Monday, March 18, 2013

March Daybook - A Day in the Life


Awake at 7.30am: My Pre-Adrian self would have still been in dreamland (or nightmare-land or some super-convoluted, quest-themed fantasy scape)! A little bleary-eyed, I stumble downstairs. A fellow-bleary-eyed, black and tan canine greets me in his crate. We walk to the yard for his nature-call, head back in and he gets his treat and a chance to continue his snooze if he wants to (lucky dog!). I head for the shower.

8.00am: Back downstairs, I set out the breakfast things and put clothes in the washer, unload the dishwasher then make my coffee. Mug in hand I have about an hour to check email and take a quick read of my favorite homeschooling forums. I love how quiet it is. Around 8.45am, I wake kiddo up through the intercom. We exchange morning greetings before he heads for the shower.

9.15am: Kiddo is downstairs for hugs and breakfast (usually either eggs, toast or oatmeal and a beverage like chocolate milk or almond/ soy milk and often, more coffee for me). Adrian exits his crate, then usually heads outside for his morning sun-worshiping. Kiddo eats breakfast while watching CNN Student News. We take a short moment to discuss the news while I prepare Adrian's food. I switched to raw feeding on March 1 so Adrian's food prep now takes slightly longer than dumping kibble in the bowl. 


10.00am: While Adrian eats outside, I water the plants and pull out weeds or just take a moment to breathe in the morning air. Kiddo, meanwhile, chooses his preferred schedule block and gets ready to start work on the independent core subjects (math and physics) or electives (German and logic), usually to pleasant background music on Pandora.

I see if he needs any help but mostly I stay out of the way. I set out any meat that needs to thaw for lunch, fold the laundry, vacuum the floors and carpet, get some cuteness-overload from Adrian, research resources for future use, read email and basically just stay within reach should kiddo need help with anything.

12.00pm: Kiddo continues working while I prepare lunch. Sometimes, it's a sandwich, sometimes, leftovers or I cook afresh. He takes a short break outside, dribbling the basketball, or running in the yard with Adrian. We eat lunch, often while watching a math video or two from Thinkwell. 

1.30pm: We do some math together (yes, we do a lot of math by choice!) and I try to work in a read-aloud or some quiet reading, and if possible some writing too. Adrian chews on his favorite bone or snoozes or starts nosing us for belly rubs. Around 3.00pm, kiddo practices his piano pieces and has a light snack.

3.45pm: This is usually the highlight of the day. Depending on the day of the week, we might just walk Adrian for 40 minutes and talk about anything and everything under the sun while doing so, or bundle ourselves into the car to head to a park for a play-date. Or we may have friends over to play and chat with too. If it's just kiddo and me for the day, we might also watch documentaries, read, take turns on the treadmill, listen to more music, play a board game, get groceries, discuss something he's learning and so on.

6.30pm: I prep for dinner, we eat and kiddo then works on whatever he likes (which is usually some more math!). I read, attend to more housework or read some more forums. I am trying hard to minimize my own screen time these days but am not always successful. We wait for his Dad to get home (if not traveling) from work at about 9pm. We chat while his Dad has dinner. Kiddo discusses what he did that day or asks all the questions he had reserved for his Dad to answer. Around 10pm, kiddo has a little snack, makes sure his desk is clean for the next day, gets his goodnight hug then heads to bed, usually book in hand. While I clean up in the kitchen, kiddo brushes his teeth then reads for about 15 minutes. He is (supposed to be) asleep by 11pm.

10.30pm: I have a small snack if I'm still hungry, check for any last emails, and make either a written or mental note for things to accomplish the next day. I take Adrian out for his final nature-call of the day and crate him for the night. I check the locks and alarm, turn off the lights and head upstairs. I might read in bed for about 10 minutes but most nights I'm quite wiped out.

Asleep at 11.15pm: A most welcome activity. Thanks to our daily walks, and having much more restful, cheerful days thanks to Adrian's antics, I'm sleeping so much better these days.

Wednesdays: our schedule is different, filled with classes and possibly, a play-date too, and gives us a nice middle-of-the-week break from the routine.

8 comments:

  1. I love reading "a day in the life" posts. I find it interesting to learn how other's days are scheduled, and I love to see what gets done. Your son does so much math. It reminds me of Decca and writing. I am happy that these boys have the time to spend on the subjects they love.

    Isn't it nice to have a dog? I love all the exercise I get with Kingsley, and I also sleep better since having him. The great thing is that a walk is not optional. He needs the exercise, so I get it too.

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  2. Thanks for visiting Jill! I know...it's hard to explain that a kid does writing or math willingly on his own all the time...

    It's lovely having a dog. We are so happy that we finally decided to be owned by one and we are so happy it's Adrian. He's such a fun, cute, silly (albeit smelly) little guy. :)

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  3. It's so good to read about your day and to see how it has changed from a few years ago, and how much kiddo engages in independent work now. I'm looking forward to that in my household. :-)

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  4. Yup...there are changes, definitely. and what's good is that we can ease into the changes gradually without rushing them. Our days are quite steady in rhythm these days and some days are hectic but mostly, we like how relaxed it's becoming. Thanks for coming by as always Neo!

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  5. Lovely peaceful, relaxed days. Sounds great - I wish I was there :)

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  6. And I wish So Much that you were here too. :)

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  7. Your day(s) has a lovely rhythm to it. Love that you wake Kiddo up through the intercom! How grown up is that!

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  8. Thanks Preeti! Hee hee. :) I used to love waking him up in person but my knees creak too much these days going up the stairs.

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