Share your homeschool day in the life 2025 ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool

We’ve reached the end of our 15th and Final Homeschool Day in the Life Series!

Outside of my marriage and homeschooling/raising my kids, there are few things in my life that I’ve done for 15 years, so this feels like a milestone.

I hope you’ve enjoyed it, too–whether you have been following along for this season or for all 15!

In case you missed any of this year’s posts, here are the links again:

• Amber’s Day in the Life (w/ a 9-, 11-, 13- & 15-year-old)
• A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten
• Kari’s Day in the Life (w/ a 4-, 6-, 16-, & 18-yr-old)
• Jamie’s FINAL Day in the Life (w/ a 17-, 18-, & 19-yr-old)
• Debbie’s Day in the Life (w/ a 14- & 15-year-old)
• Sarah’s Day in the Life (w/ twin toddlers, & a 3-, 10-, 12-, & 14-yr-old)
• Lusi’s Day in the Life (w/ a 13- & 15- year old)

And if you’re curious, you can find all 15 of my own homeschool days right here, going all the way back to my very first in 2011.

Today it’s your turn to join in and share your homeschool day in the life, one last time!

Here’s how to take part:

If you’ve written about your homeschool day on your own blog/website, please leave a link to your post in the comments section of this post – find that right here.

Be sure to tell us what ages you’re homeschooling!

And if you don’t have your own website, please write the details of your day right here within our comment section. Then we can hop around and “visit” everyone.

Thanks so much for being a part of this series that has been so close to my heart all these years. I appreciate you all! xo

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Lusi’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 13-, 15- year-old) ~
Written by Lusi Austin from That Homeschool Life

A note from Jamie: Since 2022, Lusi has been sharing her homeschooling life in Australia here, and her writing was an answer to prayer! I’ve learned so much from her as a mom with three graduates (and two more to come!). And I admire and look up to her gentleness with life in the midst of homeschooling with chronic illness.

One of my favorite posts she’s contributed is on Dealing with Post-Homeschooling Parental Guilt – so good! Lusi, thank you for sharing this final day in the life with us! I’m so grateful, Jamie xo

*****

Our 17th year of homeschooling started this week. We now have three kiddos who live out of home (all working full time); two still learning at home.

I now work remotely doing some part-time social media work. And next week I begin undertaking two-days a week of studying myself.

We have discussed how this year we will have a little more structure to help us fit everything in. But that ‘structure’ went out the window fast. On Monday, we got through one full day of learning (as we’d hoped) but by Tuesday night, I had all the signs of Covid. I tested positive the next day.

So instead of me sharing about how smoothly our year began, I decided to share what life often looks like around here (with so many compromised immune systems!): messy, unpredictable and real.

Lusi’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 13- and 15- year old)

MORNING

Normally we begin with devotional time and some read-alouds in the lounge-room, but today began with my 15-year old making me a coffee and bringing me some breakfast to bed.

Mr. 13-year-old slept in and later also tested positive for Covid. Miss 15 carried on with her chores and took on her brother’s chores so that the dogs and chickens would still be fed, which was so appreciated.

Mr. 13 climbed into bed next to me to show me his Design and Technology journal entry that he wrote yesterday.

He’s quite a reluctant writer, but he will write about things that interest him.We got out the laptop and he showed me the rolls of filament (he has been saving up for) to use on his 3D printer.

He double checked his calculations and then we placed the order together. He filled in the delivery details on the website himself and then wrote a follow up paragraph on completing the task. We printed off the order list, which he’ll also include in his Design and Technology journal.

Meanwhile, Zippi (15) carried on independently with her spelling list, some creative writing and reading. Zeeki (13) watched some Lego and Minecraft videos on a projector that he set up for fun, then listened to an audiobook in his room.

I worked on some of my current work-from-home tasks from bed and tried to give my body the rest it needed.

AFTERNOON

By this time, my lovely doctor had sent through my antivirals script and my hubby picked that up on his way home from work. I got up and heated up some chicken soup from the freezer (my grandmother’s recipe). It immediately made me feel comforted.

My hubby brought home electrolytes and some gluten-free chicken nuggets at my request which he popped in the air-fryer. So grateful for a caring family on days like this.

Mr. 13 completed a Duolingo lesson in Japanese, which he has just begun learning. Miss 15 completed her 146th day streak in her Spanish lessons.

EARLY EVENING

A storm was brewing. We went outside and looked at the sky darkening. As Miss 15 began to make homemade gluten-free dumplings for the family meal (her rostered night), her insulin pump alarmed.

This is a big part of our days – her having the time and space to manage her Type 1 Diabetes well. And she does. She made an adjustment in her pump and then went on with cooking dinner.

The gluten-free dumplings were amazing!

The kids spent a little time gaming, reading and then hopped into bed, while hubby and I watched a Good Doctor re-run. And that’s the end of my Day in the Life 2025!

Sometimes, things happen that are out of control, like Covid or other illnesses or a death in the family, but learning can still happen: learning to rest, to care, to connect.

All we can do is our best and that my friends, is enough.

You are enough.

Being together is enough.

Lusi x

My, how the days have changed:

• 2024: Lusi’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 12- and 14- year old)
• 2023: Lusi’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with an 11- and 13- year old)
• 2022: Lusi’s homeschool day in the life (with a 10-, 12-, 17-, 18-, 19-, year old)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Sarah’s homeschool day in the life ~
Written by Sarah Mackenzie of Read-Aloud Revival

A note from Jamie: Did all of you out there homeschooling littles think I forgot about you? Never! Even though many of our contributing writers currently have older kids, I wanted to reshare a post from our day in the life archives that might help some of you in the trenches with littles.

Enjoy this snapshot from Sarah Mackenzie’s homeschool – did you know Sarah was a contributing writer on SH for three years? Find all her posts here.

*****

This year we’ve got quite the crew:

• 14-year-old (8th grade) girl
• 12-year-old (6th grade) girl
• 10-year-old (5th grade) boy
• 3-year-old girl
• 2-year-old twin tornado boys … or as I’ve seen referenced elsewhere: twinados

5:38 am

My two little identical alarms run into my bedroom and wake me up. I miss the days of rising before my crew and having just a few minutes to myself, but this is not the season for it. The twins keep me running hard and long most days, so I sleep until they wake me.

The 3-year-old is not usually too far behind them. They pile on the couch under blankets and we do the early-morning-snuggle routine before getting started with first breakfast.

7:00
It’s time to wake the big kids. They have breakfast, and the toddlers settle in for second  breakfast. Then I sneak off to shower while bigs entertain littles.

Big kids get ready for the day and do a morning job each (like emptying the dishwasher or taking out the trash), and I try to kinda-sorta tidy the kitchen in preparation for the day ahead.

Sarah’s homeschool day in the life (with twin 2-year-olds & a 3-, 10-, 12-, & 14-year old)

9:00
Time for school! I used to start our school day at 8. I’ve found my stress level has decreased significantly since I took the pressure off myself to start that early.

It seemed we could start 8 if (and only if) I was a drill sergeant, so now we start at 9 and I try not to bark orders.

We begin our day with morning time. In many ways, it’s the bread and butter of our school day. It’s where I immerse my kids in truth, goodness, and beauty. We all sit together to read literature, memorize scripture, and take a dip in the liberal arts – Shakespeare, composer study, picture study, or something of that nature.

This isn’t a picture from today, but lest you think our morning time is quiet, tame and orderly — well, I can’t have that. This is what morning time looks like at our house most days.

We read, memorize, and discuss, and the toddlers cause general ruckus and mayhem. Morning time is short, important, slightly stressful, and the best part of everyone’s day.

9:45

Twenty to thirty minutes later, we move into the next chunk of our day- something we call Morning Rotations.

Getting one-on-one time with each of my school-age kids can be tricky with so many toddlers mucking about. Morning rotations are how I make sure to get some good quality time with each child every day.

Each term, I choose a subject that my kids need focused 1-on-1 time for, and we do it during this time block (right now it’s writing for all three of my school-agers).

I simply take the child I’m working with into a separate room and we close the door. One of the remaining big kids is left to supervise and entertain the twins; the other reads and does preschooly things with the 3 year old. Every 30-45 minutes for the rest of the morning, we rotate.

One big kid works with me while the others watch the littles.

It’s a great system, if I do say so myself.

By noon, we’ve completed morning time and each big kid has had 30-45 minutes with me 1-on-1. #win!

12:00
Lunch. Then the big kids clean the kitchen, and I take the littles up for rest time. Naptime boycotts are in full force, so there’s not usually any real sleeping being done these days.

Regardless, the toddlers have to stay in their bedroom to play (and make a huge mess) to give the rest of us some peace to relax and read.

1:30
What happens now depends on which day it is. Most days, it’s time set aside for the big kids to work on their spiral notebooks.

The kids more or less do the work listed in their spiral notebooks on their own. These are co-op homework assignments and anything else they can do on their own, like practicing piano or typing, listening to their history audio book, or completing a notebooking page for science. 

Basically, if it’s not part of our morning time and we aren’t doing it during our 1-on-1 time, it gets listed in the spiral notebook.

Two days each week, our math tutor comes during this time and teaches the kids their new lessons.  

This has been a tremendous help as I am, quite frankly, not a great math teacher. He assigns their work for the rest of the week while he’s here.

On Tuesdays, friends come over to do a socratic-style history and humanities class. My brilliant friend Angela teaches this, and it is easily one of the best parts of our homeschool curriculum. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

(They’re having tea and conversation about the Boston Tea Party in this picture).

3:00-ish

Late afternoons afford the kids a bit of free time. They almost always spend it reading, though I do try to convince them that there are other worthy pursuits … like listening to audio books.

Actually, when the weather is nicer, I’ll often kick them outdoors, or load them all into the 12-passenger van and head to a nearby park. If it’s a day our friends come over for humanities class, we just hang out and play with them.

4:00

Around 4, it’s time to rally. The house is usually a disaster zone by now, so we start tackling it together, and then I pair toddlers up with big kids to play while I make dinner.

5:00
My husband comes home, and we eat early. Big kids have assigned after-dinner chores, my husband takes over the whole crew, and I head to my corner bedroom office to work.

I run a podcast and community for parents who want their kids to fall in love with books. It’s nearly a full-time job, and I do most of that work during evenings and weekends.

I’m always a bit giddy to get started.

I posted this picture last week on Instagram right after working for a couple of hours. You know what I’ve discovered this last year? That as an extrovert, working outside of my homeschool is a really, really important way to take care of myself and feed my joy- it gives me so much energy!

I used to feel guilty about that, but I’m learning not to.

On evenings like this one, I head upstairs until about 9 p.m. On the day I’m documenting this post, I spent my work time preparing talks for the four conferences I’m speaking at this year. Those’ll be here before I know it, and I want to be ready!

Usually when I’m working, I’m recording podcasts, creating master classes and resources, and working with my team to line up award-winning authors like David Macaulay and Avi for our membership families to meet at live online events.

That’s John Erickson of Hank the Cowdog fame at one of our Live Author Access events, answering the kids’ questions from the chatbox. How could I not love work like this?

It can be a real challenge to juggle the demands of a career with homeschooling, homemaking, and raising my passel of peeps, but I’ve found so much energy and joy in making it happen.

9:00
Before making some tea and grabbing a book, I’ll try to look over spiral notebooks one last time, draft the kids’ school lists for the next day, and then spend some time hanging out with Andy.

It’s very likely I’ll stay up too late.

And then it’s another day.

How the days have changed:

• 2015: Sarah’s homeschool day in the life (with twin 1-year-olds & a 2-, 9-, 11- and 13-year-old)

Debbie’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 14- and 15-year-old) ~
Written by Debbie Douse of An Adventurous Education

A note from Jamie: Debbie, I have always admired the heartfelt way you pour yourself into your children as a homeschool mum. I feel so blessed to have gotten to meet you three in person – a gift I’ll always treasure! Thank you for sharing one final day in the life with us as we wrap up this series.
xo, Jamie

Morning

I wake to the sounds of the birds singing and sunlight peeping through the cracks in the curtains. It’s 7:45am, late for me. I’m still recovering from a bad chest infection so I’m gifting myself the grace of sleep.

Normally, I’d be up at 6:30 and out running or heading off to an early CrossFit class – my latest obsession!

Instead, I opt for a slow morning of prayer, writing down my morning thoughts, and a chance to chat to my husband with hands wrapped around a hot cup of tea. Neither teen will be up for a while. I’m eternally grateful that homeschooling provides this flexibility to shift our entire day to suit their new adolescent need to sleep in.

By 9am, they’re both up and after a quick brekkie and shower, they’re ready to go by 9:30.

Debbie’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 14- and 15-year-old)

To Work…

Harry and I start with his economics. He’s planning on taking an exam (a GCSE) in this subject, along with maths, in the summer. This week, he’s studying globalisation and multinationals.

Initially, we work through a Kenyan case study. He answers questions and we discuss the companies mentioned, such as Unilever, and the brands they own. Today, I can relate his work to a real-life situation as my husband James’ company has just bought part of a French data company in order to enter the French market.

After a while, I leave Harry to read and summarise the next section.

Meanwhile Rosie has started on her English, as this summer she’ll sit exams in both Literature and Language. Today, she’s working through a practice Language exam paper, but with no time pressure. Before she tackles each longer question, we read the extracts together and discuss her approach, weaving in the techniques she’s learned over the last few months.

By 10:30am, I have space to focus on prepping lunch, our main meal of the day. Today though, my heart sinks as I realise that I’d optimistically planned beef stew. This takes 3 hours to simmer, and the meat is frozen.

This infection has knocked me off my game! So, I make a quick dash to the supermarket to get ingredients for a speedy chicken stir fry.

The next part of my morning is somewhat frenetic as I juggle cooking and helping the children.

Stirring the wok with one hand, my other searches for the economics answers on my phone so I can work through another case study with Harry. Briefly we’re interrupted by Rosie asking a question and in the corner, James is getting cross with the printer!

Please tell me you can relate to the chaos…?!

Lunch

By 12:15 though, we’re all lunching, and peace is momentarily restored. I love this part of our day where it’s just the four of us chatting. Today we share fun facts and my favourite is that it’s illegal to own just one guinea pig in Switzerland as they’re social animals and would get lonely!

After lunch, as it’s such a beautiful spring day, we go for a walk around the village. We chat about our upcoming trip to India. I explain how the 1947 Partition caused the greatest forced human migration in history.

Millions of Hindus fled to Delhi – one of the cities we’ll visit. Muslims in turn left the city for safety in newly created Pakistan.

Learning through travel is a key part of our homeschool and understanding the history of a place before you visit makes the experience that much more impactful.

Afternoon

Once home, Harry switches to maths, working on circle theorems, pretty much independently, for the rest of the afternoon. Every so often he takes little breaks, for example to try to fix the old ride-on-lawnmower, tinkering away with the engine – sadly to no avail!

Rosie meanwhile puts her writing skills into practice. She starts to craft a letter to her local Member of Parliament (MP) about an issue close to our hearts. There’s a new schools bill currently being debated in parliament.

If passed, it would substantially affect the freedom of home education in the UK.

For example, the new law means that a child with any form of special educational needs would not automatically be permitted to home educate. Instead, special permission would be required, in essence discriminating against these children.

We’ve read so many books about the oppression of minority groups and courageous individuals prepared to push back. This is Rosie’s chance to stand up and be one of the brave young voices fighting for the rights of the UK homeschool community. It’s a hard task though.

She has to park the emotion sufficiently to write a persuasive letter to her MP about her homeschool journey, how it has benefitted her, the impact of the new bill and how it could be amended. It takes her the rest of the afternoon, but it’s one of the most important tasks she’s ever done!

By 4:30 pm, they’re both done with their work for the day.

Passions

Harry and I head straight out to his evening cricket session from 5-8pm, listening to the excellent podcast – No Such Thing as A Fish – en route.

We’re a passion-led homeschool, so any opportunities to develop their passions are prioritised above all else. Harry’s dream is to be a fast-bowling cricketer for England.

He’s just signed his first contract with Kent Cricket Club, to be part of their Emerging Players Pathway, the very first rung on the ladder to playing professional cricket (but there’s a very long way to go!).

This evening, he has individual sessions to practise his bowling, batting and fielding skills. It’s followed by a specialised programme in the gym.

Back home and Rosie is following her own passion: acting. She’s joined a Zoom call with the writer of the National Connections play she’s currently rehearsing, called No Regrets.

The author talks to them about his journey in becoming a playwright and performer, offering advice for their own careers and a chance to ask questions about the play.

Evening

Later, she grabs a quick dinner and jumps on another fun call with her best friend, to chat, play games and write poetry together. James collects Harry from cricket, which leaves me with a free evening for once. I take advantage with a hot bath and my new brilliant book: City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi. Bliss! (afflink)

Once the boys are home, Harry showers and eats. He then nips off to paint his Lord of the Rings figures for the Middle Earth Strategy Battle game with which he’s currently obsessed!

By 9:30pm, we’re all exhausted, and head up to bed for a reading wind down!

It’s a full-on life this homeschool world of ours, but I’m conscious it’s partly coming to an end, with Rosie possibly going to school in September.

I’m trying – in amongst the chaos – to savour every moment with these precious children.

My, how the days have changed:

• Debbie’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 13- and 14-year-old)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your type needs most!

Jamie’s (FINAL) homeschool day in the life (with a 17-, 18-, & 19-year-old) ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin in 2023, published in 2025

A note from Jamie: In January 2023 I wrote this draft, but never published it. That’s because my son Jonathan and I also recorded a homeschool day in the life podcast episode at the same time, and I didn’t have time to finish both.

Now, as a retired homeschool mom, I do! So enjoy this never-before-seen time capsule of Martin family homeschool history, a snapshot of our final year of official homeschool life from two years ago and my final homeschool day in the life post here on SH, having joined in all 15 years! xo, Jamie

Jamie’s FINAL homeschool day in the life (with a 17-, 18-, & 19-year-old)

My how the days have changed. Yet some things stay the same.

I can’t believe that I have two homeschool graduates and my “official” days of homeschooling are nearing their end. (2025 update: Um, they ended! )

I have found that having three kids so close in age brings a different pressure to this phase of life.

It comes from helping kids launch into their next season, even as I try to figure out what my next season might be. (2025 update: Still figuring that out lol!)

Our Current Morning Rhythm

In the morning, we gather around the breakfast table with whoever happens to be home.

Instead of reading Little House or Narnia, as we once did, I now read from a devotional or Guideposts magazine, which features short, inspirational stories.

We pray together, then whoever is at home has chores to do. Next I often find myself in the van driving someone to a part-time job or volunteer opportunity. (Our two special needs teens are unable to drive.)

Finding ways to create a meaningful life for all of us is my priority for this next phase. And in that regard, it’s not all that different from our homeschool days five or 10 years ago.

If Elijah (17) is at home, we will sit down to do lessons (reading & math) together. I have been teaching this child to read for ten years now and we have not reached fluency yet. To say this has been discouraging would be an understatement.

Now we’re beginning to focus on assistive technologies to help fill in the gaps, even as we also look into our public school transitions program, which would give him services until age 22. (2025 update: This has been the biggest blessing and best fit for his past two years!)

I continue to be grateful for the holistic view of education homeschooling gave us from the very beginning -even before having a clear picture of my kids’ special needs.

We always emphasized that each child should learn at his or her own pace. That each person has strengths and weaknesses. That life is about developing your potential while leaning on others’ support in areas where you need it.

Because of this approach, I know that all of my children are in a stronger position than they would have been in the traditional school system. Their self concept and their mental/emotional health has been as much a focus as their academic development.

I once assumed that after my kids had graduated, I would have hours of extra time. (Stop laughing!)

But the time I used to devote to homeschooling I now use to help kids research and fill out job applications, prep for interviews, apply to college, and fill out the piles of paperwork that result when you are the main educator of your children.

Time Out for Me

I’m so glad that no matter what stage my kids have been in, I have always taken daily time out to read, reflect, or journal. I’m grateful for the veteran homeschool moms who encouraged me to do this even when my kids were younger.

This often looks like sitting in front of the woodstove in the winter, having to remind a child or two that I want to talk to them…but not right now.

Sometimes, if all else fails, I still can be found closing myself in the bathroom or bedroom for a few moments of quiet. (One of the things that never seems to change!)

Guardian of the Books

I pride myself in being “guardian of the books,” even to my now young adults. I can often be found researching an engaging title while also encouraging them to find inspiring books for themselves.

Jonathan and I still do our Chapter a day Book Club, which gives us a connection point even when he is out of town as he has been on his gap year. He spent ten days solo in Los Angeles working on a lighting project and has another trip lined up.

It thrilled my heart around the Thanksgiving table when he shared that homeschooling has given him a unique perspective and the ability to develop his technical skills to a high level of expertise.

All three of my kids are currently employed! It’s been fun to see them find their way to first jobs that I know they will remember forever and to see them thriving and being challenged in their own unique ways.

It’s a thrill (and also stretching to my heart) to find new ways to support them as they take these steps of independence.

We continue to have expectations for those of us who spend a day at home, including helping around the house, cooking, reading, having some version of Bible/devotional time, as well as getting outside.

Taking walks with my older teens is a regular occurrence and also a lovely time to listen to their thoughts, ask questions, and hear their hearts.

As a family with one biological child, two internationally adopted children with special needs, and four nationalities represented among us, we’re definitely not the typical homeschool family.

Yet that’s part of the reason why we chose it. I am glad that at least so far, all three of the kids remain grateful for their education and feel that homeschooling has been the best fit for them. (2025 update: They still do!)

My only regret looking back: I wish I would not have worried quite so much.

Looking back to that mom I was 10 years ago, I wish I could wrap my arms around her and tell her that even though great challenges lie ahead, it’s going to be okay.

Today, it’s my role to believe that will also be true for the next 10 years.

I know with God’s faithfulness, it will be.

Check out ALL of Jamie’s Homeschool Days:

• 2011: Jamie’s homeschool day in the life with a 5, 6, & 7-year-old (UPDATED in 2024)
• 2012: Jamie’s homeschool day in the life with a 6, 7, & 8-year-old (UPDATED in 2024)
• 2013: Jamie’s homeschool day in the life with a 7, 8, & 9-year-old (UPDATED in 2024)
• 2014: My homeschool day with an 8, 9, & 10-year-old
• 2015: My homeschool day with a 9, 10, & 11-year-old
• 2016: My homeschool day with a 10, 11, & 12-year-old
• 2017: My homeschool day with a 11, 12, & 13-year-old
• 2018: My homeschool day with a 12, 13, & 14-year-old
• 2019: My homeschool day with a 13, 14, & 15-year-old
• 2020: My homeschool day with a 14, 15, & 16-year-old
• 2021: My homeschool day with a 15, 16, & 17-year-old
• 2022: My homeschool day with a 16, 17, & 18-year-old
• 2023: My final homeschool day with a 17, 18, & 19-year-old
• Homeschool Day in the Life podcast episode #103

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old) ~
Written by Kari Patterson of Sacred Mundane

(A note from Jamie: Out of the 15 years we’ve been doing this series, Kari has shared TWELVE homeschool days from her life with us! I’m so grateful for her voice on Simple Homeschool for over a decade and for this final day in the life she’s sharing with us. Thank you, Kari! xo, Jamie)

My goal this year was to find our new normal.

Like Amber, it’s been a doozy of a few years around here. Three years ago my mom had just passed, two years ago we were living in a travel trailer taking care of my dad who had leukemia, and last year we were making his hospice arrangements.

Oh, before all that was the pandemic. So yeah.

And while I can’t say I know what normal really is (is that even a thing?), here’s what a typical Tuesday looks like around here:

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old)

Morning

My first conscious thought is, “Ah, it’s Tuesday. I don’t have to get up,” accompanied by a ridiculous amount of happiness. Can anybody relate? I used to rise crazy-early but these days it’s like my body is making up for lost time. *smile*

I roll over and enjoy the not-getting-up.

We’re in an unusual window with our four where the Olders are old enough to be on their own school-wise, and the Youngers are young enough that we haven’t begun a super structured school routine.

Not going to lie, it’s nice.

When I emerge from my room it’s almost 8am. Heidi (15) is at the stove scrambling eggs, Justice (6) and Ben (4) are on the floor playing MagnaTiles and Lego, and my husband Jeff is in the corner chair reading. A fire is crackling in the woodstove, outside is a frozen blanket of frost.

It’s so idyllic I actually just stand and soak it in for a moment. As a mom you know these lovely quiet moments rarely last!

We also happen to be fresh off a wicked bout of Norovirus, so I look sadly at the coffee pot and spend a quick moment of silence lamenting that still, nothing sounds good. I pour a little, sniff it, sadly sigh, and set it down. Not yet.

I stand and stare at the contents of the fridge and at all the shelves in the pantry, baffled by how every single thing sounds gross, then realize it’s 8:12am and it’s Tuesday.

“Is Dutch up??”

Whoops. Yes, he has an alarm, but I’m not sure he remembered that his sister now has piano lessons before their Community College classes begin. We’re all still a bit off from this sickness.

I take the stairs two at a time up to his room and gently nudge him.

“Um, you guys need to leave in 8 minutes. How can I help you?”

He stirs, fairly comatose but still in good spirits. Two minutes later he’s dressed, backpack slung over his shoulder. Jeff and I band together to present him a breakfast and sack-lunch, tuck a liquid IV-spiked water bottle under his arm, and he and Heidi head out only five minutes late.

High School

Dutch (18) is taking his last few high school classes at our local community college. We’ve used a Diploma program through a local homeschool testing and resource center that utilizes a private umbrella school through which homeschool students can receive academic advising, plus diploma and transcript services.

We were thrilled to learn that he was just named Valedictorian for this year’s graduating class!

For high school, Dutch has taken a variety of online HSLDA courses, in-person classes taught through a local “school” for homeschool teens, community college classes, and independent coursework. This hybrid approach has worked well for him.

Heidi (almost 16) is enrolled in Baker Early College, a charter school that allows her to get her high school diploma and Associates Degree at the same time. She is now taking all of her classes at our local community college, so this works out well for rides, as they are on campus at the same times each week.

This charter school also organizes regional activities (roller skating, escape rooms, a prom) for its students (and each can invite one other non-Baker student). She has quite a few theater friends in this program, so she loves that they can enjoy these group outings together, all provided and sponsored by Baker.

Typically every Tuesday morning, Jeff takes the little boys to visit a dear couple in their late 80’s/early 90’s, who were friends of my parents and I have quiet hour to read my Bible and pray. #luxury

But since we were so recently sick, Jeff calls to say they’ll play it safe and wait until next week. He heads to his office (he works from home on Tuesdays) and the Littles and I begin our day.

Daytime

Our days don’t have a lot of structure at this point as I’m honestly just enjoying the luxury of not having to be super-structured. Every day we do an assortment of laundry and chores, cook meals, go for a walk outside, do our IEW curriculum, play games, and read lots and lots and lots of books.

We’re at the reading stage where I read regular books and Justice hops in with words here and there, or he reads Easy Reader books and I hop in with words here and there.

And Ben hops in and repeats whatever we’re saying so as not to be left behind. *smile* Justice also loves to write, and we occasionally work on our “Letter Lessons,” memorizing character traits and verses.

Somewhere mid-afternoon the teens arrive back home. Dutch makes a quick turnaround to get back into town for wrestling practice. Heidi begins homework, or practices piano and rehearses for Anastasia, the current theater production. In the late-afternoon the boys and I clean up and I let them watch a short Lego video on the iPad while I gather my wits and start dinner.

Evenings

I’m grateful our days are slow because our evenings are pretty full. Tuesday nights Heidi and I head to Bible Study, then she takes a late-night ballet intensive class.

We don’t get home until almost 11pm, so it was a good thing I slept in! *wink*

Thank you for following along on our day. If you have any thoughts or questions about having Bigs and Littles, feel free to drop a line below!

My, how the days have changed:

• • 2024: Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 3-, 5-, 15-, and 17-year-old)
  • 2023: Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 2-, 4-, 13-, and 16-year-old)
  • 2022: Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 1-, 3-, 13-, and 15-year-old)
  • 2021:  Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a newborn, 2-, 11- and 14-year-old)
  • 2020: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 1-, 10-, and 13-year-old)
  • 2019: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5-month, 9- and 12-year old)
  • 2018: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 9-and 11-year-old)
  • 2017: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 7- and 10-year-old)
  • 2016: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 7- and 9-year-old)
  • 2015: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5- & 8-year-old)
  • 2014: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 4- & 7-year-old)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

A note from Jamie: While not technically a homeschooling day, this post provides a helpful look into an early childhood Waldorf classroom, largely based on a home atmosphere. Many popular homeschooling curricula spring out of this philosophy, so I greatly appreciate Sarah sharing her expertise with us!

It’s “Soup Day,” in my Waldorf kindergarten class. My assistant and I arrived early to don our aprons and prepare for the day. A basin full of water has been set on the table. Vegetable scrub brushes lay nearby.

A small wooden cutting board, wooden bowl and “crinkle cutter” have been set in front of each chair.

At 8:10, the teachers gather to read the morning verse. We end with Rudolf Steiner’s words, “Receive the children with reverence, educate them with love, let them go forth in freedom.” We are ready to start our day!

A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten

At 8:15, the children begin to arrive, each one proudly carrying a vegetable to add to our “stone soup.” Lucy brings a potato, Aidan brings a carrot. Frances brings broccoli, and Max a beet. It takes a village to make stone soup!

Each child finds her symbol above her hook – it might be a bunny, an apple, the moon, or a squirrel. She hangs up her coat, takes off her outdoor shoes and puts on the soft pair of slippers that is kept at school.

Children then put on a small apron and come to the table where I am seated to help chop vegetables. The conversation is lively as we chop. I begin to sing, “Stone soup, stone soup, cook a pot of stone soup,” as we work.

Photo by Sarah Baldwin

As each child finishes, he brings his bowl of chopped vegetables to my assistant, who adds them to the big pot on the stove. Now it is time to play!

Play Time

Free play is the heart of the morning in a Waldorf kindergarten, and the children waste no time. A trio dons silk capes and crowns, the leader declares “I’m the king, you’re the knight, and you’re the bishop!” They’re off to slay dragons.

One boy pulls out a log stump, and soon others are lined up to take turns jumping off it.

Photo by Sarah Baldwin

Another pair pulls out two wooden playstands, and begin draping them with silks and play cloths, fastening them with chunky wooden clips to create a cozy little home.

The two teachers finish lunch preparations, while two children set the table.

At 9:30 I sing:

Tick Tock goes the clock, what does it have to say?
Time for us to pick up our toys, and put them all away.

The children gradually transition from their play, and begin to fold silks, put shells and stones back in baskets, and move the playstands back to their places. We gather on the rug in the center of the room for circle time.

Circle Time

During circle time, I lead the class through a series of seasonal songs, verses, gestures and movement. The children imitate me. We repeat the same circle every day for two weeks, until the children know every song and gesture by heart, taking pleasure in their mastery.

We end circle with the following verse:

Now the sun has gone to bed,
The stars are shining overhead.
In their nests the birds all sleep,
Into their homes the snails will creep.
Children now no more will roam,
It’s rest time now and we’re safe in our home.

Rest Time

The children lie down on the rug for rest time. I sit in a rocking chair with one child on my lap, who gently strums my kinder lyre. The soothing notes of its pentatonic scale help create a restful mood.

When all are settled, the “wake-up fairy,” a silk marionette, comes to the resting children, one-by-one, to kiss them on the cheek and tell them it’s time to get ready to go outside.

Outside Time

We go outdoors every day – rain or shine, snow or mud. Living in Maine I’ve learned that it’s possible to enjoy being outside even on the coldest of days if one is dressed properly.

In the winter that means wool long underwear covered by lots of layers, down jackets, a warm wool hat and insulated mittens. In the spring (or, as it is known in Maine, “mud season”) it means rain pants and rain boots every day.

Out on the playground, a group of children dig tunnels in the sandbox, others climb a tree, some build fairy houses, a pair sit and talk on top of the big boulder making plans. I rake leaves.

At 11:15, I sing, “Come and follow, follow, follow, me!” The children line up like little ducks behind me as we make our way back to our warm and cozy classroom.

The children hang up their coats, put their slippers on and find a seat in the circle of chairs my assistant has set up. It’s story time!

Story Time

As with circle, I will tell the same story every day for two weeks. Today the children hear the story of “Mother Holle,” a Grimm’s fairy tale.

Throughout the year, the children will hear a variety of fairy tales, folk tales and nature stories (sometimes with puppets), which they listen to with rapt attention, never tiring of the repetition.

Lunch Time

Now it’s time for lunch! We sit at the table, light a candle and say the following verse:

Earth who gives to us this food,
Sun who makes it ripe and good,
Dearest Earth and Dearest Sun.
We’ll not forget what you have done.

And finally we get to enjoy our stone soup, which has been simmering on the stove all day. One lucky child finds the stone in her bowl and gets to make a wish. She then passes it to her neighbor, and all of us around the table will get to make a wish with the magic stone.

Photo by Douglas Mott

After lunch, two children help do the dishes, while the others get dressed to go back outside.

Goodbye

At 1:00, parents have arrived. Children, teachers and parents gather in a big circle, hold hands and sing:

Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye
Now is the time of day
When we all go our way
Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye

We’ll see each other again tomorrow on “Bread Day!”

Find all of Sarah’s Waldorf-inspired posts on Simple Homeschool here.

Are there any elements of my Waldorf kindergarten morning that are similar to your homeschool mornings? Any ideas you’ve gleaned here that you’d like to incorporate into your days? I’d love to hear!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Amber’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 9-,11-, 13-, and 15-year-old) ~ 
Written by Amber O’Neal Johnston from Heritage Mom

Two years ago, I was recuperating from a life-threatening illness.

Last year, I was caretaking for my sister as she bravely battled breast cancer.

This year, I intended to write about the bountiful and beautiful homeschool days we’d finally reclaimed.

Before I could even begin, my mom was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Thankfully, we’d just moved her across the country to be near us—what providence! Still, this week alone, I’ve spent at least four hours each day in doctors’ offices or hospitals for her outpatient procedures. I find myself constantly torn between being fully present as a homeschooling mom to my four children (ages 9 to 15) and a daughter determined to surround her mother with love and care.

I don’t claim to have figured out the balancing act, but I’m living both roles—messily, but faithfully.

Here’s a glimpse into a recent day when I happened to be home all day.

Amber’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 9-, 11-, 13- and 15-year-old)

5:30 AM: A Healthy Start

The alarm goes off early, and I head to the gym with my husband and our oldest. Recently, she’s developed a strong interest in health and wellness, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this passion with her. These early morning car rides provide rare, uninterrupted time for the three of us to connect.

After our workout, we return home around 7:00 AM, eat breakfast together, and she heads upstairs to shower and dive into her schoolwork. Many of her lessons are now online as she pursues dual enrollment credits, so my role is less hands-on teacher and more guidance counselor and cheerleader—a transition I’m savoring.

8:00 AM: Morning Hustle

The rest of the kids start waking up, drawn by the smell of piping hot oatmeal topped with bananas, strawberries, and cinnamon, plus scrambled eggs and toast. As they settle in, I read the Bible, lead a prayer, and dive into our morning time routine: hymn, poetry, picture study, and two read-alouds.

Morning time is the heart of our homeschool, anchoring us before the inevitable interruptions.

9:00 AM: Independent Lessons

After morning time, I go over math lessons with my 11- and 13-year-olds, who then work through their independent subjects. They pop in and out of the kitchen to ask questions or (more likely) pester each other. Meanwhile, I stay at the table with my 9-year-old.

Though he can now read his schoolbooks on his own—a huge milestone—he still likes me to be close by. With everything going on, he’s been clamoring for extra attention, and I’m happy to give it to him.

Midday: The Gift of Community

By late morning, my youngest two wrap up lessons, and they head outside to play with friends—three similarly-aged boys who recently moved in across the street. Homeschool recess is alive and well, no matter the weather!

Watching their friendships blossom has been a reminder of the beauty of community and “neighborly relations,” as old folks used to say.

While the boys are outside and the girls are immersed in personal projects—journaling, reading, sewing, or painting their nails—I grab a couple of hours to work on launch materials for my upcoming book, Soul School.

With its release just weeks away, this season is busier than usual, but it’s fulfilling to know this project will soon reach families everywhere.

4:00 PM: Dinner Prep

By late afternoon, as the kids wind down from their activities, I shift gears to focus on preparing dinner. I love cooking when I’m not rushed, so I’ve learned to start prepping dinner early. While chopping vegetables and gathering ingredients, I listen to gospel music. My husband eventually joins me in the kitchen after wrapping up in his home office.

I relish these moments of casual chatting as I transition to my evening chill mode.

Dinner is a simple but hearty meal—sweet potato and peanut soup and arugula salad. I’ve learned that food doesn’t have to be fancy to bring everyone to the table, and in our home, the dinner table is sacred.

6:00 PM: Family Dinner

We all gather around the table, sharing stories from the day. I listen as the kids talk about their lessons, the latest escapades in the neighborhood, or random musings about life. It’s my favorite part of the day—a chance to connect and laugh together.

After dinner, the kids rotate through their kitchen duties. Tonight, my 13-year-old is in charge of cleaning up. She’s blasting her favorite musical soundtrack, loudly singing along while scrubbing dishes.

It’s chaotic, and the volume is a bit overwhelming, but I love that she brings so much joy to even the most mundane tasks.

Evening Wind-Down

With the kitchen clean and the day winding down, the kids scatter to their own spaces. My younger two are playing Forbidden Island (afflink), my 13-year-old is sketching in her notebook, and my oldest is re-decorating her room. I sneak away to tidy my room, reset for tomorrow, and squeeze in a little planning for the week ahead.

Around 9:00 PM, I tuck in my youngest, curled up with his Kindle, and tell the older three goodnight. I used to be the one tucking everyone into bed, but now I’m often the first to call it a night.

Reflections Before Bed

As I climb into bed, my thoughts drift to the week’s challenges. Caring for my mom, homeschooling my kids, and keeping up with work as an author and speaker sometimes feels like juggling flaming swords. But as I look back on this day, I’m reminded that “normal” doesn’t mean easy or without trial.

Homeschooling isn’t an Instagram reel or a perfectly curated highlight.

It’s messy, imperfect, and real. It’s sitting down to math lessons while your heart is heavy with worry for your mom. It’s saying yes to extra cuddles from a child who needs your attention. It’s showing your kids how to sacrifice and love when life feels overwhelming.

I know I’ll look back on this season and see the lessons my kids learned about resilience, service, and the beauty of doing life together, no matter how chaotic it feels. So, I “count it all joy” and embrace this season for what it is—a chance to live out love and learning, one imperfect day at a time.

Encouragement for You

To the moms who feel like they’re at the frayed end of the rope, I see you. You’re not alone, and you’re doing an incredible job. We’ve got this, together.

Tomorrow’s another day, and we’ll rise to meet it—mess and all.

My, how the days have changed:

• 2023: Amber’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 7, 9, 11, & 13-year-old)
• 2024: Amber’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-year-old)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 5-, 15-, and 17-year-old) ~
Written by Kari Patterson

This is my 11th day-in-the-life post for Simple Homeschool! As I look back at the early years, one thought fills my mind:

I don’t regret a bit of the homeschool journey with my Bigs; I just wish I’d enjoyed it more.

Now my Bigs are restlessly scurrying about this nest, readying their wings.

Well, one is restlessly scurrying, asking how soon she can fly, the other is asking if he can have just a little more time before launch. (smile) 

Turns out, at two-years-apart, they’ll graduate the same year: yet another reason I love homeschooling.

As they prepare to launch, I do as well: Launch back into homeschooling, with our Littles. So with our Littles and our Bigs, here’s a bit of what one of our days might look like:

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 3-, 5-, 15-, and 17-year-old)

No more early mornings.

When our Bigs were Littles, we were early to bed and early to rise. Now nights are when we connect with our teens, and I wouldn’t trade that time for the world.

So morning alarms are a thing of the past.

Now I awake to the pitter-patter of small feet on the hardwood floors. They slip under my covers to snuggle. Is it morning time, Mama? There are no clocks in our room, so I tell the littles to go to the kitchen and check the time.

If it starts with a 7 then we can get up.

“It’s a Seven-One-Eight!”

And so we begin. They help me make my bed, and we head off for coffee, breakfast, getting dressed, Bible reading and prayer, chores, all the things. Eventually Heidi (15) shuffles out, dreamily smiling.

“Hey Loenig.”

I can’t keep track of all the nicknames she has for me, but MoaLoa, Glernick, and Loenig surface most often. I hug her and hear about her sleep and any late-night conversations she may have had, since she outlasts me every evening. If Dutch (17) hasn’t surfaced by 8:30am I send the little boys up to his room. They love being his alarm. (smile)

Morning

On Mondays the Bigs and I leave the house at 8am to attend a once-a-week school for homeschool teens where I teach Literature & Composition, and my husband Jeff teaches PE. On Tuesdays Heidi has a 7am Algebra class, and weekends require early-ish departures due to theater rehearsals and church classes, but Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays we can begin at a leisurely pace.

At this point, Dutch and Heidi do all their school on their own. Although this is technically Dutch’s third year of high school and Heidi’s first year of high school, we are adjusting their paces to allow them both to graduate in 2026.

We recently enrolled them in a Diploma Program through a local Christian Academy. This means we have an academic counselor who oversees Dutch & Heidi’s homeschool curriculum and transcripts, and they’ll both receive an official diploma from this academy.

So far it’s been amazing. I highly recommend getting help of this kind for high school homeschooling! 

Dutch also took his SATs this year, which was a great way for him to gauge his strengths and begin to think about possible college/major options.

Mornings are when the Bigs have their online classes. Together they take six classes through HSLDA online academy, then several other classes taught by me or studied independently.

The Littles and I do chores, play, and sometimes a little bit of “school” because Justice (5) asks for it. We do Letter Lessons and lots of various printed-off worksheets. Or color. Or read the Dr. Seuss anthology, the Usborne Illustrated Classics for Children, or the Usborne Illustrated Stories from the Greek Myths. (afflinks)

Without fail, Ben (3) will request one from each: “The Grinch,” “The Canterville Ghost,” and “The Minotaur.”

Afternoon

After lunch, the Bigs continue on school and the Littles usually ask to visit Papa. My dad lives next door, and it’s awesome to have him close by! They slip on shoes and coats and head out the door.

I call after them, “Remember, be a blessing!”

Now, I’ll admit, winter can be rough. A lot of dark, cold, rainy days. A lot of littles cooped up inside with nothing to do but roughhouse and whine for screen-time.

And because each day’s a bit different, I never know exactly when (or if) I’ll have a moment to myself. Some days I don’t, and I teeter on feeling like I might go insane. But on the days I do, I seize it!

If the Littles are off and the Bigs don’t need me, I pull on my puffer jacket, slip in my headphones, and head for a walk. I live for walks!

Even if it’s raining or in the winter, the fresh air feels so good and the worship music floods my mind and I find myself praying and musing and musing and praying, and peace settles over my soul once again and in less than an hour I feel like I might be okay after all.

Evenings

Mondays Dutch & Heidi have vocal and theater classes, Tuesdays I have Bible Study, Wednesdays Dutch & Heidi have Bible study, Thursdays we spend together as a family, Fridays Dutch & Heidi have theater rehearsals, and weekends are when we connect with friends or have someone over for dinner.

In other seasons, Dutch runs Cross-Country or Track with our local high school, so that fills his evenings and Saturdays. Heidi does theater year-round.

The littles don’t nap, which means they can go to bed promptly at 7pm (we start bedtime routine by 6:30), which frees us up for evening time with teens (when they’re not away at activities).

Our favorite ways to connect are Conversation Cards (Hygge and Talking Point versions are our favorites), playing dominoes or Nertz, relaxing in the hot tub, or watching specially-chosen-by-Dutch The Office clips. Then we read one chapter of the Bible together (we just finished Psalms and are in Proverbs now), talk about it, and pray.

I’m no night owl, but our evenings with those Bigs are priceless. These days we laugh alot, at each other and at ourselves, and talk a lot about their futures, where they see themselves headed, possible careers, relationships, their hopes, and the details of their daily challenges.

I see it as the greatest privilege that both teens let us so deeply into their lives.

And then every night Jeff and I drop into bed exhausted and exhale, “We did it.” A few moments later one of us usually says: “We have great kids.”

Each day has its challenges, but we both are so incredibly grateful God entrusted us with these four.

Thanks so much for following along today!

My, how the days have changed:

• • 2023: Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 2-, 4-, 13-, and 16-year-old)
  • 2022: Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 1-, 3-, 13-, and 15-year-old)
  • 2021:  Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a newborn, 2-, 11- and 14-year-old)
  • 2020: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 1-, 10-, and 13-year-old)
  • 2019: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5-month, 9- and 12-year old)
  • 2018: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 9-and 11-year-old)
  • 2017: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 7- and 10-year-old)
  • 2016: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 7- and 9-year-old)
  • 2015: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5- & 8-year-old)
  • 2014: Kari’s homeschool day in the life (with a 4- & 7-year-old)

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Colleen’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with an 11-, 14-, 16, and 21-year-old) ~
Written by Colleen Kessler of Raising Lifelong Learners

It’s eight a.m. and I just want to roll back over. It’s not like anyone else will be up anyway. 

But, it’s Thursday, and Thursdays are a little bit crazy these days, so I drag myself out of bed, and Daisy Mae (the three-year-old Border Collie who still thinks she’s a brand-new puppy) jumps around my legs before waiting patiently-ish at the top of the stairs until I get to the bottom and release her to follow. 

I let Daisy outside, call up to the younger two to get up and dressed, and bring Bellatrix LePug down with them so she can go outside, too. Bella sleeps on Logan’s bed, under her covers, curled behind the crook of her knee. Her favorite place to be is wherever I am, and her second favorite place is in a bed, snuggled up with whoever will let her sleep with them. 

Logan and Isaac reluctantly make their way downstairs, let Bella out to join Daisy and eat breakfast while my coffee brews. On Thursdays, they have their “Homeschooling with Horses” class, which is a wonderful two-hour program run by an incredible woman who unschooled her own kiddos (now adults) and opens her barn four days a week to homeschoolers while also running a nonprofit that provides equine therapy to veterans at no cost to them. If you’re local to northeast Ohio, let me know in the comments and I’ll pass along her information because she’s doing wonderful work and I’d love to send more people her way. 

The dogs come back in and the two kids and I go our separate ways to get ready to leave for class. I also make my first attempt at waking my 16-year-old for the day and go in to remind my 21-year-old that he needs to pick up the kids from the barn as I have an eye appointment to go to. One of the “costs” of being able to live here rent-free is that my adult child needs to act as a taxi if I need him to and he usually doesn’t complain about that as he knows how great he has it. 

He’s up and caffeinating, I’m ready to go, and so I give the younger two the 10-minute warning and attempt to get the 16-year-old up again. She might just be getting up this time… fingers crossed.

It’s 9:30 a.m. and we’re loading up the car. Time to get on with the craziness of the day. 

Our homeschool has always been busy, but it’s been a different kind of busy each year as we’ve learned and grown together. Some seasons have been full of co-ops and classes, some have been filled with therapies and appointments, and some have been a mixture. Now, in our fifteenth year, we have an eclectic mix that keeps me on the road with different kids each day, means lots of waiting around for me while one or two kids finish and activity and another works independently at home.

It’s pretty rare to find us all at home and working on projects simultaneously. I love that homeschooling gives us the freedom to make learning a part of our own unique lives, and not have to fit life in-between someone else’s prescribed schedule.

I drop the kids at the barn while the 16-year-old gets herself going at home. She’ll be working on some Shakespeare for both an audition she has coming up and an assignment from one of her teachers. My 21-year-old has a few freelance jobs he’s working on right now, so while I’m gone he’ll get started on one of those before he needs to leave to pick up his siblings for me. 

Trevor is an audio engineer who produces several podcasts (including mine), a videographer and editor who works for several clients regularly including a race car company and a local film school. He recently taught a special effects class to teens at that film school, and is slated for another class this fall. He’s always looking for more podcast and video clients, and spends time continuing to learn new tech skills. 

While Logan and Isaac are at horse class, and Trevor and Molly are at home, I head out to the eye doctor. I’m notoriously bad at remembering to schedule appointments for myself, and can’t miss this appointment. 

It’s 1:45 p.m.

Contacts are ordered, it’s been confirmed that my eyes are as old as they feel, and that I need to wear my reading glasses more when I look at my phone, computer, or books and papers. I definitely turned fifty this year, as my body keeps reminding me!

I’m home in time to get Molly set up on my computer to meet with her acting coach for their weekly lesson and check on her Shakespeare assignment. Logan and Isaac have actually done parts of the checklist I left for them, so I head over to check their math, handwriting, and language arts while Logan makes lunch and Trevor takes a Zoom call from a new client in his room. 

The dogs mill about, dropping toys at our feet, begging for food while we eat, and looking at us with sorrowful expressions when we ignore them and play a game of SET after lunch. Logan tells me about some of the cool things she learned about manta rays in the nonfiction reading she’s currently doing, and Isaac complained bitterly about the grammar and reading workbook I’m having him do each day. 

We’re pretty eclectic homeschoolers who lean pretty heavily towards unschooling and self-direction, but every once in awhile, I throw in something I know they need to work on. Isaac is definitely the baby of four strong-willed kids with big personalities, and he’s perfected ways of cutting corners. While he can read pretty well, he lacks stamina and attention for anything other than video games, and misses some key comprehension when he reads because he rushes through.

The workbook he’s doing is more about forcing him to slow down, read for meaning, and build stamina than any of the actual skills involved. And it’s working as he’s making fewer mistakes in all things he does, and he’s talking more about the books he’s choosing to read because he’s understanding more of the plots. 

It’s approaching 3:15 p.m. and we need to be pulling out of the driveway pretty much now in order to get Molly to rehearsal on time, so I grab my things, check in with Trevor, and remind Logan and Isaac to empty and load the dishwasher before I get back. Isaac gives me a thumbs-up as he’s on a call with his buddy from North Carolina. The boys have a standing weekly Zoom playdate where they game and chat together since they live so far from one another and they both struggle with motivation and ADHD.

It’s kind of like a carrot to get them each to follow through on their chores, school, and behavior throughout the week, and it works surprisingly well for both boys (and both of us moms!). Logan will remind him to get off in an hour when the timer signals. 

Molly and I head out the door pretty close to on time. 

She’s in a musical at an all-boys Catholic high school about 35 minutes away. It’s her second year in the program and she loves it. The groups of boys and girls (recruited from all over the area) are simply wonderful and the director and music director are two of the most incredible mentors I could ask for.

Today I get to drop her off and head back home. She’ll have rehearsal until 7:00 p.m. and then my husband will pick her up and head to her music school where she rehearses with her acapella group “Double Treble” until 10:00 p.m. 

My husband and I split the pick-up depending on what everyone else is doing. Some days I stay and work on my laptop in the lobby of the performing arts center and he heads home to take care of dinner and activities for the others. Some days he goes to the performing arts center to work in the shop, helping the crew design and build set pieces, while I do the dinner and evening activity thing.

And sometimes, we need to be in three different places and my oldest picks Molly up. I kind of miss the toddler, preschool, and elementary years where I got to choose the activities the kids did and I could lump them all together. With Molly taken care of and dropped safely at the school for rehearsal, I head back home.

It’s close to 5:00 p.m. when I get there, and Trevor’s gone. He had a meeting at the film school about an editing project they want him to do for a short film they’re working on. Logan and Isaac are playing Minecraft together, and I throw dinner together. 

We all clean it up together and scatter. 

Logan is working on organizing her room so that she can have a dedicated art space. She heads upstairs to keep working on that, but since I know her well, I am pretty sure she’ll get started and then lose herself in her drawing for the rest of the evening or she’ll go to put away a book, and “accidentally” start reading instead. Hours will go by and the room will stay unorganized.

Isaac has had enough screen time for the day, so he’s staging an epic (his words) battle with Star Wars and Harry Potter LEGO minifigures, Magnatiles, and sensory blocks. It’s pretty much taking over my kitchen table at this point, but I have some work to do, so I let it go. He’s engaged, being creative, and staying unplugged. 

I go to work. 

In July, I have a brand-new book coming out – The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners (afflink)– and just received the layout proofs from my publisher to approve.

It’s always amazing to me how much there is happening all at the same time during a book’s publishing process. Here we are, just getting the book into its preliminary layout format so I can look it over to make sure it’s visually appealing, and the publisher already has it listed in book catalogs and on websites!

I haven’t even had the chance to think about promoting it because I’m still in the throes of editing! (If you decide to reserve a preorder copy for yourself as it’s going to be GREAT, hang on to your digital receipt and keep an eye on my site because I’ll be announcing preorder bonuses soon, and you can grab those once they’re announced with a copy of your receipt!)  

Proofing is done for tonight, as I can only focus for a bit on it before my eyes start crossing, I give my kids a 30-minute warning to wrap things up because it’s bedtime, and I turn my attention to email. I’m terrible with my email and have (ahem) several thousand sitting in my inbox waiting for my attention. Thirty minutes later, and I’ve made a small dent. 

It’s 9:30 p.m. and while I know the kids won’t go to sleep, I send them up to brush their teeth, change, and head to their rooms. I do not hover, and can’t force active minds to sleep (including my own), so our rule is that the 14-year-old and 11-year-old need to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. They can read, journal, dream, or draw, but they need to be in bed and try to wind down in some way.

I go back to work. Since it’s quiet, I record a podcast episode and the three intros I forgot to record after the interviews I did last week. I also keep slogging away at my inbox and spend about an hour in The Learner’s Lab answering DMs and posts from members of my community. 

My husband and Molly get home around 10:30 p.m. and Brian heads straight upstairs to bed. While I’m recording, Molly is in the kitchen making herself a late dinner of stir-fried vegetables and Italian sausage. Late nights are her catch-up time where she’ll finish school work, do some chores, and do some reading before heading to bed.

Tonight, I work until about midnight. Trevor came home about the time I finished up and he and I talked for an hour about all sorts of things. I love those late-night conversations.

More often than not, you’ll find me chatting with either Molly or Trevor until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. in the kitchen or in my office. I love that we can take that time and not feel pressured to cut it off because of early starts. 

One of the greatest things about homeschooling is the relationships my kids have with each other and the ones I have with them.

We have time in the car to chat, over games at the kitchen table, and late at night while the house sleeps around us. I’m often having coffee in the morning while Isaac, who is our earliest riser, talks my ear off before everyone else gets up. 

Some days we have therapy appointments (anxiety is tricky, friends), voice lessons, acting classes, hip hop class, and other random classes we hear about and want to try out (like the intro to archery class we just took and loved). Some days are filled with work as both my girls are volunteer assistant teachers in several preschool classes each week. 

It’s eclectic, it’s ever-changing, and it’s ours.

My, how the days have changed:

• 2023: Colleen’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 10-, 13-, 15-, and 20-year-old)
• 2022: Colleen’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 9-, 12-, 14-, and 19-year-old)
• 2021: Colleen’s homeschool day in the life (with an 8-, 11-, 13-, and 18- year-old)
• 2020: Colleen’s homeschool day in the life (with a 7-, 10-, 12-, and 17-year-old)
• 2018: Colleen’s homeschool day in the life (with a 5-, 8-, 10-, and 15- year-old )

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!