Welcome to the third installment of our blog series: A Day In The Life Of A Homeschooler.

In each installment I will introduce you to a homeschooler and their family and ask them a few questions about a typical day in their homeschool. There are so many different styles and methods of homeschooling, I hope that you enjoy this sneak peek into a few of them!

Meet Sheri!

Hello, I’m Sheri. I am a homeschooling Mom of five children. I have two girls ages 12, and 11, then two boys ages 9 and 7 and my baby is 4 years old. I had a full-time career as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative till about 8 years ago. That’s when I quit my job, at the age of 40, and with only 3 children at the time, became a stay-home, homeschooling Mom. I live in the United States in Texas. I am a traditional, homeschooling Mom, which means I use a graded textbook/workbook curriculum.
Visit Sheri at www.mommyhypocrite.com her new blog, https://thisblessedjourney.com.

Q: Do you have a set schedule that you use each day? Please explain.

Sheri: I have fluctuated from a tight 30-minute increment schedule to having loose routines. Both types of schedules have worked for different seasons. We moved about 7 1/2 months ago to a five-acre ranch. So we have a routine right now as we adjust to our country life. Monday to Thursday we utilize our curriculum. And Friday is what I call our Charlotte Mason Day. It’s all the other material that I decided not to use for our day-to-day homeschooling, but loved and couldn’t part with it. So, I use it stress-free on Fridays. Those items cover drawing, crocheting, art study, coding, foreign language and other areas of study.

Q: As a homeschooler, what does a typical day look like for your family?

Sheri: My husband gets up and opens the barn for our free-range, pastured chickens before leaving for work. I am up about 7:30 and I make him breakfast. The rest of the crew is up around 8-8:30. They have a quick snack and then go out to the barn to tend to the animals (16 chickens, 2 barn cats, and our 2 dogs). Then, they come inside have breakfast and complete their indoor chores. Every child has several chores they can handle and utilize a chore app to complete them. I make breakfast and we usually hit the schoolbooks by 10:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. I am a traditional Mom at the moment and I use ACE Ministries. It works very well for us because it allows my older three to be independent while I focus on teaching the younger two. It covers Math, English, Spelling, Social Studies, and Science as well as Literature & Creative Writing. I have, however, used many different curriculum in the past with a classical, unit-study and Charlotte Mason flair to it. If it is a Wednesday we all pack up our studies and lunch and go to piano lessons at our Church. In addition, some days they finish their studies earlier and have the afternoons to explore personal interests and go outside for physical education.

Q: Do you think you’ll stick with your current routine in the future? Why/why not?

Sheri: It is hard to say whether I will stick with our current routine. I always say that the schedule or routine is working, until it isn’t. When there are five children in a family there are developments in each child that may require more attention or a new focus and at that time a different routine would be considered.

Q: Do you have any advice for other homeschooling moms?

Sheri: Yes! It is okay to switch curriculum. I did it twice mid-year. If it isn’t working don’t force it. Cut your losses and move onto something that will work for you and that your children will love. Also, don’t be afraid to be a traditional Mom. Meaning using textbooks or workbooks. There are many different homeschooling methods and philosophies and using textbooks can be a good fit. In addition, remember that this time is short and having a clean home really isn’t as important as it seems.

Thanks for getting to know a little more about homeschooler Sheri and her family.
Join us again soon to meet another homeschooling mama in our next installment of this blog series!

Want to check out more Day In The Life Of A Homeschooler articles? Click below!

1 Sarah from RaisingRoyalty.ca
#2 Bonnie from TheKoalaMom,com
#3 Sheri from MommyHypocrite.com
#4 Jen from PracticalByDefault.com
#5 Kim from Kim And Kairas Great Homeschool Adventure
#6 Sandra from RealWorldLearners.com