A Day In The Life Of A Homeschool SAHM

I wake up to little whimpers from across the room. I look at my phone and it’s 7:03am. Duke, my micro 4 month old goldendoodle, is on his job waking me up. I roll out of bed, throw on my robe and take him outside for his first of ten bathroom breaks. Yes, I’m the mom in my purple robe, pink bonnet and nikes outside walking the dog, because ain’t nobody trying to impress these neighbors. And this is the reality of a homeschool sahm.

This is my first stop in the morning. Coffee starts my day.

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Once we come back in, Duke knows the routine. He waits patiently in his play pen as I turn on the Keurig to start my coffee and prepare his food. He is a Purina puppy, they say that’s the best, but who knows. As he eats, I drink my coffee and try to prepare my mind for the day.

The kids start to wake up around 9am. Niya is always the first to rise and DJ is usually the last. As they wake up, they get dressed and eat breakfast. If you know me, you know cooking is not something I really enjoy. So my kids don’t get a hot breakfast every morning prepared by me. But, I have taught them how to make their own cereal, oatmeal, grits, sausage and eggs. Dreya knows how to use the stove and the others are microwave experts. Honestly, I used to feel bad that I wasn’t cooking every day, but then reality hit and I quickly understood that the goal is to feed the kids, that doesn’t mean it has to be a home cooked meal all the time. Microwaved french toast and pancakes fills their belly just the same as carefully prepared homestyle hash browns. It saves me a lot of time and grumbling too. Don’t get overwhelmed trying to do what others say you should do to be a great mom, you do what is best for your family. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to operate your household.

At 10am, we all pile into the classroom. We turned our garage into the learning area and each child has their own student desk and special assignments. The garage location works out well, because the kids feel like they are actually leaving the house to go to school, instead of just working at the kitchen table. School used to start at 9am, but since we got Duke, he has added a little more to our schedule and we couldn’t make it at 9, so we decided 10 am is the new start time. The good thing about homeschool, is your schedule is flexible. So make your schedule according to what works best for everyone.

Our morning work consists of math, reading, writing and a little Spanish. We spend about 30 minutes on each subject and make sure not to over do it. Honestly, up until recently, I was over doing it. My goal is to make sure that the kids are learning and constantly progressing, so I was like okay, we have to do this, this and this!! But I was wrong. After talking with my mom (who is a retired teacher) and other teachers, kids are actually only learning for about 4 hours a day in school. The rest of the time is spent on lunch, gym, art, bathroom breaks and answering all the kids questions. So if you are running a strict learning day like I was, it’s okay to slow down a little.

Around noon, we break for lunch. Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fruit, grilled cheese, pizza and any left overs are usually on the menu. During this time, I try to get a little work done and answer business emails. But truthfully, it feels like the kids eat in five minutes and they are back in my face, so I’m not always successful while trying to complete my tasks.

School ends at 3pm and the dreading question crosses my mind….what’s for dinner. I’m not always prepared in this area, so this is my biggest problem as a homeschool sahm. But I am definitely working on it.

4:30pm is when activities start, so I go from teaching to making sure that the kids have what they need for karate and dance class. I get a little down time as I watch them during class, because whoever doesn’t have an activity that day stays home with dad.

The rest of the evening is focused on dinner, cleaning up, bath and bed time. By 10pm, is usually when I pour my glass of wine and fall out. Lol. I’ll take a power nap and then wake to try to get some of my work done.

While on this SAHM journey, I most important lesson I’ve learned is to let the kids help! I used to think I had to be super woman and do it all, until I saw how much easier things were when I had them help me instead of watch me.

People ask me how I keep things together, hunny, nothing is together, some days we are all over the place. And on those days, I shrug my shoulders and say I’ll just try again tomorrow. And other days are right on schedule and we feel super productive. Through this process, I have learned to adjust and give myself grace. And that’s a day in the life of me as a homeschool sahm.