Do you ever wonder how to homeschool and get it all done?!
Guest post by Rachel Stevens
How to Do it All – Or Not…
To be honest Mama, I don’t do it all and neither will you. That sounds daunting and stressful, I know – I’ve been there (many, many times!) Twenty-one years in and I can tell you that seasons change and your needs will change too. I’m going to share a few things with you that have helped me. Take them and make them your own.
Some Background Many years ago (or what feels like it now) I discovered a book called Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family by Kim Brenneman (now out of print but updated and now called Home Management: Plain and Simple). One of the tips in that book was to assign days to the kids. That was easy for us since we have 5 kids; our oldest got Monday and the youngest got Friday – with the others in between. With such a big age range (12 years between oldest and youngest) obviously chores wouldn’t be divided evenly across the board but to the abilities of each. I’m getting ahead of myself though.
On each kid's assigned day, they would have certain chores and certain privileges. Because of the age differences, sometimes a younger sibling would be paired with an older sibling for chores. For example, on Monday child one would do his (& his brother's) laundry, do the dishes, help with meals, get the mail, and get to stay up late (whatever laundry or chores that didn’t get done that day would then be done on Thursday, his brother's day). On Tuesday, child two would do the same things (laundry would be for her and her sisters, and again whatever didn’t get done Tuesday would be finished Wednesday or Friday). I would do parent and baby laundry on Friday or Saturday. Implement systems for when to wash bedding: Boys on week 1, girls on week 2, parents on week 3, household blankets on week 4.
The key to it all is to customize it!
Ask your spouse what areas they need to have the cleanest to feel most relaxed, and ask if they can help out with those areas too – or with the areas that you need to be done most in order to feel at peace. We would always try to do a quick pick up 15 minutes before we expected Daddy home from work – once he started working from home we would do a few more quick clean-ups throughout the day.
Have organizational systems that work for your family. If toy organization is stressing all of you out, change organizational items and / or get rid of toys. Go through toys and clothes seasonally. Donate or sell the ones that you no longer want or need if still in good shape; otherwise I am giving you permission to throw out the broken and destroyed items.
Have systems set in place for cleaning your home. Marla Cilley, FlyLady, has some great systems you can use for this. You can often find her books at the library, or check out her website.
Break your home into zones and assign them days. We would also divide kid's bedrooms into zones for cleaning. One tip that worked for us was to take before and after pictures of their rooms for them to compare and see just how amazing they did. On the before pictures, we would mark them up to show zones or just take pictures of each zone so they could see the before and after pictures of each zone to make the task less intimidating!
Think through what days and times are best for your family to go grocery shopping (or is delivery a better option for your family), doctors appointments, and field trips? Don’t plan a lot, or any, book work those days – do school in the car if you want, or just no “school” that day. Is a 3 or 4 day school week better for your family? Or 6 weeks on with one week off? Summers off or November, December & January off? What subjects need done daily and what subjects can be done 2 days a week or once a week?
When you feel stuck If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, or drowning in that ever elusive quicksand, take a step back and evaluate your family’s priorities and why you started homeschooling in the first place. Maybe hire an organizing professional. Don’t forget that Statheros Academy has Homeschool Coaches that will help you if you want someone with more homeschooling experience to come alongside you in your journey.
Basically, you don’t do it all. It’s just not possible. Be flexible. Days, weeks, months, and years will all differ. Be patient and forgiving with your kids, your spouse (if you have one), and yourself!
Most of all, remember You.Got.This. If you ever feel like you don’t, don’t wait to reach out!
Statheros Academy exists to serve you in your homeschool! We never want you to feel overwhelmed or alone! Homeschooling is better with community and we are blessed to be a part of yours.