Time for mom

Unschooling is interest based learning where children naturally learn from their environment and are trusted to learn what they need to learn to succeed in life.  Parents act as a resource person and role model to help educate their children in a respectful manner.  Unschooling will often look different with each family.  This blog includes my family's approach to the unschooling philosophy.  I will sometimes include ideas and challenges and sometimes I will include a blog of an actual day or event of our unschooling family.  Feel free to follow my blog if you would like to learn more.  Thank you for taking time to read my blog!

Many homeschooling families have one full time income while one parent works and one spends most or all of their day with the children.  Having this strong bond with our children is priceless, but it is also important to not lose ourselves in this process.  Having alone time to focus on personal needs and taking time away from time to time can be helpful.  Not only do parents in homeschooling families need to provide care for their children, teach them and love them , but also for themselves and this can often be overlooked if one is too overwhelmed with their responsibilities with the children.  I feel like I have found a pretty good balance where I am able to find time for myself despite being around my children 24/7 most weeks.  I have included some examples that help me find 'me' time.  These are examples that work with my life style and we are all different, so if you feel like you need more self-care, you need to find what works best for you.  My 'me' time is the following:

1. I do daily yoga.  There are of course times I slack off and do not do my routines, but for the most part, it is daily and sometimes twice a day if I get really ambitious.  Yoga is a great way to calm the mind, body and spirit.  It helps keep my brain activated, clears my thought process along with keeping my body strong and toned.  It also is a great way to relieve stress, increase energy and eliminate pain in my body.  I have several yoga time videos with Marlon Braccia that I picked up on Amazon for about $1.  Each routine is about 20 to 30 min. and the children know not to bother me during yoga time.  I also picked up some kid yoga videos that the children will do sometimes while I do mine.  This is great mom time.  I may join a yoga class in the near future also, but I have not taken this step yet.  The videos seem to do the trick.

2. I walk my dog.  We live in a nature preserve and it's very peaceful going for a walk.  I got a puppy a few months ago that I knew would need daily walks.  I usually walk her after dinner when my husband is with the children.  Whenever I do my daily walk, I pay close attention to nature and often see different animals living in nature such as deer, owls, ground hogs, turkey vultures, interesting butterflies, frogs, snakes, and one night we saw a skunk and hurried the other direction when this occurred.  The walks usually take 30-45 minutes and it is a nice break from my responsibilities in my home.  Exercise and nature are great for relaxation.

3. I keep a daily journal.  One thing that is helpful is keeping a daily journal to help manage my life the best way possible.  I usually do this in the evenings after the children are in bed or sometimes I will even take a break mid day and write in my journal.  The children often will play independently while I do this and understand that I need space sometimes. 

4. I work part-time.  I think it's important to have something just for me and keeping my career is something very important to me.  I worked hard in college and life to reach my career goals.  This is part of me and I now have my own business where I work part-time around my husband's work schedule.  It also gives us some extra money to go towards providing for our family and it gives me the opportunity to use my mind that I worked so hard to develop. 

5. I take a daily warm bath.  Bathing unfortunately can be overlooked if you get to overwhelmed with your responsibilities as a mother, teacher, housekeeper and wife, but this is something I cannot live without.  I need this time for myself at night.  It helps me relax and sleep so I can prepare for the next day and be a good influence on my children during my waking hours.

6. I usually do grocery shopping alone.  My husband is home on the weekends and this is when I get the food and other necessities for our home.  I usually do this alone or maybe take one child along for some good one on one time with the kids.  Either way, it is peaceful and a break from my day to day life of unschooling 3 children.

These are just some examples of what I do to keep myself from becoming too overwhelmed by my responsibilities of being a mother, teacher and caretaker of my 3 children 24/7.  Without these small things that I do for myself, I do not feel like I would be as effective with them and if I ever fail to do these things, I can notice a difference with how I handle  the day to day stressors in my life.  Everyone is different, so you need to find what works best for you. It is an important aspect of the unschooling process though.  There is no way for me to educate my children if I do not care for myself.  I am also setting a good example for them so that they also will learn to care for themselves now and as they grow into adulthood.