To contrast the recent topics here on 5 Kids and a Dog, I want to give you a little snapshot or two of what our family is like. What real homeschooling in a fairly average working class family is like.

Daddy (that’s E) works as a Scale Tech. He builds, sells, services and installs anything that weighs. This includes tiny lab scales and cash register scales at grocery stores, all the way up to grain, cattle, lumber, and truck scales. This takes him out of town frequently (esp. now because they have so many guys laid off, he’s running all over between 4 states!) which causes us to rely on our laptops and web cams and Messenger to talk to Daddy in the evenings. And webcam games are fun!

Momma (that’s me), works on-call as a nursing assistant in a nursing home. I try to grab 2 shifts per week if I can, which is 16 hours per week. Three years ago, this job was necessary to pay for P and J’s orthodonture. The braces have been paid off for about a year and a half, and the last set came off in March. The job remains, because it is nice to have a little extra money sometimes, to do things like replace my washer & dryer, or take a quick trip to Seattle to see my Gramma. I work evening shift, mostly on weekends and IF I can get shifts, and homeschool during the day. I do love the residents I care for, and while I don’t LOVE my job because it is so physically demanding, the people are amazing. I learn from them all the time.

Momma does the majority of the housework, but I’m not above child labor. The children all have chores, from feeding the dog and guinea pigs, to yard work, cleaning cars, bathrooms, vacuuming and dusting. I’m not the most consistent about ASSIGNING these, but the kids all pitch in to get things done around here. Daddy helps too!

Daddy isn’t involved in our homeschooling, although after 11 years I wish that he were. The extent of his involvement is typical: “What did you do today?” Every homeschool Mom I know can relate to this. He listens to them recount tales of their educational exploits beg to use his iPod Touch to play games, and asks “Were you good for Mom?” The boys tell him what books they have read, and he pays them two cents per page for each COMPLETED book. (Once they become bookworms and cost us too much, we just buy a book of choice, rather than paying per page.)

Our school room is the dining room, where maps and posters are not allowed. Eventually I want to take over convert G’s room to be my school room. He is almost graduated, and this will be possible soon! We actually spend equal amounts of time in the living room and kitchen, doing school work. Lots of reading aloud on the couch, and book work done at the table, using a timer to limit dawdling. It helps tremendously! Lunch is usually eaten at home.

Daddy has the final say in matters of education, discipline, and money, but we work together to make the decisions, rather than my waiting to get his “approval”. We both wear the pants in the family, because it really does take two actively involved parents to bring up children to be responsible and love the Lord. We both have things each of us is better at, and we each defer to the other when it comes to these. We both had a child when we got married, and we had one together, and adopted two. We always knew we wanted to adopt, so when the Lord gave us the opportunity, we were thrilled. We are truly blessed by each of our children.

Daddy’s hobbies are working out, woodworking, motorcycle riding, photography, and hanging out with our kids. Momma’s hobbies are my kids, blogging, music (I love it, but can’t play anything or sing), digital scrapbooking, and messing around with Daddy’s pictures in Photoshop. I have an extreme desire to learn things, which has briefly taken me back to college a couple of times, and reinforced my desire to be home with my children.