A winter day in the life of a mom of 11, from homeschooling and chores to fun holiday traditions
When the alarm goes off each morning, I take a quick shower and get myself ready for the day. Then I head out into the main part of the house and greet my early riser.
Today, he made himself a mug of apple cider, and I made tea. Then we sat together and sipped our drinks while reading the Bible.
A few minutes later, the baby woke up, so I changed and nursed her. Then the other kids started waking up and getting their own hot drinks — I keep plenty of cider, cocoa, and tea on hand this time of year.
As the morning progresses, everyone typically fends for themselves for breakfast. But today, one of my kids turned leftover mashed potatoes into potato pancakes, so several of us enjoyed those.
Then I changed and dressed my baby, toddler, and disabled teen as the other kids finished breakfast.
The kitchen closes at 8:30 a.m. every weekday. After that, we all pitch in to complete our assigned table chores, like sweeping the floor and washing dishes.
At 9:30 a.m., we gather together for a morning meeting where we review the plan for the day, sing a couple of Christmas songs, read a chapter from the Bible, and pray as a family.
Since our Christmas break hadn't begun yet, we shifted our attention to homeschooling. But this month, we paused our regular studies to complete a "Christmas Around the World" unit.
My kids each selected a country, and they're learning about the holiday traditions there.
I help the older kids plan their learning time and then assist the younger kids. We watch videos about Christmas traditions, read short articles together, and look for recipes we want to try.
When everyone reached a natural stopping point that day, we made foam poinsettias to place around the house. Then we cleaned up our mess and prepared for lunch.
On Tuesdays, sandwiches are on the lunch menu. One of the kids sets out the fixings each week so everyone can easily make their meal. My husband also comes home for lunch every day.
I typically cook a few grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches for those who prefer a hot option, and everyone else fixes a cold sandwich.
This time of year, we often put on a YouTube video to watch after lunch is done. That's also when I nurse the baby.
After the video is over, my husband returns to work, and it's time for table chores again.
Each day, one of the kids picks an activity to do after lunch. Today, it was a puzzle.
We got out a 1,000-piece puzzle of the 50 US state flags and turned on some Christmas music. It was fun to chat about the states we'd visited as we built the puzzle.
While we were puzzling, some of the younger kids played with sensory bins or toys nearby, and my teen with Angelman Syndrome watched a movie.
We didn't complete the puzzle in our allotted time, but some of the kids wanted to keep working on it, so we left it on the table. By evening, they had it put together.
At the start of quiet time, I read a book for a few minutes while the baby settled for her nap. Then I put the toddler in the stroller, took the garbage to the dumpster, and checked the mail.
When we returned, I got the 2-year-old settled on the couch for a quick nap before washing up to do some baking.
I helped my teen daughter make holiday cupcakes for an upcoming Christmas party. I also made a couple of batches of royal icing to use on gingerbread houses.
Then I went to my office to knock out some social-media scheduling for a client and respond to a couple of emails while the kids worked on independent activities of their choosing.
After quiet time, the kids are usually hungry and full of energy.
We enjoyed a bowl of popcorn together and headed outside since the weather was decent. Everyone found various ways to have fun in the fresh air.
A 15-minute cleanup before dinner is a staple in our routine. When you have this many people working together, it's incredible how much of a difference the short time can make.
When the sun goes down, we close the curtains and plug in the Christmas lights. Everyone enjoys the soft ambiance they provide.
Afterward, I let one of the kids pick something to watch and headed to the kitchen to start making dinner with my 15-year-old.
Tuesday is taco night, so he browned the meat and set the table while I chopped vegetables and gathered the fixings.
When dinner was ready, everyone headed through the taco-bar line.
We sit around the table, and I ask "Would you rather?" questions, which are always a hit.
Then, after we're done eating, we do our final round of table chores for the day.
I bathe the youngest two kids and get them into their pajamas while the older kids change.
When everyone is in their PJs, it's time for one of our favorite traditions: Each year, I wrap up our Christmas books, and the kids pick one to open each evening for us to read.
Afterward, we count our blessings and pray. Then it's bedtime for the littles and middles.
Every night, I enjoy spending half an hour with one of my kids. They get to pick what we do, and no matter what, I appreciate the time together.
Today, my teen asked if we could play some Super Nintendo for our special time. We had a blast and beat several levels of "Donkey Kong 2."
At night, I nurse the baby and catch up with my husband for a few minutes. Then he gets her to bed and plays Minecraft with the older kids while I head to our home office.
I had to write an article for a client and update one of my blog posts tonight. When my alarm went off at 11 p.m., I shut down the computer and got ready for bed.
It was a long day, but it was a good one. I'm so thankful for my family.