No Morning Rush - Our Regular Morning Routine

Coming to the end of our school week, can I just say how thankful I am for a relaxed start to our weekdays? One of my guilty pleasures is watching homeschool curriculum videos on YouTube, or cleaning and morning routine videos. Sometimes I will even watch DITL videos of people I find extra entertaining. haha

Homeschooling is definitely not the easiest lifestyle option one could choose, but I am grateful that we are able to avoid that whole morning rush that most public schooled households face from day to day. 

Our mornings are fairly relaxed--we aren't rushing through breakfast or running around trying to find shoes or hair brushes or any other endless things one could misplace and need before school. I don't have to drag pre-teens out of bed, and we're not arguing for time in the shower or in the bathrooms.

There's no bus to be ready for. No walk to school in poor weather, or traffic to wade through. There's no carpool to be a part of.

And another bonus, if someone is feeling a bit under the weather, they can have a bit more rest and start their day later.

So what is our morning routine? How does it normally take shape? 

6:00 am

My husband is usually out the door by 6:00, and that's when I also get up to have quiet time alone. I have always tried to get up before the kids, even when they were very little. When I was feeding a baby, it would be me and the baby up early, while the others stayed in bed.

It's during this hour that I have my coffee while doing some Bible study, and reading a devotional book or a chapter in another encouraging kind of book. At the moment I'm rotating through One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp), In His Image (Jen Wilkin), and Own Your Life (Sally Clarkson). I also try and do a quick pilates workout, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.

7:00 am

Once the kids are up we are getting breakfast. Everyone is at an age where they basically help themselves. Periodically I will make a baked oatmeal, or make omelettes, but most of the time they are eating oatmeal or toast or cold cereal.

8:00 am

Breakfast clean up is starting by 8:00, if not before. Some children may still be eating. The kids should be getting dressed if not already, doing their hair, tidying their room, feeding pets, and doing a chore they've been assigned.

I'm usually getting myself cleaned up and then also organizing last minute school stuff, or quickly doing a chore, or getting bread started.

Once the kids have gotten themselves all ready for the day, they will probably spend some time playing Lego, or even jumping on the trampoline before starting school.

9:00 am

We are starting what we call "Group Work," which right now includes going over our memory verse together, studying Canadian History, and reading our read-aloud.

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Of course some mornings do not look like this. But for the most part, this is the basic structure of our morning 90 percent of the time.

I just love how my kids often get to play before school! And I also love that we aren't under a strict schedule that necessitates getting out of the house quickly.

For me, this is a HUGE blessing of keeping everyone at home for school.