When Will I Get a Break?

Many people assume that, because a homeschool mom has chosen to educate her children at home, she does not need or desire a break. Ever. While it is true that we have made the decision to keep our children home with us as opposed to sending them out for a traditional school day every day, and it is true that we understand that this automatically means our ‘me’ time is at an ultimate premium, we do often still want to have some time to ourselves. In fact, I would wager that free time is actually something that we need, whether we recognize it (or admit it) or not. That is why, today, I want to suggest to you a few ways that you can begin to find the breaks that you do need to help you refuel and rejuvenate yourself for the tasks before you!

 

When Will I Get a Break?

The ‘when’ will ultimately be up to you and your husband, because the two of you know what will work best for your particular family. However, here are a few ideas to get you started.

• early in the morning before anyone awakens

• mid-morning while your children are completing chores or independent studies

• in the mid-afternoon while your children have quiet time or nap time

• in the late afternoon while your children spend some time outside

• in the evening after all of the kids have gone to bed

• (if you’re doubly-blessed!) on the weekend when you can steal away for an entire day

These are only some ideas that came to me as I was thinking about the logistics of this dilemma we have as homeschool moms ~ no ‘me’ time. Perhaps you can think up some other scenarios that I did not list here? Jot them down. Keep a running list. Before you know it, you will have 10 or 20 little ways to find a needed break throughout your days or over the weekend.

What will I do with this free time?

There is a plethora of activities on which you could spend your time. My first suggestion would be to consider what you love to do. Think about your passions, what brings you pleasure, and what you actually need. Don’t plan to work during your ‘me’ time. That means no laundry, no writing projects (Bloggers, I’m talking to you!), don’t pay bills or scrub the toilets…..unless those are things that truly bring peace and rejuvenation to your life. There are people for whom this would be true. And that is okay! Really. Is it true for me? Yeah, no.

What kinds of things should you do with your time? Try these!

• Take a leisurely walk around your neighborhood. Pray, sing, think important thoughts.

• Exercise. Try the elliptical in your basement, pop in a workout video, or head out to the gym. Whatever works for you.

• Plant or weed in your garden. I realize that this task could fall under the ‘don’t do this’ category, but I know a lot of people who find gardening calming, so I’m adding it here for them. When I have the time to spend, I actually find peace and calm in the garden myself.

• Head out to the backyard with a snack and your Bible. Enjoy some nourishment, both physically and spiritually. This combo is sure to have you feeling less stressed and holding the correct perspective by the time you head back inside to greet your family.

• Spend an entire day in town. Ask your husband, another trusted family member, or a close friend to stay with your children for the day. Take in a movie, go shopping for a new outfit, have your nails or hair done, visit a museum. When I get the rare day like this, I return home excited to see my husband and children. I’m ready to jump back into food preparation and cleaning tasks, my job as chauffeur, and with educating my kids.

• Sneak out to your favorite coffee shop. Take along a good book and enjoy an hour or two of reading and sipping.

There are many other ways you could choose to spend your time. Do you have ideas? Share them in the comments and help us all to add to our lists of things to do with our ‘me’ time! And be sure to share any ideas for ways to create a little more ‘me’ time in your days!