my day

very long day of homeschooling and life. as usual, it started at 5 am. and hasn't slowed down yet.

here's what a typical day looks like for us now.

5  - up making coffee and chatting with Brian
5:45 - out the door for my 4 and a half mile walk. i get in my Bible reading/prayer time then, as it's much easier for me to focus when i'm away from the house. i get so distracted by all the things around me. when i'm outside while it's still dark i feel like it's so much easier to commune with the Lord.  i've been using this reading plan for years and can't say enough about how great it is. i read it on my trusty (ok, that's a stretch) HTC HD2, which is a lot easier to carry than my little Bible.
7:15 or so - back home where the kids are finishing up running with Brian. we had started this routine of having them go walk with me, but it just wasn't quite working out, so now they go run with Brian a few days a week. Margaret runs 2 miles and the boys run 1. we'd like to get them all up to 3 miles so they can run in a 5K sometime this year, but i'm not sure if we can motivate the two younger to work toward something like that.
then breakfast
8 am. school starts
sometimes the kids are more motivated and finish before lunch, but more often than not, we're dragging it out until the afternoon.
Bible
read aloud (we finished Anne of Green Gables today)
math
grammar
spelling
phonics (for John)
penmanship (for William)
literature
history (mondays/wednesdays)
science (tuesdays/thursdays)
piano (only for Margaret so far)

by late afternoon there is a lot of cleaning to do around the house, so i spend the next hour or so doing that. and cooking dinner. the kids have started helping me around the house a lot more, which is a real blessing. after a long day of school work, i really want to get them outside, but it's just too stinkin hot, unless we go swimming, which is what we did yesterday.

5:30 - my knight walks through the door and it feels like a thousand pounds have been lifted off my shoulders. we eat dinner and then try to do something active with the kids - a kickball game out front, a walk around the neighborhood, basketball at the park, or some other such sport.
7:30 - attempt to get the kids bathed. this usually takes a lot longer than it should.
8 - Bible time and read a loud. Brian does this and i'm usually finishing up cleaning house.
8:45 - everyone to bed. the boys always want to listen to Adventures in Odyssey online while they're going to sleep, so we spend some time getting that set up, then listen to the talking and giggling coming from their room for the next 15 minutes or so.
9 - Brian and i fall down on the couch and rest our old bodies.
9:30 ish - i'm reading in bed for as long as i can keep my eyes propped open.
and then it starts all over again the next morning.

well, it's 9 pm. now and i'm squeezing in a bowl of cereal before i head off to bed since i have my blood glucose test in the morning and won't get to eat until after 9 am. for me that's like three meals too late. i have low blood sugar and eat my first meal at 5, the second after i get done walking, around 7:30, and the 3rd around 9. thankfully my metabolism slows down by the afternoon so i don't have to keep filling the tank every couple of hours.

oh, and our vacation starts tomorrow. can hardly wait! a whole week at the beach!