It’s been one of those days, huh?
The days where you want to pack it all up and say “Enough, that’s it. I quit!” Yes, sweet friends I’ve been there. We’ve all been there, but tomorrow is a new day. While I would love to tell you that this is the last homeschooling day you’ll have, the truth is, it isn’t.
Bad days will continue to come. That’s a fact, but the good thing is you’re not alone.
Every single contributor for The Curriculum Choice has had these days and we’re here to offer you hope.
Below you’ll find a compilation of posts full of encouragement for these bad days. You’ll catch a glimpse into our bad days and how we pull through them.
Before you throw in the towel, bookmark this post and come back to it again and again. You’ll find the motivation you need to try another day.
From Heather – Upside Down Homeschooling:
Getting Through The Bad Days: “The house is a mess. Clean laundry is in a pile on your bedroom floor. Dishes are overflowing in the sink. You snapped at your husband. You can’t remember the last time you two had a real conversation. The school day ended with both teacher and student in tears. Again. ” Sound familiar? Keep reading…
When Life Gets in the Way: “Three things are certain when homeschooling: There will be good days. There will be bad days. Life will get in the way.” What do you do when your homeschooling plans get derailed?
Homeschool Moms Need…Rest! It’s one of the most important things, but yet homeschooling moms neglect it all the time. Find out what it is and how you can get more of it!
Love is More Important than Language Arts: “…and mothering must come before math. These seem like such common sense ideas, but so many beginning homeschoolers completely miss it.I know because I was one of those. As much as I hate to admit it, the first eighteen months of our homeschool adventure looked more like a scene from a horror movie and I was the monster.”
From Cindy – Our Journey Westward
When “those days” come {and they will}, Cindy often focuses on character training. She has shared ten posts about character training over at Our Journey Westward. Find ideas for everything from Fruits of the Spirit and service projects to turning literature books into character lessons.
From Barb-Harmony Art Mom
The Futility of Comparison: “I know for a fact that many of you reading this blog entry have found yourself in the place where you feel as if “everyone else” is doing more than you are and that in some way you are slacking. I want to share something that encourages me when I start to feel that way.”
The Myth of Accomplishing it All: “I heard a mom the other day share that she was hoping to become more efficient, better at balancing it all. Being a mother is never efficient. It is a myth that you can do it all. There are far more things that need our attention off-line than online.Tip the balance towards your family and you will not have as many regrets.”
A Big Mess Means Lots of Learning: “Do I love messes? NO! But on the other hand, do I understand that a certain amount of messiness accompanies any educational endeavor? YES!”
From Tricia – Hodgepodge:
I Honestly Don’t Know How You Do It: “It seems that statement or question always hits me on one of the hard days. And, sometimes, as a homeschool mama, I’d like to transport myself to a lounge chair on the beach. Or just have an uninterrupted coffee break. Is it just me?”
It’s Terrible to Terrific Tuesday: “Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with Your Word. Psalm 119:107 The Message – A big list of strategies for mom to turn to. If a day seems like a big mess up, then find the bright spot. Concentrate on the goodness of the backyard slide pile up.”
When You Want to Scream, Just Sing: “We all have those moments. The overwhelming, frustrating time of wanting to yell or scream at the top of our lungs. Well, I’ve found one way of diverting the irritating.”
From Stephanie – Harrington Harmonies:
Joy in Homeschooling…Even on those bad get nothing done kind of days: “How we act under pressure teaches our kids something about how to deal with pressure, good or bad. I can’t say I have always succeeded at this. We are all human. Which is why it’s good to take 5 and pray. We need grace to help us let go and let God. If your kids see you do that, then you’ve just taught them the best homeschool lesson ever! There is more to homeschooling than just what’s in the planner.”
Free -Take Care of Me Planner for Busy Moms: “As busy moms I think it is very important to take care of ourselves. We are often over worked, sleep deprived , and generally exhausted. Making time as a busy moms to care for ourselves is so important. So I have created a planner for monthly use that can be filled in by area of life.”
5 Ways to Overcome a Bad Homeschool Day from Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling: “Is this only some crazy dream that is working for everyone but your family? Truth be told, and any passionately determined homeschool mom will tell you this, yes everyone has days in which they would like an honest-to-goodness do over.”
From Heidi – Home Schoolroom
Reboot a Bad Day: “No one was happy, and I dare say no one was learning anything. My first impulse was to send them up to their rooms and spend an afternoon completely alone…not really productive. There were still hours left until bedtime so I really needed to fix the mood of the day. We needed a reboot–a way to give us a completely fresh start midway through a day.”
From Annie Kate – Tea Time with Annie Kate
Every once in a while, homeschooling seems to be just a bit too much to manage. A long time ago I wrote Battling Burn-out: Simple but Not Easy, which led to a few interesting comments.
One of my friends mentioned that her newly-instituted weekly homeschooling goals caused a lot of stress in her life. Especially in the high school years we need those goals, but when I mapped out some yesterday, Mr. 17 instantly became extremely stressed. Yes, we solved that problem late, in the evening.
For many of us, the key to avoiding burn-out is to have a routine rather than a schedule, as I explained last fall in Our Unschedule with Grades 12, 10, 7, and 5. The trick, however, is to make sure work is actually being done when it should be. Otherwise, you’ll end up behind, as we were, and need to set challenging goals which could stress your kids out.
Avoiding burn-out is all about balance, relationships, and making sure you take care of the whole person (both mom and child), not just his or her academic side.
From Shirley – Under An English Sky
The Overwhelmed Mother – Some of the most difficult seasons I have had to endure as a homeschooling mother was the feeling of being overwhelmed. In hindsight (isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?), I see that much of my feeling overwhelmed was self-inflicted and could have been avoided! In this article I explore 5 common areas that add to this feeling of being overwhelmed and offer some insight gained from my own struggles.
A Vapor In The Wind – To keep a hold of ones vision for homeschooling is one of the lifelines that I cling to during the rough times that are bound to darken your doorstep as a homeschooling mum. Every so often, we need to dig past the distractions that come our way and remember the core reason for our decision to homeschool and to see Jesus in our children’s eyes.
From Heather: Homeschooling on Faith and Coffee
From around the web:
Dear Homeschool Mom Who Wants to Quit by Marianne Sunderland at Abundant Life
When Homeschool Mom is Sick by Jamerrill Stewart at Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling
Homeschooling is Like Making Pancakes by Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations
Be encouraged fellow homeschool friends!
~Brought to you by the Curriculum Choice Review author team. We hope you’ll enjoy our other review team features as well.
Hearts and Trees: Art, Handicrafts and Nature Study for your Homeschool
Heather lives in North Carolina with her husband of 7 years and their two sweet little girls ages six and seven. They have been homeschooling their children for two years. Heather also works full-time as a Labor and Delivery nurse. She blogs about her journey through this crazy life at Upside Down Homeschooling.
I am encouraged just reading the post titles…can’t wait to read some of the entries too! So glad to be a part of such an awesome team!
What a wealth of experience wrapped up in one post! And, oh yes, we have all had the “I quit!” days. Big thanks to each one of you for encouraging!