A Typical Day in the Life of Happy Homeschool and Special Needs Mom

_{Today I’m sharing my first-ever “day in the life” post. Though I’ve always enjoyed reading this style of post from others, I’ve never written one myself, so I hope you enjoy this peek into my life and that it encourages you in yours. Every day is different for our family; just like in your family, we have good days and bad, and often our days are a mix of both!}  

In case we haven’t met before, here’s a little introduction to our family, which includes my husband Paul, me, and our four energetic and incredible boys, ages 7, 10, 14, and 15. My oldest and youngest both have autism, and my third son has a congenital heart condition.

Paul is a pastor and also runs our family business, so he works long hours, but he also has flexible scheduling, which is a huge help as he’s the main one who gets the boys to their daily appointments. I am at home full time, and homeschool our children. I’m glad you’re here! Come along and join me – but hurry, the day is about to start!

6:50 My alarm goes off, but I’ve already been awake for a while. My brain was in overdrive last night, and I didn’t sleep well, so although I’m awake, my body cries out that it can’t possibly be morning time already. I hit the snooze.

6:59 This time, I turn my alarm off and sit up. As hard as it is to get out of bed, I cherish quiet time in the morning, and as of now, everyone else is still sleeping. If all goes well, I may have the house to myself for a little while. That thought motivates me, and my feet hit the floor. (Many times, my youngest is already toddling into my room by now, so a morning to myself is something I never take for granted.)

7:20 Dressed for the day, I head to the kitchen, where I grind coffee beans and start the coffee brewing. While I wait for it, I start a load of laundry (I’m so thankful for my laundry room, which is right off the kitchen), then head outside to the garage to grab a new jug of milk, meat for dinner, and some pieces of kindling to start a fire in our woodstove. I glance up and catch a glimpse of a stunning sunrise before scurrying back into the warmth of the house.

7:30 It’s late March and the mornings are still chilly enough for a fire to be welcome, which I’m happy about. I start a cheery fire in the stove, then head back to the kitchen, where the coffee is ready. I heat milk in the microwave, then foam it. Happily, there is still some leftover quiche in the fridge, and I reheat that for my breakfast.

7:45 Amazingly, the house is still quiet. I carry my coffee and quiche to the couch by the woodstove and sit down to open my Bible. Right now, I am working through a devotional Bible study on hospitality, an area that I want to grow better in.

8:10 The extra quiet this morning has been lovely, but it’s time to make sure that everyone is up and getting ready for the day. I slip my Bible back in its case just as I hear the pitter-patter of little feet across the wooden floor. It’s my youngest, awake and ready for snuggles.

8:25 I help my son get ready for the day and prepare him breakfast. Because of his special needs, he isn’t potty trained yet, and still needs help getting dressed. He goes to school three mornings a week for one-on-one services, and this morning is one of them. While I am helping him, my other children complete their morning routines, which include making their beds and tidying their rooms, emptying the dishwasher, carrying out the trash, and Bible time.

8:55 Paul leaves to take our son to school, which is just a few minutes’ drive away – such a blessing!  After they leave, I check my email and delete several promotional emails that came in overnight. I remember that we needed more disposable briefs for my son, so I call the medical equipment provider and place an order. They’ll ship them right to our door, which is another blessing!

9:05 I head upstairs to finish getting ready for the day, and I listen to the Bible on the Dwell app while I do. Before I head back downstairs, I check that the kids have all made their beds and tidied up their rooms (one or two of them have a couple of things to fix!). Then I head downstairs to the laundry room, put the now-clean clothes in the dryer, and start a new load of washing. I try not to do laundry on Sundays, so since this is a Monday, I’ve got extra laundry to do today. On top of that, springtime = mud everywhere, so the boys have been going through a lot of extra clothes.

9:25 I sit down at the school table, aka our dining room table, and tidy things up a bit. I remind my boys about the time – we start school at 9:30. Chores, Bible reading, and breakfast need to be done by then. Breakfast comes last, because they all need a little motivation to keep on track!

9:35 Everyone gathers at the table, and we get started. We open with singing our hymn for the week, our Scripture memorization, and prayer. Although this may sound idyllic, there are plenty of mornings when this rhythm is a struggle… squabbles, poor attitudes, playful cats causing big distractions. There are times when I want to give up in defeat, and yet, I know that is just what the Enemy of our family wants, so I pray for grace and strength to press on when those types of mornings happen. Today, though, we have a good morning: everyone is singing, and we take turns praying, thanking God for one thing and asking him for one need. Once we finish our opening exercises, we move on to history. We do this as a group subject, and it is my favorite part of the school day (my kids seem to really enjoy learning history, too!).

11:50 Paul brings our youngest home after picking him up from school, then returns to work. My son climbs up on my lap and finishes the school morning with the rest of us. By now, we are just finishing up science (also a group subject).

12:00 I dismiss my two middle sons to play outside until lunch. I have some one-on-one time with my oldest, who needs a lot of extra help with his academics. He receives services through our local high school for one hour, three afternoons a week, where he works on life skills, and we do his math and reading at home. He finishes up, hurries outside, and then I finish making the assignments my two middle boys will complete this afternoon.

12:50 I heat some leftovers for lunch, switch a load of laundry, and start frozen Rhodes Rolls rising for supper. I’m truly thankful for modern conveniences and semi-homemade food that makes meal prep so much easier!

1:05 Lunch is ready. We sit down together as a family. It’s a blessing that Paul can be home for lunch almost every day, including today. I miss him when he is out working on a job and can’t be home for a meal.

1:50 Lunch is finished, and the kids head back outside to play for a few minutes before starting their quiet time and afternoon schoolwork. I scan through my email again and read Substack for a few minutes.

2:00 I open the kitchen cupboard under the sink to throw away some garbage, and scream as a mouse darts behind the trash can. Paul is just getting ready to head back to work, but I call him to come see. Sure enough, we notice a spot where the mouse has chewed through the insulation around a pipe leading to the dishwasher. Apparently, he has made himself right at home: he’s got a garbage can full of tasty food scraps and a warm place to sleep behind the dishwasher. What more could a house mouse wish for?! Eww! I promptly set a trap.

2:15 Now that my heart rate has returned to normal, I call the boys in from the yard. I go over the afternoon assignments with them, and order an audiobook that we need for school.

2:30 It’s quiet time now, or at least it is supposed to be. After a few false starts, everyone finally settles into their rooms to get their stuff done. Once they have finished their assignments, they can read or play until quiet time is done. My youngest hangs out with me so his brother, who shares a room with him, can focus on his math and writing.

2:45 I make a phone call to schedule my children’s annual pediatrician visit. We travel a couple of hours to get to her clinic, so I like to schedule them for back-to-back appointments. The first available appointment block is three months out, so I am glad I called when I did!

2:55 My ten-year-old comes to me with a question about his math. I help him, and then print him off some multiplication practice sheets and a chart. One of the best parts about homeschooling is that we can slow down and work on reinforcing a concept that the student is finding difficult. Each child can work at their own pace, whether that means slowing down to do lots of extra practice on a concept or working ahead when something is easy.

3:15 I switch laundry loads again. The load I take out of the dryer is the kitchen towels and dishcloths, and my youngest helps me fold them. I‘m pleasantly surprised to see what a careful job he does folding the smaller items!

3:30 Quiet time is done, and the three oldest head outside. One of my sisters calls – we haven’t talked on the phone in several weeks and have lots of catching up to do. We both pop in earbuds so we can catch up with each other while we get things done. While I talk, I sweep up clumps of mud that someone tracked through the porch and kitchen earlier. Then, my youngest wants to go outside, and since it turned out to be such a warm afternoon, we slip on our jackets and go out to the yard. I continue chatting with my sister while my son and I play on the trampoline. Mostly, he wants me to sit while he tries to bounce me, so that works out okay!

5:10 I’m still outside when I suddenly remember that the rolls are ready to go into the oven. I run inside, heat the oven, put them in, set the timer on my phone, and head back outside to check on the kids. They’ve decided to build themselves teepees in the backyard with old sheets I’ve saved or thrifted for just such a purpose. One of my sons comes out with another armload of sheets…I do a check and find that three of them are indeed old sheets, but one is part of a good set. I promptly remove that one from the pile and take it back to where it belongs. 😊

5:25 I start an old candle melting on the stove top warmer because I need to make some more fire starters for the woodstove. I work on that while I’m in the kitchen doing supper prep. I use tiny paper soufflé cups and sawdust that my husband set aside for me.  It’s a fun and quick project, and it feels good to save a little money by making my own instead of buying expensive ones at a store.

5:50 The rolls are done; I take them out of the oven, adjust the heat, and pop in a pan of chicken filets. From my kitchen window, I watch the boys playing in the yard; they are all having fun and getting along. I breathe a prayer of thanks.

6:10 Supper is ready! The kids ask if they can eat supper outside in their newly constructed teepees, and since supper is chicken sandwiches and the day is still warm, it’s a definite yes. Out go 8 sandwiches and a container of veggies.

6:20 Paul and I sit down for supper alone. It feels like a mini date – for all of eight minutes. I realize I made the mistake of sending the kids’ food out too soon, and they are already back inside, looking for more. I give them some more food and shoo the older kids back outside, but my youngest stays inside. He’s hoping for a brownie, but we have none. He settles for ice cream with a little melted Nutella on top.

7:20 Everyone is inside now. Of course, the older boys want ice cream now after hearing that their little brother got some. They eat their ice cream happily and get started on their evening chores, maybe not quite as happily as they ate their dessert. Our goal is to read the Bible and a devotional together as a family each evening after supper, but we missed it tonight because the kids ate outside and stayed out later than usual.

7:45 I get all the kids’ vitamins and meds ready. Having this as an established part of our bedtime routine ensures that I don’t accidentally forget to give them. Then I switch another load of laundry and head upstairs with the two youngest boys to start getting ready for bed. My second youngest wants to go back downstairs to see what Daddy and the big boys are up to, so my youngest lies down on my bed. I turn his favorite music on and head to the shower. While I shower, I listen to a mini documentary about Helen Keller on YouTube.

9:00 My youngest is now fast asleep, so I carry him to his bed while asking myself, “Who needs a gym when you can carry 58-pound sleeping children around and lift them to their top bunk bed smoothly enough so they stay asleep?!”

9:10 I make my way back downstairs to put the last load of laundry from the washer into the dryer. Whew! The laundry is finally caught up – until tomorrow! I walk past the couch where Paul and the boys are watching a YouTube construction how-to together. I love that my boys are so interested in learning about building things, but I remind them that it’s past bedtime – our goal is everyone in their rooms between 8:30 and 9, and then they can read or listen to an audiobook until 9:30. 

9:30 I crawl into bed and open a book. I’m reading through the book The Christian Storyteller, and I’ve been enjoying it. Oftentimes, I write for a while in the evenings, but tonight I only have energy for reading.

10:15 I do one last pass through my sons’ rooms to make sure everyone is sleeping. My oldest son is a real night owl, and getting him settled into his room for the night can be a challenge! He’s still awake, but his light is out, and he’s listening to some quiet music, which is often helpful in calming him and helping him feel ready to sleep.

10:30 It’s lights out for the parents, too! As I fall asleep, my thoughts trace back through the day. Today was a really good day, and I know I am blessed. Tomorrow may be another good day, or it may be a day full of one difficulty after another. But if it is, God will give me the grace for it. Tonight, it is enough to know that I am secure in the Lord’s care, and that he will provide for me again tomorrow as he has today.

Note #1: That wily mouse evaded capture for three days…but never fear, I did eventually outsmart him. Now I hope that he didn’t tell all his friends and cousins about his amazing home.

Note #2: Two days after I recorded this “day in my life”, my kids got sick, and we had several rough days in a row. Looking back, I am extra grateful for the days that God gives us to recharge in between the extra difficult days. To me, that is a reminder of God’s kindness and his heart for mothers and their children (see Isaiah 40:11).