6:45a- I hear Stubby’s door creak open. Who needs an alarm with kids? I read (Marmion & Toward a Philosophy of Education) for a few minutes and check my email on my phone.
7:15a- I head downstairs and join Stubby on the couch. He’s just finishing The Last Collier, the 9th in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series. I spend some time trying to identify the raptor we’ve seen a few times around the house. Then I record my screen time from the previous day for a “Stop the Scroll” challenge, respond to some texts, and brain dump.
8:00a- The girls have also woken up and we have breakfast. The kids have Fruit Loops (leftover from Squeaky’s birthday) and vanilla yogurt and I fry myself an egg with spinach and salsa. I finalize the kids’ Term 2 exams, score them, and submit them to our curriculum provider while eating and drinking tea. The older 2 kids start a game of Ecologies while they’re eating. I get myself ready for the day.
10:00a- I quickly oil the bottom of the table I’m working on building while the kids finish their morning routine checklist. Then we listen to our daily Bible reading together while folding laundry. After that Stubby starts on a woodworking project and the girls play.
11:15a- We begin the process of cleaning the kids’ rooms. I turn on some music and set a timer for 30 minutes and start with Stubby. We rearrange the furniture in his room a little bit to make the space more usable. Smiley gets her side of the girls’ room organized by herself. After the timer for Stubby ends, I move on to working with Squeaky. I throw away a lot of garbage from her shelf and organize what’s left. Once everything is organized, I vacuum the bedrooms and the stairs back to the main level.
1:15p- After a couple of hours, the upstairs looks great and we take a break to eat lunch. The kids use some of their screen time points. Stubby and Smiley play Zelda on the Wii and Squeaky plays a game on the Kindle Fire. I read (Changes that Heal & A Rose Remembered) and drink tea.
2:15p- I resume chores with vacuuming and mopping the living, dining, and bathroom. Smiley decides to organize more in her room and she and Squeaky stay in their room listening to A House at Pooh Corner on CD. Stubby goes out to chip at the garage ice build-up and then comes in to play with Legos.
3:30p- I make banana bread and do dishes with Squeaky’s help. After a snack, she goes to play with Smiley. Stubby comes and shows me the mailbox he built with Legos. I mop the kitchen and wash the vacuum.
4:30p- I start to watch out the window, waiting for the kids’ great surprise. We play our daily pick-up playlist even though there’s nothing to do except fold out the kids’ beds. After that’s done the kids start playing Skip-bo and I start making hamburger buns.
5:15p- The surprise has arrived! Mr. McGoozle is home after nearly 3 weeks away! Everyone is talking all at once and trying to show him everything that doesn’t show well on a video call or has been done since the last call a few days ago. He finishes the Skip-bo game with the kids and I work on dinner.
6:30p- Dinner is ready and we eat together. The kids get showered, Mr. McGoozle does the dishes, and I put together the church bulletin.
8:00p- We all sit together in the living room while Mr. McGoozle reads the kids their books. Then he tucks them in and we sit together and talk before heading to bed ourselves.
Other March Highlights
