I work a normal 9-5 style job from home since the pandemic. I arranged to take an hour lunch with my work and an hour break at 2pm and those 2 kinda random hours are when my kids and I do our homeschool. The hour between those 2 hrs while I work is the kids "quiet time", the Littles take their nap and the oldest quietly works on his workbook. I then answer questions with the oldest at 2pm and continue their normal curriculum after questions are answered and the Littles are awake. However, by taking this extra time, to make sure I get in my full 8hrs I added one hr to the end of my work day and I clock in 30 mins early in the morning. I'm a single mom, working from home and homeschooling. If it's important enough to you, you will figure out how to make it work. I'm very lucky to have a lenient boss who's happy to change shift schedules based on what the employee needs, so this is what has been working for us for the last 3 yrs. I've also taught (trained) my kids on what to do when they need something from me while I'm working, since I'm the only adult in the house. If it's an emergency they come up to my door and say, "Mom, it's an emergency," for an immediate response, otherwise they say, "Mom" to let me know they're at the door then wait quietly for me to finish my phone call. We set up many systems, routines and reasonable expectations to make everything work.
Thank you so much for sharing. I have been a SAHM for 10 years now, homeschooling 4, but need/want to start working from home although I am not a single mom. Your experience and how you do it has been very helpful.
Awesome, would you mind making an updated video on your homeschool schedule in depth, including curriculum, the challenges, the schedule, and how you manage to teach the older girls with the younger boys running around? I wish I could see how balance this!
Summary: 5:30am: Wake. Work. 6am: Little kids up! Breakfast. Check email. 9am: More kids up! Deep homeschooling. 12pm: Lunch. 1pm: Lighter homeschooling. Piano practice. Mindless work. Cleaning. Play! 5pm: Dinner. 6pm: Get ready for bed. 7pm: Little kids asleep. Reading to big kids. 9pm: Big kids asleep. Work. 11pm: Bed time!
Thank you for the title saying “this is what I do” not “the perfect”, “best” routine... everyone is different and while we need inspiration from each other doing what’s best for you and your family is going to be so unique for each family/person and those “best” titles a lot people post drives me bonkers!
11 to 5 is only 6 hours of sleep - that is not a possibility for most people, who might need 7 or 8. If I were to get up at 5, I would need to be in bed by 9:30. You are lucky to be able to get by on not much sleep.
Some mornings if I am tired I sleep later, but yes, I can function on 6 hours. It's only like this while the kids are little. As they sleep in I'll get more sleep too.
Wow...I'm a homeschooling wahm of 4 kids too and my schedule is almost exactly the same as yours! My husband works from home too and I find it pretty cool how much our lives have in common... I feel so normal now. :) We've been homeschooling since before the pandemic and I've always been a home- body (hello fellow introverts!) So I've been curious how everyone else is doing during the pandemic....our lives haven't changed very much at all apart from missing the library...
One must not have any illusions about really taking care of a family. It gets the main part of our time. In order to do a good job, we have to give up on saying "what about me" all the time. But - at least in my opinion - it is the best project we could possibly have for life.
Thank you, Jennifer. This is my first time posting. I've been working from home for the last 8 years. Four years ago, we adopted 5 kids (all siblings) from Costa Rica, and our house went from calm and quiet to chaotic and crazy. God has really done amazing things in the last four years, however, and now that we have done the hard work, we are reaping the rewards when life threw another curve ball (all five kids home at least until April 24). However, as I try to balance work (I have several clients that I do editing, writing, and social media promotion for) with having five home and now homeschooling (something we originally thought we would do, and then opted not to, instead putting them all in private schools), I feel like I'm back at square one, trying to find our new normal, develop a new schedule that works for everyone, and give some kind of routine back to the kids (and me) for our sanity. This has been the first week of school (three grades so far, the other two who are in a different school start back on Friday), and on Monday I was pulling my hair out, yesterday was better, today has been chaotic. I'm giving us all grace, but I'm also stressed as I see work deadlines coming up and wondering how I can get it all done. And then I saw your video...for which I am so grateful. Thank you for being transparent, thank you for sharing what works for you, and thanks for giving us some sanity in this insane world. Blessings!
Great insights. I homeschooled my 2 sons while working full time as a nurse. I worked 12 hour night shifts, 8 hour evenings or home health visits during the day. We made it work and they did well. A couple thoughts. This season in life does not last forever. Enjoy it, cherish it and be ready to move along. Another thing is be flexible and open with some of your routines, meaning prioritization. And yes, you will need to make sacrifices. Remember that homeschooling is not replicating school “house” schooling. It’s more 1:1 as Jennifer said, less time is spent waiting for everyone to get tasks completed. One more thing, no regrets. Be thoughtful as to your priorities, be decisive and implement. Take care.
Wow - you do everything you do on 5.5 hours of sleep! You are truly amazing. Unfortunately I can't go with that little sleep for long - I always end up sick. I pray that I will find a way to squeeze everything in in fewer hours. And a simple question: how and when do you clean with children around? Do you send them outside, do it when they nap, something else?
Some of that works,but doing any focused computer work while kids are awake is generally impossible - they sense that I'm distracted and use that time to get all their mischief done 😊 I'm wondering if Jennifer gets any computer work done during the day (and how), or is it strictly early morning/late night?
YAAAAAAAAY!!!!! You finally tackled this question for us homemakers and homeschoolers-BUT I am an portrait artist as well. I was always interested in how you balanced the work end. I’ve been homeschooling for five years (my oldest is 10) but I find it hard to fit “work time” (art) in. Agreed. You really cannot have everything, something will have to give. YES!! That moment from the Masterclass commercial with Joyce burns in my brain! This is really perfect for right now. Thank you soooooooooo much for this insight! 😃👏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I also didn’t realize you two little boys. You have four kiddos?
This is very similar to my schedule- I also work from home and homeschool. I find that the sacrifices that I've made (T.V. for example) have my made my life overall more peaceful.
Yes, this is an issue especially now with quarantine. I am working from home for now and the teachers in our district are having the kids distance learn according to the same school day, not a self-paced program... it is very hard to do!!
John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
I LOVE your videos Jennifer and I hope you continue to make them! They are always my favorite place to come to for some chic and classy content, and peaceful topics and music to enjoy. Thank you for all you do!💗💗
Hi, Jennifer: A few questions: Are you working on a new book? Does Ben work entirely from home/help with schooling the children? (You said "WE homeschool....") Thanks!
B-a-l-a-n-c-e is the key! Consider waking girls up earlier and keeping boys up later to unite your wake & sleep times; you’ll have even more hours. About this blouse...gorgeous!!! Can’t wait for your spring wardrobe video. 🌷
We are peas in a pod and live such similar lives. Our days are pretty much the same! I also do all my creative work, writing and RU-vid once they are in bed. I know this will be such an encouragement to other moms. xoxo
But you just sleep 6 hours? To me that is not enough...and imagine, in Portugal working outside in a full time is 8 hours, add the time you take on the way to work and from work to home. It's really different lifestyle. With luck we have dinner at 20h00/20h30... It's really tiring I think. Keep on the good work 😊
Some mornings if I am tired I sleep later, but yes, I can function on 6 hours. It's only like this while the kids are little. As they sleep in I'll get more sleep too.
Who would have thought that your advice on this subject would be so widely needed all of a sudden. I hope more people find your channel and are encouraged by it during this time.
I record RU-vid videos and because of the fact that exactly what you said interruptions I have fallen off in term of creating content and recording videos during the day. At night I am not in a upbeat mood to show up on camera. How were you able to even record this video, what were the kids occupied with?
I work from home and homeschool. I've come up with a similar system but structure it around my lunch time and keeping them close to me as I work. I'm a full-time employee so my hours are not my own during the day. How do you keep electronics from baby-sitting the kids? What do you do about not going anywhere during the day - like field trips, etc. These are the two areas I *really* struggle with.
This is great! however, I am not sure how and when you listen to podcasts or read if you finish work at 11, and start at 5 am? Also, don't you get less sleeep? It seems like you only sleep a max of 6 hours, which seems really little.
When do you usually workout, if you do? I am ok with giving up personal time but I can’t imagine fitting all of my work, grocery shopping and working out within the morning and evening times.
Jennifer, I just loved the way you presented this. You are taking charge of your schedule and making priorities about what is most important to you. I need this reminder today. Although my 11 year old son is schooling online, he still needs me to supervise him. I need to be more present with him. As always, thank you for you videos. They are such a breath of fresh hair from some of the other things on RU-vid.
If you work for someone how do you ask for this schedule lol Most employers I think are against children at home while working but Covid changes things a bit
Thank you for this video! I am struggling to commit to homeschooling. I've always wanted to, but now I truly may have the option to work from home permanently (thanks to corona so this pandemic has not been all bad for us), but I've found when I keep my daughter home from preschool, she needs my attention constantly. I think you're 100% right, in order to make it work we have to work around it. A lot of my work can be done when my daughter is asleep or otherwise occupied & I can quickly address any issues during work hours as needed.
Tha k you a lot for the tips! You don't get very tired at the end of the night to be able to focus? Wouldn't be better for you to wake up earlier instead? Just thinking because I will defenetly be super tired at the end of the day
Thanks for sharing, 4.30am-7am seems the better way here as well, but it doesn't always work, if kids get up at night I feel tired to get up early. You are doing so well! thank you for sharing
Thank you Jennifer, this is all very new to us but once we all figured it out I'm sure the ladies will do great! 👩🏫👩⚖👩🎨👩🌾🤱👨👩👧👦 We got this ladies!
Thank you so much for posting this Jennifer. I work from home and am now homeschooling. I have found the past week to be such a struggle trying to fit it all in.
@@AA-hr6nj my daughter is naturally motivated (yah, me). My 10 yr old son will only do work if his teacher at school looks at it and gives him credit for it. He is motivated by threats of having to repeat 4 the grade and not move up to fifth. This is what works in my home currentlym
Thank you for the tips. My daughter (senior in highschool) already schools at home, but now recently my 6th grade son is schooling at home because our private school has closed. We are enjoying the change :) I appreciate the content of the video and it gives me inspiration on being disciplined in my personal life.
Jennifer, you mentioned bathing your kids before bed and I was wondering if you do this every evening. When I was raising my boys years ago I didn’t bathe them every night unless they were really dirty. They got a tub bath a couple times a week and a quick sponge bath for face, hands and bottoms the rest of the time. Seems we are a bit obsessed with bathing now. This schedule goes for myself too. Donna Lewis
Michael Lewis we also usually only bathe them before church and if they are really dirty. These days with Covid I’ve been bathing them a bit more- if we come home from anywhere like the store (which is really not happening). My husband still works outside and showers as soon as he gets home so I am bathing the kids just in case he is bringing any germs home.
I have homeschooled since 2002 and have 6 children. My youngest is now 11. Homeschooling is a family affair. It was a challenge during certain seasons but I think my biggest challenge is managing teenager schedules. With the little ones I just had special toys and activities in the mornings that they couldn't use during the afternoon or weekends. Home-based schoolwork doesn't take all day and it does not have to replicate a rigid classroom environment. The years were everyone was young were the most wonderful (and messy).
Good morning, Jennifer. I just mentioned your video on my instagram and thought I would come and comment in here. I watched this when it first came out but I think I felt defeated at the initial watch and was too overwhelmed with my own insecurities and bad habit of comparison and that I needed to come back another time. I apologise for that. So I am back today....8 months later. Haha! I keep thinking of Andrea Mills (oh how I miss her) and how she used to share how she did things. I need to remind myself that God made me to be the mother of my children and I CAN do this....but I am still overwhelmed. I'll get there I'm sure. Anyhow, thank you for your encouraging video. I look forward to more videos. I appreciate you
Thank you for sharing your schedule, Jennifer! Question, does your family ever watch good quality families movies? If so, when would you fit that in? Thanks 😊💕
I love your focus on either work time or mothering. What about investing in your marriage? I love that you and your husband don’t watch TV (me neither) but where is the time on your latest schedule for him/you together? I’ve homeschooled for 13 years and I was often giving my leftover energy to my husband. Now that my girls are independent high schoolers it shifts again - always a new season.Blessings to you.
Hi Jennifer. I loved hearing about your schedule and how you make everything work. My question is, do you feel like you're getting enough sleep and do you "catch up" on the weekend? If you work until 11 p.m. and get up at 5 a.m., you're getting less than 6 hours of sleep. If I do that too many days in a row, I'm a zombie!
I love this clear breakdown. I'm considering homeschooling when I work from home, but currently my biggest obstacles are a) not being able to spend one on one time with my husband if I'm just going back to work in the evenings, and b) having an only child who sees me as their primary playmate, I tend to get tired and a little burnt out easily.
Does your huband work at home also and contribute to the homeschooling and parenting? I can hardly imagine with such young children you can still homeschool, run a business and keep your house pristine. Kuddos to you, what an inspiration. An advice from another speaker years ago allude her success, much like yours, to having a partner that works together with you to make this work. It is very difficult to do it alone. For the majority of us who used to work outside of the house, it is nearly impossible if our employer would not be flexible and accomodating.
Thank you so much for sharing. When do you sleep!? Your schedule sounds very organized and routine (which I love!) but I could not survive on 6 hrs of sleep! I need about 8.5 hrs to feel good. I am asleep by 10-10:30... And awake around 6:30. This experience is all new to us. I usually work outside the home and my children are at school and daycare. I am now working from home with my 2 kids around. We are trying our best and just trying to make the best of the situation. Not to mentio trying to stay positive!
Thank you for sharing! I enjoy hearing how you make it work. I need more sleep than you, or perhaps it is that I am up so much during the night, and probably sleep less than 6 hours. I go to bed usually about 11pm, and get up about 7am when my kids wake up. But I am still up at least 3-4 times because of children, and I need every minute I can get. I would love to hear how you make your videos. It seems like they are usually during the day? Is someone else watching the kiddos during this time? Does Ben work from home. too?
Thank you so much for this timely video. Really helpful. It shows that with hard work, this is possible. Can you please help with a question? How do you do homeschooling with 4 kids at different developmental stage? I have a 3.5 and a 15 month old, they can play with each other, but not for teaching moments. It’s a constant array of mutual interruptions. I can’t even read a book to both of them together. How do you manage this conflict? Thanks and stay safe
Jennifer, can you make a video about how your summer days go? I'm assuming your homeschooling has ended for the year. Looking for tips on how to avoid a screen binged summer for my kids while I work from home
I love that you don't try to 'act' like woodland animals come a do your chores for you(my secret fantasy is someday this will happen, lol). It takes takes effort.
I am glad RU-vid suggesting your video. I am new to homeschooling this year and devote my time during the day for homeschooling and focus on my kids. Learning online marketing and business at night and in the morning. Lack of sleep, give up things, and make choices for priorities are daily battles. I finally make peace with it. And hearing this from you is very comforting. I am not alone and on the right track. Thank you for sharing.
Hair and makeup looking great Jennifer. This doesn't apply to me since no littles at home but its still useful about the need to have a schedule. I think its going to be tricky for the parents who have a strict schedule for work they still have to clock in at 9 until 5pm and they can't make their own hours. I know my work hours are the same at home as they are in the office. 💕
Yes, the easy thing about mine is that I can choose when I want to work. If parents have to work at a set time, they will need to schedule school around that.
We often school in the evening. Because homeschooling is more "efficient" as Jennifer says, we're able to do homeschool in about 3 hours after the traditional work day has ended. My kids are a bit older so they go to bed a bit later also.
Jennifer, I appreciate your real look at your life and your schedule. I have been struggling because I have to teach live online 3-4 hours each day and am now homeschooling my kindergartener and I have a 2-year-old. I have been trying to do a block schedule where I spend time with my girls in the morning for about two hours from 6-8:30am. During that time I am also getting in one of my kindergartener's lessons. Then I teach and then I come back to them and we play or do a craft and then I feed them lunch at 11. I play with them again for a little bit or read to them and finish up my daughter's school work. I bounce back into teaching while the girls play but I am trying to carve out 30minutes to myself each afternoon because I am finding that I need to have a mini-break before my afternoon teaching starts or I am burned out. I am trying to be more present when I am in a block of time with my own children instead of always multi-tasking. This journey we are all on isn't easy. I am a teacher and I struggle to teach my own daughter. We are all adapting to this "new normal". I am one month in and finally feeling better about the balance. I do not know how you can keep up this pace long term but I commend you for it! Thank you for spending so much time on your creative content for us! I enjoy taking my afternoon break with you. Have a blessed day!
There is a program on Netflix called Explained. They've an episode called Athleisure. It covers the history of clothing and makes comment on where we are now. Have you seen it? I'd love to know what you think if you have!
Thank you for sharing! Do you have the same schedule for weekends or are weekends free? I tried a similar schedule for a while but I’m usually just too tired by 9 pm to do anything but clean the kitchen or something... any tips on that? (How to have enough energy to do thinking work after a long day?)
Thank you for being honest about this. Many online entrepreneurs don’t tell the whole truth. I also have an website, membership, am a writer/content creator, and I beat myself up for a long time about not doing it all while my kids napped. I also have 6 kids who suddenly have to be homeschooled. The oldest 4 are 13 and 12 and mostly do it themselves, but the younger two have to be helped one on one the whole time, plus 2 hours of OT for one of them. They’ve always been early risers (all up by 6) and now that we’ve arrived in teenage years, 7 is not longer the magic hour when everyone goes to bed. It is always noisy, I’m always being interrupted, and I’m having a hard time focusing. We are coming up with a new normal routine. Always enjoy your videos and books. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer. Glad you are honest about what it takes! When do you film your videos then? Just curious- as I know lighting is an issue. Do you have good lighting so you can film while it’s still dark outside? Also been wondering where your kids are when you film your lovely afternoon homemaking series! ❤️
Bless you! I so needed this video. I am a History teacher, have three children (eight, five and one) and as I am considered a vital profession by the Dutch government my work needs to continue while my husband works from home as well since the crisis. Though the curriculem for the eight year is provided, I need to figure out activities for the five year and keep the one year old busy while doing the househols, getting groceries without the children. Afin, it takes a lot more energy. I am not a Catholic, but yesterday I prayed with the pope and it helped to find peace in the chaos, but sometimes it is all a bit too much at once.
I admire your discipline Jennifer, thank you for sharing. Although I don’t think I’ll use your exact schedule, this has motivated me to rethink my daily schedule in the midst of both my partner and I working from home all of a sudden, with a two year old to take care of. I think the key message is to do what works for your family and situation, rather than what is typically done or what your feel should be done.
Thanks! Lots of good advice. :) I need more sleep than you do, more like 8 hours, but I can relate to finding your priorities and working around them. It can be hard to decide you don't have time for certain things, but if it's worth it!
I heard someone say long ago to arrange your schedule with your personal energy waves. It seems you already do this. Hearing that was such a game changer for me. I felt like it was permission to be me and rest at 1:00 when I usually get tired. By the way, homeschooling gets easier when they get older. Hang in there moms.
Man, I loved homeschooling. I enjoyed the few years I went to a private school because I could do choir, band, etc. But I was so ready to go back to homeschool and have all the FREE TIME!!