Hi! I’m Ashley W. from Parkersburg, WV! I’ve been a homeschooling mom for 3 years now. I also help manage my husband’s medical practice and currently, I’m pursuing my masters degree.

My oldest is 6 and my youngest will be 5 in August.

Easton, 6 , loves space and trains and planes. Maddie, 4 , loves makeup and dancing.

We have 2 dogs, a cat, a hamster, and a bunch of fish!

Our Morning:

We’re not morning people, so our mornings start slowly. I usually do some quick cleaning and laundry while the kids are slowly waking up.

The kids clean their room and pick up clothes right after breakfast.

I usually try to get school stuff ready mid-morning and start preparing them by saying that in 5-10 minutes, one of them will start school. Sometimes I have a volunteer, sometimes I have whiners who don’t want to do anything. I let them have control over what they do first and second and so on, that way they have some control over their work. I still have to sit with both of them to do work, and I haven’t figured out how to do both at once, so I usually have one playing or doing ABC Mouse while the other is doing paper work.

Usually we do 3 subjects and then break for lunch.

Our Afternoon:

After lunch, I start on the next child, once again, letting them control what work they do first.

We usually go to the store once a week, which completely exhausts me, so I try to make sure that all school stuff is done. Sometimes we’re just too tired to complete work, so I’ll tack it onto my list for tomorrow.

I still have them do some work in the summer so we don’t have to spend a month or two re-learning.

Our Evening:

Evening is our family time. No school work in the evening unless something has come up during the day.

The kids play with Daddy while I make dinner…or decide what fast food we’re going to eat. Haha! I’d love to be one of those moms that cooks every day, but let’s face it; by the time we’ve done school and cleaned up, I’m tired!!

We usually end the day with baths…and I try my hardest to read to the kids. It doesn’t happen every night… but I’m trying! They also get TV/iPad time.

We try to do family activities while my husband is home and less workbook-based learning.

Just for Fun:

Both kids play soccer.

Maddie is in dance, which has helped her come out of her shell tremendously.

They are also both involved in our church AWANA program and the summer reading program at our local library. We did a homeschool co-op this past year, but I don’t think we’re going to do it this year. The material they were going over seemed a little too easy for them.

Our daily routine is a rush during soccer season. I’m hoping I can keep my kids as one or two sport kids because I don’t want to spend the next 12 years driving them from practice to practice. Soccer season means fast food dinners frequently and going straight from dance class to soccer.

Our homeschool co-op is only for a couple hours on Friday during the school year. It was nice to have somewhere to go, but some Fridays it would have been nice to just be lazy. I could have missed days, but I’m one of those people that once I start something, I hate missing!

Hi! My name is Crystal. I am a homeschooling mom to twin boys and homeschool a friend’s daughter as well. We are currently doing the preschool curriculum.

Xavier and Xander are both 3.5 and Rennie is our friend who is almost 3.

We have 2 dogs we love so much. One is a chiweenie named Chica who thinks she’s a pitbull, and we have pitbull named Chase who thinks he’s a chiweenie.

My husband Jason works overnights at a steel mill so we try to spend as much time with him as we can when he’s off on the weekends.

Our Morning:

Today we slept in until 10:00 am. Then the kiddos had Trix for breakfast and Mommy had Frosted Flakes.

We started our school at 10:30 using Timberdoodle and some outside learn-to-read books.

We then went on a field trip to the park since we are expecting a tropical storm tonight followed by nasty weather for the next week or so. We had so much fun learning about David Burnett at the park.

We haven’t gotten around to chores yet but usually it’s a battle to get twin boys to help clean. LOL.

Our Afternoon:

For lunch we went to Casa Ole to eat after the park.

Now we are coloring pictures for Daddy to take to work and decorate his work-space.

Gammy is here helping keep our minds off the tropical storm coming. Later we are going to learn about storms and how they effect us.

Our Evening:

For dinner tonight we are going to cook Hamburger Helper and make a salad. The boys are going to help Mommy cook, learning to pour the ingredients in and stir.

We will watch a movie later to wind down and get ready for bed.

At bedtime we are going to read our personalized story book.

Just for Fun:

We belong to a group of homeschoolers in our area. We like to meet up at the zoo or parks or museums for some interaction with other kiddos.

Xander also has occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy every week which makes a schedule very important. On days we don’t have therapy, like today, we like to sleep in and stretch school out taking lots of breaks for fun.

Hi! I’m Desiree of Whidbey Island. We have a small farm with donkeys, horses, pigs, chickens. My husband is a Boeing manager, and my twin sons are 17.

Our Morning:

We get up around 6:00, feed the livestock, and have a quiet breakfast of apples and almond butter, pancakes, or oatmeal.

We usually start schoolwork around 9:00. While one boy works on writing/literature, the other one works with me on math. We do science and Bible study together.

Our Afternoon:

We try to have most of the schoolwork done by 1:00 or 2:00, then have time for independent reading or projects, working with the animals, or horse riding.

Often in the spring and fall the boys work on other people’s farms doing light construction, land clearing, wood chopping, etc. Other times, they’ll spend time building out of Lego or playing airsoft with friends.

Our Evening:

Typically, the boys make a dessert (especially homemade pies) while I make dinner with local beef or our own pork. We always have dinner together as a family, then feed the livestock.

Afterwards, we might go to the beach, watch a movie, read, or spend time on our hobbies.

Just for Fun:

We are very active in 4-H. We’ve raised and competed with alpacas, horses, cattle, and swine, as well as been involved in the Teen Leadership club. Both boys also volunteer at a local ranch that provides horse- and cowboy-related activities for disabled children.

Hello! I’m Charissa, a homeschooling mom. My husband is a underground driller. Our son is Jorissen is almost 4 and on the autism spectrum. We also have a 5-month-old lab puppy. We all love things outdoors!

Our Morning:

We wake up and have breakfast. Usually it’s as simple as cereal.

We do our daily chores then head right into morning basket. In our morning basket is Bible, Hooked on Phonics, read alouds and What Your Preschooler Needs to Know.

We do our all our school work before lunch.

Our Afternoon:

For lunch we either pack a lunch to take out or have something at home.

Wednesdays are always wet Wednesdays and we head to the splash, while Thursday is library.

Our Evening:

Evening is always the biggest meal we have all together. We always ask the best part of the day as well as what we learned for the day.

Just for Fun:

We do a co-op twice a week in he afternoon. We aren’t old enough for sports until the spring.

Check Out Our Timberdoodle Unboxing on YouTube:

We’ve got Dad, who fixes office machines anywhere from Canada to Wyoming.

Then Mom, who is happiest drinking coffee and having everyone either napping or working in the dining room which is our school room and rarely used to actually eat in.

Snickerdoodle is the first born and is almost 3. She enjoys gymnastics, tea parties, and playing in the sprinklers.

HoneyBunch is the baby at 15 months old. She enjoys sitting on her sister’s toys, water in any form, and eating.

Hiding under the table can be found Rowdy, our border collie mix who is happy for messy eaters and playing tag.

Our Morning:

Mornings almost always start the same. Snickerdoodle has climbed into bed with Mom and Dad at some point during the night and whispers “Mom, is it breakfast yet?” We try to stay in bed until 7:00, but that doesn’t always work.

Breakfast is yogurt and muffins or waffles for the kids. Mom has coffee and more coffee. Dad and HoneyBunch get up by 7:30.

Most mornings, Mom starts the laundry and dishwasher while the kids eat and play, then we get ready for the day.

We aim for school time from 9:00-10:00. This week, our school time has been used on swimming lessons.

Snickerdoodle uses a modified Timberdoodle preschool curriculum. We use some printables from 3dinosaurs for our monthly theme items: puzzles, pre-writing, and some alphabet pages. We also have some workbooks left over from Mom’s old job as a teacher, so we use those too!

Our Afternoon:

Lunch is simple, our favorite is cheesy spinach eggs and toast!

Nap time comes after lunch, so no work.

Mom finishes up any chores while the kids sleep, or has a well deserved rest.

After nap, before dinner, we try to have outside time. Snickerdoodle has a new plant to take care of with Dad’s help and HoneyBunch gets water table time.

Our Evening:

For dinner, Mom likes to test out her cooking class homework, but is also happy with homemade pizza!

After dinner, we play and watch TV until bedtime.

Just for Fun:

Snickerdoodle does gymnastics once a week.

We spent two weeks this summer doing swim lessons which meant very little work got done. We can only do one thing per morning.

Hi! My name is Brigitte and I am the G-Ma to Silas, age 4.  Silas’ Mommy and Daddy both work full-time jobs. Silas gets dropped off at my house in the morning. He always comes in with a smile and is anxious to get the day started. Silas likes to build things, loves to go on field trips and swimming. 

Our Morning:

Our morning always starts with a “Good Morning, G-Ma.” This morning Silas ate breakfast and was then anxious to get started with Science.

We are using Timberdoodle’s Pre-K curriculum this year. Silas finished up the Preschool and is now on Week 3 of the Pre-K.

This morning’s Science activity was sorting/classifying. He did as much as he could but got stuck on 2 objects. He put those to the side til his Mommy came for lunch. We then continued on with the rest of his curriculum for the day.

Our Afternoon:

At lunch time, Silas’ Mommy came to eat with him. She first looked at his work and helped him finish identifying and sorting the last two pieces for his Science work. He loves showing her and working with her at lunch time. They then ate lunch together.

After his Mommy went back to work, Silas then took his nap.

Our Evening:

Silas went home and G-Ma is now relaxing with a cup of tea.

Silas will get home and tell his Daddy everything he did today and will probably sing him a song. He likes to sing the songs that we learned during the day.

Just for Fun:

We are part of a community of homeschoolers that get together at least once a week to do different activities. Everything from hiking, to going to museums, to visiting farms, etc. The kids really like it.

We live in Williamsburg, Virginia and so we are surrounded by lots of history with lots of different activities for the children. Normally the events are in the afternoon so we are able to get our schooling done in the morning.

Hello! My name is Kristi Miller and I am a homeschooling mom of two boys. Eli is 12 and Kye will be 10 in a few months. Eli loves all things related to computers and Minecraft. Kye loves anything connected to sports. They are both huge readers and keep me on my toes every day! We live in Eagle, Idaho.

Our Morning:

It’s dark when I wake up. 5:30 is always dark. I think it’s because no one should ever get up at 5:30! Unfortunately, my husband leaves for work before 7:00 a.m., so whether I want to or not, we are up before the roosters. This is the perfect time for me to read my Bible, start some laundry and enjoy a hot cup of coffee from my Keurig.

My boys come down the stairs between 7:00 and 8:00 am. I don’t have a set time for them to wake up each day, but I do try to get them out of bed before 8:00 so that they are ready to start school at 9:00 a.m. They have breakfast in their jammies while watching old episodes of Tom and Jerry. We are a Hanna-Barbera loving family.

9:00 a.m. Showers are done. Beds are made. Rooms are tidy. The boys are now comfortably settled in a cozy spot of their choosing reading their Bibles and having a little quiet time. Once they are finished, they work their way down a list I have made for them of independent work. This includes some silent reading (or D.E.A.R., which we borrowed from Ramona Quimby), handwriting, Daily Grammar, piano practice, and Teaching Textbooks.

Kye reminds us at 10:30 that he is ready for a snack. To be honest, he would snack all day long, all through his school work if I would let him. However, 10:30 is our designated snack and break time. Eli uses this time to message his best friend who is also homeschooled. They compare where they are in their day. Kye gets his snack and runs outdoors. He jumps on the trampoline until I call him to come inside.

During the boys’ break, I go over their morning work. Kye needs to correct a mistake in his reading notebook. Eli rushed a little through handwriting and needs to be reminded to slow down. I look over math and grammar.

It’s 11:00 a.m. and time for science. It’s important to me that the boys learn note-taking skills. We each grab our books and meet at the school room table. We are using Apologia Science and as I read the boys take notes on the important things that I say. They focus on vocabulary words and also draw their own interpretations of the descriptions given in the lesson. Eli jumps up and gets excited because he is able to make a connection to something he read in his Bible that morning. We end the lesson with a prayer because it feels right to thank God for showing us that He is the creator.

Our Afternoon:

It’s noon and we are hungry! The boys put their books away and we head downstairs to the kitchen.

Kye gets out a hot dog maker that his great aunt bought him for Christmas last year. It works just like a toaster and he is able to pop everything in and it pops everything out all warm and toasty. Eli slices a bagel and slathers it with cream cheese. I love that they have become so independent this year in the kitchen.

From noon to 1:00 p.m. we take a break. The laundry that I put in at 5:30 a.m. is now taken out of the washer and thrown in the dryer. Another load goes in.

I hear Kye practicing a song on the piano. Fur Elise is being played as quickly as his fingers will play it. I put my hand on his shoulder and he slows down. Despite the speed in which it is being played, there is nothing that makes me happier than when my boys play the piano.

Lunch is over. The kitchen is clean and we are ready to tackle Picture Smart Bible. After two years of working through the Old Testament, we are finally onto Matthew. The boys draw the parts of the story in their notebooks as I read scripture passages and explanations. Their notebooks are thick with pages and pages of Old Testament drawings and it’s exciting to see an entire Picture Bible slowly being completed.

Our afternoon is a mix of working together and working one on one.

Twice a week we meet in the family room to do Logos Latin. Today is one of those days. The three of us watch a video and practice our chants and vocabulary. This is our first year with Latin and we are learning together. It’s not an easy study, but definitely interesting as we learn the derivatives of words. Our chants today seem stronger, so perhaps we are improving!

Later we listen to Story of the World on CD while adding to our timeline and coloring an activity page. This lesson is about Assyria so we get out our globe and I show them where Assyria was located-Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. We make the connection that Nineveh was the town that Jonah was sent to.

Once our Story of the World binders are put away, Kye and I tackle spelling, First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease. Eli works independently on a website that he is designing. When Kye is done, he bounces out of the room to play. His day is complete. Eli and I tackle spelling, Rod and Staff English and Writing with Skill. I have to admit that I am learning along with him on these subjects. I don’t think I ever had grammar this intense when I was in school. But we enjoy these moments together and I can really see amazing progress in his writing.

It’s 3:00 and we are finished for the day. It has started to rain and I find Kye reading Redwall by Brian Jacques. Eli is reading a book from HeadFirst on website design. The house is warm and cozy and I can hear the patter of rain as it drips onto the sidewalk.

It’s finally time to get out that laundry that I keep forgetting about. It’s now dry but wrinkled. Oh well! I also am able to finish a few other chores before starting dinner.

My husband comes home at 4:30. The boys are so excited to see him and follow him around the house telling him about their day. Once they settle down I have them set the table and help me get things ready to start dinner.

Our Evening:

After dinner the boys do some evening chores. Kye drags us all outside to play foursquare. In his P.E. class last week at the Nampa Rec Center they focused on foursquare and he plays every chance he gets. The boys are both surprised that I am actually a pretty good player! We play until it starts to sprinkle on us.

Before bed we snuggle up and read aloud. We are on the last chapter of A Cricket in Times Square.

The clock strikes 9:00 now and they are off to brush their teeth and be tucked in. Each night we take turns praying and tonight it’s my turn. I am incredibly blessed and thankful.

Just for Fun:

Eli participates in computer code camp, church youth group and homeschool P.E. Kye plays Friday Night Flag Football, Basketball Camp, and Homeschool P.E. Both boys play tennis.

Hi! We are the Alberts/Hogan family from Mississippi. We are a neuro-diverse household with five kids, ages 4-12.

I am Laura, a homeschool teacher and mompreneur. I love to read, paint, and write poetry. My husband, Russell, is an engineer and homeschool math and science guru.

Alex is 12 and a mythology fan. He can recite myths on just about any ancient god or goddess. 10-year-old Chloe is our resident artist and musician. Her creativity just blows me away! Joseph is 7 and loves all things dinosaurs. His favorite pastime is playing Minecraft. Our twins, Olivia and Sophia, are 4 and adore books, puzzles, and exploring outside.

Together, we enjoy visiting the park and library, but our favorite activity is board games. We love our three dogs and four fish.

Our Morning:

None of us are morning people, we are creatures of the mid-afternoon.

However, every Tuesday morning my husband drags himself to work at 7:00 am.

I convince myself to rise around 7:30 and rouse the kids. We stumble out the door on the way to the twins’ therapy, then spend an hour entertaining the girls while we wait.

Once we return home, it’s morning work time. We do a mixture of Timberdoodle and Build Your Library to meet each child’s learning style. We start with math and handwriting to take advantage of their untapped brain power. I find doing the work that requires the greatest concentration is done best first thing.

Then we take a break to burn off some energy in the backyard on the trampoline and swing set. The kids like to take turns spelling tricky words and answering math problems while they jump.

Our Afternoon:

We make our lunch together, then I read a story while they eat.

After lunch, we forge into language arts, our toughest subject. Read-alouds are saved until after grammar and writing practice as a reward. They love to read aloud to me and the rest of the kids.

Then they have free time to play or read. Brains need breaks!

In the afternoon we get into our favorite subjects, science and history. We read together and then delve into experiments and hands-on projects. Often, my husband comes home and finds us still finishing up our newest creations.

When he arrives home, he starts up dinner, while we all clean up the disaster of discovery.

Our Evening:

Tuesday nights usually have quick dinners, like one of our favorites, polish sausage and potatoes.

Then the boys head to Cub Scout meetings, which my husband leads as Cub Master.

The rest of us begin our evening chores: dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and putting away toys.

The highlight of our day is what comes at the end…bedtime stories! We love to read together!

Just for Fun:

We enjoy Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and American Heritage girls every week. These activities are a lot of fun, but it is definitely tough to separate duties 3 nights a week.

We also love to paint. Some other activities we enjoy each week are spending time with their friends playing in the neighborhood and visits from my Uncle Larry, who cooks us dinner once a week and regales the kids with stories from his childhood.

Find Us on Our Blog:

www.homeschoolingfiveatatime.com

Hello! My name is Malorie. I spend my day homeschooling my 3 kids while my husband goes to work. He is in the United States Air Force. We met when I also was in the Air Force. We currently live in San Angelo, Texas.

Our 3 kids are Brenda (7), Dominick (4), and Lorelai (2). Brenda loves all things Pokemon. Dominick spends his time building robots or putting together puzzles. Lorelai likes to climb. We also are in the process of adopting a very sweet 4-year-old girl. She loves toy cars and balls. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats.

Our Morning:

On a typical school day, my husband wakes up at 5:30 to get ready for work.

I wake up around 6:30 when he leaves and take the puppy out.

The youngest two kids wake around 7:00 and they immediately get breakfast (cereal, pancakes, or waffles). I try to do some dishes and catch up on Facebook.

At 7:30, I wake my 7-year-old, if she’s not up yet, and she gets breakfast. I take the puppy out again.

Between 8:00 and 8:30 I start school with my 7-year-old while my 4-year-old puts together robots, Legos, or puzzles and my 2-year-old watches Signing Time. We try to start with a Bible lesson, then language arts, then math.

My daughter has ADHD, so sometimes we can work all morning and only finish Bible and some of language arts. She gets a break between 9:30 and 10:00.

At 11:00 we take our lunch break. My 4-year-old will stop by our school table periodically during the morning and ask to do school, too. I work with him the same time I am working with my daughter as long as he is interested and not distracting my oldest too much. My 2-year-old will play by herself at this time or sit in my lap.

Our Afternoon:

We start lunch break at 11:00. They usually have mac and cheese, PB&J Sandwiches, or grilled cheese with some kind of fruit like grapes, bananas, or apples.

At 12:00 I put my baby down for her afternoon nap. This is a special time for my other two, because this is the only time I will bring out the Plus Plus blocks.

Around 1:00, I start school again with my oldest while my 4-year-old still plays with Plus Plus. We finish any language and math first. Sometimes, this is all we end up getting to. On good days we’ll have time to do history, science, and any other extras. I’ll read a chapter in Story of the World while my oldest makes a doll. Then, we will do a section in her Apologia science book. We finish up the day with art, Spanish, and we work on a Girl Scout badge.

The baby wakes around 2:00 and the Plus Plus blocks get put away. My oldest takes a break and plays with her siblings.

We come back around 3:00 to finish the school day.

I like to be done at 4:00, but sometimes we go until my husband comes home at 5:00. It all depends on what we got done. We go in the same subject order. Timing of when we do what is completely up to my daughter and how fast she works.

Our Evening:

I start dinner between 4:30 and 5:00 when my husband comes home. He plays with the kids and they watch some TV. We love Blue Apron meals, so we have these 2 times a week. We always have dinner electronic-free at the dinner table.

After dinner, we do baths, clean up, and relax.

The kids start to go to bed at 8:00. Baby first.

8:30 is my 4-year-old and then I have my oldest read to me before she goes to bed at 9:00.

Really good days for us are when my daughter finishes everything before lunch. This is easily possible, but rare. When this happens, we do something fun in the afternoons outdoors or with friends. On good days, she gets to everything by the end of the day.

“Eh” days are the ones where she barely finishes math or doesn’t finish math. These days mess up my schedule.

Just for Fun:

Other activities we did this year are Girl Scouts and Classical Conversations. CC was on Fridays, so we did that in the morning and tried to get what we could get done in Bible, language arts, and math in the afternoon. Girl Scouts was once every other week or so in the evenings, so it didn’t mess with our school day at all.

This was a weird year, because we spend the year in the adoption process, so we didn’t have the time or money for some of the extras that we have done in the past. My kids have also done gymnastics, dance and soccer.