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Today I have a great guest post from Tiffany who blogs at Life & Lessons From a Country Road. She is one of my wonderful co-host of Share It Saturday & I am so glad to have the chance to get to know her through the blogging world!! She is sharing tips on keeping you sanity while homeschooling & mothering.
I am so grateful at Karyn to give me the chance to share a few things on her blog today. Let me come right out and say it. “I do not know everything, I only know what works for me.” So as you read through things today, keep that in mind.
Today I want to share a few ideas to keeping your sanity while homeschooling. I am sure for some of you, that may not even be an issue, for me though it can be. I am a homeschooling mom to a 9, 7, 6, & 1 year old boys and am currently pregnant with our 5th. As if that doesn’t keep me busy enough we our self employed. Being a mom is a full time job, add on homeschooling, managing a business & life in general & things can get pretty crazy around here. It also means that some days I am feeling pretty stretched & worn out. If I am not careful, I can get too stretched & worn.
Looking pretty similar to this little guy. Just unhappy about all my many blessings. Over time I have realized a few simple tricks that seem to help keep my sanity in tack.
5 Ideas to Help Keep Your Sanity While Homeschooling & Mothering
1. Get Outside Every Day.
I truly believe it doesn’t matter what you do, if you can get outside & get some fresh air it will calm not only you, but your children as well.
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| Whether you can sneak outside for a morning sunrise walk, or early morning work just get out when you can. |
Or taking the time to go on a family hike. (My boys handsome).
Or a simple step out to your backyard, to play on the swings. It will enhance your mood, give you & your children a much needed break. It doesn’t need to be long or fancy, just get outside & get some fresh air. I do love long periods outside, most importantly get outside. It will help.
2. Try to Maintain Order in Your Home.
I know for me personally, sometimes this is my biggest struggle. I have 4 boys. Have you been around boys? They are in a constantly building & taking things apart, making loud noises, getting dirty. If you add in homeschooling with science experiments & some days I feel as if my home is in constant chaos. But (& I mean a big BUT) you can find a way to keep some order in your home, dishes done, laundry going & a your home reasonably picked up, it will make a huge difference. My home still shows choas more than order must days, but I am constantly striving for a cleaner home. Also, plan menus. There are million & one ways to plan your menu. If I am not rushing at 4:30 to figure out what is for dinner things going much better. I notice my mood sometimes mimics my home. If my home is in a somewhat order, I am a lot happier, than if I feel my home is in total chaos. So tip number two: Try to Maintain Order in Your Home.
# 3. Do something you love everyday.
With all the demands on us, it easy not to take a few minutes for what we love. I find this refreshes me the most out of anything.
One of my passions is sewing, give me some fabric. Even if it is only 15 minutes, in that 15 minutes my spirit gets refreshed & it literally calms my soul. For you it might be reading, gardening, crocheting, scrap booking, working out, photography, playing an instrument or blogging. It doesn’t matter what it is, just find something you love to do & take even just a few minutes to pursue your own passions.
If you not sure what you are passion about here are a few places to get you started.
U-Create – Has a million links of things you can make. Every link has the instructions on how to make it. Browse this site just for few minutes & it gets my creative juices going.
Craftsy – (Affliate Link)
This is a craft site, that has classes from sewing, to photography, cooking, knitting, crocheting & more. Some of the classes you pay for, but there are over 23 free classes that you can just take. It is awesome.
So tip number 3: Do something you love everyday.
#4. Take time for relationships.
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in everything & forget to take the time to slow down & enjoy the people around you. Once a year my mom, sisters & I get together for a girls weekend. It is a great time, one we all look forward to every year. It may not be very often, but it is so refreshing.
Take time to go on a date with your hubby. The first five years of our marriage my husband and I never missed a weekend. Now it is more like once a quarter. We may not get as much alone time as we used to, but we do our best to make what we can great.
Take time to visit with good friends, send letters or chat with other homeschooling moms. These connections can keep you going even in the tough times.
Tip number 4: Take time for relationships.
#5. Try to find beauty in the simple things.
No matter what you do, some days are just rough. It’s
Murphy’s Law . Some days will just not go as planned, but no matter how your day goes try to find beauty & joy around you. It maybe the blossoming flowers outside your window.
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| It may be the sight of sun streaming through the clouds. |
It may just be the smile of a child.
Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day. The key is just try to find it.
I am the mother to 4 boys ages 9,7, 6 & 1. The wife to one handsome man. I am a homeschooler & rancher. A quilter & a photographer. I am pretty sure, life just doesn’t get much better than this. You can catch a glimpse of our Life & Lessons From a Country Road over at my blog; www.fromacountryroad.com. I would love to have you stop by.
What a refreshing post! Had such a ‘rough’ homeschool day today and some great reminders. I need to get outside more 🙂
Rachael visiting from Diamonds in the Rough (http://www.parentingandhomeschoolinginfaith.com)