The Weingard family’s day, with three children aged 7 1/2, 6, and 3 1/2:
The night before – my sister-in-law calls to remind me that our new dog (Christmas present from her to Sarah) needs surgery in the morning (neutering) – so not to feed him after midnight.
7:00 – I get up an hour late because I went to bed way too late last night. I come downstairs, sit in my rocker, and read my Bible chapter for the morning. Then I log onto the internet and read the news.
7:30 – The kids trickle down one by one. I start a load of laundry and doing the dishes. David reads a new library book I borrowed last night. My sister calls and we share homeschooling thoughts. I chase the dog out of the basement before he heads for the cat litter box for a snack.
8:00 – Breakfast – cereal and orange juice for the kids since we have to take the dog to the vet. My father-in-law is the vet, but he lives an hour away, so I plan schoolwork to take in the car to spend the two hours drive up and back – books on tape (Arabian Nights and King Arthur), go over our memory work, review Latin vocabulary words, an art book for Abby to read in the car.
Over breakfast, we review the kids’ AWANA memorization and catechism questions. I read them a Bible passage and we discuss it.
8:30 – David practices his recorder while Abby goes upstairs to dress, make her bed, tidy her room and brush her teeth, taking Sarah with her to do the same with Abby’s help. I start removing Christmas décor from the family room and kitchen while in earshot of the recorder practice.
9:00 – Start math (Saxon 1) with David. Abby goes in to practice piano. Chase Sarah off piano bench. Give David worksheet to do, bring up another load of laundry, chase Sarah off piano bench. Fold laundry, answer math questions from kitchen, supervise Abby’s piano practice, chase Sarah off piano bench (all to the continual chant of “I can’t do it with her here!”
Finally, Abby finishes piano, heads upstairs with recorder to practice because David can’t concentrate anymore.
10:00 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music from family room floor before dog eats recorder. Abby starts math lesson with me (Saxon 2) while David dresses down to waist, then runs around in underwear because he can’t find any pants and his socks are too small. I march him upstairs and show him pants and socks. He comes down again and complains because he can’t tuck in his shirt.
10:30 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Quickly make my bed, grab some clothes, shower, bring up another load of laundry, call pharmacy to refill prescription. All the while ordering kids to get the dog’s blanket and toy and leash and put their coats and boots and mittens on.
10:45 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Get in the car. Listen to tape of Liszt music for Sarah (she’s learning the letter L this week). The kids sing me the alphabet song in Greek. Talk through a list of English monarchs from William the Conqueror through Elizabeth I. I put in story tape for Arabian Nights. Dog vomits on back seat, kids squeal in disgust, I pull over, pull dog out of the car, mop up back seat as much as possible and put a towel over it. Kids continue to squeal for several minutes. I get back in the car, drive on, get lost, (my husband usually drives up to the in-laws)getting later for our appointment, dog vomits again, this time on his blanket, stop car, mop up, turn around, take a deep breath and head in the other direction till something looks familiar.
12:00 – Arrive at clinic, take dog in, who promptly has an accident on the floor and steps in it. I now decide that we will skip earth science today and call our trip to the vet a science field trip. Tour hospital, visit the patients, Dad offers to let us watch operation. The kids get hungry and weepy, so we leave momentarily to get money at the ATM and lunch (after arguments from the back seat about the relative virtues of chicken nuggets from Burger King vs. McDonald’s). Drive through Burger King – David informs us it is really called Booger Fling because they fling boogers inside. While going through drive-through line, we review Latin vocabulary words. Get back to clinic, but our dog’s operation is all done, so we missed seeing it. Kids squeal in disgust over the bloody gauze around the table. I realize it was probably a good thing they didn’t see the whole operation.
1:30 – Back on the road, David and Sarah fall asleep, so Abby reads her book about Renoir and we listen to King Arthur stories on tape.
2:30 – Home again, dog is still doped up and I can’t get him out, so we all go in and I resolve to check on him till he revives. Start math again with Abby, who stops to sharpen her pencil, get a drink, go to the bathroom, get a sweat shirt, etc. Check on dog.
3:30 – I finally get the dog into the house and wash his blanket. Give Abby and David their math worksheets to finish.
4:00 – David takes spelling test on his previous day’s lesson and a pretest on today’s lesson and practices manuscript writing. Abby needs to finish her math.
4:15 – Decide we will have to skip copy work today and David’s language page (he’s working along in a phonics workbook to reinforce his reading till he finishes Spelling Workout A). My friend calls and asks me to drive her kids to AWANA tonight as she’s sick, so I agree. I suddenly remember I have nothing planned for dinner, so I grab spaghetti and salad fixings. I correct the kids’ work from last night (they do some of their worksheets with Dad at night) while David goes over the letter L with Sarah and her words and poem for the week. Meanwhile I’m administering spelling tests to Abby. David finishes with Sarah and so gets computer time playing a game.
4:30 – Abby complains that she feels sick, funny in the head, cold and pale. I take her temperature, which is normal, so we finish her spelling, during which I rush Sarah to the potty as she can’t turn on the light in the bathroom and is afraid of the dark, so she won’t go by herself.
4:45 – I correct Abby’s spelling, since she is not feeling well, I give her grammar lesson to read on the couch and then ask questions, and decide that we’ll have to skip cursive writing and dictation for today. She’s doing well writing, and I will dictate to her tomorrow, I guess. She wants to do her Bible study book, so I let her.
5:00 – Kids are free while I start dinner and put on Bach to relax. The laundry needs folding, I need groceries, and I’d love to finish undecorating. I decide I can do the groceries tomorrow night after I go to church for choir practice, so I’ll do laundry tonight while the kids are out. Abby calls me into the bathroom to see how big a strip of toilet paper is when it’s balled up. David’s still on the computer so I stop him. My husband calls and says he will be late, so I will eat with kids now, he will take them out, and I’ll use time they’re away to take the tree down and reduce the post-holiday letdown.
5:30 – Time to eat, David is told to take his fork out of his belly button. When he asks why, his older sister informs him that last time he did it he fell off his stool. I run up after eating to iron a patch on Sarah’s vest. I run down to kiss a boo-boo.
6:00 – I really get going on taking down the tree and other decorations. I lose track of the time.
6:45 – I realize my husband is still not home and the kids need to leave. I start running around wiping faces and hands and brushing hair, putting pants and socks back on and looking for shoes. My husband comes in just in time, and they go off.
7:00 – My best friend calls and we have a great chat while I finish folding the laundry. Christmas is officially over, the dog is sleeping peacefully, and it’s finally quiet here. Just another typical school day at our house!
The Weingard family’s day, with three children aged 7 1/2, 6, and 3 1/2:
The night before – my sister-in-law calls to remind me that our new dog (Christmas present from her to Sarah) needs surgery in the morning (neutering) – so not to feed him after midnight.
7:00 – I get up an hour late because I went to bed way too late last night. I come downstairs, sit in my rocker, and read my Bible chapter for the morning. Then I log onto the internet and read the news.
7:30 – The kids trickle down one by one. I start a load of laundry and doing the dishes. David reads a new library book I borrowed last night. My sister calls and we share homeschooling thoughts. I chase the dog out of the basement before he heads for the cat litter box for a snack.
8:00 – Breakfast – cereal and orange juice for the kids since we have to take the dog to the vet. My father-in-law is the vet, but he lives an hour away, so I plan schoolwork to take in the car to spend the two hours drive up and back – books on tape (Arabian Nights and King Arthur), go over our memory work, review Latin vocabulary words, an art book for Abby to read in the car.
Over breakfast, we review the kids’ AWANA memorization and catechism questions. I read them a Bible passage and we discuss it.
8:30 – David practices his recorder while Abby goes upstairs to dress, make her bed, tidy her room and brush her teeth, taking Sarah with her to do the same with Abby’s help. I start removing Christmas décor from the family room and kitchen while in earshot of the recorder practice.
9:00 – Start math (Saxon 1) with David. Abby goes in to practice piano. Chase Sarah off piano bench. Give David worksheet to do, bring up another load of laundry, chase Sarah off piano bench. Fold laundry, answer math questions from kitchen, supervise Abby’s piano practice, chase Sarah off piano bench (all to the continual chant of “I can’t do it with her here!”
Finally, Abby finishes piano, heads upstairs with recorder to practice because David can’t concentrate anymore.
10:00 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music from family room floor before dog eats recorder. Abby starts math lesson with me (Saxon 2) while David dresses down to waist, then runs around in underwear because he can’t find any pants and his socks are too small. I march him upstairs and show him pants and socks. He comes down again and complains because he can’t tuck in his shirt.
10:30 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Quickly make my bed, grab some clothes, shower, bring up another load of laundry, call pharmacy to refill prescription. All the while ordering kids to get the dog’s blanket and toy and leash and put their coats and boots and mittens on.
10:45 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Get in the car. Listen to tape of Liszt music for Sarah (she’s learning the letter L this week). The kids sing me the alphabet song in Greek. Talk through a list of English monarchs from William the Conqueror through Elizabeth I. I put in story tape for Arabian Nights. Dog vomits on back seat, kids squeal in disgust, I pull over, pull dog out of the car, mop up back seat as much as possible and put a towel over it. Kids continue to squeal for several minutes. I get back in the car, drive on, get lost, (my husband usually drives up to the in-laws)getting later for our appointment, dog vomits again, this time on his blanket, stop car, mop up, turn around, take a deep breath and head in the other direction till something looks familiar.
12:00 – Arrive at clinic, take dog in, who promptly has an accident on the floor and steps in it. I now decide that we will skip earth science today and call our trip to the vet a science field trip. Tour hospital, visit the patients, Dad offers to let us watch operation. The kids get hungry and weepy, so we leave momentarily to get money at the ATM and lunch (after arguments from the back seat about the relative virtues of chicken nuggets from Burger King vs. McDonald’s). Drive through Burger King – David informs us it is really called Booger Fling because they fling boogers inside. While going through drive-through line, we review Latin vocabulary words. Get back to clinic, but our dog’s operation is all done, so we missed seeing it. Kids squeal in disgust over the bloody gauze around the table. I realize it was probably a good thing they didn’t see the whole operation.
1:30 – Back on the road, David and Sarah fall asleep, so Abby reads her book about Renoir and we listen to King Arthur stories on tape.
2:30 – Home again, dog is still doped up and I can’t get him out, so we all go in and I resolve to check on him till he revives. Start math again with Abby, who stops to sharpen her pencil, get a drink, go to the bathroom, get a sweat shirt, etc. Check on dog.
3:30 – I finally get the dog into the house and wash his blanket. Give Abby and David their math worksheets to finish.
4:00 – David takes spelling test on his previous day’s lesson and a pretest on today’s lesson and practices manuscript writing. Abby needs to finish her math.
4:15 – Decide we will have to skip copy work today and David’s language page (he’s working along in a phonics workbook to reinforce his reading till he finishes Spelling Workout A). My friend calls and asks me to drive her kids to AWANA tonight as she’s sick, so I agree. I suddenly remember I have nothing planned for dinner, so I grab spaghetti and salad fixings. I correct the kids’ work from last night (they do some of their worksheets with Dad at night) while David goes over the letter L with Sarah and her words and poem for the week. Meanwhile I’m administering spelling tests to Abby. David finishes with Sarah and so gets computer time playing a game.
4:30 – Abby complains that she feels sick, funny in the head, cold and pale. I take her temperature, which is normal, so we finish her spelling, during which I rush Sarah to the potty as she can’t turn on the light in the bathroom and is afraid of the dark, so she won’t go by herself.
4:45 – I correct Abby’s spelling, since she is not feeling well, I give her grammar lesson to read on the couch and then ask questions, and decide that we’ll have to skip cursive writing and dictation for today. She’s doing well writing, and I will dictate to her tomorrow, I guess. She wants to do her Bible study book, so I let her.
5:00 – Kids are free while I start dinner and put on Bach to relax. The laundry needs folding, I need groceries, and I’d love to finish undecorating. I decide I can do the groceries tomorrow night after I go to church for choir practice, so I’ll do laundry tonight while the kids are out. Abby calls me into the bathroom to see how big a strip of toilet paper is when it’s balled up. David’s still on the computer so I stop him. My husband calls and says he will be late, so I will eat with kids now, he will take them out, and I’ll use time they’re away to take the tree down and reduce the post-holiday letdown.
5:30 – Time to eat, David is told to take his fork out of his belly button. When he asks why, his older sister informs him that last time he did it he fell off his stool. I run up after eating to iron a patch on Sarah’s vest. I run down to kiss a boo-boo.
6:00 – I really get going on taking down the tree and other decorations. I lose track of the time.
6:45 – I realize my husband is still not home and the kids need to leave. I start running around wiping faces and hands and brushing hair, putting pants and socks back on and looking for shoes. My husband comes in just in time, and they go off.
7:00 – My best friend calls and we have a great chat while I finish folding the laundry. Christmas is officially over, the dog is sleeping peacefully, and it’s finally quiet here. Just another typical school day at our house!
The Weingard family’s day, with three children aged 7 1/2, 6, and 3 1/2:
The night before – my sister-in-law calls to remind me that our new dog (Christmas present from her to Sarah) needs surgery in the morning (neutering) – so not to feed him after midnight.
7:00 – I get up an hour late because I went to bed way too late last night. I come downstairs, sit in my rocker, and read my Bible chapter for the morning. Then I log onto the internet and read the news.
7:30 – The kids trickle down one by one. I start a load of laundry and doing the dishes. David reads a new library book I borrowed last night. My sister calls and we share homeschooling thoughts. I chase the dog out of the basement before he heads for the cat litter box for a snack.
8:00 – Breakfast – cereal and orange juice for the kids since we have to take the dog to the vet. My father-in-law is the vet, but he lives an hour away, so I plan schoolwork to take in the car to spend the two hours drive up and back – books on tape (Arabian Nights and King Arthur), go over our memory work, review Latin vocabulary words, an art book for Abby to read in the car.
Over breakfast, we review the kids’ AWANA memorization and catechism questions. I read them a Bible passage and we discuss it.
8:30 – David practices his recorder while Abby goes upstairs to dress, make her bed, tidy her room and brush her teeth, taking Sarah with her to do the same with Abby’s help. I start removing Christmas décor from the family room and kitchen while in earshot of the recorder practice.
9:00 – Start math (Saxon 1) with David. Abby goes in to practice piano. Chase Sarah off piano bench. Give David worksheet to do, bring up another load of laundry, chase Sarah off piano bench. Fold laundry, answer math questions from kitchen, supervise Abby’s piano practice, chase Sarah off piano bench (all to the continual chant of “I can’t do it with her here!”
Finally, Abby finishes piano, heads upstairs with recorder to practice because David can’t concentrate anymore.
10:00 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music from family room floor before dog eats recorder. Abby starts math lesson with me (Saxon 2) while David dresses down to waist, then runs around in underwear because he can’t find any pants and his socks are too small. I march him upstairs and show him pants and socks. He comes down again and complains because he can’t tuck in his shirt.
10:30 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Quickly make my bed, grab some clothes, shower, bring up another load of laundry, call pharmacy to refill prescription. All the while ordering kids to get the dog’s blanket and toy and leash and put their coats and boots and mittens on.
10:45 – Ask Abby to pick up her recorder and music. Get in the car. Listen to tape of Liszt music for Sarah (she’s learning the letter L this week). The kids sing me the alphabet song in Greek. Talk through a list of English monarchs from William the Conqueror through Elizabeth I. I put in story tape for Arabian Nights. Dog vomits on back seat, kids squeal in disgust, I pull over, pull dog out of the car, mop up back seat as much as possible and put a towel over it. Kids continue to squeal for several minutes. I get back in the car, drive on, get lost, (my husband usually drives up to the in-laws)getting later for our appointment, dog vomits again, this time on his blanket, stop car, mop up, turn around, take a deep breath and head in the other direction till something looks familiar.
12:00 – Arrive at clinic, take dog in, who promptly has an accident on the floor and steps in it. I now decide that we will skip earth science today and call our trip to the vet a science field trip. Tour hospital, visit the patients, Dad offers to let us watch operation. The kids get hungry and weepy, so we leave momentarily to get money at the ATM and lunch (after arguments from the back seat about the relative virtues of chicken nuggets from Burger King vs. McDonald’s). Drive through Burger King – David informs us it is really called Booger Fling because they fling boogers inside. While going through drive-through line, we review Latin vocabulary words. Get back to clinic, but our dog’s operation is all done, so we missed seeing it. Kids squeal in disgust over the bloody gauze around the table. I realize it was probably a good thing they didn’t see the whole operation.
1:30 – Back on the road, David and Sarah fall asleep, so Abby reads her book about Renoir and we listen to King Arthur stories on tape.
2:30 – Home again, dog is still doped up and I can’t get him out, so we all go in and I resolve to check on him till he revives. Start math again with Abby, who stops to sharpen her pencil, get a drink, go to the bathroom, get a sweat shirt, etc. Check on dog.
3:30 – I finally get the dog into the house and wash his blanket. Give Abby and David their math worksheets to finish.
4:00 – David takes spelling test on his previous day’s lesson and a pretest on today’s lesson and practices manuscript writing. Abby needs to finish her math.
4:15 – Decide we will have to skip copy work today and David’s language page (he’s working along in a phonics workbook to reinforce his reading till he finishes Spelling Workout A). My friend calls and asks me to drive her kids to AWANA tonight as she’s sick, so I agree. I suddenly remember I have nothing planned for dinner, so I grab spaghetti and salad fixings. I correct the kids’ work from last night (they do some of their worksheets with Dad at night) while David goes over the letter L with Sarah and her words and poem for the week. Meanwhile I’m administering spelling tests to Abby. David finishes with Sarah and so gets computer time playing a game.
4:30 – Abby complains that she feels sick, funny in the head, cold and pale. I take her temperature, which is normal, so we finish her spelling, during which I rush Sarah to the potty as she can’t turn on the light in the bathroom and is afraid of the dark, so she won’t go by herself.
4:45 – I correct Abby’s spelling, since she is not feeling well, I give her grammar lesson to read on the couch and then ask questions, and decide that we’ll have to skip cursive writing and dictation for today. She’s doing well writing, and I will dictate to her tomorrow, I guess. She wants to do her Bible study book, so I let her.
5:00 – Kids are free while I start dinner and put on Bach to relax. The laundry needs folding, I need groceries, and I’d love to finish undecorating. I decide I can do the groceries tomorrow night after I go to church for choir practice, so I’ll do laundry tonight while the kids are out. Abby calls me into the bathroom to see how big a strip of toilet paper is when it’s balled up. David’s still on the computer so I stop him. My husband calls and says he will be late, so I will eat with kids now, he will take them out, and I’ll use time they’re away to take the tree down and reduce the post-holiday letdown.
5:30 – Time to eat, David is told to take his fork out of his belly button. When he asks why, his older sister informs him that last time he did it he fell off his stool. I run up after eating to iron a patch on Sarah’s vest. I run down to kiss a boo-boo.
6:00 – I really get going on taking down the tree and other decorations. I lose track of the time.
6:45 – I realize my husband is still not home and the kids need to leave. I start running around wiping faces and hands and brushing hair, putting pants and socks back on and looking for shoes. My husband comes in just in time, and they go off.
7:00 – My best friend calls and we have a great chat while I finish folding the laundry. Christmas is officially over, the dog is sleeping peacefully, and it’s finally quiet here. Just another typical school day at our house!
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