A day in the life of Diane and Andrew and their two boys Sam (11) and Jon (8)
5:45 I’m awake with a wicked backache. Stiffly I shuffle out of bed and head to the kitchen to make a frothy cappuccino. I find great pleasure in enjoying my coffee and reading in a silent house and find myself waking up earlier and earlier to ensure this luxury.
6:30 The boys wander out, stark naked, and argue over who will use their bathroom and who will use mine. I let them work it out themselves and then realize they’ve decided to both use their bathroom (thank goodness) simultaneously. I holler for them to clean up any mess. They are responsible for cleaning around the toilet daily whereas I dash in there once a week for a thorough cleaning. Otherwise, I avoid their bathroom at all costs and instruct guests to do so as well. I start a load of laundry and feed the rabbits.
Jon wants cinnamon toast and orange juice WITH NO PULP. He seriously informs me, “There is something not right about chewing orange juice.” I solemnly agree with him. Sam pours cereal into his bowl and then attempts to pour from a freshly opened gallon jug of milk. He loses control and milk pours on the counter and down the cabinets. I handle this mess myself, knowing the repercussions of a bad milk cleanup. Jon does more talking than eating, today discussing and composing a song about his bangs. Yes, bangs….like in the hair that is on your forehead. Sam is irritated at this ongoing conversation and tells his brother, “You are so stupid.” Jon is unfazed and sings louder. I talk to Sam about respect for others. Finally, I tell Jon to eat. No more talking, no more singing. This makes Sam happy and he smirks at Jon. I let it go, picking my battles and ignoring others.
7:00. The boys play soccer in the living room with a soft squishy ball. It’s a noisy affair and I worry (as always) about breakage.
7:15 I instruct the boys to make their beds, brush their teeth, and comb their hair. They do this in relative harmony and emerge looking quite presentable. I compliment them on how nice they look.
7:30 It’s earlier than normal for our day to begin but since the boys seem settled, I start with Sam on his math after showing Jon what lesson he needs to do in Writing Strands. He plops on the floor and works quietly. Sam is using Singapore 5B but has difficulty with a story problem so I pull out 4B and do a bit of review and help him “draw” his word problem. The light clicks on and he returns to his 5B book and is able to complete the story problem without difficulty. We talk through the remainder of the problems until we are instructed to work in the workbook. I let him do this on his own.
Meanwhile I find Jon naked again but still writing furiously and let him be. Luckily we live in a year round warm climate and I’m not concerned with him getting cold.
8:15 Both boys finish at nearly the same time. Sam works on his Writing Strands assignment and I lead naked Jon to the table for math. He is quite adamant about not wanting clothes and once again I let him be. Sam’s mind is seemingly still on math and asks me what is covered in level 6. I grab the 6B book and open it randomly. “Here’s a question,” I tell him: “A printing machine takes 6 minutes to print 300 pages. How many pages can it print in 15 minutes ?” I close the book and Jon (the 8 year old) calmly says, “750.” Sam snorts but has a worried look on his face. I thumb through the book again trying to find the page, as I hadn’t even registered the question. Finally I find it and I’m dumbfounded that he figured it out correctly so quickly. I remind myself that I have to be careful in comparing their math skills. Jon and I work on lessons in 4A, multiplying fractions. Sam interrupts for help with his writing although I suspect his confidence is shaken by Jon’s ability and he mostly wants reassurance. I leave Jon to do his worksheet while I ooh and ahhh over Sam’s writing. Competition is sometimes fierce in this house and I’m ever working on down playing it.
9:00 Finished with math, Jon complains he’s still too hot and I tell him to go swimming. Sam immediately strips and they both make running dives into the pool. I sit outside while correcting their math. Snacks are served as the boys dry off and surprisingly they both get dressed.
9:30 Since we are planning a trip to Europe I’ve shifted our history lessons a bit to focus on various European countries. We are nearly to the end of a great King Arthur book when I get all teary eyed. The boys howl and are paying more attention to my tearing eyes than the story. Finally, my voice begins to break and I inform them I have to put the book down for a minute. I leave them wrestling and laughing on the bed while I regain my composure. I try again, only to find myself tearing up once more. They love it so I continue. Afterwards they write in their history journal. Both boys focus on my tears as the topic of their journal entries.
10:15 We work on art and ask the boys to draw a scene from our King Arthur story. With TWTM recommendation, I purchased Drawing With Children when I first started homeschooling. It has made a remarkable difference in my ability along with the abilities of the boys. We start by doing some of the warm-up exercises taken from the book and then they draw their castles, swords, etc. I deal with laundry, change the sheets on my bed and vacuum the pool. I return to find 120 art markers all over the table and floor. Jon did not have his mat under his paper and now the table is stained with marker. I foresee sanding and refinishing in my future.
11:15 I make the boys grilled cheese while they argue over how to arrange the markers in their box. I shout, “IT DOESN’T MATTER,” as the first sandwich is done. This presents a great uproar over who gets the first one. I cut it in half and offer them each half. They sulk but eat their sandwich as I make sandwich #2. I feel a headache coming on and it occurs to my I haven’t eaten a bite of food yet today. I make sandwich #3 and cut up an apple. Unfortunately, eight pieces don’t divide well into 3 even groups and they boys argue over who gets what. I holler, “IT DOESN’T MATTER, THERE ARE PLENTY OF APPLES.” I eat a banana and let them have four slices of apple each. I do more laundry while they do their dishes.
12:00 The boys each read for an hour. Sam complains incessantly that he currently doesn’t have a book he enjoys reading although there are dozens of unread books on his bookshelf. I offer to let him instead read reviews in a book called “Parents Guide to the Best Books for Children” and write me a list of books that he would like to borrow from the library or buy from the bookstore. I instruct him to write why he wants these books. He changes his mind and suddenly finds a book that he will read without complaint. I do laundry and now the guest bedroom looks like a teenage girl’s room. Clothes are everywhere and I begin to fold the household stuff and my own clothes.
1:00 I inform the boys that today is “Family Folding Day” and they have to fold and put away all their laundry. Jon decides he has grown “a couple of feet” and insists on trying on every piece of clothing to see if it still fits. At the end of 30 minutes, he has folded two shirts, but has numerous piles of varying sizes of clothing. He names the piles, “doesn’t fit,” “sorta fits,” “not gonna fit pretty soon,” and “fits but don’t like anymore.” I leave the piles, not wanting to deal with it right now. Sam has nicely folded his things and put them away. I thank God for giving me at least one neat and tidy kid.
1:30 Sam works on finishing a grammar exercise he started yesterday while I go over Jon’s new lesson. After a thorough explanation he feels ready to work on his own. We are using G.U.M. and the boys LOVE the fact based writings. Sam’s lesson talks about the Iditarod dog sled race and he asks me a million (or so it seems) questions I cannot answer. Frustrated that we can’t seem to get through this lesson I’m tempted to snap at him and tell him just to do his work and QUIT ASKING ME QUESTIONS! I walk away and finish folding the laundry and then return and offer to help Sam search the Internet on the Iditarod. We find a wealth of information that we both find fascinating. Sam prints several pages.
Jon has wandered away from G.U.M. with his lesson unfinished. Instead he is outside barefoot in the rabbit enclosure trying to feed them cheese. I holler for him to come back and finish his lesson and remove the cheese from the rabbit hutch. He walks across the white carpet (I know, I know) and I discover he has left rabbit poop all over my carpet. He starts to cry that it is stuck on his feet and in between his toes. Sam laughs uproariously which makes Jon cry harder. I grab the vacuum only to remember the last bag burst and I haven’t had time to buy new ones. Instead I ask the boys to help me pick up the little balls of rabbit poop. They join forces and tell me no. My headache is pounding and I pick up the poop alone, just wanting it off my carpet before it get smushed in for good. I send them both to separate rooms and instruct them not to emerge until they are finished with their grammar. Jon asks if he can come out if he has to use the bathroom. I tell him yes. Sam asks if he can come out if he has a question. I tell him yes. Jon asks if he can come out if the house is on fire. I tell him yes, walk away, and take Advil.
2:30 The boys are still in their rooms and should have been finished with their work long ago. I leave them be and sit and read over yet another science curriculum. Why is it so hard to find a comprehensive program I like? Their dad has promised to perform an experiment tonight out of the Backyard Science books.
2:45 The boys are finished and I look over their work and have them make a few corrections. Afterwards they play soccer in the living room (pool takes up most of the yard) and I lie down for 15 minutes trying to get my headache under control.
3:00 I give both boys their spelling tests and have them correct each other’s work. I’ve found this method teaches them double the words each week in a subtle way. Sam missed chrysanthemum (sp? Ha!) and is irritated that he doesn’t even know what a chrysanthemum looks like. I instruct him to look it up on the Internet and print me a picture. He returns, frustrated, that he couldn’t find anything. We return to the computer and I find he has misspelled chrysanthemum when using the search engine. AAARGH! I point out his error and leave him alone to try again.
3:15 Realizing there is nothing in the house to eat for dinner, we all head off to the grocery store. The boys run to the bakery for a free cookie while I’m hollering “This is not a playground.” Realizing I’m making more of a commotion than they are, I shut up and do my shopping.
3:45 Since neither of the boys have soccer practice, they join me in a run. We run at a slow steady pace in our neighborhood, covering a distance of 2.5 miles. Their stamina has increased dramatically since we started several months ago. They run with me twice a week. As we pass by our house, they return home, while I continue on for another 4 miles or so. It is my meditation, my 30 minutes of prayer, and my salvation. I return home hot, sweaty, and ready for a shower.
5:00 I prep for dinner while the boys play a card game. There are screeches of excitement and thwacks as cards are slapped on the table. Afterwards Sam heads to the rabbit enclosure and has a long conversation with his bunnies while Jon builds a Lego rocket.
6:00 Andrew returns home and entertains the boys while I finish making dinner.
6:30 During dinner Sam tells dad about the Iditorod and a grain of rice accidentally flies out of his mouth, landing in my water glass. Hysterical laughing ensues for the next 10 minutes. Jon makes an attempt to purposely spit a grain of rice in my glass and fearing a major food fight coming on, I get serious and shut down the playfulness. .
7:00 The boys (all three of them) do the dishes while I gather books and paraphernalia scattered around the house.
7:15 Andrew performs his experiment, something about pressure in the atmosphere, and collapses a large gas can. I hear the words “awesome” and “da bomb” several times. He patiently explains the science and has the boys write in their science notebooks.
8:00 Jon wants cereal for dessert, Sam nothing. When finished with his cereal, I send Jon to the bathroom to brush along with Sam. I figure they went in the pool today and don’t really need a bath.
8:30 Andrew generally handles bedtime, tickling their backs and telling them stories. It’s a bit of free time for me and I work on the following day’s lessons and check over their science notebooks.
9:00 I log onto the Internet, read the recent forum messages and get updated on the news at cnn.com. I answer my email and burn a music CD for Andrew.
10:30 I’m beat and slide into bed with limp legs and only a slight headache. I read the boys G.U.M. books to prepare myself for their next lessons. It’s the one subject I have the most difficulty with and requires the most prep time. I think I fall asleep with the light still on.
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