Homeschool Mothers Forget
What is one of the first things we forget about as homeschool moms? Can you guess? Maybe you are thinking of how you used to wake up early to take kids to school. Maybe it’s schoolwork deadlines? Maybe it’s problems with teachers or other school staff or those damned, misguided IEP’s?
Let’s be honest. The first and easiest casualty lost from the homeschool mother’s memory is herself. This is no small issue. If we forget ourselves, we can lose the whole operation. A tired mom, a burnt out mom is not good at responding to others. She runs the risk of blurting out things she doesn’t mean and setting the wrong example to model for her children. And let’s face it, our modeling is our number one teaching tool.
Our family, like many homeschooling families is down to one vehicle again. This comes with some major disadvantages. Several we have experienced just this year. Need a ride to the emergency? You’ll have to call an ambulance and pay the added cost. Want to visit a homeschool co-op? Have to get everyone up at 5am to take dad to work, drive 30 minutes back so we have the car for the event and then make the round trip and pay for extra gas to get dad from work. Costs can just go up and up and up. But the biggest one is to the sanity of a mother and her children, trapped in the house throughout winter with nowhere to go.
I used to go for long walks in our old neighborhood. Since this house is locked between a river and a highway (that sounds like a country song), I decided to get my physical activity this year by taking up hula hooping. I am starting slow and having fun, but I realized that this still has some limitations. While giving me the exercise I need to help my moods, it’s still not solving the problem of child and house overwhelm. I still need another way to focus on myself, something fun, but not too monotonous.
This week, my friend Caroline (from Accountability in Action) and I were doing our Scheduling Sunday together. Caroline inspired me to schedule more things for me, schedule more fun and put a plan in place for making it happen. I realized, I need to take fun more seriously. Caroline has introduced me to banana peel facials which I am scheduling for myself twice a day. She also mentioned getting out for a retreat. I found this little crepe place in Ogden with all kinds of coffee drinks and other tasty treats. I intend to take myself out for a date there later this afternoon.
This morning, I woke with a headache, so instead of jumping into work and helping the kids with homeschool lessons, I took a long epsom salt bath. I followed my bath with a pedicure (I have a foot mask on now) which I had initially scheduled for tomorrow, and I gave myself a deep conditioning treatment for my hair. I can also give my feet more love tomorrow. They can use it.
Point being, my body and soul are begging for my attention, and it’s time to heed the call. But if you don’t schedule it or won’t schedule it, it’s not likely to get done. This is why it’s so crucial to set aside time for what matters, what makes the home and what brings peace and substance into the world: good mothers.
Don’t forget you!
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