A Typical Homeschool Day
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Did you like that title? A typical homeschool day. If you homeschool, you knew that was a joke, right? I don’t think there is any such thing as a typical day. Atypical is typical around here. Still, the folks at Heart of the Matter Online are doing a blog hop and I thought it would be fun to participate. This week’s topic? A day in the life.
I had so much fun doing a photo journal of my day not too long ago that I thought I would do that again. This particular day was Friday, August 12. Fridays are not typical days because we sleep in a bit and have a lighter day, usually. I thought the sleeping in part might make somebody feel better, though, so here goes.
Yeah, that’s right. I slept till after 10:00. And your point? Okay, I really don’t usually do that during school, but that’s about the time this insomnia thing started – and I thought it had only been a week. No wonder I’ve been so ill.
So, anyway, this particular Friday I slept in. I try to get up by 8:30 or 9:00, typically. Upon waking, it’s not unusual for me to find a sweet note on my bedside table from my words-of-affirmation girl, Megan.
Late or early, though, my day always starts out the same – lacing up my favorite pair of Saucony shoes and working out. I’ve lost 88 pounds to date, so no skipping workouts!
I usually check my email while I eat a quick, pre-workout breakfast.
![IMG_3470[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34703.jpg)
After my workout, I wake the kids and they start on their chore chart stuff while I get myself ready for the day.
School starts with our morning devotion – usually something from Keys for Kids and scripture from our scripture memory box.
Next up on the agenda: Easy Grammar and Daily Grams.
You never can tell who or what might show up at the school table.
![IMG_3491[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34913.jpg)
Then it’s time for lunch. This particular day, it was chicken quesadillas. Yum!
![IMG_3498[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34983.jpg)
It also happened to be a good mail day. Brianna has been wanting to learn Japanese. Since the only option we found locally was really expensive, we decided to use the same type of materials she was using in her Spanish class.
![IMG_3476[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34763.jpg)
It’s called Ultimate Japanese and it comes with CDs so that you can hear the language being spoken, as well as a workbook that walks you through each lesson. It’s designed to teach adults to speak the language and is the equivalent of a two-year college course.
![IMG_3478[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34783.jpg)
After lunch, we work on either writing or spelling, history or science, and reading. Brianna does all of her work independently with Switched-on-Schoolhouse. I did not invade her inner sanctuary for photos. The goes against the parent-teenager code of conduct.
Of course, nothing is ever done without the help of this guy or one of his friends:
![IMG_3492[3]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_34923.jpg)
And, there is a never-ending supply of this to keep me busy:
![IMG_3511[4]](https://weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IMG_35114.jpg)
What does a typical day in your homeschool look like?
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
CHris – so proud of you losing all that weight! Are you attending Relevant again this year? I wont even recognize you. I have doing WW since March and lost 30…I have 25 more to go…but hit a plateau how do you get over those?
Great day. We have a never ending supply of laundry too.
Blessings,
Dawn
It is neat to see someone else using Keys for Kids.
I love the idea of doing a photo journal of your day, I might have to try that soon.
You had me laughing at TYPICAL! 🙂 Good for you for sleeping in and not being ashamed. Good for you for making sure you get the sleep, exercise and the meal in before you start a day.
When I went through a time of serious health issues, including INSOMNIA, I had to do the same thing. If I finally fell asleep again at 5am, there was no way I could get up at 6am, make homemade bread, wax the kitchen floor, and sew matching outfits for all the children before I woke the kids up. Anyway, when I gave myself permission to do what I needed to do, and that meant not following the public school's time schedule, things went a lot better.
Congrats on the 88 pounds! Wow, you're so inspiring.
Thank you for sharing your day! Especially one that you slept in! I tend to be a night owl, but then always feel guilty if I let myself sleep in. The face mask is my favorite! For us, it usually weapons that make it to the school table- jedi swords, nerf guns…
As much as I would love to attend Relevant again this year, it doesn't look like I'll be able to. I'll be speaking at The 2:1 Conference in April and I'll be attending The Savvy Blogging Summit in October 2012. That's about all the blogging conferences our budget can take right now. 😉
Great post. We usually get up at 8:30, also. Would you mind sharing where you got your yellow plates? Are they from a set?
re: plateau. Keep working out hard and watching your diet. Changing things up is always a good idea also, but I've found that very stubborn plateaus will always eventually break if you simply KEEP ON doing the workouts faithfully & continue with careful eating. Even if several weeks go by with no weight loss on the scale. You don't let yourself get discouraged and then let up on workouts or careful eating. In my experience, the plateau always breaks eventually, and there will be either a huge weight loss several weeks later (which makes up for all the weeks with no pounds lost), or at the very least, you'll start losing again.
Ok, I feel better knowing you slept that late. i have been getting up early lately…but there have DEFINITELY been days when I slept that late.
Also-88 pounds! that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Did you make guacamole for lunch? Can I move in? I love guacamole!!!
I enjoyed this post. Especially the random masked creature that invaded your lessons! 😉
Also, some resources that Brianna might find helpful in her quest to learn Japanese (I'm undergoing the same one, and it's a toughie!):
https://www.textfugu.com/ (An online textbook, my absolute favorite textbook)
https://kanji.koohii.com/main (Supposed to be used in conjunction with the book "Remembering the Kanji 1" but doesn't technically have to be)
https://www.tofugu.com/2010/04/06/tofugu-100-best-japanese-learning-resources/ (A list of Japanese resources)
https://www.japanesepod101.com/ (A supplement to learning that uses podcasts)
(If you download Itunes for free, change the country to Japan by clicking the flag on the bottom, you can download a ton of free podcasts in Japanese. I like to expose myself to the language passively by listening to the news in Japanese, and there are some good language learning podcasts)
https://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar (Great resource for Japanese grammar, online textbook)
https://ankisrs.net/ (Anki is an awesome SRS flashcard program, I use it for my Japanese and anything else I'm trying to learn. In case you didn't know, an SRS is basically a genius flashcard program that changes how often it shows you a card based on how well you recognize it)
Hope that helps!
They're really old Tupperware. 🙂
Yes, I totally agree. This has proven to be the best way to break a plateau for me. One word about the eating, sometimes it helps to *increase* your calorie intake a bit for two or three days — not drastically, but 300-400 extra calories, then, go back to your regular calorie intake. It sounds counter-productive, but it helps.
Thanks for all the great resource tips. We'll have to check those out.
I like seeing that you slept in. Early rising is something I struggle with and then I read about all these day in the life schedules that start at 5 and 6am. Yikes! So cool that your daughter is into learning Japanese. I spent some time in Okinawa as a child. "Hajememashite. Watashi no namae wa April desu." Yeah that's about all I remember. Fun language to learn though.
LOL! Really! 😀 Well, they're beautiful! 🙂 I need (okay, want) some yellow dishes and am always trying to find some (that I can afford).
My lazy brain loved the pictures: posts like this usually feature lots of lists and numbers, and while they are useful, my eyes glaze over when I try to read them. This one was easy! (in a good way)
A photo journal of your day is a brilliant idea! I need to do this.
WOW—Kudos on that amazing weight loss. What dedication! I will forgive you for making me insanely jealous with a 10am wake-up. Sleeping in for me is 8AM.
I like how you make time for yourself in your school day. I need to do that. It might actually give me more energy. Great meals too.
I need to work on our meals around here. They could look a bit better and not so slapped together, truth be told.
I get such a sense of relaxation about your day. Not a lazy relaxation but a purposeful relaxation. One that invites each member of your household to learn and move at their own pace. One where mom is not rushing to do the next thing but takes the time needed for each child. This is something I need to do, I didn't realize how rushed I am until I read this.
Loved reading about your day! We never have a typical day either, although we do have more of a routine during the school year, especially with the oldest in college. I like being somewhat unscheduled so we are available for last minute adventures or get-togethers with friends. I don't mind the laundry as much as the never-ending supply of dirty dishes. Speaking as the head dishwasher. 🙂 Kudos on the weight loss! I've been working on that myself.
well… that's a typical..atypical day right? 🙂 I liked how you did the photojournalism. 🙂
I have a never-ending supply of that stuff, too! 🙂
Your school "helper" is very cute! We have a pug who likes to do school with us every morning. He's learning a lot!
I love that your kids leave you notes–that's so sweet!
Hope you can get over your insomnia and get some much-needed rest!