How Does She Do It? - Homeschooling 4 Children With 1 On The Way While Keeping Up With My Steemit Blog ~

Schedule Breakdown

The above schedule is just a guideline I try to use to help me fit in my daily duties. It changes often but for the most part this is how our day tends to flow.

Wake Up Time - One of the great things about homeschooling is that we set our own times. We don’t have to go along with what the public schools are doing. One of the ways I stay sane is by getting enough rest. While my kids are young we will continue to sleep in until 9 AM. I am the Superintendent, Principal and Vice Principal of our school, I get to make the rules! 😁 Once they are older we will begin waking up earlier to prepare them for the workplace.

Morning Devotion - As a Christian family this part of our day is extremely important. School for us is not just about book work but also teaching our children about the Lord and how to live. They have grown such a love towards God by learning about Him and all His goodness. We do prayer, memory verses, have small discussions and then end with worship songs before we get into our book work assignments. This is a big part in shaping our children to be followers of Christ and the best way to start our day!

Class Sessions - One thing that helps my days run smoother is the fact that I can teach multiple ages and grades at the same time. I have witnessed my children learning from one another and helping one another with their assignments. With the curriculum we use (Christian Light Education) I am able to teach my 1st and 2nd grader at the same time. The majority of their subjects are the same but just on a different level. They both get through their assignments pretty fast because they are not competing with a whole classroom for my one on one attention.

While I am teaching those two, my 5 and 1 year old have playtime together. Sometimes I have learning songs playing for them to sing and dance to. They also do puzzles and listen to our leap frog read aloud books. My 5 year old is currently in preschool and is preparing to enter Kindergarten this Fall. As he is going over his alphabets and numbers, my 1 year old repeats after him and likes to learn along.

Naptime - This is the time where I can get a lot of my house chores done and even have some mommy time too. My 1 year old always takes a nap at this time but for the others it just depends. I can still get my chores done if they are occupied with their own activities but sometimes they are too rowdy and I do make them take a nap as well. During this time I also take advantage of extra rest if needed and to catch up here on Steemit. Either way these two hours are definitely an important part of my day.

Snack/Creative Play - Of course when the kids wake up from nap they are hungry. I usually let them have another snack (preferably fruit) to hold them over until I am finished cooking dinner. During my cooking time the kids can play outside in the front or backyard or they can have free time in their rooms. They do get to watch the television during this time but we try to cut back on how much they watch.

Family Time - Although I am with my children all day long I still like to set aside this time before they go to bed to spend some quality family time. Their dad is home from work and it is important to us that we do something together with our kids. It could be watching a family movie, building something together, going for a walk outside, story time etc.

Kids Bedtime - Our kids are in bed every night by 9:00 PM. Another tip that keeps me sane and helps our home stay in order is teaching the kids to pick up their rooms every night before going to bed. They have 30 minutes to brush their teeth, put on their pjs and pick up their room. This also helps to keep our day running smoothly and for them not have to spend so much time during the day cleaning up. They have more time to play and do activities because their room is already tidied up.

Quality Spouse Time - As a married couple this is another important part of our day/evening. As you can see we don’t have a lot of time to be together without the kids during the week. We sneak some time in here and there but by the time he gets home from work I’m busy with dinner (unless we have leftovers or take out). The main time we have during the week is this time after we put the kids to bed. Notice I have question marks on the time because it just depends. I know I should get to bed at a decent time but having that alone quality time with no noises, cries, complaints, arguing over toys, wining or screaming is just magical. This is also the time where my husband and I can do some of our separate hobbies that we’ve been wanting to get to. Like for me crocheting and Steemit and for him gaming and computer stuff. We usually discuss and agree about what we’re going to do so we are on one page.

Having An Outlet

I recommend this to all homeschooling parents...find an outlet. Being home 24/7 to parent, homeschool and tend to the house can be very draining mentally, physically and emotionally. I had to find ways to take a load off and spend time doing the things I love. I need to be able to “miss” my kids from time to time. When I’m away from them for a period of time it’s refreshing because I start to miss them and can’t wait to get home to see them. Every parent needs a break no matter how super you are.

I started off doing some part-time modeling for small family ads and then did a few bridal runway shows. It was a lot of fun for me to get away and get dressed up. I didn’t consider them as jobs because I enjoyed doing them so much. As I started having more children it became challenging to find the time to audition. Also it seemed when my agent found jobs for me I was always pregnant at that time. As of now I do not model any more although I am still listed on the modeling site. Maybe when the kids are older I will get back to it.

Crocheting has become my main outlet. I like to sneak away by myself and just craft away in peace. It is a lot easier when my husband is home so he can keep the kids out of my zone lol. Most of the time I crochet when I’m in the living room relaxing with the whole family though. My second outlet has become blogging here on Steemit. I love this plattform and keeping up with my friends as well as meeting new ones. I love sharing who I am and my family with the Steemit world. I didn’t realize I would love blogging so much!

Group Projects/Experiments

One thing I have learned about my kids is that they are hands on explorers. If I sat them down at a table to do book work all the time they would probably zone out from boredom. We want them to love all aspects of school so we change things up quite often. We do group projects and experiments to excite their interests and keep them curious. It’s fun when we break away from the curriculum books to learn by using our hands and senses. It also gives all of the kids a chance to work together and put on their thinking caps. It’s refreshing for me to do something that’s fun and educational with them.

Field Trips

Getting out and away from the house is another great way to keep everyone motivated. Although we don’t do a lot of traveling I try to find free or affordable places where we can go and explore. Our children are so curious and asks so many questions while we are out and they learn so much. You can never go wrong with fun learning! Education can come in many forms, we had to learn which forms are best for our kids and run with it!

I hope you enjoyed reading about how my days normally look. Hopefully I have mentioned something that will help another parent stay sane and/or a homeschooling family to enjoy their time together! Thank you for reading~❤️

Logo/Banner created by @rigaronib!