Probably the #1 thing homeschooling moms of many get asked is,
“How do you do it?”
The real question behind this question is,
“How do you find the time to take care of all the children, do housework, and school everyone all in 24 hours?”
Frankly, there are days when the answer to this question is,
“I don’t.”
But, let’s just pretend that I *do* get it all done in 24 hours…what does that look like???
Well, here ya go…a quick, bare-bones run-down of my day:
(note there are no times attached because we are more of a routine family rather than a scheduled family. To read more about how this concept applies to you, CLICK HERE.
Wake Up
Morning Chores
Breakfast
Weekly Chores (more on that below)
School
Lunch
School
15 min. Tidy
Free Time (or other activities)
Dinner
Family Time
Nighttime Chores
Bedtime
Now, for things a little more spelled out:
Morning Chores
These consist of different things for different children, but basically they are :
Get dressed, Brush teeth, Brush hair, Make bed, Tidy room, Take care of pets, Laundry In/Out, and Read Bible
The only item on this list that probably needs some explaining is Laundry In/Out. I do laundry every day (even with a Big Laundry Day), so there is usually a full laundry basket somewhere that needs to be emptied so I can refill it. The girls have a laundry basket, the boys have a laundry basket, and Ty and I have a laundry basket.
So, Laundry In means they get those baskets from downstairs and put their clothes away. They are allowed to just throw their baskets down the stairs when they are finished. There is something very rewarding about throwing an empty laundry basket down the stairs! lol
Laundry Out means they take the dirty laundry from their rooms to the main laundry basket (a nice heavy-duty basket located in my bedroom). Usually from there, my oldest son takes the heaping basket downstairs for me (have I ever told you how much I LOVE having an 11 year old?!)
Weekly Chores
These are based off the Large Family Logistics site. (Scroll down a bit on the left-hand sidebar to see her list of “days”.)
Our weekly break-down looks like this:
Monday ~ Laundry/Dust
Tuesday ~ Floors
Wednesday ~ Bed/Bath
Thursday ~ Basement
Friday ~ Van/Outside
I used to write down each person’s chores on a dry erase board each morning, but recently I decided to try making the list static and have assigned chores for each day that do not change. For instance, on Monday, Blake will always dust the dining room and living and Megan will always dust the bedrooms. I’m hoping this will eliminate some of my workload and keep children from arguing over who gets what chore.
Here I’ll interject a bit about Breakfast & Lunch. I know many people have a rotating list, but I’m not one of those people (yet ;o) ). I keep a list on my refrigerator of potential meals and grab from there. Lunch tends to be fairly simple and something I can throw together quickly since we school both before and after lunch.
15 minute Tidy
This is just what it sounds like. I set a timer and we race around the house cleaning as much as we can in 15 minutes. You would be amazed just how clean a house can get when you have 5 people cleaning (well, 3 good cleaners and 2 who are good for about 5 minutes). I also do impromptu 15 minute Tidies whenever the house feels too messy to continue our regularly scheduled lives.
Free Time
This includes everything from playing outside to reading to computer time to whatever each individual person likes to do. School work has to be complete. This is my free time as well and the place where piano lessons fit in.
Family Time
This is the reward for a long, hard day. Sometimes ice cream, sometimes a walk in the park, sometimes a campfire or a family movie. Whatever it is, we’re together enjoying the end of the day. (On bath nights, baths fall into this time slot either before or after the activity depending on whether it is an indoor or outdoor activity.)
Nighttime Chores
Same concept as Morning Chores. Things like brush teeth, tidy room, get a drink, go potty, and say prayers are part of this list. From there, it’s off to bed…
Bedtime
Some nights, the children are sent straight to bed, but as often as I can, I let them have Rest Time before their actual Bedtime. A friend introduced me to the idea of a time of unwinding with a soft light on and a book or pen and paper in bed for each child. It gives them a chance to slow their pace and calm down. If we’ve had a particularly hectic day, I also give them some Chamomile Calm. After 15 minutes or so, lights go out and the day ends.
So, there you have it…a glimpse at my day!
I have enjoyed your blog. I found your blog by reading your arcticle about “me time” in the Old School House Magazine newsletter. What an awesome article – it truly blessed my heart! Thank you so much for writing from your heart and making that article available.
When you put it all down in black and white it doesn’t look too bad, but I bet there are days when it all goes to pot! I only have two kids and get days like that!
Collette xxx
Routine- 15 minutes- laundry in/out- sounds like you may have heard of Flylady! I love to follow your blog! I just got subscribers # 2 & 3 last week on mine! I love the phrase “too messy to continue our regularly scheduled lives!” I know what you mean.
Yes, there are many days when things do not go as planned. Micah has a much better routine now than he used to, so there is less of him needing things right when I start something w/ someone else than there used to be. But still, life sometimes just happens…those are the days when I just hang on! lol
Thanks for the glimpse of your day.
Does your new method cut down on arguments? I use the assigned chore method too but…
And I’m wondering does your baby (who is I think just two days younger than my baby) just happen to KNOW when you are starting a project and decide that he needs food or a fresh dipe or something right at that moment? My guy has a knack for that.
Thanks for sharing this. I have four children three and under and often wonder what my days will be like when I start homeschooling in a couple years. I think I have a lot to learn!…
(My last comment was sent into cyberspace!)
I have four children and have just begun to feel like a large family since my little one just began walking.
Now I am pregnant with #5 and am sure some things need to change around here! We are not a typical family (which I LOVE), so we can’t do things as a typical family.
Thank you for posting this. It gives me a few ideas for my own schedule.
I recently found your site and have been reading it while I should be in bed….shame on me.
We do things in a similar fashion. I like your 15 minute Tidy idea. We do an “Age Cleanup,” (each child has to put away the same number of items that corresponds with his/her age) however, sometimes we have to do two or three because the littles have made a mess while I was homeschooling or I just haven’t been on top of enforcing our “Put what you are playing with away before you take something else out” rule.
I’ll be perusing more, but right now, it’s time to feed the baby and get to bed myself. God bless you!!
The Age Cleanup is a neat idea. My littles are very little help (great dancers to the music, but poor cleaners!) I have to spend a lot of my time standing over them keeping them going. But, I figure eventually they will learn. I might need to try being more specific with them about how much they put away.
And thanks for reading!
I really have enjoyed your blog. It has been such a blessing to me and my family.
Vickie
Sounds very similar to our routine. I also went to having chores assigned to a specific child for each day of the week. It just took too much energy to figure it out each day. They each know which household chores they are responsible for each day.
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