Home Management

Question : Home Management

How do you manage  homeschooling and housework?

 Umm Raeyan : Daughter 8 years old and Son 2 years old

How do you manage  homeschooling and housework?

I wake up around 2hrs before the children so I may have a quite breakfast and complete most of the house work. I am able to do the work quicker when children are asleep. I don't have any hired help.
Cooking is the last thing in my early morning to do list if it is not done I do it while daughter is doing oral work or spellings while observing me.
My daughter is responsible for dusting (which she barely does) and filling the water bottles.
I clean the house late in the afternoon daughter clears up the house.
I'd like her to be responsible and get involved in the housework.

Forgot to mention we homeschool somewhat year; 4 weeks of book work followed by 5 days of gap.
It helps keep my sanity intact
During those 5 days I complete my pending work, connect with family / friends, free play / activities  depending on the weather and if someone has to be invited for dinner etc. it happens during these days.Both the children want to get involved in each other's activities.
He (her son) wants me to tend to him while I am explaining things to daughter. Daughter wants to do the preschool stuff
Allah helps!

I mean somewhat whole* year

SAA: 3 sons, 2  daughters /ages 16 years to 8yrs

My house work includes cooking cleaning dishes groceries these past week and half I do not have a maid she is off vacationing
So laundry  and sweeping too

The priority of homeschooling is to give your child a holistic learning structure
So we do have chores

I wake up after 8:30 some of my kids are up earlier they relish the Ami free time some of the time they spend doing their dailies early so they could be free later other time they do their computer lecture watching I have the computer smack in the common room and I live with my in laws so multiple people can keep an eye

I make breakfast for 7 which is porridge and either French toast or egg and toast
The breakfast is ready by nine my daughter helps in the table placement and tea making and pouring

At breakfast the children tell what they will do today
It's according to their planners
(they and me both make it before believe me this is the hard part it's for whole year then months then weeks)
It will be like
I'll do 4 skills in Khan Acadmey
Will write this chapter science chemistry physics will see videos of this concept will read this classic and I would do these pages in 10 workbooks will do these worksheets
and I decide who to keep with me while I cook usually one doing the reading

It takes me 1:30 hour at most to cook

The children are committed to be at the same floor as me so I keep an eye on them
If they have questions or are stuck they watch a video or reference book if they are getting stuck more then once usually in maths then I find them a work book that helps in the base building of the said concept

Whatever their progress is they need to show it in a tangible way

They work through pomodoro time management so I do know before the end of each what to expect

Lunch time and dinner are very punctual

Since I don't have maid these days so I keep washing everything while cooking and after lunch too
Instead of sweeping I wash the house with two buckets of water and wipers two children help in that
one remove and put back chairs and small furniture while the other helps in wiping we are timing ourselves and Alhamdulilah it get done in 40 min without tiring any of us we do it mostly when the in laws are having their afternoon snooze
I have a washing machine
One child is responsible for helping and hanging laundry Mash'Allah he is doing the rinsing too since last two days
Boys are responsible for folding their own clothes and my daughter does the rest

After lunch is the time for the child who was lazy or stuck or groceries

In evening children and me read and discuss a rukoo of Quran

If I have to go out like book club or tae condo i wake earlier and cook simply
I also give one day 11-1 or 5 sometimes volunteering for education ngo the children already know their tasks for that day
I also give a Quran class

Night before sleeping I read 365 days with Muhammad and a classic to my kids this is the best time
 Also if you are priority driven you won't have problem achieving more
Iv always been fascinated by assembly line in factories the concept is to reduce the waste effort
And being more efficient
If the child is under 10 then reading is as good as learning as you can give
Make sure the books are worthwhile or what they call living books
If she is interested in fictions more make sure to have really engaging encyclopaedia

Older then that
Children should be given an understanding of what type of future they wish to have
You can give them dream diaries to make
Then slowly build the intrinsic discipline by pointing out when he or she has wasted time or resources
That you are destroying your own dream
 Also finishing their task is their commitment to me breaking a commitment is breaking of trust
And then they will not be trusted with their own time
Growing kids they revel and enjoy the freedom too
But the trust for it needs to be earned
 My mom used to say when we had maids on vacation that this is your home she is doing you a favour if she cleans your home for you
This is your home and you can do it better then her just change the way you see the situation believe me it will be easier
My husband keeps hinting that the cloths and dishes are better washed and I keep ignoring him
I'll keep her when she comes back

Marjo MHS: So many people have questioned why I chose to homeschool, these are the things I usually say when I talk about homeschooling:

I personally dont feel it’s right for  everyone.
It’s not the only way to be well-educated.
I think it’s the right choice for our my kids and the family inshAllah.

I have a very independent streak when it comes to scheduling my life. I really, really love being able to decide when we'll  take a day off, what hours we’ll do school, when our school year will start and stop, what days we’ll take off  and when we’ll go on field trips etc
I'm not at all saying I can't  follow someone else’s schedule…I did it in Uni and work, of course. It’s just not my first choice.
I feel homeschooling is very efficient, and that efficiency means that my little ones will have a lot of free time to play. Since free time to play is actually really valuable for children, this is a huge benefit in my mind.
As they grow older Insh'Allah, this time will give them a lot more opportunities to work and to pursue their interests eg cooking, baking, piano lessons etc.
Homeschooled children do a lot of figuring it out themselves kinda work, with mum near by to help out. When I was studying, I was so used to teaching myself by using the book, when I got to Uni, I was surprised at how much my peers depended on the professor.

A quick fact- this is mostly how Abraham Lincoln was educated…by reading books! He only had about a year total of formal schooling in his life

I know everyone who homeschools has their own way of doing it, but I definitely want to focus on helping my children find answers for themselves. ai plan to offer assistance when they need it, of course, but only after they’ve helped themselves by reading the directions, looking things up in the index, or looking back at previous lessons. When I do help them, I will do so by asking them questions intended to make them think through the problem.

I feel if you know how to figure things out for yourself, you can learn pretty much anything you want. The sky is the limit!

Due to the nature of traditional schooling, children spend the majority of their day around children their own age. This isn’t at all bad, but I appreciate that homeschooling keeps my children around people of varying ages. Not only do they spend significant amounts of time with their older and younger cousins/ siblings, they also go out and about with me and interact with adults, and when we get together with other homeschooling families, the age range there tends to be pretty wide.
Quite often, children don’t fit neatly into a single grade level, and when we homeschool, we can move a child through each subject at a rate that is appropriate for them.
This is far more important for me particularly in the early grades than it will be when my children are older.  I like that I can choose which children spend time with my children. Young children especially are very open to influence and I appreciate that I don’t have to deal with them picking up bad ideas/behaviour from children at school.
I also like that I can make sure that unkind behaviour from other children doesn’t interfere with their ability to learn. In my opinion, bullying is serious business, and sadly, sometimes schools don’t do a good job of dealing with it.
This may not be a particularly fun aspect of homeschooling, but it is true that being home with my children all day gives me ample time to see faults/poor behavior patterns and also gives me time to address them
Admittedly, this would be pretty far down the list if I arranged these by priority, but it is awfully nice to be able to plan activities at times when everyone else is in school
We can visit museums and the zoo during the week, we can have park outings if a lovely day happens to fall in the middle of the week, and we can schedule dentist appointments and doctor appointments in the morning

Ok! That’s my not-exhaustive, imperfect list. You might feel exhausted after reading it (it’s long!), but I hope it helps you to understand a bit more about why I’ve chosen to homeschool.
I want to add that from what I’ve read, it seems like the most important ingredient in educational success is parental involvement whether your child is in school or at home.

Ummibaps - 8 sons , 1 daughter / 2yrs to 18yrs

Alhumdulillah I do have maids in the morning who ease my day to day housework. 

We prefer to get workbook work done in the mornings for my little ones. Unfortunately we're not early risers but we wrap up work by Zhur. After lunch they attend a Tajweed class in DHA. They return around Asr.

Currently my younger 2 teens are studying math and physics from their elder brothers and some writing work  conducted by their father.

They also attend tae kwondo in the morning a one a week,  and some attend a football club on some days of the week. My daughter currently attends Candy Club twice a week too. These activities vary from month to month and we schedule our studies according.

My eldest two attend a tution center and have their made their own schedules accordingly. 

My maid's leave by Asr ( I prefer to cook around magrib) and after that the children have their assigned household chores which include taking out dinner,  washing dishes,  sweeping up after dinner,  cleaning the little one and other small bedtime preparations. We have a weekly rotation for chores.

In short we all must do our part to manage our home .

Dr. MK : 3 kids...7 yrs,4 yrs ,1 yr

we usually wake up at 10..but its different everyday bcz of the infant...then we do breakfast...we try to study in the morning...we do worksheets and make activity charts...while the maid does the housework....
the kids take bath after studying....
we eat the day before left over for lunch ....

after that the elder one goes for Arabic class and the little ones play indoors....

In the evening when  the elder one comes they go out to play with friends...i keep on doing my work ....when the kids come.home after maghrib we read some books with snacks together and the kids have their screen time while i arrange the dinner....after dinner... they play with their father....and then sleep around 11...

this is a rough sketch of our routine..it varies when we have to go somewhere..

SK HS: Those who have mentioned their day routine. Kindly mention if they are living in joint family or not

Dr. MK: i live separately....i usually do cooking in the evening when the kids are playing outside and little one sleeping
I give them more time to play other than academics..but now the elder one is 7 so trying to set a routine for him....working on it
the elder has some responsibilities ...before sleeping he make beds...bring out the quilts....switches off lights of the whole house....through out the day my kids ans the doorbell...my 4 yr old bring the milk from milkman

the elder also supervises if we have a plumber or carpenter doing something...these are small things he do...
i live in a campus and its safe inside so i can send them to the main gate...

AM: Daughter 4 years, Son 10 months

We wake up around 9. Can be 10 also because of night feeds. We live in a joint family but I do not cook for the whole family . We have breakfast together. Then we sit down for whatever my daughter feels like. Our homeschooling is very much child driven. I try to manage baby in between her activities. We have lunch around 2:30 then its free play time till I get done with chores and grocery shopping. In the evening I prepare snacks for them and then try to take them both to the park. We stay till maghrib. Afterwards its a workbook time if my daughter feels like otherwise its not a compulsion. My 4 years old tries to help me with the baby. Looks after him sometimes while I put the laundry away or make beds. I highly encourage her to fold and put away her and her brother's blanket. She helps me with cleaning up after activities and play. We sleep around 10 depending if  its a regular stay at home day.

Soheba M:2 boys 1 girl ages 10-5

I live with my parent in laws. We have a part time for cleaning, and a full time maid who helps in the kitchen and basically does tends to my in-laws.

I do everything related to my children myself and I cook the family meals (my main daily responsibilities).  Having a maid in the kitchen helps when I'm short on time, but we manage well even when she goes on leave by giving the kids more chores.
The following is what is fixed in our routine. I avoid moving these things around. Everything else concerned with housekeeping, errands and personal interests fits in around this skeleton.

7am - this is the latest time we are all up by.
The children now prepare their own breakfast.

8am -11pm - homeschool time.
Workbook work first is done first. That leaves the rest of the day open for experiments, computer work or any other curriculum-based activity.
11 - 12 -Quran

12-2 Lunch break
Morning homeschool time is a bit short these days because our Quran teacher is coming at the odd time of 11am. So these days homeschool time restarts for another hour or so between 2-4

Shopping, errands etc and fit in any time between 12-5, depending on car availability. Somethings I do with the kids, other times I leave them at home.

I cook at at around 5. The kids often help.
Kids eat at 6.
The younger 2 are in bed by 7.
The rest of us eat after my husband comes home, approx 8.30.
Elder one is awake until 9.
9.30 onwards is my personal time Alhamdulillah. I use it to do whatever is most pressing (that can also include giving myself a break and not do anything in particular).

A thorough bedroom and workspace cleaning is done by the kids on Saturdays.
I'm trying to get kids to homeschool more independently this year. So far I've had mixed results, so I can't complain just yet.

And yes! There is always a back log of things that need to be done. But I don't see how that's different for mother's who's children are at school.

SM: 3 kids.. 9 yrs.. 5yrs.. 3 yrs..

I have a maid that handles all kitchen tasks. She is given the menu for the day and knows what to make and what time to have it ready on the table. The cleaning girl also knows her tasks. I put laundry in the washer at random times of the day and the maid puts it out, irons it and puts it back in the closets.

With major household tasks out of the way.. I handle the kids homeschooling and also teach and take classes myself. Around 10 to 2pm.. we homeschool.. the timings aren't rigid.. sometimes we will continue homeschooling after lunch and sometimes in the evenings as well.. I keep a lookout for teaching moments so if a topic comes up we can sit down and talk about it.

I usually start working with the younger two and give the 9 year old some work he can do on his own.. then I give my younger ones some tasks to do on their own while I work with the older one.. and I alternate back and forth as needed.. certain subjects the kids do online n I try to have them do things that they can work on independently ..

Ive started making the younger two raise their hands when they need my help.. they enjoy it n I get some time to finish doing my task and attend to them..

In the evening the kids go for sports classes.. then come back and have some screen time (mostly educational stuff) before dinner.. then showers and bedtime..

I had started teaching my 9 year to start learning some basic cooking skills, he would wash some dishes on Sunday, how to separate colors n put in a load of laundry and he had been in charge of the homeschool room daily cleanup..

The 5 year old had started lining up all the shoes at bedtime and doing a few other before bedtime chores..

Weekends kids have different classes and its also a time to do fun things..

Evenings while the kids are at sports class is often the time I use to do errands.. and after the kids are in bed it's me time where I can study and prepare for my classes or simply relax..
 My schedule keeps changing.. classes change.. n kids needs change.. recently my 3 year old stopped taking a nap.. so that made me change things around a bit.. and we don't end up doing all the subjects on the day we are supposed to do them.. but that's ok.. i don't worry about daily progress but I access things monthly.. as long as we're making overall progress.. it's good enough..

 (Note: The above is a copy of a Whatsapp conversation,   partly edited for clarity)