I have a confession to make, when I first started homeschooling I had this picture in my head of how our days would go. You know, I’d wake up early in the morning, have time to read my bible and exercise, cook a nutritious breakfast, wake up my happy kids, kiss my husband good-bye and set up our school stuff while my boys ate and talked together. Then we would start school, and we’d read books, do experiments, take nature walks, have long discussions over lunch etc. etc. At the end of the day, the boys would help me clean up, and then I would cook dinner and straighten up the house while I waited for my husband to get home from work…sounds nice doesn’t it? Well, after doing this for three years now, I can tell you, my reality is NOTHING like what I pictured in my head, and that’s completely okay!
Most days, I am up by 6:30 and I do get my Bible time in, although I don’t always get to exercise. My goal is to start school by 9:30, but somedays we don’t start until 10:00. Breakfast? Some days I make waffles and muffins, others, we all eat Pop-Tarts. Oh, and my happy, smiling children? Well, some days they ARE happy, but some days, they just aren’t. The truth is, I think my kids may have a general school allergy, but they still like homeschooling better than regular school (although this may be because at home, they don’t have to get out of their pajamas!)
Some days, we have long, incredible discussions about history or science, so much so that other subjects may get pushed back to another day. That’s okay too, because I am all about a teachable moment, and the beauty of homeschool is, you can adjust your schedule to fit YOUR needs right at that moment!! Some days we also do amazing experiments, but some days the experiments don’t work the way they’re supposed to. That’s alright though, we look at it as an opportunity to try and figure out what went wrong, which can often be as big a learning opportunity as the original experiment!
At the end of the day, I am pretty tired! With my boys help, we put away the school stuff and pick up the obvious messes around the house. Laundry gets done twice a week, and dinner gets cooked most nights (mostly due to my crock pot!! I love that thing 🙂 ). Other nights we get pizza!
The one thing I have learned, which I think is most important, is that FLEXIBLITY is key to a successful day. Things may not always go as planned, but that doesn’t mean that the day is a disaster, or that your kids haven’t learned anything! Learning to “roll with the punches” is an important life skill after all, isn’t it?? And after spending time with homeschooling friends of mine, I can honestly say that their days often look different than mine, but that’s what makes homeschooling what it is! What does a day in your homeschool life look like?
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