Listen to “092: Stress Free Homeschooling Self-Care for Moms” on Spreaker.
Whether you’re getting close to the holidays and you need a break, or you’re in the middle of a mid-semester slump, I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Feeling stressed as a homeschool mom is nothing new. I understand when moms tell me the real deal: that homeschooling is not a bed of roses, and it’s not the picture that was painted on those glossy homeschool magazine covers. Today I’m sharing five stress free hoemschooling ideas for moms that can get your idea wheels turning so that you actually make time to de-stress.
Join a women’s study group or book club.
I found that recently I’ve been happier since I joined a women’s study group. We’re a prayer group that takes time to pray over our husbands, learn about their needs, and study the Word together while encouraging one another.
It’s a time of fellowship that gets me out of the house weekly and in conversation with other women of faith. I chose this particular study group because it gets my mind off the kids and on my relationship with my husband, something that is much-needed since my life has been pretty much centered around the kids for years.
It helps to appreciate my husband in a new light, and I wouldn’t trade this group for the world.
Is there a women’s group in your area that you can join? Can you find a support group, a book club, or some interest group that inspires you to be a better you? Join it, and you will find de-stressors actually kicking in.
Next on my list of 5 stress free homeschooling ideas, and this is a big one for some of us…
Go out on a date with your hubby.
If you happen to be married while homeschooling, going out on a date with your husband may not be something you feel you have time for on a regular basis, but I encourage you to go ahead and begin scheduling something. Find someone: pay a service to a reputable company, pay a teenager from your church, get referrals from trusted friends, form a babysitting co-op; just basically whatever you need to do to ensure that you have some alone time with your spouse.
Time with your spouse is extremely important.
And you don’t always have to leave the house. You can simply go sit on your porch together, take a walk down the street and hold hands…or you can go upstairs and cuddle or watch a movie together. Whatever works for you.
Stress free homeschooling with a bubble bath.
This is probably one of my all-time favorite things to do when I get moments alone. When my kids were younger it was simply hard for me to find alone time…unless I was in the bathroom, that is. I found this to be one of my favorite rituals of all time, and now a weekly bubble bath is my go-to for relaxation.
Check out my video on what I do for self-care as a homeschool mom.
Get a mani/pedi.
I don’t get these done very often professionally because they’re just so much easier (and cheaper) to do on my own. But if I could pamper myself a little bit, I would choose to go out and get a mani-pedi with a group of girlfriends. Treating myself to this kind of reward makes it easier for me to look forward to homeschooling in the upcoming week.
Last stress free homeschooling tip: Hunt for a good book.
Boy, do I love reading…but when do I have time for it? Yes, that is the question, indeed. So, I’ve oftentimes found myself curling up – and not to actually read a good book- but listening to one. That way, if I have to get up and put on a load of laundry or load the dishwasher, I’m still technically reading.
I’ve found that audiobooks are my new favorite friend. Yet, there are just times I need to hold a paperback for pleasure’s sake, and I’ve learned to squeeze in time here and there in order to read books that are pleasurable to me.
Hunting for the book is my favorite part of the process. I usually pull up Goodreads and search for whatever I’m into at the moment: French culture, Italian cuisine, memoirs. Then I locate books I think I might be interested in and load up my “want to read’ list. The next part of my process is heading over to my local public library website to locate the book and have it transferred to my local branch so that I can pick it up during the week (it’s only a short two blocks away from my home so I usually walk there). My other (favorite) option is to find the ebook version and download it automatically on Axis360 or Overdrive.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my five stress free homeschooling ideas for moms.
So, what are some things you do in order to de-stress? I’d love to hear your tips. Share them with me in the comments!
