Saturday, November 7, 2009

A Day in the Life

I've enjoyed reading Dawn's account of a day in her life so much that I thought I'd do my own. This is how yesterday went:

Got up around 7 a.m. I had oatmeal for breakfast while the kids had Puffins (B) and Multi grain Cheerios (J). The kids played around for a bit and then I sent them downstairs to the basement to watch Families in China (I've been doing a little China unit with B this past week). Jeff made coffee and we enjoyed some time together having our coffee and chatting before he headed off to work.

It was a short video (30 mins.) and the kids are back upstairs in no time. I start J on spelling and B on Explode the Code 3 1/2 while I finish cleaning up the breakfast dishes and go shower. The kids are working very nicely and I'm hoping this continues throughout our morning.
I'm back down after my shower and they're just finishing up their work. I send J upstairs to study her vocabulary for her Monday home school class (they are studying art in American history and the vocabulary words all relate to this). I get out Pick of the Litter by Bill Wallace and read a few chapters to B while we snuggle on the couch.

J wanders down and says she's done with her vocabulary. We go over a few words and then I send her upstairs again to read Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet. Yeah! Back up she goes.
I decide to change gears with B and take out Singapore Math 2B and we work on telling time.

While B is working on a math worksheet I go boil some water and start preparing our petri dishes for an experiment. B comes over and measures out the gelatin and sugar. We are going to be growing some bacteria.

I look at the time. . .it's about 11 a.m. Time to get the kids fed before heading out for swimming and basketball. J has pb&j, avocado and apple. B has pb&j, banana and apple. Can't remember what I had. I gather up their stuff and we head out.

12 p.m. B has his swimming class while J heads to basketball. We are in a home school swim and sport group and this is the first week of basketball (we were doing tennis before this). I watch B's lesson while chatting with a friend.
B gets out of the pool a little early so I get him showered and we head up to the basketball court to watch J. J seems very happy with the basketball class.

1:10. J heads to swimming and I watch B play. I chat with a friend about the kids, family camps and camping.

2:15. The kids are done. We head home. We take samples for our petri dishes (B's baseball cap, the toilet handle, an armpit and inside B's sneaker). I'm hoping lots of bacteria grows in the baseball cap petri dish and B will decide to give up his baseball cap obsession.

The kids put on Ramona and Her Mother to listen to and I clean up. The kids also do some Halloween candy trading in the den. After cleaning I check on some blogs and then head upstairs to take a bath (I'm feeling a bit chilled and my throat feels a little sore). I tell the kids to make some toast and have some fruit if they're hungry.

5:30ish p.m. Jeff gets home from work and takes the kids to a pottery open studio and out to Friendly's. I get in bed and look at a favorite parenting book (Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids), think about what to make for Christmas gifts, look at some crafty blogs and check out a Ruth Beechick yahoo group. I bookmark some craft ideas and some suggestions about girls devotional books. I contemplate ways to make advent and Christmas meaningful for the kids.

8 p.m. Jeff and the kids are still out. I turn on CNN and watch Campbell Brown for a bit. I say a prayer for the victims and families of the Fort Hood massacre.

9 p.m. Jeff and the kids come home. They quickly tell me about what they made (B made two aliens and J made a cup). They need to pick them up in a couple of weeks. They head off to bed. I chat with Jeff for a while, have a couple slices of pizza he brought home, and then go to sleep at around 10 p.m.

That's it!

6 comments:

  1. I think I'm going to take a look at that book you mentioned...Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids. I loved reading about your day and am so glad you did this.

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  2. I really like doing a "day in a life" and Dawn has also inspired me to start again. I truly love the Ramona tapes. Stockard Channing (is that the narrator) is so wonderful.

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  3. We love the Ramona tapes too. They were a life-saver for Elizabeth on a trip to Ireland a few years ago. I loved reading about your day, and I hope you didn't come down with something!

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  4. I am enjoying these " day in a life" posts so much ~ you sure do pack in a bunch of learning and fun into one day!!

    I am encouraging Owen to try a pottery studio sometime.

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  5. The 2:15 was my favorite... particularly the baseball cap. lol.

    When we do ours (we keep forgetting) we're going to take a sample from the bathroom faucet where Trev likes to drink! eew, I tell him.
    He says, "but you clean it!" and I say "not everytime someone washes their hands!!" :)

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  6. Wow, what a busy day! We use Singapore Math as well and really like it. It's great you had some time for yourself!!!
    Lisa

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