There’s No Hour-by-Hour Plan When You Homeschool and Work
Homeschooling and working full-time is never a perfect science, but here’s a peek into one of our more grounded days where, despite the usual unpredictability of balancing work and homeschooling, everything ends up aligning smoothly.
Yesterday morning, for example, my husband had a 7 AM x-ray appointment. He scheduled it early so he could get back home quickly and I could start my workday. Still, that meant he was up by 5:30 AM—a very early start. Knowing he’d likely be running low on energy once he returned, I took advantage of the quiet house to get in some one-on-one time with our oldest while the little ones were still sleeping.
We read a new astronomy book from the library and had one of those spontaneous, beautiful conversations that only homeschooling seems to spark. My daughter learned that “flying stars” aren’t actually stars, that some stars are larger than the sun, and what the word supernova means.
One line in the book mentioned how stars have historically helped people find their way. That led us down a path of talking about how Black people used stars for navigation, and then deeper into a conversation about our ancestors. When I asked her if she knew what “ancestor” meant, her eyes lit up and she said, “Like Moana!” That connection—those familiar movie scenes—helped her really grasp the meaning of the word. It grounded the idea of ancestry in something she already understood and loved, and also opened the door for us to talk about the cycle of life in a way that felt safe and loving.
We also talked about the sun’s distance from Earth and how some stars appear smaller even though they’re actually much larger.
I’ll be honest—there’s always a little voice nudging me to jump in front of my computer and “get ahead” on work.
But in my experience, starting early doesn’t always mean ending early. I still logged in at 8:52 AM and was fully working by 9. That’s a perfectly acceptable time to start—and I still put in a full day, wrapping up in time for family life in the evening.
This post isn’t about astronomy or history—it’s about how, in under 30 minutes, we had a rich, meaningful conversation that left us both feeling connected and curious. It was enough to confidently check off one-third of our core learning for the day. We’re not focused on stretching the hours out—we’re focused on making the time really count.
And yes—I enjoyed the learning, too. Especially the part about never being able to count all the stars in the sky, even in 100 million years. When I told my daughter there are too many stars to count, she asked, “How many? Ten?” So we paused and counted to 100 together. It had been a while since we’d done that, so it was a great little math refresher, and helped her visualize just how many stars there are. We’re not at 100 million yet, but 100 gave her a good sense of the concept!
Later in the afternoon, my daughter came up to me holding one of their wooden block toys—an apple. The outside was painted red, the inside a pale yellow, with a small painted core and two tiny black seeds. She was convinced the painted core represented something totally unrelated to apples, which sparked another mini-lesson. I explained that the core is the part of the apple we often throw away and that it holds the seeds that can grow into new apple trees. We also talked about the skin of the apple, and how it contains vitamins and nutrients—another sweet, unplanned conversation about healthy food and the anatomy of fruit.
Again, this isn’t a lesson plan—it’s just real life. This is what learning can look like. On the surface, 30 minutes with a book—or a curious moment with a toy—might not seem like enough curriculum for the day. But those moments add up, and they’re deeply impactful.
It reminded me that quality time, even in small doses, goes a long way—and that work will still be there after a meaningful moment with your child.
Oh—and those eight minutes before 9 AM? I made the most of them. I refilled my coffee, glanced at my calendar, checked a few weekend emails, and yes, scrolled social media mindlessly for a bit (no judgment—we all need those tiny brain breaks).
Every day looks a little different.
Sometimes I have a quiet hour before everyone wakes up (I talk about that [here – link to blog post]). Today wasn’t one of those days—and that’s OK. The rhythm of our days changes, but the values remain.
Are you considering homeschooling while working full-time?
Or, if you’re already in the thick of it, what does your daily flow look like? I’d love to hear your experience!