Just Another 24 Hours…
Somehow I stumbled upon this quaint little homeschool blog called Books and Bairns (which is a Scottish word for a child; son or daughter). She challenged us to record a day in the life so that we might glean from one another the freedoms and liberties that come with our choice to homeschool. Whether we record a day that we skip school altogether or one in which we sit around for five or six hours reading, writing, and learning (HA!). This is what today, Monday, November 15, 2010 looked like in our little white house:
5:50am– I woke up and cleaned the office of an attorney I go to church with.
7:15am– I woke little sister and got her ready for school.
7:55am– Josh left for work with little sister in tow.
8:00am– Breakfast for the boys, everyone got dressed, and we started our chores.
By 8:45am we were in the car on our way to Publix and Kroger for my weekly coupon shopping. Not only did I spend $34, but that is also the amount of which I saved! Pretty good grocery trip.
We got back home around 10:15am. I unloaded the groceries and fed the baby a snack before putting him in bed around 10:30am for his nice, long nap (he’s such a great sleeper!). Once baby was sleeping, I posted my shopping success on facebook for my ladies at church (I taught a coupon workshop last week and some are still needing a little help).
11:30– We ate lunch. Corndogs and applesauce. Yum.
12:00– We finally hit the books. Mondays are usually light. We read, review our memory work from last week, and work on tomorrow’s presentations for co-op. Jesse gets to give a persuasive presentation on his favorite Thanksgiving dessert while Joshua will present on the guillotine. Afterall, what could get a seven year old boy more excited!?
After school we spent over an hour cleaning their room (the boys’ room, that is). This was the kind of cleaning that requires a trash bag. Out with the old, broken, and neglected. For 2011, the word is SIMPLICITY in our home. Their room looks wonderful! Let’s see if it can remain that way for a whopping 24 hours.
After all of that cleaning, the boys needed to go outside and run and scream for a while, so that’s what they did. Owen went down for a nap, baby boy was still sleeping, and the oldest two went out back and dug holes to play in where they plot the next major battle and discuss things like LEGO structures and who will be forced to take the first shower tonight. While the big boys played, I attacked a few large piles of crap. You know, those piles that start off as a few sheets of paper on your kitchen counter or bedside table and suddenly it’s twelve inches high and you’re having to balance each item you add, knowing eventually you’ll sort it all out, but for now you have no earthly idea what’s in there!? I had two or three of those piles. Yuck. I think I finally sorted them into categories such as: trash, file, bills-to-be-paid, coupons to save, and even a put it back where it belongs pile full of DVDs and books. Unfortunately the smaller, more organized piles are still on my bedroom floor.
Somewhere in the midst of our productivity I was able to strip a few beds, wash the linens and return them to the proper beds before having to leave to pick up little sister from school at 3:30.
We normally have a prayer meeting at church on Monday nights, but tonight I’m playing hookie and look forward to finishing up the laundry, putting the kids in bed early, and maybe even getting a bath where I might actually shave my legs!
On a side note, my husband asked me last week, “Honey, you go to the store all the time and you’re always making lists; why can’t you remember to get shaving cream??” My response was quite simple, “Well dear, I only remember to get the things I actually USE.” Thanks to jeans and very blonde hair, I only have to shave about once a week (if that!) with an electric razor. Sorry babe, I’ll try harder to remember.
Now it is 4:35pm. We have entered that time of day that most mothers dread. That time when the kids are tired, getting hungry, and aren’t sure whether they should crash or keep running. Mine are plopped in front of a movie at the moment. I’m hoping its going to rain any minute now. I will begin bathing the fab five as soon as dinner plates are cleared from the table and the bedtime march will begin promptly at 7:30pm.
All in all, a good day.
Happy Monday!
~audrey