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Staying at home to raise and homeschool my children is one the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given, but if I’m honest, it’s also one of the most stretching. Throughout my time as a SAH mom, I’ve learned that it’s not always about routines and perfectly structured schedules, but about simple habits that support not only our home, but my motherhood and my faith. These are the habits that serve me in this season as a stay at home homeschool mom.
1. Waking up before the kids
I’m not going to lie to you, most days, I struggle to wake up before my kids do. My toddler is currently going through sleep regression and sleep has been almost nonexistent at this point. But the days that I am able to wake up before them, it feels great. Waking up to a quiet house, drinking coffee and spending uninterrupted time with the Lord helps center myself and start my day off on a good note. By the time the kids start waking up, I don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. Instead I’m ready to receive them, ready to cater to them, and ready to be the best mom I can be that day.
2. Daily gratitude
I’ve been practicing daily gratitude for some time and I can’t tell you how much it’s changed my life. Even on the days that I don’t wake up early, I will still take a minute to write down a sentence or two about the things I’m grateful for. Sometimes it’s as simple as just being able to wake up that morning. Other days it’s thankfulness for God’s provision. But no matter how big or small it might be, writing down my daily gratitude has really helped me become more aware of the little blessings in life.
3. Making time for my hobbies
I used to be great at making time for my hobbies but when you have more than two kids, it gets hard. This is a habit that I’ve had to be extra intentional about because if I’m not, it easily becomes the last thing on my to do list. Granted, there are other things more important than journaling or reading a book, but I enjoy doing these. And when I take the time to do them, it makes me feel good and I parent better when I’ve had time to do the things I enjoy.
4. Mandatory quiet time
When my three older kids were younger, I used to implement quiet time for about an hour a day. As they got older, I figured we could do without, but now that we have a 1 year old in the mix, quiet has returned. With four kids in the house, it gets loud and I often find myself overstimulated. Mandatory quiet time has become a time gap during the day where while my little one naps, the other older three hang out in their rooms, and I get to catch up on the things I need or want to do. Some days, depending on how our homeschool day has gone, I’ll use this time to make sure schoolwork gets done and review their independent work. But for the most part, mandatory quiet time means mom gets to relax!
6. Grocery delivery orders
This one probably seems a bit on the sillier side, but the convenience of getting my groceries delivered every Friday has been amazing. I tried one time to go into a grocery store with all four kids. I thought it would be a fun little “field trip”, but boy was I wrong! My toddler screamed and cried the entire time, not wanting to sit in the cart. My girls and I alternated caring him and pushing the cart just to get him to stop screaming. And yet, he never really did. He just wanted to run around and walk on his own just like everyone else. That day, I knew I had to lean into those delivery orders. We don’t go hungry and I don’t lose my mind, lol.
7. Daily load of laundry
You can imagine how fast laundry piles up for a family of 6 and two dogs. If I’m not intentional with running a load every day, I’ll feel like I’m drowning in it come the weekend. I know laundry every day probably seems overwhelming to those of you who (like me) don’t really enjoy it too much. But the great thing is that my older three are old enough to switch their load from the washer to the dryer and get it running. They also put away their own clothes. So really, I’m just making sure the load gets into the washer and it gets started.
8. Delegating house chores
We have a 5 bedroom, 3 full bathroom house that’s home to 6 humans and 2 dogs. Can you imagine how long it would take for the entire house to get cleaned by one person alone? It would never happen. Delegating house chores has become one of the many ways I help myself out. My older three are ages 9, 7 and 5; old enough to handle a couple tasks around the house. Each month, I write down their chores on the dry erase board on our fridge so that everyone knows what’s expected from them each day. This not only saves my sanity, but also teaches the kids life skills and keeps them busy throughout the day. Win, win if you ask me.
These habits don’t always guarantee that we have a perfect day, but they do help me keep up with all of the demands of homemaking and homeschooling. This season of staying home and educated my children is not always the easiest, but I’ve learned to give myself grace and adjust things as I need to. I hope that you feel encouraged to find habits that serve you, ones that fit your family and the season you’re walking through right now.
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