A Day in the Life of Homeschool Mama Rachel

A Day in the Life of Rachel, Homeschool Mama to Three

Hello!

My name is Rachel. I’m wife to my high school sweetheart, Sean + mother to three daughters, ages 10, 7 and 4. We are entering our fifth year homeschooling and love the freedom, connection, and opportunities that it provides for our family. Our entire family are Southern California city-dwelling natives, but we recently bought a small farm in Virginia. We are working towards a more self-sustainable livelihood, and learning so much along the way. Currently we have dogs, cats, chickens and guinea fowls occupying our farm but will hopefully have cows, llamas and pigs, one day! We love reading, exploring historical books + destinations, art projects, and being together as a family. Homeschooling has captured our family and we can’t wait to share our journey with you!

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Good Morning

Happy Wednesday, Learning Well Community!

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I’m Rachel and I’m so happy to be with you today and share a little bit about what our homeschooling day usually looks like…..BUT FIRST, always and forever amen, COFFEE. COFFEE. COFFEE.

And just for fun…..what is your favorite coffee quote from a movie or t.v. show? Mine just happens to be from “You Got Mail” when Joe Fox is describing his then-girlfriend and says, “She makes coffee…..nervous.” I laugh every time. Before coffee, I struggle to say my own name, but after 4 sips….I’m all, LET’S DO THIS!!

Starting Our Morning Off Right

In the mornings, we rise early. Always have, always will. My husband and I are usually both up by at least 5:30am (I’ve tried to sleep in, truly I have) and so once we grab a quick cup of joe, we move to our reading time (he usually catches up on soccer news and reads his current book (right now he’s reading “Talks for Farmers” by Charles Spurgeon) + I settle in with my devotional book, the Bible + right now I’m in a Bible study about prayer. {I’m also making my way through our current book club selection – Hannah Coulter – and loving it very much. If you want to join an online book club, hop over to #TheOldVirginianLiteraryCircle & learn more! Find us on FB with the same name, too!?☕️??}

When I start my day off like this: MUCH BETTER.

When I don’t: STRUGGLE IS SUPER REAL.

There’s a reason so many scriptures + traditional hymns focus on seeking God *early.* It doesn’t have to be this way, but for me…if I start out with my mind on Him….I’m just a more peaceful, purposeful + kind mom. I know who gives me strength and I can focus on that (instead of my lingering worries that I’m not teaching my children enough anatomy or grammar). What do you start off reading in the mornings?!

Moving to a Farm Means Morning Chores

As Alicia mentioned, we moved from big-city life in Southern California, all the way to Northern Virginia. It was a very hard choice in many ways – our dearest people were there, after all. But in many ways it was a very simple choice – we desired a slower & simpler way of life for our girls and ourselves…less noise & a place where it felt more authentic towards our hearts desires for our family. It has been a year of adjustments (you can learn more about it on our podcast @theurbanfarmette), but we are settling in and loving it here. We can’t imagine not being here…..it’s like this place has always been waiting for us, truly.

Moving to a farm meant adjusting our schedule for homeschool days. There are frequent breaks for feeding chickens and guinea fowls, watering vegetable beds, walking dogs, scooping poop, and so on – and more on the horizon. It’s taught the girls about hard work in a way we wouldn’t have been able to duplicate in the city, and we are so grateful for that. It’s not easy, but it’s good, and we are pleased to be raising three ladies who have learned, from an early age, to not complain, but get on with it. You know all that controversy with the “just do it” company that’s swirling around, lately? Well, my daughters DEFINITELY know the meaning of that phrase, that’s for sure. No free rides over here.

Our Fireside Morning Meeting

Each day we do a “Morning Meeting” but we call it “Fireside” because there’s always an element of fire involved because I adore flames & fire and burning of all types. Sometimes it’s just a candle & in the winter it’s a fire in the fireplace {fun grammar fact: did you know that you are actually NOT supposed to capitalize seasons?! I just learned that!!!!} We review poetry, Bible, our catechism, art, free reading & more

Whirlwind Afternoon

(In the middle of Rachel’s takeover her two puppies went missing. Thankfully they were found!)

Wow, what a whirlwind today has been, but isn’t that kinda perfect for a “real” day in the life type of thing?! Because this IS a real day – for all parents. Just remembering how much I love the flexibility of homeschooling – my three daughters were running through our woods, searching barns, talking with neighbors, & helping for the last three hours….I needed their help & was so grateful to throw everything else aside and take care of the important stuff.

Time to Read on the Couch

We do a lot of reading around here – and when we are getting ready for church {Sundays + Wednesday’s. I have a policy that once the kids are ready, they have to sit on the couch, read to one another + be calm – nothing stresses me out more than when we are working against the clock and people are running around like hooligans. My entire life is loud and wonderful but sometimes I have to have a moment, and my girls know when I yell, “ARE YOU READY?!! THEN GET TO THE COUCH!” they better get there. I promise I’m really nice – just pretty strict when it comes to being on time to things {ask any of my friends }.

The Joy of Art Study

Art is a HUGE part of our homeschooling. This doesn’t mean that we do an art lesson every day or even every other day, but it does mean we talk about art, intentionally point out creativity, visit museums and galleries routinely, leave out books about famous artists, reference pieces of art in daily discussion & draw every.single.day. We study one artist a month and keep things simple, while also making art a special subject in our home. Any guesses of what famous painting my daughters were inspired by when painting these mini-canvases?! Head to my personal feed { @rachel.r.reeves } and visit my “Art Study” story for the answer, and some simple ideas to keep art a key part of your homeschool.

Learning from the World Around You

Moving to a farm from the city has been the experience of a lifetime. I think something I didn’t know would happen {although I should have known} was how much “education” my kids would get, simply by living in a place/working on a land surrounded by nature – from every angle. They take care of multiple animals and not a day goes by that there isn’t some natural discovery – from leaves to composting to insects to flower beds to chicken habits. They are learning from being in the field, and that is just as important to me {more, actually} than what a textbook or classroom might teach. Don’t take for granted the discoveries YOUR kids are getting because of the place where God has you – whether it’s the city or orchestra practice or a daily bus ride home….there are learning experiences that will be unique to *your* child and capitalize on it! Look did where God has placed you and then suck the marrow out of it!

That’s a Wrap

It’s bedtime! Thank you so so much for following along with our day – there are so many other things I wanted to share with you but I hope that you were able to gather a few nuggets of our day that might work for your family. Be encouraged, homeschool parents – you are giving your children a special gift and doing a good job {even if you don’t feel like it all the time!} Stay the course, think with the end in mind, spray that dry shampoo, pour that cup of joe, and say your prayers. Now, time to get some sleep {but I have a 33% chance that someone will have a bad dream or wake up with a bloody nose, so I better add another scoop of coffee beans to the maker}.

Blessings to you!

If you want to see more Day in the Life photos and videos, be sure to check out our Instagram profile. There are highlights of each takeover at the top.