As a teacher I learned long ago that to be on plan d, e, or f is something to be expected! I have tried to apply that flexibility in my life as a mom, but I have found that to be more of a struggle. I want to be the perfect mom, the best wife, a Pinterest homeschooling teacher, bossing it in my businesses, all these things and what I have learned is that perfection is not something I need to strive for. Just because I understand that doesn’t mean that it makes it any easier to accept. I am constantly praying for patience and guidance because I tend to get overwhelmed very quickly. My goal needs to be to move forward everyday with God as my focus. Even with that mindset, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have to chase the cows in my pjs when they escape or that the kids won’t break a window playing too rough in the living room, it just means that I can take a deep breath when those things happen and hear God's whisper saying, “it’s going to be ok”.

A day in our life varies based on if it is a weekday or a weekend. Right now, we are all home for the holiday season, so I’ve been experiencing an extended weekend flow. Sadly, this routine won't happen for long... then it is back to working as a full-time high school teacher by day, mom by evening and business owner by night!

8:30am So right now our morning starts when Odin and Clayton tend to wake up. I have always wanted to start my day before they get up, however, in this season of life, I am finding that I tend to get more work done after the boys are in bed. As I make breakfast, I love to have the kids playing at the table. I’ve heard of a lot of homeschool moms that use a “morning basket” and started that! It’s not a physical basket because we don’t have the space in the kitchen, but I have a small pile of goodies. We have Play-Doh, coloring books, mazes, just little things to get their brains working and to keep them out from under my feet while trying to prepare breakfast.

9-11am After eating, I will let the boys go play while I clean up the kitchen and get laundry started. If the kitchen at least can be clean, I feel like my brain works better. So, I focus on getting the dishes taken care of, prepping any baking that needs done, sweeping up and putting any toys or clothes the boys have dropped around the kitchen, away. Laundry is an ongoing battle. With five boys, laundry adds up quickly! So, we tend to do 1 to 2 loads a day. We do not have a dryer, so everything has to be line dried. The goal is to get one of those loads out on the line before lunch. While I’m working on these things, I have Gabe and hopefully Odin and Clayton go outside to do morning chores. With the animals, they need to be fed, they need watered, and they need to be cleaned. So, Gabe is a big help to care for the smaller animals. I also try to spend some time with baby Steven during this time. If he is clingy, I throw him in my baby carrier, and he is along for the ride while I do dishes clean up.

11-1pm Lunch is usually pretty simple at our home. Many days we do sandwiches, leftovers, or if Waylon is home from school, we might do ravioli or mac and cheese. He can be very very picky about what he wants to eat, the other boys, not so much. After eating Gabe jumps into schoolwork and the other boys go play. Steven usually goes down for a nap. I am so thankful he is a good napper because I need time to get work done too.

1-4pm During this time I help Gabe with his schoolwork. Thankfully he is very independent in his work so I set up my workstation near his school desk so I can be there to help him as he needs, but I can also work on my two businesses. This is also the time that if I need to do any sewing, household paperwork, ect as long as the younger boys are occupied, I can get work done. Often, I will have to take breaks to help the boys with drinks, or to play, or to referee. 

4-6pm Meals can vary a lot at dinner time. I am not a strong meal planner but something we have started is that certain day's equal certain meals. Tuesday, for example, is always Tacos. Fridays are usually spaghetti. We often do Breakfast for Dinner at least one time a week, especially if we have an abundance of eggs that need to be used up. One thing with boys is that we don’t usually have leftovers; if we do, they are usually kept for lunch and not reused at dinner time. Steven usually wakes up from his nap as dinner is just finishing up. 

6-9pm Evenings I try to keep for family time. Gabe has evening chores to do after dinner. I usually go out and help with the chickens as they are more my project than anyone else. The baby goes to bed around 7:30/8:00pm and then I can focus on the older boys. We read books, finish any schooling that Gabe didn’t do earlier, play games, do bath time and wait for Michael to come home from work. He has been working at two local dairies in the evenings from 4 to 8ish.

9-11pm Once the boys are finally tucked in, I get to work on my two businesses. Not only do I have Rooted In to work on but I am also involved in Monat. 

It is crazy to think about all that happens in a day's time to make a home run. I have tried so many different schedules and time planning methods, but this example of block scheduling, I have found to be the most productive. When I am doing my worktime I try to have a list either on paper or mentally of what needs to be accomplished so I don’t try to multitask! That’s where I lose a lot of productivity… when I try to do too many things at once. Same for family time; I don’t want to be distracted from my kids. When it is family time, that needs to be my main focus. 

How do you schedule your life? I’d love to hear your methods! 

Make sure to check out my podcast for some uplifting mom moments! Just click the Listen Now button below.