Yesterday was lovely. Don’t confuse that with perfect. There were a couple squabbles to break up (how they go from laughing together to tear in under 15 minutes sometimes is impressive), a lot of chaos around basketball volunteer needs (David is now co-coaching both Kaitlyn and Hailey), and a late dinner (not my fav). But overall, the day represented a close to perfect homeschool day in my eyes.

It started with my morning time, which is blogging by the Christmas tree while Finley snuggled at my feet. David was working from home yesterday so he joined me for the morning Sniffari. Loving this workout top by the way- thumb holes, a smooth fit, the reviews call it a Lulu dupe but I don’t know for what. I just ordered it in red, too.

I woke the kids around 8:00 and made breakfast. A sweet potato, onion, and kale bowl with fried eggs for the adults, and a bagel with an egg and oranges for the kids. While I cooked, they voluntarily practiced math (hooray for the math dice game).

I had them put their peels in a pot so I could make the house smell good. I know there are a ton of variations, but simply water, orange peels, a couple cinnamon sticks, and some whole cloves will make your house smell like the coziest place on earth. A cozy house makes any homeschool day a million times more enjoyable in my opinion.

While the kids got dressed and brushed teeth I cleaned up and set up for lessons. We just finished our Farming and Food Gather Round Unit and switched back to our other curriculum (curriculum ands structure I’m trying this year details here). Hailey was able to do her IEW and Fix It Grammar on her own, so during that hour I worked with Kaitlyn on language arts. She was into it and to make her word cards fun, she acted out every word after reading it, meaning our lesson was full of silliness and laughter. The best.

Math is a doozie for Hailey right now; a lot of multi-step problems. Since David was home, he tagged in, which I so appreciate. I can do it, but math is his strength and he is so patient that it just works so well for her. While they took on that hour (much longer than it usually takes, but again, he’s thorough and relaxed), Kaitlyn and I did her math and still had time to read books on the couch. Cozy. Sensing a theme? 😋

The kids practiced piano and typing which took us to lunchtime. They ate and then took off outside to play, giving me time to boil eggs (this over the sink colander is the best, by the way), bake pumpkin bread while listening to my Lovelight Farms audio book, respond to some emails, and list some items on Facebook Marketplace.

David and I worked out in the afternoon while the kids switched to playing Barbies upstairs. I’m not sure how many years of American Girl Dolls and Barbies we have left but I love that it’s still working for them right now. They’ve set up a while Christmas scene for the dolls and it’s adorable.

Late afternoon they took off to the soccer fields. Hailey’s soccer is over, but she goes too so she and David can exercise together during Kaitlyn’s practice. There is a track and they run a quarter of it, then stop to do various exercises. Rinse and repeat.

This gave me time to bring some pumpkin bread to our neighbors, who invited me in to chat for a while. Then I ran to the store to get necessary items for gingerbread cookies. The kids and I are doing a test run today since it’s supposed to be super rainy and in the 40’s all day.

I got home and made dinner- lemon oregano chicken thighs, roasted sweet potatoes, asparagus and cabbage, and some Wild Grain croissants. My crew steamrolled in time for a late family dinner.

I was tuckered out by the end of the day and it took us telling them at least 5 times to stop stalling and go to bed. But these days are my dream and they are what pull me through on the tougher days that make me question my sanity. Being together, having a little time to myself, getting in a lot of unstructured outdoor and indoor play, time to read books and play games… it’s my favorite.

I believe it was a quote from The Office- Andy, maybe?- that said “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you left them.” I think about that a lot. I hope you’re able to look at your day today and feel the goodness of the happy parts shine through, too. Life is what we focus on, after all. Hope your day is a wonderful one; thanks for stopping by <3