🌼 This isn’t a perfect homeschool routine. It’s just what actually works for us right now.
Some mornings, by 8:05, I already have a toddler asking for snacks, a ten-year-old asking what’s for breakfast, and a fifteen-year-old who needs me to look at his guitar chords real quick before anything else happens.
That’s homeschooling in our house.
Not a Pinterest board.
Just three kids, three completely different needs, and me figuring it out in real time.
Why I’m Writing This One
I already shared why we chose homeschooling in Why We Chose Homeschooling When I Wasn’t Sure I Could Do It.
But the why was never the hard part for me.
The how is.
How you actually do this every day with a baby in the house.
So this is that post.
What Our Mornings Actually Look Like
The kids come downstairs by 8 a.m., already dressed for the day.
Breakfast comes first. Teeth get brushed right after — the one thing standing between breakfast and the start of school.
Once that’s done, school time starts.
The Laptop Rotation
One kid gets on the laptop to work through Time4Learning.
The other one is either doing responsibilities around the house, working through worksheets, or writing through a weekly story prompt.
Then they switch.
My daughter goes first because her work usually doesn’t take as long as my son’s. Depending on what they’re working through, it can take anywhere from an hour to two hours each.
And some days, something just doesn’t click right away.
Fractions were like that for my daughter.
It wasn’t making sense, no matter how many times we went over it. So we stepped aside, did extra worksheets together, and slowed down.
And now it’s clicked.
That’s homeschooling too.
Not just the curriculum.
The stepping aside when something isn’t working.
Where the Baby Fits Into All of This
This is the part that’s hardest to put into words, even for me.
While the older two are working, my youngest is with me, with my husband, or with both of us — somewhere else in the house entirely.
The older kids have a spot set up just for schoolwork, closed off so the toddler can’t wander in while they’re trying to focus.
Wherever he is, I’ll put some music on in the mornings to get his energy up. Then we’ll pull out blocks, magnetic tiles, or whatever he’s into that day.
We don’t keep everything out at once.
We play with one thing, put it away, then move to the next.
Honestly, that’s the reason he cleans up so well already.
He’s just used to it.
He naps somewhere around 10 to 12, give or take. Then there’s more playtime, more talking to him, and more building his vocabulary through the day.
And it doesn’t matter whether he’s napping or wide awake that day — the older two’s schoolwork still happens either way.
Same with my grandmother.
If we need to go sit with her, the laptop comes with us.
School doesn’t stop just because life doesn’t stop.
How We Locked Down the Laptops
This is the detail that takes the most explaining, so I’ll just lay it out plainly.
We set up a separate email just for homeschooling, plus a child profile, so there are two profiles on the laptop.
Ours is password protected.
Theirs runs through Microsoft Family Safety, where we were able to close off everything except the specific sites we approved.
It’s not complicated once it’s set up.
It just takes sitting down and doing it once.
And it gave us something we needed — the ability to let them use the laptop without hovering over their shoulder the whole time.
When the Schoolwork Is Done
Once the laptop work and worksheets are finished, it’s outside time if the weather is decent, or playtime together inside if it’s not.
There’s usually some alone time too — reading, hobbies, or whatever they’re into that day.
Beyond that, it’s mostly whatever they want, as long as they’re following the house rules and staying safe.
I used to think every part of the day needed structure.
It doesn’t.
What They’re Actually Into Right Now
Every week, both kids look forward to picking out books at the library.
My daughter loves making bracelets and drawing, and she’s been wanting to learn crochet this summer.
My son is deep into guitar and piano right now. Lately, he’s also been doing his own research into workout plans — completely on his own, because he wants to.
That’s the part of homeschooling I love most.
Watching what they chase when nobody’s making them.
The Hardest Part
If I’m honest, the hardest moments are when I have a lot on my plate and a toddler who has zero interest in slowing down for any of it.
My husband is really good with time management and problem-solving, and we try to stay a team through it.
But staying on the same page is easier said than done some days.
How We Reset
When it gets like that, we don’t try to force a solution in the moment.
We take a minute to collect ourselves.
Then we either finish the conversation, or we come back to it later.
That’s it.
That’s the whole system.
If You’re Nervous About Starting
Homeschooling or not, everything is an adjustment.
You’ll be adjusting constantly, the whole way through.
If you think this is the right choice for your family, you’ll adjust for it.
That’s really all it comes down to.
One Last Thing
This is just where we are right now.
Ask me again in six months and some of this will probably look different.
That’s homeschooling too.
✨ Thank you for letting me share what our days actually look like.
If you’re homeschooling, or thinking about it, I’d love to hear what a normal day looks like for your family.
You might also enjoy:
→ Why We Chose Homeschooling When I Wasn’t Sure I Could Do It
→ The Version of Me I’m Still Becoming
With love,
Rachel (RaiRai 💛)
This post is based on my own experience as a homeschooling mom. Every family and every state has different requirements, so always check your own state’s current guidelines before making decisions about homeschooling.
Leave a Reply