A common question I get is “what’s your typical day like?”
My days are anything BUT typical. However, to give an overview of what goes on in any given day in our house, I thought I’d write down an example based on a randomly selected day. Today happens to be Tuesday, so let’s see what goes on. Ready, set, GO!
5:50 am
I wake up, say my prayers, do my stretches especially the ones prescribed by my chiropodist for my nagging plantar fasciitis, get changed and ready to start the day.
6:10 am
Wake up my 15 year old high schooler (who already attends the local Catholic high school), earlier than usual since she has band practice before classes. I come down and pick up He Speaks to You by Sr. Helena Burns for my morning Scriptures and reflections.
Get coffee started, eggs scrambled, and the weather network on.
6:30 am
Join my daughter for breakfast and discuss the forms she brought home for her upcoming conference for chaplaincy leadership.
7:00 – 8:00 am
Get the rest of the crew to rise and shine. Little 2 year old needs diaper changing and play clothes, and the 9 year old asks (with hopeful eyes) if I made popcorn for breakfast. “No, sweetheart.” I used ghee for scrambled eggs today. Yum.
While the rest eat breakfast, I pack up 15 year old’s lunch, pour coffee in a thermos for hubby who is dropping her off at school, and give both of them hugs and send off kisses.
8:00 – 9:00 am
Read Tickety Tock to my potty training 2 year old, then prepare to send of the 13 year old 8th grader who decided to walk to school this morning because it was a “comfortable 10’C outside”. Hey, we’re Canadian okay.
Check for orders that might’ve come in overnight on my Etsy store, The PaperHappy, where I sell die cuts and scrapbooking punchies. There is one order for the sand dollars and starfish combo, my most popular item, so I print out the packing slip and mailing label.
9:00 – 10:15 am
Get the 5 younger ones to start schoolwork. Well, 4 actually, since the 2 year old is more like the hall monitor. We begin with our prayers and weekly schedule reminders.
Throughout this time, I field about 23 questions, 4 arguments, and 2 complaints as well as answer an Etsy email question from a curious customer somewhere in the middle of it all.
10:15 – 11:00 am
Load laundry, the items that hang-to-dry. Check what to have for lunch, and luckily there is leftover noodles from last night. When the 2 year old saw me in the kitchen, he asks for a snack. I pour a bowl of cheerios and he is happy.
My 11 year old, working on adding and simplifying mixed fractions, needs some concentrated help so we sit together until all improper fractions have been reduced.
11:00 – 11:40 am
I begin checking schoolwork that’s been finished. Some corrections need to be done for the 9 year old’s Math, so we go over them, and I add a few more examples.
I remembered to call my chiropodist if I could be scheduled for a shockwave therapy appointment this week. I was given Friday at 11 am.
I go back to checking all of the work done for that morning.
11:40 – 12:15 am
I heat up the noodles and we sit down for lunch.
12:15 – 1:00 pm
After everyone cleared their own dishes, I watch the 5 kids play in our backyard while writing down a grocery list for next time hubby or I get a chance to go to the store.
1:00 – 2:30 pm
I have my afternoon green tea while packing the Etsy order that’s headed for a buyer in Hawaii (lucky sand dollars 
and starfish!).
When my tea was done, I take everyone for a walk up the street to the mailbox to drop off the packaged order and a letter that the 9 year old wrote for our Pastor thanking him for his service to our parish. Her letter was a language exercise in “Proper Letter Writing”.
We walk back home and I begin writing the draft for THIS blog post.
2:30 – 4:00 pm
I start loading up the 5 kids to go pick up my high schooler.
After picking her up, we drop off the 11 year old for her half hour piano lesson, and drive over to pick up the 8th grader from the Catholic elementary school. She comes out just in time for us to drive slowly back to the music school to pick up our resident pianist.
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Arriving home with all 7 kids, I briefly check for any papers that I need to sign from the 2 older girls, then settle everyone for a quick snack, and start preparing dinner.
Feta overload!
My “sous chef” for Tuesdays is one of the 7 year old twins, and she loves slicing lettuce for salad. I set her station up for making greek salad, and I start dredging some chicken pieces with cajun dry mix ready for baking.
The 8th grader joins us in the kitchen with questions about primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in Canada and its effects on economy and migration. We discuss the topic while I finish the last pieces of chicken going into the oven.
5:00 – 5:45 pm
The twins set the dinner table while I do a diaper change and charitably decline a phone call offering “the best duct cleaning service in town”.
As I head to the kitchen to flip the chicken in the oven, the 13 year old runs in from the garage, 5 minutes after being out for a break from homework. She fell off from her scooter and skinned her elbow. The wound needed more than a regular band aid.
As I search our medical kit for a larger band aid, the two year old begs to watch cartoons. “Fine,” I reluctantly oblige and put on a 20-minute Veggietales DVD after I was done dressing the injury.
With first aid complete and the little ones distracted by a group of singing Christian vegetables, I go back to the chicken, now VERY crispy on one side.
5:45- 6:30 pm
Hubby called and he’ll be late for dinner, so we start dinner without him. Everyone washes up, 11 year old tosses the salad, and 15 year old scoops the rice while I get the chicken pieces plated.
While the rest finish up dinner, my 9 year old excuses herself to get ready for violin lessons in a few minutes. We were blessed to meet a violin teacher who was willing to come for at-home lessons.
6:30 – 7:15 pm
The violin teacher arrives and I discuss with her about new lessons for the 7 year old, and possible schedule changes to accommodate the new student.
The rest clear up the dinner table, and work on the kitchen chores (wipe table, sweep floor, load dishes, etc.). I make sandwiches for next day’s lunches for the teenagers.
7:15 – 8:00 pm
After violin lessons are done, I remind everyone to finish chores for the evening and to start getting ready for bed. I load another batch of laundry, which the twins will transfer later into the dryer.
8:00 – 9:00 pm
I look through the next day’s lessons and see if I have to print, collect, and line up any necessary materials in addition to their textbooks and workbooks. I clean up and get the 2 year old in pajamas.
9:00 – 10:00 pm
Hubby and I collect everybody and we say our family prayers, read stories, give hugs and kisses good night, and tuck in the little ones.
I try to finish writing the draft of this blog post.
10:00 – 10:45 pm
While sharing our day with each other, my sweet hubby also mentions plans for my birthday weekend. I’m excited!
Get ready for bed and read a bit. I am almost at the end of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. A lot of good parts were changed or omitted in the movie version. I think the book is better.
10:45 pm
Set my alarm for next day. Good night! I’m off to sleep.
It was another wonderful day full of activity, and I am glad to be able to share it with you.
Cristy Rocillo is a full time homemaker, who homeschools her seven children. She strives to live life as a modern day Proverbs 31 woman. You can learn more about her scrapbooking, baking, industrious life on her blog www.thepaperhappy.com
