Managing your home, family, and homeschool is not easy! At times it can be stressful or even overwhelming. If we’re not careful, we can be facing homeschool mom burnout. However, with some thought and planning you will find there are some super simple routines to reduce homeschool Mom stress.
I’m going to share a few simple routines that helped me tremendously over the 31 years of juggling my family, home, and homeschooling. They may seem little, but often the little things are what wears us down. Little things easily become big things.
Doing these 3 simple routines each evening can reduce homeschool mom stress. They make for a much smoother start in the morning as preparation begins the night before!
Make sure the sink is clean, and the counters are clear. Nothing is more discouraging than coming into a dirty kitchen in the morning.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and have them grab all they can and put it in the proper spot. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel after a quick clean-up!
You will sleep better knowing you’ve written down the things you need to remember, and with a plan in place. It will also eliminate a frantic morning as you try to sort out where to start.
Music affects your spirit, and one of the best things you can do is wake up to good music. You’ll quickly find that it can change the whole trajectory of your day if you wake up tired and a bit grumpy.
I use the app on my phone called You Version. Again, this is a great way to prepare your spirit for the day. Also, if things get crazy, you will have gotten at least a few verses of Scripture into your heart and mind.
If you have a difficult child, it’s extra important to ask God to help you be able to greet that child with a joyful, loving heart.
Get something out of the freezer, or throw something in the crockpot. That gives you one less thing to worry about getting done later in the day. There’s nothing worse than dinner rolling around with hungry kids and you haven’t even had a chance to think about it!
How you do this will vary based on the ages of your kids. When our kids were little, we sang a Scripture song before breakfast. Right after breakfast, those that were able to read spent a few minutes reading their Bible, while I got toddlers and babies cared for. Before academics, we then had a Bible/character lesson and worked on some Bible memory.
God’s Word should be the foundation on which everything we do rests, so it’s important to take time with His Word before beginning academics. We ended with a prayer for God’s blessing on our day, for good attitudes, for us to do our best, etc. None of these activities require huge amounts of time, but they will make a big difference in your outlook as you begin a new day.
27 Responses
Somebody essentially help to make seriously posts I would state.
That is the very first time I frequented your web page and thus far?
I amazed with the analysis you made to make this particular post amazing.
Great process!
For most up-to-date information you have to go to see world-wide-web
and on world-wide-web I found this web page as a best website for most recent updates.
Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest
authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My website
goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from
each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me
an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!
adreamoftrains website hosting
Bethany, it’s easy to feel that we need to do our Bible time a certain way only, but any way that we can get God’s Word into our thoughts & minds is good and better than neglecting it until we can can do it “the right way”. As busy moms, sometimes we have to changed our expectations and be more realistic. I know I struggled with that for awhile then realized that the “how” didn’t matter so much as simply keeping His Word in my my mind throughout the day however I could.
Donita, isn’t it a nice feeling to have that taken care of each morning, rather than facing a sink of dirty dishes when you wake up? 🙂
Yes Suzanne! His word helps us put everything else in perspective, reducing our stress level.
So true that His Word needs to be a part of our every day. Only way to destress is to fill yourself with Him.
I run the dishwasher every night. Empty it every morning.
My struggle is that I think Bible in the morning needs to be a lesson or else why even try. But hearing that it is singing verses and songs lifts a bit of weight. I often struggle with “that wasn’t good enough.”
You are one busy mama! And congratulations on the new blessing that is coming. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post and tips.
Funny, from the first two points of the morning routine, I just thought… “What?! I need to set my alarm, get dressed and do my hair!?” lol. I do love the idea of waking up to a worship song and listening to the bible in the morning.
I love this list and your suggestions so much. We have 5 children 8 years and under and one on the way with many house projects going on right now. This is such great reminder of some simple ways keep us all a bit more on top of things.
Thanks for this!
Amy, I agree that toddlers and all kids like the security of routines. I think there are less struggles too, once they realize this is what we do every day. Glad it’s helping you to have your routines!
This is all very helpful. I used to just roll with things as they happened, but now that I have a little one, I find that I need routines in order to keep our day on track. Also, toddlers crave the security of routines. So, we have our routine of reading books and brushing teeth, then saying good night prayers and singing a little before bed. And in the morning, we eat, dress and play a little music before the day starts. I didn’t expect it, but I find that having routines to begin and end our day helps me feel calmer, too.
I haven’t heard of that one. I think it’s fun to listen to the Bible – the voice inflection and expression often makes me hear it different than when I read it.
I listen to the Bible on librivox as I get ready for the day and I love it!
Thanks Tauna! Don’t you like listening to the YouVersion? Hearing it read makes me catch things that I have missed in my own reading. I think it’s the expression and voice inflection he uses as he reads it. I love hearing it.
Great tips! Playing YouVersion scripture while getting ready is a new one for me. Going to try it. Thanks!
Thanks Elizabeth! The days that I forget some of these steps, it’s usually pretty evident by mid-day. 🙂
Monica, thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Pinned it! Featuring this at Family Fun Friday!
Monica
http://happyandblessedhome.com/category/family-fun/
Great post! I agree with everything you have said! This is good stuff – very practical! 🙂
Thanks Shannon! I’m glad that it was helpful to you. 🙂
Thanks Tracey!
These are some helpful ideas for establishing routines! I really like the idea of listening to the Bible while getting ready.
I love this, Kathie, and it’s very helpful!!!!!!