Finding time to do something fun for yourself as a mom is hard to do. As a homeschool mom I find that it is even harder because after the kids go to bed I look for fun activities and resources for our weekly homeschooling, grading papers or just doing general prep work for our homeschool week ahead. So, I tend to push time for me to the back burner even though I know I shouldn’t. Still, it is what I do and I know that I’m not the only homeschool mom that does.
As I continue on my homeschool journey I am learning that I can’t not have some time for myself. It’s not healthy to always be busy and not have any down time. When I do push myself too hard I come crashing down and often wind up sick. What happens when mom gets sick in your home? If it is at all like mine, not much. Everyone survives, (though I’m not sure that anything they’ve eaten included vegetables, nor do I know when the kids last had a bath), but the house often requires quite a bit of work once I’m back on my feet.
So, after seven years of homeschooling I’ve finally come to realize that having fun homeschool mom breaks is important. Taking time to just be myself and not worrying about a to do list, a menu, laundry or a weekly lesson plan is not just nice, it is needed! Fun homeschool mom breaks don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Some of the most fun I’ve had has happened in my home and cost only my time.
I live in the north woods of Maine, so I don’t have access to a large homeschool group of moms, but that hasn’t stopped me from meeting other homeschool moms and becoming friends with them. In fact, my best friends are homeschool moms that live across the USA and I chat with most of them on a daily basis. We try to have Google Hangouts a couple times a month after all the kids are in bed. It is always a great time for fun, adult conversation and laughter and the best part is that we get to sit at home in our PJs while sipping on a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Discovering fun homeschool mom breaks that you enjoy is simple, you just have to stop long enough to think about yourself for a few moments. Take a moment now and write down a few things that you would love to do for you, if you had a bit of time for yourself…
Some of my favorite fun homeschool mom breaks include: movie nights, phone calls or Google hangouts with other homeschool moms, sing or dance off nights with my family and craft nights.
When I first started taking time for myself away from everything that “had” to be done, I realized that some beliefs that I had were wrong. I previously believed that if I made time for myself that it would actually cost me time, make more work for myself later and/or hurt my family because I wasn’t remaining focused. If you have these same beliefs, please listen to me when I say that these beliefs simply are not true.
When I make time for fun activities that I enjoy, I actually am better for my family. I simply can not function nor am I pleasant to be around when I do not have breaks that allow me to relax, smile and laugh.
I encourage you to begin to make plans for your own fun homeschool mom breaks at least twice a month to start. Once you see how freeing this down time is for you and that you are more relaxed and focused when completing your homeschool days, housework, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you’ve penciled in a bit of time for yourself once a week!
Having fun as a homeschool mom is important for your health, your homeschool success and your family’s happiness!
How do you fit in fun homeschool mom breaks? What are your favorite fun activities that you enjoy doing for you?
