A Day in the Life: September Edition

A whole day in the life blog post devoted to my morning routine, afternoon routine and evening routine. I’ve also included what our homeschool daily schedule looks like.  

Back in the old days of blogging we used to do regular “Day in the Life” posts. I loved them because it was a fun way to get to know the author of the blog and to see how they lived their life.

I thought it would be fun to bring it back to the blog! I’ll break it down throughout the day and attempt to make it as thorough as possible.  

MY MORNING ROUTINE

Most days I try to get up between 5-6am.  I love having time by myself first thing in the morning to have a cup of coffee and read my Bible. I find that I’m a more patient homeschooling mama if I have time to myself before the kids get up.

My morning routine typically looks like:

• Read my Bible
• Have a cup of coffee
• Start a load of laundry
• Fill the Berkey for the day
• Make sure Travis has his work clothes ready for the day
• Answer my emails
• Make a to-do list that needs to be accomplished for the day
• Take a bath
• Make a fresh squeezed juice for Trav and myself. This is the juicer we have had for almost a year. It gets used every single morning and we love it! A normal morning juice for us has oranges, carrots, celery and spinach in it. I’ll also add Travis’ supplements to his juice (I take mine in pill form).
• Kiss my man and get him out the door.
• Work on a blog post before the kids wake up.

The kids will get up around 7am most mornings. I let them watch a morning tv show for a few minutes while they wake up.

Some mornings we have a slower start because I let them sleep in a little bit. I love letting them SLEEP to keep their immune systems strong. I have a whole blog post on boosting your immune systems here.

While I make breakfast, the kids will begin their inside morning chores.  Each child has a list of chores that are age appropriate for them to accomplish each morning.

We use these chore charts here.

I’ll also switch out the laundry several times throughout the morning. Most days it only gets washed and dried.

We’ll do a big folding day a few times a week while I read out loud to the kids.

Read more about our favorite read aloud books here.

Read why I love using dryer balls for our laundry here.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is usually a hot meal. I love cooking and this is a way that I love blessing my family.  A lot of the recipes below are favorites that can easily be made ahead.

FAVORITE BREAKFASTS

• Pancakes
• Blueberry Muffins
• 6 Week Bran Muffins
• Pancake Mix Coffee Cake
• Breakfast Burritos
• Scrambled Eggs and Toast

After breakfast I will clean up the kitchen, the little 2 boys will head off to play and the rest of the kids will disperse to finish their barn chores. They’re each in charge of feeding and caring for a group of animals (goats, pigs, Bobwhite quail, horse, chickens, chicks and cats).

FAVORITE MORNING SKINCARE AND BEAUTY ITEMS

Once I have the kitchen cleaned I’ll also finish getting ready for my day.  Below are my favorite makeup and skincare products that I use daily.

• Countertime Skincare Collection: I have used Beautycounter skincare for years and love it! My Countertime Collection typically lasts me between 4-5 months. The products are super concentrated and last forever! In the morning I’ll use the Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil, Mineral Boost Hydrating Essence and the Antioxidant Soft Cream.
• All Bright C Serum: with each pregnancy I find that my skin tends to get darker patches. I love using the All Bright C Serum each morning before my Antioxidant Soft Cream.
• Flawless in Five Makeup: I keep my makeup routine simple! I use Skin Tin Foundation (in Medium 350), Skin Twin Creamy Concealer (in Medium 1), Brilliant Brow Gel (in Light), All-In-One Mascara, Satin Powder Blush (in Raspberry) and Beyond Gloss. I have been using Beautycounter makeup for over 3 years and LOVE that it’s a clean ingredient product with high performance.

If you need help with Beautycounter products, you can always send me an email! ashley@thevanillatulip.com
I would be more than happy to help you color match or find the perfect skincare.

HOMESCHOOL DAILY SCHEDULE

We meet in the living room first for our Bible time.  During this time we will read a passage of the Bible, work on our Bible Verse Memorization, practice saying through the books of the Bible and pray.

After Bible time we split up for the morning.  I use the next few hours to work with my younger grades and my older two kids will head off to do independent work.  

We use these Student Schedule Printables to keep everyone on track.

And I use this Homeschool Planner to keep myself organized.

If you are new to homeschooling and aren’t sure where to start, I highly recommend the “New Homeschooler’s Toolkit” to begin!

In the morning hours my older two (8th and 6th) will work on their music practice, reading (we are using Sunlight Curriculum which has quite a bit of reading) and math.  After lunch I will help them correct math, talk through their science and history (they are doing it together) and assist with their Language Arts.

I spend the time before lunch working with my 4th, 3rd, Kinder and Pre-K kids.  We sit at a little table together and it’s a bit of a circus juggling act with subjects but we make it work!

This year I have combined a lot of subjects for my 4th and 3rd grader. It’s been a wonderful change and has made my job as a homeschool teacher a lot easier.  

While I am working with the 4th and 3rd grader, I’ll make sure that the younger two (Kinder and PreK) are both set up with activities that can be done somewhat independently. I use this “Preschool Alphabet Workbook” daily for my Pre-K buddy.

ADDITIONAL HOMESCHOOL POSTS

I have several other Homeschool related posts that go into our homeschooling journey in more details:

• How I Prep for a Homeschooling Year
• How to Homeschool Preschool
• Favorite Read Aloud Chapter Books
• Homeschool Organization and Homeschool Room Ideas
• Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
• 6 Tips for Choosing Homeschool Curriculum
• How to Homeschool with Little Ones Around
• The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum Review

LUNCH

We typically break for lunch around 12:30.  A few of our favorite lunches are:

• Quesadillas
• Charcuterie Board: usually a board filled with our favorite snack foods. Veggies and hummus, cut up fruit, cheese, lunch meat and crackers.
• Pasta with red sauce
• Sandwiches with fruit and chips
• Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

I’ll usually eat a salad for my lunch.  These Mason Jar Cobb Salads are one of my favorites!

AFTERNOON ROUTINE

After lunch I will lay the little two down for their naps, some of the kids will head outside to play and I’ll sit down to work with my older two kids.

We will correct their math, talk through their Sunlight history and science (they do their Science projects/experiments on Fridays) and I’ll help them with their Language Arts/writing.

We usually wrap up school around 2pm.  The big kids will head off to play or go outside and I’ll find a cozy spot on the couch for an hour.

About once a week I’ll take a short nap (an 8th pregnancy at 37 years old is no joke!).  Most afternoons I’ll spend an hour working on blog posts or Home+Haven Homeschool Community.

Once everyone is up from their naps we spend the rest of the afternoon playing outside, tidying up from the day, prepping dinner or running errands. I try to keep my errands for the end of the week, but some days a trip to the feed store can’t be helped.

DINNER

I start prepping dinner around 5pm. This particular night we had grilled hamburgers, French fries and baked beans. A few of our favorite dinners are:

• Mississippi Pot Roast: so yummy to pop into the crockpot at the beginning of the day!
• White Chicken Chili: a favorite around here!
• Mexican Beans in the Instant Pot

EVENING ROUTINES

Our evenings are typically spent outside. Some of our favorite evening activities:

• Checking on the animals
• Going on a side-by-side ride as a family
• Playing football in the front yard
• Travis and I will sit on the front porch in our rocking chairs visiting. The kids know this is our date night time and will play somewhere else on the property so we can visit.

Bath time usually starts around 7:45PM. After everyone is bathed the kids will watch a show before bed while Travis and I visit for a little longer.  The little ones will get tucked into bed and my older kids will read in their beds until lights out. 

EVENING SKINCARE

I will work in the evenings for about an hour while visiting next to Travis on the couch. My bedtime routine is pretty simple.  I will wash my face with my favorite skincare products and curl up in bed by 10PM at the latest.

• Overnight Resurfacing Peel: I fell in love with this product 4 years ago! I use it a few times a week in the evenings. It is INCREDIBLE if you’re wanting smooth and bright skin.
• Countertime Regimen: In the evenings I’ll use the Lipid Defense Oil, Hydrating Essence, Tripeptide Radiance Serum, Supreme Cream (I use this on my growing belly too!) and Ultra Renewal Eye Cream. Taking care of my skin now that I am in my late 30’s is a priority! I love having skincare products that WORK!

LIGHTS OUT

That’s an average day in a nutshell! It’s full to the brim and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  Most days my to-do list isn’t anywhere near accomplished, but I’m okay with that.

I do the best that I can and make sure that my family stays top priority.  Everything else falls into place and if it needs to be accomplished another day, then so be it!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I will have an updated FAQ soon!

FAQ’S