What Do You Do All Day?

I wanted to write a homeschool related post today but was completely stuck for an idea. I thought of all kinds of things but for one reason or another, didn’t feel like they were the right fit. Finally, I got desperate and googled “what are common homeschooling questions?” and the first thing to come up was…

What do you do all day?

I about spit out my tea!!! All kinds of sarcastic responses came to mind and I immediately  thought that it must be a man asking that question! Hmmm, let me think… I sit around and twiddle my thumbs all morning, eat gourmet lunches served to me on silver platters at noon and take a long nap in the afternoon followed by a bubble bath and foot massage!

But I soon realized that this question probably is being asked by women not men, both women who are contemplating homeschooling and those who are already homeschooling. For those who are just considering homeschooling, they wonder how much time homeschooling takes up and what it actually looks like. For those who are already homeschooling, they probably (like me) wonder what homeschooling is really like in other homes.

So, what does a homeschooler do all day? The answer to that is a frustrating one. It depends on the homeschooler, the age of the kids, the type of homeschooling they do, the day of the week, and a myriad of other factors. It ranges from families whose homeschooling is so structured that it is scheduled in 15 minute increments to unschooling families who rarely have a plan and every day looks incredibly different than the one before.

I have been homeschooling for over 12 years and even my answer is that it depends on the day and my mood and the kids’ moods and the time of year and our health and the amount of sleep we got the night before. Our actual “school time” can range anywhere from 15 minutes to 6 hours. Some days, school might look like the kids sitting at their desks working, me at the whiteboard teaching (what you might see in a school setting), other days it’s full of hands-on learning…crafts, kitchen science, interest led learning, life lessons… and yet other days, our homeschooling shouldn’t have the “home” in it because we are running from one homeschool field trip or activity to another.

Every day, it is a guarantee that our day includes prayer, devotions, dishes, art, arguing, lots of clean-up, whining, busy bags, sibling wars, reading, playing, giggling, breakfast, lunch, supper, bathroom breaks, and bedtime. Most days, history, math, writing, science and Bible get thrown in there. Every week, there are appointments (doctors, therapists, dentists, speech, etc.) and art classes and homeschool field trips and playdates and piano lessons and chauffeuring teens to and from work and any extras that might come up.

So, what do I do all day?

• I get up (I am not a morning person so I have to force myself to be cheerful)
• maybe get to shower
• get dressed
• brush my teeth
• comb my hair
• remind the kids to do the same
• check my e-mail
• tweet, Facebook, promote blog posts, read my verse of the day
• get the kids to eat breakfast
• remind them to do their morning chore
• load and run the dishwasher
• wipe counters
• remind someone to brush their teeth
• try to figure out what I’m going to make for supper
• maybe eat breakfast or just make myself a tea
• do devotions and prayer with the kids
• remind someone to flush the toilet
• read them Story of the World and ask them the review questions
• tell someone to stop whining
• have them do copywork while I go to whiteboard
• brainstorm with kids about sentences, sight words, ideas, etc.
• offer encouragement and praise
• break up a fight
• try to get kids involved in a project
• kiss an owie
• read one on one with one of the kids (while all heck breaks loose with the others)
• make kids a snack
• hear them complain about said snack
• do some therapeutic parenting during a meltdown
• wonder why I ever thought it was a good idea to homeschool
• pray and breathe
• offer praise and encouragement through gritted teeth
• get kids started on worksheets or workboxes
• do a craft, puzzle or board game with kids
• break up another whiny fest or argument
• take sanity break by going pee in the bathroom and locking the door
• come out to kids crying and huge mess made in those twenty seconds
• yell
• apologize for yelling
• wonder again what made me thought I was qualified to homeschool
• pray and breathe
• feed kids lunch
• listen to complaining about said lunch unless it’s in a muffin tin
• encourage and praise
• do dishes
• hopefully eat lunch myself
• try to get kids to help clean up the homeschool room
• fail miserably
• e-mail or text another homeschool mom because I know better than to call
• because if I get on the phone, my kids ask for things I would normally say no to and won’t leave me alone
• friend reminds me that I’m doing this for good reason and I am not crazy
• I only feel that way 98% of the time
• pray some more
• tragic thing happens – someone can’t find their something-or-other
• engage the entire house on a hunt for the something-or-other
• offer a reward (oh wait – I usually only do that when the remote is missing!)
• engage kids in fun science lesson or craft project that took two hours to prepare
• entire thing takes five minutes for kids to complete
• clean up takes 20 minutes
• wonder again why I thought it would be a good idea to homeschool
• check e-mail and upload pictures of disastrous art project that looked so much better on Pinterest
• in my calmest voice, tell someone to stop yelling or complaining or fighting
• empty dishwasher
• trip over string tied to doorway or step on Lego piece
• possibly say some word that I shouldn’t
• change laundry over
• send kids outside to play to “appreciate God’s creation” or to give mommy a break
• pray and breathe
• tidy up
• stare at overwhelming paperwork pile and contemplate tackling it
• little one comes up and tells me that I am the best mom ever
• suddenly, I know why I homeschool

That is what I do all day!

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