Large Family Homeschool Schedule

How do you do it?  This is a common question I hear when people find out I have 6 kids and I homeschool them.  I thought I would share our homeschool schedule today.  Currently, I am teaching 6th, 4th and 1st grades, while I also have 3 boys that are 4, 2 and 6 months.  I need to preface this by saying that these times are not fixed, we are VERY flexible around here!  Here's our current schedule:

6:30  Kids wake up and make their own breakfast (older help the younger)
7:30  Mom wakes up (Yep, I'm the last one up!)
9:30  The 6th and 4th grader start working on their independent notebooks (Brush teeth, read bible, bible memorization, handwriting, spelling, math facts, book basket, any other worksheets they can do themselves.)
9:30  I teach 1st grade while the 4 and 2 year olds make a mess and distract us...
11:00  Lunch and Free time (or finish notebook)
1:30  Nap time for the 2 year old
1:45  Nap time for the 4 year old
1:45  Snack
2:00  6th and 4th grade time with mom: bible, history, science, math, english, art, etc.  (We go from one subject to the next with no breaks, so we can get a lot done in this time.)
4:00-5:00  Finished with school

I recently filmed a Day in the Life video in which I share about our schedule and show my son's notebook.  Click on the video below to watch.

Just an Ordinary Morning

I was able to film an Ordinary Morning (click on the video above to watch).  Peter is especially adorable, while the other boys are a bit rambunctious!  I loved filming Joshua reading because he likes to add commentary that is funny, although sometimes it can get frustrating. 

I did not Vlog much of the afternoon, but it was busy.  We decided to take a walk to McDonald's for ice cream, which is usually a 20 minute walk.  However, we stopped to visit with our neighbors, a sweet elderly couple.  Please pray for Jerome with us, as he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  I know they would appreciate all prayers!  Our walk also took forever because Daniel (the 2 year old) decided that he absolutely, under no circumstances, would ride in the stroller!  He walked the entire way!!!  We finished the day by Rebekah, Peter and I going to a sign language class, while Kevin took the rest of the boys to a minor league baseball game.  Oh yeah, we also got school finished in there somewhere.

If you like this video, please like it and subscribe to my channel, Real Life, Real Joy.  Have a Joy Filled Day!

Finishing Your Homeschool Year Strong

Here's my latest video about how I'm trying to finish my homeschool year strong.  I remember our MFW Kindergarten lesson, I don't quit, I persevere!  Tell me in the comments how you are making it to the end.

Owl Pellet Found at Church!

Last week I filmed a Homeschool Day in the Life Vlog.  Click on the video below to see it.  I ended the vlog by saying we were headed to church.  As we were getting out of the van, Matthew started having a little fit and wouldn't go into church.  He stopped right under a street light...  As I was trying to persuade him to come, I looked down and there was an owl pellet!  A homeschooler's lucky find!  Of course we got a plastic grocery bag and took it home!

I googled how to sanitize it.  You just wrap it in foil and bake it at 250 for 45 minutes.  Above is what it looked like after being cooked.

Once it was cool, we used tweezers and toothpicks to pull out the bones.  We thought we had part of a skull, but it didn't look at all like the rat skeleton we found in the owl pellet we bought earlier this year (see below) from Home Science Tools.  After looking at diagrams of many different small animals in our area, we still don't know what type of animal it was.

Have you ever dissected an owl pellet?  They are fascinating!

Crafting Around the House

While I haven't has as much time as I'd like to do crafty things, I have been able to do a few things for Our New Home over the last several months.  Above is a trivet that I did at a local pottery and mosaic shop.  The blue colors are flower petals, can you see it?

I painted this Welcome Sign for our front porch area.  My mom gave me the old milk can, which I love.  Because it lives on our covered porch, I used fake flowers, which came from the Dollar Tree.  The burlap for the bow actually came from my brother's wedding!

Here is a burlap wreath that I made at a Ladies Retreat.  It was quite simple to make (search Pinterest to make your own).

This is one of my favorite things!  My husband made these wooden frames for me, there are actually 2.  I stained them and then we stapled the maps to the back.  The other one has a world map in it.  

A sweet friend of mine invited me to her painting birthday party!  Her mom is a wonderful artist and showed us how to paint this bird, as well as a fun cat picture that is hanging in my daughter's room.  I also painted the letter V and added the burlap.

I've also been working on a denim braided rug for my bedroom for the past 2 years...

New Vlog - Credit Card Cake

Hello!  I have been working on a new adventure, vlogging!  My Youtube channel is called Real Life. Real Joy.  I have been practicing with my phone and editing them using Davinci Resolve, an awesome video editing program I was able to download for free!  I am currently researching cameras and hope to buy one soon.  Click below to check it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

I'm working on an Introduction video that will come out soon!