So after 8 years of homeschooling, I absolutely love seeing that families get an inside sneak peek of the life of homeschooling! We chose it years ago when our daughter was only 4 and before we had 3 kids back to back. Every year, my husband and I go to the good Lord and seek His face for what we are to do, and outside of last fall (where a few of our kids had a 6 month stint in the private school arena), we have homeschooled throughout the 8 years( sometimes year round) because God prompted us to homeschool. So here we are. And most days, we enjoy it. And other days, I want to send them to boarding school :) Those days are few, but they definitely happen!

A messy and crazy homeschool morning! Look at these faces! We have our days too friend!

Now Mama or Pop! You didn’t ask for this. You didn’t ask for the homeschool arena nor were you prepared to enter the arena. So have some grace for yourself. This Coronavirus madness has placed you at the feet of your children begging them to take a bite of their Cheerios or yelling to get out the pantry because your Coronavirus stash pile is now down to almost nothing in the 24 hours they have been home. It’s ok. The frenzy because you are now a homeschool mom or dad is ok. You will be ok. And so will they!

So after years of homeschooling, and getting asked "How in the world do you homeschool four children and run businesses,” I grabbed my computer, locked myself in the bathroom, started this post while pretending to be on the potty; that is until someone asked for bacon and breakfast. Who knew people needed to be fed! No really, here are a few tips that I would have found helpful starting out as a homeschool mom!

12 Tips for the Now Homeschool Mom or Dad

Wake up before the kids. No really! Set your alarm for before they wake up for at least 30 minutes to an hour before they wake up! Do a devotion. My new devotion “I Am” is a great one we are doing with our Bible Study ladies! But I have a ton of great free devotions here on the blog somewhere! :) Put on worship music. Take a bath, say affirmations. Pray to Jesus friend because let me tell you. Homeschooling is a whole NEW WORLD! So set the tone for your day by waking up before the kids and having 30 minutes to drink your coffee, pray, get your mind right!
Have a loose schedule! Now I have had strict schedules in the past, but goodness they gave all of us so much anxiety! So now, we don’t have strict schedules! We have subjects we need to cover, and I give them the option of choosing which Math worksheets they want to do in what order. I usually am homeschooling two kids at a time, and the youngest is playing quietly. Who am I kidding!? The youngest is running around distracting the others because that happens! I want to paint an accurate picture for you. Sometimes all three of the young kids are at the table while the other does Algebra on the computer. And other times, I have to split them up because they just decided they were black belts in karate and one kid has given another kid a karate chop to the you know what! Loose schedule. I have subjects I want to accomplish daily. I write out a schedule daily, with chores for them, chores for me, and 3 top things I want to accomplish that day! ONLY 3! If I get more done GREAT! If not, it’s ok!
Have quiet time DAILY of at least 1 to 2 hours in their rooms. With us, we try with no electronics, but you do you! Do what works for you! A lot of times I have to split people up because they are arguing, but other times three of them play nicely. They can play quietly, read, play Beyblades, whatever is quiet! And this is when I get work stuff done, pick up, or surf Facebook for the latest news update, or Pinterest for a recipe that I’m never going to make! Or Instagram if I want some fitness motivation because everyone looks good on Insta or at least the filters make everyone look good! :)
Take 30 minutes to 1 hr to do something that brings you joy! It can be working out or sewing or cooking (not for little people but for enjoyment), or painting or reading or taking a bath with Epsom Salt and drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Every single day do something that brings you joy for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Taking this time will do wonders for your mental and emotional health! One thing I love doing is creating graphics and journals! So right now, I’m working on our Spring Journal/Devotion Collection! That’s what I like to do, and it brings me so much joy! What do you like to do? Do it! Daily if possible!

5. Go outdoors, take learning outdoors, switch up the location of homeschool spaces. Allow them to go to their rooms. Allow them to work or read on the deck! Switch it up during these next few weeks if you have that luxury!

6. Hire a sitter or do a babysitter exchange! If you can’t afford or don’t have a sitter in the budget, do a babysitter exchange with a friend. Say I’ll watch your kid on Tuesday from 9 to 12, can you babysit my kiddos on Friday from 8 to 11! Yes yes yes! Hiring a sitter or doing a babysitter exchange will give you time to breathe. Go get your nails done or go to the grocery store to find nonexistent toilet paper and hand sanitizer. :) I try to take a mental health day regularly where I hire someone to come in and love on these Young kiddos!

My sitter took the kids out, and one kid was not happy about a picture! Or maybe a few of them! :)

7. Don’t feel guilty about going to bed at 6pm and wondering why you are so tired! The first few days of homeschooling or getting back in the routine, I always think, “Why am I so tired!?” Uhhhh because homeschooling is a ton of work! Give yourself some credit, and goodness give teachers all the gift cards and thanks when they open schools again because they deserve all the things including a raise! Homeschooling is hard work, so sometimes, goodness often times, I allow my husband to do bedtimes because I am so tired from the day! We tag team it! I do dinner and facilitate evening chores/reading time, he does bedtime! If you’re a single mom, ask a friend if she can come over and help!

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! OMG! I guess this is the biggest misconception about homeschool moms! Sometimes we need help, and that’s ok! Asking for help does not make us weak! Asking for help makes us strong! We are so much better together, so band together and allow your village to help!

9. Don’t feel guilty about screen time on days you’re just not feeling it! Some days screen time will be more. Some days screen time will be less. No judgment for the days your kids wake up watching Frozen 2 and watches 3-4 more movies before you even feel like starting your day. There will be days you’re just not feeling it. And that’s ok! Ease into the day. Lean into the promises of God! Lean into Jesus more! We need Jesus everyday but extra on the days we are just not feeling it and too tired or no energy to function!

10. Have cleaning, folding clothes, sock match challenges! One of my favorite and most productive mom moments is having challenges around cleaning! The kids love these challenges, sometimes I reward them with treats, other times, their reward is they get to live in our home! :) We do give our kids commissions for chores BUT these challenges are fun for kids. So have a who can match the most socks challenge. Or who can clean the baseboard best challenge! :) You think I’m playing, and I may be laughing while I’m typing this BUT my kids absolutely love the challenges, so make cleaning fun! And trying to keep your house tidy while they are home will be hard BUT so necessary for your peace of mind!

11. Hoard/hide the snacks OR have designated snack times or else little people are eating all day every day and that’s not good for anyone's budget! :) This is a loose schedule we try to follow:

Breakfast 7 or 8
Snack time 10:30
Lunch Time between 11 and 12
Snack Time 2 to 3ish
Dinner 4 to 5 ish
Snack time again around 7, 7:30

12. Be ok with doing less! Sometimes we have killer days where the kids have done 12 subjects by 10 am (not really but it feels that way…we don’t do 12 subjects!). But some days they are rockstars and are uber focused, and other days, we are lucky to get through our Bible lesson without someone throwing a fit. Yes, our kids still throw fits! So one of the things I had to be ok with is doing less some days! I believe it all balances out! Some days we do tons, other days we are lucky to do Math and reading! Be ok with doing less. It’s ok! No really is ok. Throw your schedule out the window some days! Throw your to-do list out the window some days, and be ok with doing less. I promise, your kids are going to be fine. This is coming from a mom whose daughter was reading by 3, doing algebra by 11, and I was so type A everything had to be perfect. I’m such a recovering perfectionist y’all! So I truly want you to understand that your child will be ok with you doing less for the two weeks they are out of school. Play more, laugh more, tell stories more, craft more, do projects more. Be present more friend! God has given you the greatest and hardest gift! Time with your kids. Something we will never get back.

To the now homeschool mom or dad, homeschooling is hard work. Adjust your expectations and have tons of grace!! Some days will be great! Other days not so great! Have tons of grace for yourself and them! I cannot have grace without Jesus, so I have to go to Him each morning and sometimes moment by moment asking Him to fill me up with grace! So have tons of grace for yourself friend! Homeschooling is crazy. Homeschooling is wild. But it’s just for a season. Just for a little, and you have everything you need to be the best homeschool mom or dad your child needs. The most important thing during this time is to soak it in. Soak in the memories. Soak in the love. Soak in the chaos. Soak in the arguing because one day the house will be quiet, and then we will want the loudness. We will miss the messes and spills. We will miss these precious but fleeting moments, so embrace the crazy! You’re in for a crazy BUT fantastic ride! You got this friend! Go out and be great! Not that it matters, but I believe in you friend!! :) And when all else fails, you can always go to Eggs Up Grill because those blueberry muffins always makes me feel so much better after feeling like a failure on a crazy homeschool morning!! Or grab your wine stash! No really, turn to Jesus! He makes everything better! :)

Until next time,

Shelly