Rest for the homeschool mom

As a homeschooling and homemaking mama of many it can be very easy to keep going and doing more. I’ve had to learn to look and listen for the warning signs that I’m running low. They usually look like outburst of frustration, impatience with a child, the negative and not so true self talk about how I’m doing it all without any help. I may have a high schooler but I also have a toddler. And I am in this parenting and homeschooling gig for many more years to come. Therefore, I have had to learn to replenish myself so that I can help nurture healthy and secure relationships with my family as well as create a homeschool atmosphere that is filled with joy. Keep reading as I share some of my best tips for how to make rest and refueling happen in the midst of a very busy season of life. 

Rest isn’t a Luxury it really is necessary to be able to pour out from a full cup as opposed to giving and giving when you feel pretty depleted. The attitude we have towards our family when we are rested is so much better than the one we have when we are exhausted, overextended, and overwhelmed. Here are my best tips for refueling for sustainability. 

• Prioritize your time with the Lord: quiet the noise of social media and emails and instead make room to hear from  him as well as time to pour your heart out. God called us to motherhood and he will sustain us we just have to trust Him and make room to meet with him. For me it’s in the morning and sometimes it’s a few uninterrupted minutes before I have  a child or two present. This time means I get to rest with and in Him even before any demands are made of my time. 

• Implement quiet time for all: In my home I do not have a set time for this. It tends to happen naturally after school subjects are done my children start to head to their own spaces for a while. A couple of kiddos love listening to audio books and audio shows a favorite here is Adventures in Odyssey. My children will play it in the hall in between bedrooms while working on their individual projects. If the toddler is napping I get a second cup of coffee and sit to write, read, or even take an afternoon bath which feels luxurious. If he isn’t napping my teen or another sibling might play with him for a bit or I gather snacks or toys for him and he stays in the room with me. 

• Get out of the house: On those days when we are all just having a bad day or too many bad days in a row and going out for a light lunch or if weather permits going to a playground really helps. Taking everyone out for a walk or just a change of scenery is just what we all need to reset. Even the drive with an audiobook can feel so relaxing. 

• Involve your husband: When I make time talk to my husband after several stressful days I’m able to express how I’ve been feeling and he usually has some great advice for me. Sometimes I’m too close to  things to see them clearly. In the past he has suggested passing a chore off to a child he knows is capable of doing it. Other times he asked me if I have overcommitted myself to too many outside activities. My husband knows that I’m an introvert and too much outside activities begin to deplete me pretty quickly. Another thing we have discussed in the past was which house chores were priority on his list. This helped me to focus on those things first and then tackle the others as I could. 

• Make space for regular breaks in your homeschool: Homeschooling with a sabbath schedule has been another life giving tool for me. This means we homeschool for 6 weeks and 1 week off. That week off provides a placeholder for house projects that I want to tackle but don’t always have the time while we are doing school subject. During this week off I unapologetically spend time focusing on the home. Maybe helping a child deep clean their bedroom or spending time deep cleaning my own. The children work on their own projects and my high schooler tries to tackle a school subject she may not have been getting to regularly. We also take time to go out on a field trip that week so it’s also a fun week off. Just knowing that there is an upcoming week that I will get to a house project gives me peace of mind when I’m not able to do all the things I want to do. 

• Incorporate your interest into your homeschool: Remember mamas that your interest matter too. When we are passionate or even just excited about a new topic we will want to dive into it more often. This school year I started off with studying Norman Rockwell’s art because I wanted to finally study a modern artist. I also choose to introduce a new unit study in January to spice our winter months up. It may not seem significant but change can feel very refreshing. 

• Pair a chore with something enjoyable: Listening to audiobooks while doing chores it makes the time go by so much faster. I very much enjoy listening to clean romcoms. I’m usually reading non fiction so having that fiction on while I’m working around the house or doing dishes makes for a much more enjoyable time working. This can be done with listening to music or watching a show while folding laundry.

• Make time to connect with other moms: Getting together with other moms is pretty necessary whether it’s play dates, mom coffee dates, or finding a homeschool co-op or nature group to join, go for it. Making friends is hard but it’s worth it. You might meet that one mom who is relatable and becomes a dear friend. One that understands that homeschooling is both hard and worth every effort. Having those kind of friends will keep you encouraged to keep going when you hit a rough season, will be there to pray for you, get excited with you over new curricula and make the journey even sweeter.

That wraps up my list. I hope that you are inspired to start incorporating the things that are most replenishing to you. I will see you in the next post.