I did not even think it could be done. But, I am writing this blog post to let you know that it is possible to work and homeschool your kids. It is not easy by any means but it can be done. I am not an expert at scheduling or balancing a busy schedule or a seasoned mom. I am still learning how to block my time, not overcommit, and how to let go of the working mom guilt. However, I have always been a working mom and over the years I continue to learn how to balance life, work, and homeschooling. In this blog post I will lay out how I am currently making homeschool work for myself and family. I hope that some of these approaches will resonate with you and encourage you on your homeschooling journey.
Prioritizing Home and Work Balance
Balance is a choice we have to make for ourselves, and the delicate balance of work and home will look differently for each of us. The reason I say that we must choose balance is because it can be really easy to fall into a rut that isn’t working but feels to hard to get out of. Balance takes effort, planning, and execution.
When I have a good grasp on my schedule and routines I find that my mood is better, I feel lighter and less stressed. I would love to say that I always feel in control of my schedule and that each week flows smoothly but I wouldn’t even begin to tell you that lie. What I can say is that I have to work at prioritizing balance in my life.
Here are a few simple ways I do this:
- Use a paper planner. I have been sampling a few different layouts to try and find a weekly and daily layout that works well for me. Did you know that the popular planner brand Day Designer and free planner pages that you can download on their website! I have been using this one and this one to stay organized.
- Avoid over scheduling. There are times when I am really good at saying “no” and other times when it seems I can’t turn down any offer.
- Weekly meetings with my husband to go over our schedule.
Less is always more when it comes to making homeschooling work
Committing to less in your day to day life allows you freedom with your time and brain space to say yes to the things you really want and need to do! If you are always signing up for extra shifts at work that may mean that you are saying no to catching up on the laundry, meal prepping, and planning your homeschool week. Which means you feel behind, pressured, and irritable at home. When we say yes to too many things we are actually inviting chaos into our homes and lives.
Making homeschooling work requires focus and staying on track with your family mission. If you don’t have a mission and vision for your homeschool I encourage you to take some time to create a vision for yourself as the mother-teacher, your children as the students and your home in terms of the atmosphere you want to create.
It may feel as if you are depriving your kids when you have less on the schedule but it actually creates time to explore interests, complete a family project like gardening, and prevents overly tired kiddos and a cranky mom! Again, making homeschooling work means making it work for you!
Planning is queen and the key to making homeschooling work
Can you even be a homeschooling mom if you don’t love planners?! Now read my words carefully, I said LOVE planners not USE planners. I am learning to use a block schedule to keep myself in line. Now if you are anything like me then having a restrictive schedule sounds well it sounds restrictive. In reality, time blocking gives you back time in your day because you aren’t trying to multi-task and you can actually finish a task.
Plan out your homeschool year so that you know what is coming next and each day isn’t flustered (this was me last year). For me this looks like planning out each 12 week term that Ambleside Online has broken the school year into. Each week I look ahead to the spreadsheet provided by AO and then I plug in what we are going to complete for the week. For example I will plug in our daily work, Bible, hymns, art study etc. If you are looking for a hymn study check out this AMAZING hymn study that Courtney put together!
Last year I reverse planned our day and I feel like this was a good method to start off with, but as my sons lessons became more involved I realized this wasn’t the best method for me. However, I was just trying to keep my head above water and figure out the whole working-homeschooling mom thing so I just forced it to work.
We all have to start somewhere, as working homeschooling moms it is important to allow yourself space to learn what makes sense for you and your family and what needs to be revamped.
Be realistic about your schedule
In a perfect world I would be a full time working and full time homeschooling mama who travels the world with her kids all while maintaining a perfect home. But in real life I struggle to keep up with working 2-3 days a week while homeschooling 4 days a week and being a good wife, mother, family member and church member.
I am learning to say no, to not fall to the pressure of always having a jam packed schedule, I let go of the pressure to keep a full client load. I only have so much time, so much energy, and so much capacity to do things well.
If I want to truly give my children an atmosphere of truth, beauty and goodness, then I have to let go of unrealistic expectations, be honest with myself, and really assess my bandwidth and that of my family.
I want you to know that I am currently writing this blog post as my 2 year old sits on my lap eating blue corn tortilla chips and I swap between this screen and the screen where I am replying to client messages. It’s a process, and you are a work in progress. Just like me and just like the mama at the park who seems like she has it all figured out.
Time for yourself
There are days and even weeks when I feel like I met everyone’s needs but my own. I showed up at work well, I was on top of our homeschooling activities and even planned a field trip or play date! But mentally and emotionally I am spent, cranky, and tired. Being a working and homeschooling mom does not mean that you have to run ragged. In fact, having a full spiritual tank, healthy habits, a full nights rest and nourishing foods should be top on the must do list.
Homeschooling is a full time job, so is being a mom, add on top of that working or owning a business and your availability is in the negative. Carve out dedicated time for yourself at a time of day that makes sense for you so that you can consistently decompress. I have found that having time by myself to be still is important, no podcasts, no music, just quiet, does wonders for my mental health and energy levels. Mothers must learn to quiet themselves, to rejuvenate, to realize that the home, work, will continue on even when we take a moment to ourselves.
So in the end I hope this blog post is encouraging and a gentle reminder that being a working homeschool mom is possible! Thanks for taking some time to read this post, if you are a working and homeschooling mom would you leave a comment sharing your best tips for staying balanced and or encouraged?
Be well and talk soon- Morgan Jackson
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