I decided to write 8 Refreshing Tips For Balancing Home, Homeschooling And Kids because I was recently asked about this topic by another mom who’s new to this lifestyle. The mama was used to taking care of her smaller children and the home while the older children were at school, but now she is having to manage the regular routine along with homeschooling.
One of the comments the mama made really made my heart groan with empathy, sympathy and deep understanding.
Said she felt like she was failing, and since I too struggle with this feeling from time to time I can relate.
Even though I chose a homeschool, homemaking, WAH parenting lifestyle, I thought I would address my response to her as a post along with some other thoughts since thousands of others that are feeling the way she is right now.
This mama that asked me this; she’s far from alone. As I write this post we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and American families are feeling a heavy weight as most states have called school off for the rest of the school year.
This means parents of school aged kids have been thrown into the deep end of a lifestyle they didn’t choose, and a situation that’s especially challenging for those with babies and toddlers plus older children.
I Get It
Babies can be a full time job all by their little selves. Keeping up with them, the house (which gets dirty quickly when everyone is constantly in the home-especially if there’s a toddler around), the laundry, the meals-which include planning plus clean up, plus being a parent, a spouse if you have a partner, it’s all a lot to juggle!
To think of homeschooling on top of all this-of course that’s after you’ve cleaned the table from the last meal and made a spot for your kid to do the schoolwork-it can be overwhelming before the clock even strikes noon.
I can remember one time I was managing our budding homeschool, a business, and had clients on the way over. I had just cleaned the house and my third child (who was one) took the opportunity to massage the toilet and bathroom floor in moroccan argan oil. FYI, that stuff doesn’t just wash off, lol! And it’s quite slippery!
Another time the same one decided to find my most expensive anti aging face cream and…………well lets just say the child’s entire body should theoretically never age!!!!
8 Refreshing Tips For Balancing Home, Homeschooling And Kids
As a homeschool mama for the past 10 years, and who’s entire homeschool journey has been with a newborn, baby, or toddler in the mix (we have six kids) I know the challenge the mama speaks of all too well. And I know the sinking feeling as I felt I too have spent a lot of time and energy feeling like I was failing in times past.
8 Refreshing Tips For Balancing Home, Homeschooling And Kids. Each of these are tried and tested ways I’ve found through the past 10 years that help me juggle the dynamics of this lifestyle and I believe they can help those of you who are feeling this way too.
1. Take a Step Back
First off let’s take a step back so we can put things into perspective. Number one, you’re not failing. You’re dealing with an immensely challenging situation that will at times make you feel like you’ve been handed an impossible situation.
I think something it will help to remember is that this is new.
It will get easier, especially as the baby gets older. Next month could look different.
2. Don’t Underrate Yourself
Secondly, don’t underestimate what you DO get done. If possible write down what you got done so you can look back and visually SEE all you are actually doing each day. I guarantee it’s more than you feel like!
Another thing, don’t ever for a second think you are not doing enough for each of your children. Pray hard, and just do the best you are able with each of those moments that come, be they crazy or peaceful.
DO NOT underestimate the little things because they add up!!!
3. Keep An Eye Out For Teachable Moments
Speaking of which, don’t underestimate the power of short teaching moments either. A little teaching here and a little teaching there between cleaning up after the baby, those teaching moments add up when the day’s done! If you are not to discouraged to try you’ll see that when you look for teaching moments (between what seems like chaos) they present themselves!
Know that often times short burst lessons can be better for the brain than long ones anyways.
Here are some fun and easy teachable opportunites you can use and create,
- Go on a nature walk
- Invest in some new fun books LIKE THESE if you can
- Cook together
- Have a talk
- Recruit the grandparents-use Facetime, Zoom and Skype if you need
- If you’ve got babies and toddlers in the mix check out THESE EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING TOYS HERE
And don’t forget there’s YouTube to assist you if you need a break! Whenever I need a break to make a meal, get some laundry or other housework done but I want my kids to keep learning I send them to YouTube. Here’s a few great resources,
Homeschool Pop
Ted-ED
Smart History
Free School
EngVid
4. Have a Brain Dump
Be it your day planner, a note pad, a calendar, whatever you chose, grab one and start writing the things down that need to be done.
Once it’s all on paper and out of your head you’ll be able to a. breathe and b. visually see what needs to be done. At that point you can prioritize and share with your spouse or even older kids the to do’s and get everyone on board.
This brings me to my next favorite tip…..
5. Automate & Assign
One of the tricks us big family mama’s and homeschooling mama’s love to utilize is automation and assigning. We love to automate and assign everything we can to minimize our to do lists. Here are some idea’s of things you can assign and automate;
- If you have older kids automate and assign chores with my chore chart system to help keep up with housework.
- Automate as many bills as you possibly can.
- Use Subscribe & Save by Amazon so you don’t have to constantly be restocking.
- Automate meals (sort of) by double or triple batching as much of what you make as you can for later in the week.
- If your older children finish their school-or better yet-if it doesn’t take long for them to do their school have them read to younger siblings in the mornings and after school. I have mine read the What Your Child Needs to Know books to each other as well as some of these books here.
6. Relax-Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
It took a certified teacher telling me that it’s okay if my child doesn’t understand every single thing they are being taught in a grade right now, the same topic will come around next year and they might get it then.
It took another certified teacher to tell me that some kids never seem to get some concepts. If they don’t it’s not the end of the world!!!!!
If you are discouraged about your child and worried they will fall behind check out my post What Your Child Needs To Know When. Starting with grade’s 2 and 3 your child can read these themselves, my middle grader easily read through two of these books in six months just by reading them for 1.5 hours a day.
You can read them with your child or they can read them themselves. They are common core aligned so getting them should take a weight off your shoulders and help you relax a little.
Another thing I wanted to include in this tip as part if the “relax” part is don’t forget self care and to feed yourself so you can cope with all the extra stuff happening!
7. In The Hard Moments
Thirdly, when the difficult moments present themselves (you know the ones I’m talking about-the moments where overwhelm creeps in), try to remember to think of these as waves if you can. They will pass. In 30 minutes or less it is likely to be calm again.
Remember self care and to get some breaks to breath!
8. Get Some Support
Look for online support groups with other homeschool moms with little kids and remember you are not alone!
I have a video, maybe it will help give you some applicable idea’s that might help with your situation…maybe not, but the idea’s here have helped me juggle this situation through the years I’ve been at this.
Conclusion
This is a juggle. It’s also a marathon in some ways! In the end know you are far from alone. We are all in this together, and we will get through and your kids are going to be okay!
If you enjoyed 8 Refreshing Tips For Balancing Homeschooling, Home AND BABIES be sure to check out How To Start Emergency Homeschooling Midyear and COVID-19 Got You Stuck At Home With Kids? and 10 Ultimate Tips For How To Homeschool With A Baby for some additional great tips and links with resources to help you get by.
Got questions? Let me hear them below and I’ll try to answer them!
