Chris tells me that I’m a crazy person at least five times a day. Usually it’s because I have another new idea for something huge I should be doing right now. I’m finishing my college degree, homeschooling, blogging, 4 times a week therapy, freelance writing, and I have two or three new things coming soon.
All of that can make my schedule a bit packed. I tend to be always on the goal, and I drink entirely too much coffee. Now, don’t think for a second that I have it all together. I certainly don’t. I’m juggling so many things that I’m usually doing really poorly in at least one area. So I thought I’d share with you and show you a bit of my real life.
My Real Homeschooling and Blogging Schedule
Early Morning Time
I wake up in the morning and Chris makes me a mocha [the first of many] while I nurse the baby. He puts the baby back to bed while I get up and get ready. When he leaves for work, I sit down to my desk to get some work done. Ideally, during this time I’ll get some client work done and write, make an image, and schedule a blog post. A-Man and the baby play [relatively] quietly in their room, and Mr. C gets dressed, makes his bed, and does his handwriting worksheet for the day. He also reads two books of his choice.
Breakfast Time
I change A-Man and Baby M, then I get them all breakfast started. We’re simple here, so breakfast is almost always cereal for the boys and yogurt for the baby unless Chris is home and makes pancakes. When I’m done feeding the baby his yogurt, he usually gets some puffs cereal to practice his solids. While he eats those I get our homeschooling books and my laptop set up at the dining table. I also find a tv show to turn on, usually Sid the Science Kid or Veggie Tales.
After Breakfast
After breakfast Baby M goes into his playpen to play. A-Man goes between watching his tv show and playing in his room or Mr. C’s room while Mr. C gets started on his school work. We have it set up so that I can get some work done while still being fully available for Mr. C to ask questions. Right now we’re focusing on phonics and language, so we make sure to get those books done. Usually after that Mr. C goes to play with A-Man or watches some tv, and Baby M is usually ready for a nap.
Therapy Days
On days that A-Man and Baby M have therapy, after breakfast we pile up in the car and head to the therapy office. Mr. C goes to my mom’s during therapy, so we drop him off and pick him up. Therapy takes the majority of our morning, so it pretty much takes until lunch.
Lunch Time
We’re boring and have sandwiches 90% of the time. Baby M has some pureed fruit and usually a rice cracker. We chat about the day, and occasionally you can hear “Let it Go” around the table.
Nap Time!
This is when the magic happens. My boys take long naps or “rests” and it is truly the only way that I can work full time with little kids. Immediately after lunch, the boys go down for their nap, and I get to work! During their nap I try to get blog work, social media work, client work, and anything else I have on my never ending to-do list done. I also try to sneak in a lunch myself, but at the very least I’ll have more coffee.
Chris is Home
When Chris comes home we try to take the boys outside to play for a few hours if it’s nice, or we’ll play board games or whatever we feel like inside. If I have a deadline, I can sneak away to my desk while Chris takes on daddy duty by himself, but we really try to keep this as family time. Chris makes dinner [I am not a domestic diva] and we eat at the dining table as a family. After dinner is either bed time, or bath and bedtime.
Bedtime
When the boys are in bed, most nights I will get some work done while Chris catches up on his shows. Right now, my kids are in bed and I’m writing this on the couch while we watch Undercover Boss. I don’t really care if I miss details of the show, so it makes multitasking easy. At least once a week we try to make it a point to have a “date night” which, for us, typically means watching a movie together after the kids go to bed without touching our cell phones. Sometimes we get really crazy and enjoy a glass of wine
My Crazy Schedule Mess
Our days are pretty crazy. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t seen anything but my computer screen. There are days where I feel like I just can’t sit at my desk for more than 10 minutes without being interrupted. Sometimes you just need to take a break. Whatever your crazy homeschooling schedule looks like, be sure that you have grace!
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Everyone’s schedule is completely different, so some of my lovely friends in the iHomeschool Network have all come together to share our crazy, real, schedules. Be sure to check them out here!
Very impressive! We have the same “date nights” and have for 20+ years…I think it’s one of the best things we have done, it’s simple and consistent, and important. Also, coffee is a necessity here too!
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So glad we’re not the only one with “date nights”. I see so often people suggesting to keep date night a priority (meaning dinner and a movie date nights) and that’s just not realistic for some families. Love that you’re “real” too. :)
This sounds like my life, without the blogging, and homeschooling. I am a mom to 4 kids, twin daughters, both diagnosed as autistic, a 6 yr old boy, diagnosed with sensory issues, and major behavior disorders, still working on autism diagnosis, and one neuro-typical teen age boy. I am also working on my Bachelor’s Degree with the intention of going to law school soon. I go non-stop, 20+ hours a day, and still it amazes me how much is left undone at the end of one day and beginning of the next. But we got this… our kids depend on it, so we do it.