Balancing Work and Homeschooling

The other day Jen asked for people to give her a brief outline of how working parents  balance out schooling their children with their jobs.  It’s not always easy to balance commitments you know? Especially if you have a household to run, friends to keep in contact with and the host of things distracting us. 

So just what is it that I do?   What am I trying to balance?

My Work
1. AT Home Pets.   Raising and selling rabbits.
2. Grading Papers for a on-line course, biology and physics
3. Doing Reviews.  Mystery shops, curriculum, books.

My Student:
One 12 year old lad.

Now I have to admit, my work doesn’t tend to Take me out of the home, but it does on occasion… especially when I have mystery shops to do. 

It helps that I have a focus on raising an independent lad.  I want him free to ask me for help, but I also want him to work independently, so over the years I’ve worked toward that end.   We aren’t there yet, but it’s getting better.  🙂

I thought I’d walk you through a week so you see how I mostly balance things out.

Sundays: mostly I stay off my computer until the evening. Church in the morning, walks in the afternoon, etc.  I often will mark papers while chilling with hubby in the evening.   

Monday: MOST of my bunny sales take place on Mondays, since people often want delivery to London.   The lad hangs out at gramma’s house, occasionally selling a rabbit for me, but usually I drop them off for people.   This is time for hubby and I to run errands together and just enjoy time out with each other… going for bike rides, walks, a movie etc.  The lad does most of his schooling while hanging out with gramma now… sometimes though she gives him a Monday off and takes him out for the afternoon.  🙂

Tuesday: This is my laundry and housework day.   I kibbitz about the house while the lad does his schooling.  We talk and read together.  We aim to, though don’t always manage, have game night on Tuesdays.   Tuesday nights I try to read other blogs and stay in contact with people. 

Wednesday: We do the foodbank in the morning, home for lunch, then I head out to the library to work on book and curriculum reviews.  On good days, if I have the ground work done (pics taken, basic posts up) I can get up to nine posts done in an afternoon (otherwise the most I get done is three).  Wednesday night I work on blog posts while hubby is out doing karate with the lad, and then while chilling at night.

Thursday: I focus on my rabbitry and website. If I have bunnies for sale I list them on kijiji, I update pictures weekly, and write the odd blog post. This is the day I do rabbit maintenance, like clipping nails, taking pictures, and such like.   If I get done in good time (normally takes about five hours), I’ll mark some more papers. 

Friday: Fun schooling.  This means things like Co-op days, STEM, art projects, research projects, going on field trips and more.   It’s a relaxed do what we can day… we all learn something.  🙂   Each week this varies… except when we have co-op days for six weeks in the fall and spring. Outside pressures eh?  But also outside fun like visiting with friends afterwards, or taking in a movie unexpectedly.  🙂

Into this mix we throw in learning events with the various local groups… in fact today my lad is learning about Canada’s role in WW2. 

Saturday: Ah.. ANYTHING can happen on Saturday.  🙂   Big projects, lazy days, blog work, family “let’s get out of the house days” .. anything.  

Things like mystery shops I fit in as they pop up.   Sometimes that means dragging the lad along “mom, this is boring” or leaving him at home with Dad or if in town, by himself.  He’s good at staying on task if going out the a.m.   It all manages to work out.

The biggest key I find is remembering this: there is always tomorrow.   I try to always have things done early so I don’t have that pressured time crunch to work with.   But there is always tomorrow, so if it doesn’t get done today, it will mostly get done the next.