My hubby gets up at 6:15 to get ready for work. I have learned to sleep through his alarm over the past couple of years. Tristan (5), wakes up while he is moving about and if things aren’t too rushed, they have breakfast together. Then just before 7am, Phil heads off to work after bringing me a warming cup of tea and Tristan crawls into the big bed with Kallista (2) and I for a cuddle.
We listen to the news on TV and I check my emails to see if there is anything urgent (usually not, but as I live an ocean away from my family, I like to check). We then read a book together before crawling out of bed to get ourselves ready for the day. Tristan gets himself dressed, his bed aired out, etc. on his own. Kallista and I have some breakfast and then get ourselves dressed and ready as well. A quick walk through the house to put things back into place is done before the toddler we babysit arrives at 8:20am.
Homeschooling aka “Tristan’s Table Time”
After drop off and organizing her, Tristan skips into the kitchen for ‘Tristan’s Table Time’, which is what he calls the formal part of home schooling. The girls have fun together playing and running around from one end of the house to the other while I take a little while to sit with Tristan. I really think he enjoys having my undivided attention during this time and it sets up our moods for the rest of the day. Some days it’s a few minutes at a time while I run back and forth between rooms, and other days I can spend a little more time with him. He chooses his daily folder and decides what he would like to do from it. He has a folder for each weekday, and each contains one or two workbooks, math games, learning to read games, matching games or learning facts, etc. Some days he chooses a workbook, other days he prefers to play a game. Some days he only wants to sit for 15 minutes, and other days he’s content for an hour, so we just go with his mood and it evens out over the week.
After tidying up the table we go have some fun with the girls for a while before it’s snack time! We all love this point in the day; the children decide what they would like for their snacks, and I have a nibble as well.
After snack time we will either get dressed up and head out for a walk to the library or to feed the birds down at the sea front. We stop along the way to watch the cloud formations and look for signs of spring. If we don’t get out, we stay in and sing our songs and fill out our charts for the day, month, season, and weather. We read a few books together, use our new homemade felt board, sing songs and nursery rhymes, or do a craft.
Lunch Time
If we’ve been out and about, by the time we get home it’s time to get the children their lunch. We all sit at the table together and practice good table manners, encouraging each other along. After lunch the children all have some free playtime while I do the dishes, clean the table and counters, and find the floor once more! There’s now time for one last nappy change and another story or a few songs before it’s pick-up time at roughly 2:30.
Now that our work day is done and we’re all worn out, it’s time to do any housework that needs to be caught up, then it’s snack time again, and maybe a chat with Nana and Papa over the web cam. It’s still early in Saskatchewan, but mid to late afternoon for us. If we haven’t already been out for a walk, we may head out now or do a craft. Depending on our energy levels now we’ll all play a game together, or the children will play together, grab 40 winks, or very occasionally watch a little children’s TV or a movie. While they are doing this I will check my emails and social media accounts (which I’m still trying to get my head around). If it’s been a busy day or the children aren’t feeling well I’ll let them watch a little extra children’s TV and I’ll try to write a blog or work on fixing up some photos.
Supper Time Around 7pm
About 6pm we’ll clean up for the day (some days it feels as though all I do is tidy up. In a small house it doesn’t take much for it to look cluttered) and think about what to put on for supper. I am a big fan of batch cooking from scratch and freezing meals as by this point of the day we are all winding down. So I’ll put some potatoes on to bake if needed, or prepare the rice or pasta for cooking. Phil usually arrives home around 7pm by which time we hope supper is ready. If not, one of us will finish it up and get it on the table for a tired, hungry crew.
After supper has been devoured, it’s Phil’s turn to wash dishes while I rush around trying to get myself organized for the next morning. Then it’s into bed with a cozy hot water bottle and a little girl for me. Tristan crawls up and gives me a kiss and hug with his ‘fresh, minty breath’ and heads off to bed and a story from Daddy while I nurse our daughter to sleep. I always have good intentions of getting back up and doing some work on the computer, but by this time I have relaxed and don’t have the energy to get out of bed again. Phil will bring me a loving cup of tea and a snack (I must stop these late snacks, but the culture here is to have something to eat with your tea, and it becomes a habit). I will either just watch a little TV or else do some research on the Internet, read, or write a letter to a friend somewhere in the world. I wonder how everything will get done when there just isn’t enough time in the day (or night) to do it, but now it’s finally time to drift off before another day begins.
By: Crystal of Crystal’s Tiny Treasures
What is your day like?
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