If your kids are younger, you can see what our schedule looked like with a newborn and two toddlers here.

Sometimes I find it helpful to have a very practical “how to” guide, especially during the especially challenging times. Below I have detailed the rhythm to our days. All times are very approximate, and we frequently get derailed, but this rhythm lets the whole family know what to expect next and helps with the flow of the day to day.

Next, some caveats. These things work because we have some very specific circumstances, so adjustments are obviously necessary for different walks of life.

1. We are unschoolers, so we don’t have to do any virtual learning or classes of any kind. Unstructured play and structured activities are considered learning times. 
2. Afa’s parents live with us, so they are able to fill in a lot of our gaps. They watch the kids while I do meetings, if I need a few hours to focus on detailed work, or if I need a break.
3. The schedule also changes depending on the season. In the summer we stayed outside until 8pm. When it is chilly and dark at 4:30, we have to come in earlier, although we may still stay out until 5:30 or 6pm.
4. You will quickly see that we don’t have strict limits on screen time. Do with that what you will, lol.

5am – Wake Up: It’s necessary for me to get up at this time every day because it’s often the only alone time I have. Four days a week, I run. Three days a week, I write. I do these before my quiet time because they help me wake up fully and work through my thoughts and anxieties so that I can have a more effective, focused time with God.

6am – Quiet time: This is my time with God every day. My kids almost always sleep past 7am, but when they get up early, I have to share my quiet times with them. Honestly, those can be the hardest days because I operate better when I have had time in my Bible and prayer.

7am – Sign in for work: I sit on the couch with my work phone or my work laptop. I get signed in, start answering emails, updating tasks, and putting together my to do list for the day. 

7am – Kids begin to wake up: Around the same time, the kids start to wake up. My kids are super cuddly in the morning, which is why I position myself on the couch. They can lay across me with a blanket while I write emails. We also read their Bible during this time and usually a few other books, and we get breakfast. This is one of the times that I might have Afa or my in laws take the kids if I have an early meeting or a lot of work to finish.

8am – Morning Begins: Afa leaves for work, and I have my first morning meeting, so I put on a dance or a yoga video that the kids will do until I finish my team sync. We really like Cosmic Kids Yoga.

8:30am – First activity and free play, snack – I will set up a strew, an activity, game, art project or something for the kids to cook. The older two are independent enough that once they get started with the game, they can continue for a few hours. Finiasi is always a wild card, and my in laws are there to help with him.

11:30 –  Nap time for Fin, focus time for the older two. I ask the older to be very quiet. They can read, play computer games, or be outside. This is the most productive part of my work day, so I make sure to be particularly focused during this time.

1pm – When Fin wakes up, I turn the TV on. They can watch three episodes of a TV show. This gives me another hour or so to work, and it allows everyone a restful period in the afternoon. It also keeps Fin from totally melting down when he wakes up.

2:30 – Work sign off and Outside Time – I sign off from work between 2:30-3, depending on afternoon meetings, and I have lunch with the kids. For at least an hour during this period, I put my phone on a charger inside the house while we are outside. This gives me time to focus solely on them. This is also the time when I will schedule phone calls with friends because the kids are less needy when we are outside. We live in a small, gated apartment complex, so the kids can safely ride their bikes in the parking lot. We do jump rope, chalk drawing, tree climbing, and races. There are several neighbor children who come out and play with us almost every day.

5pm – Afa gets home and Evening Begins – I’m intentional about not bringing the kids in until he gets home. At this point in the day, my emotional bandwidth is super thin, so I keep them outside until he can help. We bring them inside, do baths, and cuddle time. After baths is another time we enjoy reading. 

If I’ve had a rough day, this is also when I ask for a break from the kids. Afa is great at doing baths and dinner by himself, so I will go to the bedroom and stay there until I’m ready to come back. I’ll take this time to fill my cup in whatever way is appropriate for the day. Sometimes, I really NEED to get the laundry folded. On other days, I need a nap, or a time of prayers, or to watch 30 minutes of YouTube videos. Anything to decompress from the day and prepare me to face the rest of the evening with the kids.

This is when I schedule all my Bible studies. I have tried to do Bible studies during outside time, but I have never been able to focus as well as I need to. Afa and I use Google calendar for our schedule so that we can immediately see any updates.

5:30 – Dinner: If my mother-in-law is in town, we have a lovely, full dinner. If she is not, we have something that doesn’t require me to cook. But the children get fed a final meal for the day. My kids tend to eat multiple times in the morning and don’t eat much at dinner, so this one doesn’t take us much time.

6:00 – Second Activity: If Afa has the kids, there will be no activity…he enjoys unstructured play much more than planned activities. If I have the kids, we will do another game, science experiment or art project as our last hoorah for the day.

7:30 – Preparation for Bedtime: Everyone changes into pajamas, brushes their teeth, and I put Ana Lia’s hair up for the night

8:00 – Evening TV Time: We wind down in the evening by watching TV. I know this one is more controversial, but I’m a huge advocate of doing what works for your family, and this works for us. We will usually watch one or two episodes together, and then put the kids in their room to fall asleep to the TV. This gives Afa and I some time to connect in the evening, and bedtime is never a struggle. The kids just fall asleep in their beds.

9:00/10 – Everyone asleep: I try to go to bed when all the kids do, which I understand seems ridiculously early to some people. I’m a morning person, so I’m ready for bed by 10pm anyway, and a regular bedtime makes 5am wake up much easier. Finiasi still wakes up multiple times a night so this ensures I get at least a few hours of sleep together. 

Then we start again the next day!