Ever wondered what it’s like to homeschool five kids?  How we get it all done?  What a day looks like?  I thought it might be fun to record an entire day at this stage in life…

For reference, Aidan is 11 and in 6th grade.  As of this semester, he goes to school two days a week.  This was a Wednesday, which is a homeschool day.  I drive him to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Gresham is in 3rd grade, Owen in is kindergarten, Jonathan is 3, and Janie is almost 10 months.  I am pumping full time for Janie because of a tongue tie, but I am in the process of weaning her to table food and formula, so that will free up my schedule quite a bit.

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom of Five

7:10 a.m. – I am awakened by 3 year old Jonathan climbing in my bed.  He quietly cuddles for a few minutes with his blankie, then starts saying, “Mom!  Time to get up!  Mom!  Time to get up!”  This is a season of life for me where I am sleeping as much as possible rather than waking up before the kids.

7:30 a.m. – I pump upstairs while the boys fix themselves breakfast downstairs.  This is usually Bible reading time for me.

8:00 a.m. – I come downstairs and am met by boys looking for jeans.  I quickly fold the two loads of laundry covering the couch.  We did the laundry last night but did not get anything folded or put away.  The boys put away all their clothes, then get dressed, make beds, and brush teeth.  The 5 year old requires several reminders to keep moving.

8:30 a.m. – I start cooking oatmeal for me and put Janie in her highchair to eat puffs.  Owen and Jonathan both ask if I can fix them another half of bagel because they are still hungry.

8:45 a.m. – Everyone is fed, and I finally sit down to eat my breakfast!  While eating, I write down Aidan’s assignments from his school’s website, help Gresham practice violin, and keep Janie supplied with puffs.

9:00 a.m. – Feed Janie a bottle.  Still helping Gresham practice violin after a lengthy search for his missing sight reading book.

9:15 a.m. – I read history (The Mystery of History) to Gresham and Owen.  Aidan works independently in another room.  While I’m reading, Janie fusses and tries to grab the book.  Jonathan comes in dressed like a ninja and distracts everyone.  Despite the interruptions, we actually finish an interesting lesson about Hippocrates!

9:35 a.m. – We move to the school room.  Owen works on handwriting and phonics, and Gresham works on handwriting and grammar.  Janie eats paper off the floor and fusses.  I realize that I forgot to make an important phone call yesterday, so I do that before I have time to forget again!

10:00 a.m. – Feed Janie more bottle (she’s a snacker) before her nap.  While I’m feeding her in her room, Owen and Jonathan are fighting in the game room.  I call Jonathan in to sit by me while I finish with Janie.  Then we work out the fight and work on apologies.

10:30 a.m. – The boys have a snack break (Really?  They’re hungry again?) while I pump again.  While pumping, I write this post. I have a light bulb moment about why I’m SO TIRED!  Owen and Jonathan play with kinetic sand in the kitchen.  Aidan and Gresham play Legos.

11:00 a.m. – Aidan starts on his math assignment.  Gresham works in his science journal.  Owen and I do a reading activity for an upcoming blog post on activities for beginning readers.  Pretty soon, everyone has joined in with Owen’s activity!

12:00 p.m. – Since Janie is still napping, I decide to jump in the shower!  The older two boys tidy up the kitchen so that it’s ready for making lunch.  Owen comes upstairs to tattle on Jonathan.  I tell him it’s going to have to wait until I’m done showering.

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom of Five

12:15 p.m. – After I finish showering, Janie is up from her nap and Dad is home for lunch.  We are enjoying Dad’s new job that allows him to be home for lunch!

1:00 p.m. – All four boys and I try out a science experiment that we want to post about.  It’s a hit, but we don’t have the idea quite polished yet.  We put away the supplies for now.

1:40 p.m. – Ahhhh, quiet.  I feed Janie a bottle.  Then Gresham reads to Owen and Jonathan while I pump.  Then he tucks Jonathan in for his nap.  Janie plays quietly.  Aidan reads his science assignment in another room.

2:10 p.m. – By the time I’m finished pumping, Jonathan is calling from upstairs for me to come wipe him, and Janie has a stinky diaper.  I head upstairs to take care of both of them.  Janie’s diaper has leaked.  I go to the sink to rinse her outfit before tossing it in the washing machine, but the sink is full of dishes.  I end up doing dishes and returning a phone call from my mom instead. When I get off the phone, Aidan informs me that Jonathan has been calling from upstairs wondering if he can come down now.  No he can’t – he hasn’t napped yet!

2:30 p.m. – I go over Gresham’s math lesson with him.  Aidan is finished with all of his school work.

3:00 p.m. – Time for Janie’s afternoon nap.  One day, her nap will line up better with Jonathan’s…

3:30 p.m. – The boys turn on Curious George and I return a few text messages that I have received during the day.  Then I check e-mail and take care of some other blogging tasks.

4:00 p.m. – Aidan and I work some more on the science project that we started earlier.  We still can’t get it to work to our satisfaction!

5:00 p.m. – Dad comes downstairs – he has been working from home all afternoon.  We all work together to tackle the immense amount of clutter downstairs.  The craft supplies in the closet have exploded out of the box and the problem can’t be ignored any longer!  I deal with the piles all over our desk and find a bill that I thought I had paid last week.  Whoops.

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom of Five

Age 3 and so happy to be old enough to help put away silverware!

6:00 p.m. – I fix pancakes, eggs, and oranges for dinner.  I eat dinner in 5 min. while putting on my shoes.

6:30 p.m. – I leave to drive Aidan to youth group.  Jordan finishes up dinner with the other kids.

7:30 p.m. – I arrive back home in time for evening pumping.  Man, I’ll be glad to give this up!  But I’m thankful that Janie has been able to receive the benefits of the milk all this time.

8:00 p.m. – I read to the boys – a chapter from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.  🙂  Daddy gives Janie a bath.

8:40 p.m. – Everyone is clean, teeth brushed, and in bed – finally!  Aidan is still out at youth group – he is getting a ride home.  Hubby and I enjoy a quiet living room.  I work on blogging and he reads sports.  Sometimes we enjoy playing Scrabble after the kids have gone to bed – if I have enough brain cells left at that point!

10:30 p.m.  – Last pumping session of the day.

11:00 p.m. – Hubby washes up the last few bottles and we head to bed.  There is still baking soda spilled on the counter from something that I forget what it was and there are still a few cups out and toys in the living room and the game room is pretty messy, but there is no energy or time left in the day!  It can all wait until tomorrow.  Or the next day.

This was a pretty average day – some days are crazier than this and others are more calm.  It’s a busy stage of life for sure.  There’s an incredible amount of multi-tasking and chaos.  

But for the most part, it’s a happy chaos!

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom of Five

The oldest and the youngest.

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom of Five

5 Comments

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  1. Kim Feb 15, 2015

    LOVED this post. I too am a homeschooling mother of five--four boys and a girl, and am pumping for a baby due to tongue tie. Needless to say, the similarities of our lives had me cracking up in empathy. Life's certainly crazy but every minute (almost) is worth it.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Feb 15, 2015

      How fun!! Where is your daughter in the line up? Janie is actually my second baby with a tongue tie, except that I didn't know it! After we figured out hers at two months old, I had my two year old checked and we found the same tongue tie! Explains his refusal to nurse and his choking issues as well... Thanks for commenting! So fun to hear from another mom in the same situation!

      Reply
  2. Jess Connell Feb 15, 2015

    I love that you included real-world pictures in this post. :)

    And I love this part: "There’s an incredible amount of multi-tasking and chaos. But for the most part, it’s a happy chaos!"

    Very encouraging article!

    Reply
    1. Sarah Feb 15, 2015

      The term "happy chaos" is something that came to mind a couple weeks ago... I realized that I can never really get rid of the chaos with this many people in one house, but it doesn't matter if there is laundry on the couch or shoes everywhere or pancakes for dinner. The most important thing is that we honor God with the way we treat each other!

      Reply
  3. iGameMom Feb 15, 2015

    What a fun day! As a boy's mom, I read your posts a lot, but never got around to leave a comment to thank you :-) Thanks for sharing so many wonderful fun and educational ideas, while keeping up with a busy family, and homeschool.

    Reply
  4. Karen E. Feb 15, 2015

    Love this post. It is very encouraging to me as it felt like you were blogging about school days in my house. I am a homeschooling mom of 6 (6th grade to 1 yo), except we have 5 girls and 1 boy (the baby). I just found your blog and have been enjoying reading through your entries, especially the ones on sibling conflict. Look forward to reading more about your adventures!

    Reply
  5. Jen C. Feb 16, 2015

    I so enjoyed reading this. I, too, have four boys and a girl (in the same order). I will begin homeschooling in the fall and I am feeling a range of emotions: so excited, yet worried. ha ha!

    Reply

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