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in Parenting

A Day in The Life of a Work from Home Homeschooling Mom

Share & Help Me Grow

This summer, Bill and I headed out of town for a conference and left the children with our neighbor for two days after she insisted that she would survive. About 12 hours into our trip, the text messages began.

  • “How do you get it all done?”
  • “How do you find a balance between your family, business, and homeschool too?”
  • “What does your daily routine look like?”

Honestly, I did not find my daily groove until about a year ago. Until then, I often felt like I was drowning. I could see the sun. It was shining. But I was beneath the surface of the water and struggling for air.

In the struggle to get everything done, I had to realize that I couldn’t do it all.

A day in the life of a homeschooling work at home mom. Includes a suggested schedule.

How I do it all

When asked how I get everything done, I have said this over and over again… I DON’T.

Homeschooling takes a third (if not more) of my day. Working from home and building a business takes another third (if not more). Then, I have cleaning, cooking, playing, and… sleeping. Something has to get neglected and for me, it is my home. The house is frequently a mess, but things are getting better because as the children grow, we are teaching them how to clean. So, I can dedicate 30 minutes each morning to working with the kids on our assigned chores and that helps keep me on top of things.

Of course, I would be completely wrong if I neglected to mention my awesome husband. A supportive spouse is the key ingredient in the life of a work from home, homeschooling mother.

Bill works all day and then comes home and bathes the kids. He is also the Chief Operating Officer in charge of laundry. If I get behind on running the loads, he picks up the slack. Does it always get folded and put away? No. But who really cares if we are wearing wrinkled pants to hang out around the house? Not me.

Also, I have slowly added a team to my business. Over at Teaching with Cents, the majority of the posting is done by my amazing virtual assistant, Sharon. I also have an assistant who sells advertising and someone who helps with Facebook. Do I have a team because we are rolling in extra money? No. We break even each month… for now. But, in Feburary, God pressed me to hire some helpers. To invest in their lives and their families and allow them to bless our family with extra time. I told the Lord, “OK. I will hire them, but YOU have to pay them.”

Finding balance is a myth

Since I mentioned my amazing husband, I have to say that this routine works for us. We have found our balance and it works for us. Will it work for you? Maybe not.

I truly believe that finding your perfect balance is a myth created to make mothers feel guilty.

One afternoon, Bill came home to find me in tears. “I just can’t do it all,” I wailed. “I’m a terrible wife. A terrible mother.”

“Who told you this?” he asked.

“No one. I just know it. Other mothers don’t struggle like this.”

He looked compassionately at me and said, “There is your problem. You are comparing yourself to other mothers.”

What a light bulb moment for me! Our children are happy, smart, and well-fed. My marriage is strong and secure… even if we do spend most evenings sitting side-by-side in bed with our computers in our laps. We have found what works for us. Our perfect balance.

My daily routine

So, what exactly does my day look like? Here we go…

work from home homeschool sample schedule

5:30 AM – The alarm goes off and I reach for my thyroid medication, water bottle, and iPad. Bill goes and gets me a cup of coffee and I start with a daily devotion. Then, it is time for advertising the latest posts from each blog in social media. I check my email and forward anything my team needs. My goal is to leave the inbox empty.

6:30 AM – Stretch and shower time. I have to make myself take a few minutes to focus on me because much too often, I will skip this part. It is so important to pick a few splurges – if you can call showering daily a splurge – and view them as non-negotiable.

7 AM – My boys are up, not because I wake them but because they have already been sitting in their room and watching the clock. I make them stay in the bed until 7-0-0, as they call it. I cook breakfast and make myself eat. The girls wander in between 7:30 and 8 AM. After everyone is fed, we start our morning chores: get dressed, dishes, clean the bathroom, etc.

8:30 AM – Time for school. Sometimes we start earlier and if the girls are awake when we have breakfast, we will start history while we eat. If we get school done with time to spare, the children head outside while I prepare lunch.

11:30 AM – The children wash up and we have lunch. After lunch, they help with the dishes and then play until the youngest goes down for nap.

1:00 PM – Rest and Language Arts. During Ariary’s nap, we do a literature unit study with reading aloud and activities. Once completed for the day, the children can quietly play their Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablets. I affectionately call this “P&Q Time” or “Mommy’s Peace and Quiet Time.”  I turn on the computer and take care of some blogging responsibilities: writing, check email, follow up on social media… whatever is pressing.

3:30 PM – Unless it is marching season, Bill comes home about this time and I begin prepping dinner. The children tell him about our day while I cook. We eat at about 5 PM and then Bill bathes the kids while I clean the kitchen. Once the kids are clean, we kick our feet up and either work on our business or play with the kids.

7:30 PM – The children must have their rooms clean by this time if they want to place their electronics the next day. We have family devotion time, sing, and pray. The children are in bed by 8:30 PM and Bill heads off to get his shower while I work on blogging responsibilities.

Once a week, we have business-free nights where we watch our favorite television show together. Other nights, we work side-by-side.

10:30 PM (11 PM at the latest) – Lights out because 5:30 AM comes awfully early in the morning.

Since blogging as a full-time business takes more time than I have to commit during the day, Bill will watch the children after dinner one or two nights a week so I can work alone in our bedroom.

Will this schedule work for you?

No. You have to find your balance. Your routine.

My schedule might give you an idea to work with but remember that you are not comparing yourself to me. No guilt. Right?

This post is linked with love at the NOT Back to School Blog Hop.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Planning

About Tabitha

Hi! I'm Tabitha! But, I bet you expected someone named "Penny." Long story made short, Penny is the coupon binder I started in 2010 when we were totally broke... as in BANKRUPT. Now, as a mom of five, I make 6-figures a year working at home and share ways to help you move from penny to profit while you raise a family with sense on cents.

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Comments

  1. Paige says

    July 22, 2013 at 8:32 am

    I too feel overwhelmed at times by the sheer volume of what I must complete each day and I only have two children! My house is not the neatest one on the block and going to bed at 11:00 pm and getting up at 5:30 am is a normally occurrence in my life too. It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one :).

    That said, I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. I am so blessed to be able to homeschool, be with my kids and run a small business, plus I have the best husband and partner for me to share it all with!

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

    Reply
  2. hsmominmo says

    July 22, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    This was really helpful to me. I have said the very same things you said in your first paragraphs. “I can’t do it all” “I don’t do it all” “Other moms …” Thank you for sharing how you follow and implement your husband’s wise counsel. Have a blessed week!

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

    Reply
  3. Sharla says

    July 23, 2013 at 1:02 am

    I am still working to find that balance. I’m making steps in the right direction but the work part is taking more time than I have right now so the house is suffering and I had planned to start homeschooling for the year in August and am now pushing that back to late August or September. Thank you for taking the time to share what works for your family.

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

    Reply
  4. Denise says

    August 12, 2013 at 6:17 pm

    question .. looking to work from home…scared of scams….any suggestions??

    Reply
  5. website says

    December 16, 2013 at 6:09 am

    Hola! I’ve been reading your site for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas!
    Just wanted to say keep up the fantastic work!

    Reply
  6. Lauren says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:32 am

    What about intimate relations with your spouse? Currently, my spouse would not be ok with one night of the week no work in front of our faces until bed. i have to admit, I’d be PERFECTLY fine with one night/week 🙂

    Reply
    • Penny says

      September 8, 2014 at 10:11 pm

      Honestly? We schedule it. It’s funny, I know, and we don’t rule out anything spontaneous, but we will plan ahead. Actually, it’s kind of fun planning ahead because then we can tease one another throughout the day. 😉

      Reply
  7. Christy says

    May 6, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Thank you SOOOOOO much! I have been NEEDING a daily schedule and my brain fog has made it hard to figure out when I should do what. This SO helps, thank you!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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  3. A Daily Routine for Work at Home Moms - Meet Penny says:
    January 19, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    […] I have a clearly defined set of hours dedicated to working my business as well as times when I should be doing chores around the house or spending time with the family. This is easier now that my children are in school but was a discipline I still practiced when I was homeschooling. (Read A Day in the Life of a Work at Home Homeschooling Mom.) […]

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