting dressed, making beds, taking out the trash, etc. happen over the next 45 minutes. I supervise the above, start a load of laundry, and sweep through the upstairs collecting stray cups and clothing.
8 a.m. Paul starts his work day in the dining room.
8:30 a.m. Our school day begins with morning meeting in the living room! This is my favorite part of the morning. We cover:
~ Bible (currently studying the Tabernacle)
~ CC memory work
~ A few traditional American songs (Today it’s When Johnny Comes Marching Home and Dixie.)
~ Two poems (working our way through this book)
~ A chapter of science (2/days a week)
~ American history from this book or this one. Right now, we are studying the lead up to the Civil War.
While I read aloud, the kids usually work on a coloring page related to history, free draw, play with Legos or Gravi-Trax, etc. Discussions and rabbit trails are encouraged!
9:30 a.m. Morning meeting usually takes an hour. As soon as we finish, the kids grab a snack. Now it’s time for individual work. Ryan always begins with math which is online this year using Teaching Textbooks. This has been a welcome change for both of us! Abby and Miles also begin with math, and I move between them answering questions as needed.
Caleb is always nearby, playing with play-doh, drawing, or looking at a book. He is essentially counting down the time until a playmate is finished with their schoolwork!
10 a.m. Abby begins her online speech therapy session which she loves. After all, it’s a full hour where someone is paid to listen while she talks as much as she wants!
I help Miles with spelling, grammar, and writing. He completes his reading, Latin, and handwriting independently. Ryan wraps up math and joins us in the school room to continue his work. For Ryan, my role is more supportive this year. I help him drill his Asian capital flashcards and check his Latin. Otherwise, he works at his own pace in whichever order he chooses on logic, writing, and cartography. Ryan is highly motivated to finish by lunch, so he doesn’t take many breaks and keeps up a steady pace.
Whenever my help isn’t needed, I flip laundry, schedule three doctors’ appointments (all regular check ups), and call in a prescription refill.
10:45 a.m. Abby is done with speech. She has a little chapter book reading to complete, and then she is done for the day.
11:30 a.m. We are almost always done with school work by this time. Occasionally, Ryan will have some left to finish in the afternoon. The big 3 are responsible for making their own lunches, rinsing their dishes, and cleaning their “zone” (kitchen, living room, or school room) before quiet time. These rotate weekly. A few years ago, I realized that they would go up for quiet time and leave me with a huge mess to clean up! Not anymore!
This was taken before Caleb knew he was responsible for cleaning up
the toys on the floor behind him.
Today’s mess is mild by our standards.
12 p.m. Quiet time begins! No, we no longer have a napping baby that requires a quiet house. However, I am done by this point. Can we have quiet time until at least 3/4 leave for college? Ha! The kids each get 30 minutes of Switch time, so they enjoy quiet time as much as I do.
This year, Paul and I get to eat lunch together since he’s still working from home 4/5 days a week. Some days we watch a show together; other days we do something separately. Today we watch an episode of The Amazing Race. We have been trying to find a season that is family-friendly to watch with the kids. We screen episode 1 of season 18, and it appears to be a winner!
I am also making an effort to prioritize a power nap. It’s amazing how much better I feel for the rest of the day with even just 20 minutes of sleep. Quiet time for me always includes a cup of tea, some reading… and more than one interruption.
2 p.m. Snack time for the kids followed by outdoor play (weather permitting). It’s pretty chilly today, so I know they won’t last long. But a little fresh air is better than none!
2:40 p.m. Ryan, Caleb, and I get ready to leave – we’re going to take Ryan to his robotics class and then go grocery shopping. Abby and Miles opt to stay home with Paul, hoping that our homeschooling neighbors will be available to play soon.
4:30 p.m. Caleb and I arrive home from Aldi with lots of groceries! Paul helps bring everything in. Abby and Miles are playing at the neighbor’s house.
Paul and Miles are supposed to be leaving shortly for their robotics team practice. However, Paul just received word that his co-leader has been exposed to COVID. A back and forth for more information ensues, and we ultimately decide they should stay home.
I finish putting away groceries while Caleb watches a TV show.
5:10 p.m. Paul leaves to pick up Ryan from robotics. Abby and Miles return from the neighbors.
5:45 p.m. Remember that dinner I started this morning? Evening Jenny is so grateful to morning Jenny! The meatballs in spiced tomato sauce just need the addition of a veggie and fruit. I pour milk and serve plates. Paul and Ryan return. Dinner time!
Since the pandemic, we sometimes watch a show during or after dinner. This never happened before! Family dinner was sacrosanct. However, since we are home together all day, “family dinner” doesn’t exactly have the same weight as before. In the past ten months, we have watched the first 7 Star Wars movies (a little at a time), five seasons of The Brady Bunch, and six seasons of The Cosby Show. Tonight, we introduce The Amazing Race episode we previewed earlier. I believe we will have very fond memories of watching these shows together. The kids are at an age where we have options (beyond Sesame Street) that we all truly enjoy.
6:30 p.m. I do the dinner dishes while Paul oversees baths and showers.
7 p.m. I read to Caleb in his room and tuck him in. Paul reads to the big 3 downstairs. Their current book is Greenglass House. When they finish this book, Paul and I will swap evening roles – he’ll tuck in Caleb, and I will read a new book with Ryan, Miles, and Abby. We used to do four separate bedtimes (see the last Day in the Life post!), but now their reading levels are better aligned.
7:30 p.m. Second dinner is another new addition to our routine. I confess that it took me awhile to get used to this, but it comes with growing kids. Based on the amount they consume, they are genuinely hungry! Oatmeal, cereal, banana, popcorn, granola….. they can get what they want (within reason) and are responsible for clean up. I am off duty!
The kids ask to play Sleeping Queens with us. We indulge them.
7:50 p.m. It’s time for brushing teeth and reading in bed. The boys sometimes listen to music or a podcast instead of reading. We encourage quiet activities because almost anything can devolve into wrestling fairly quickly these days!
8 p.m. Abby’s bedtime
Paul and I sometimes watch a show if we have one we’re enjoying, and I can stay awake long enough. Tonight it’s an episode of Defending Jacob – highly recommend!
8:30 p.m. We pause the show to tuck in the boys.
9 p.m. Final downstairs tidying, start the dishwasher, check the doors, etc.
I come upstairs to find a forgotten load of clean laundry on our bed. I fold it before showering, getting ready for bed, and ending the day with a book. I am finishing up this trilogy. It’s set in nearby Black Mountain, NC, and Paul has been listening to the audiobooks. They definitely inspire discussion (and nightmares?).
10:30 p.m. Lights out!
There you have it! A few more posts that give a glimpse into daily life over the years…..
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