I am starting my 28th year of homeschooling.
That’s a pretty long time and I think we’ve been successful.
No, none of my children went to Harvard or a prestigious ivy league university. But they are all either working or going to a college of their choice. They genuinely like and keep in touch with each other and they are on good terms with me and Mr. Pete.
And now I am homeschooling my granddaughter. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ve done over the past two decades that has kept us going as a family, and me individually as a person! These are my top 5!
1. Train your child to help with housework.
You know that bible verse that goes, “Train up a Child in the Way he should go, and when he gets old he will not depart from it?” I think that goes for housework too. From an early age, I tried to get my kids to start taking care of their own stuff AND help with the family stuff. The best part of that is that as they became more and more responsible for their stuff, my responsibilities became much lighter!
The payoff came in having adult children that know how to care for their own apartments, cook nutritious meals, and can do their own laundry without ruining it! The additional bonus is that the kids who are still at home can prepare meals and clean up after themselves with very little help from me! This is great because I can pursue other things – like blogging!
I’m passing that on to the granddaughter as well. Today she cut up tomatoes for a salad, under supervision of course. She can also cook eggs, make a grilled cheese sandwich and bake a box cake by herself!
2. Exercise your body!
When the kids were really little, I used to haul them all to Jazzercise a couple of times a week where they stayed with the babysitter and I got to exercise and dance for an hour. We did that for about 13 years until my older kids were too busy and I needed to find a different way to exercise that didn’t cost so much.
That’s when I took up walking and/or exercise videos in my basement.
After my knee injury, I bought an elliptical machine, and I work out on that for 30-40 minutes while watching t.v. I also walk my dog for a 1 mile route. Just MOVING once a day has saved my mental health, but as I have gotten older I also think it has helped me keep my mobility, flexibility, and strength.
In the summer I walked while the kids are at cross country practice. In the winter, I work out in my basement before the family gets up – it’s not the funnest thing to do, but once I get going, I’m always glad I did.
3. Don’t be afraid to learn new things!
I think the one thing that scares homeschoolers from teaching high school is the fear of failing at something new. It can be tough, but I think it’s important to be willing to learn new things. For example, I wanted to understand more about Logic, so I volunteered to teach it one semester at our homeschool co-op.
During Noah’s senior year, I proofread all of his World History papers and sat in on his lectures. I’ve also had to upgrade my computer systems and learn new skills from Google Docs to the latest version of Word. These types of things keep my homeschooling life interesting! and it gives a good example to the children about the importance of lifelong learning.
4. Make time for prayer.
It’s not always easy to carve time out the day when there are meals to get, lessons to teach, and a house to run. It used to be easy for me to sit and nurse a baby and pray while the baby was nursing and napping. I think the only way to really give it justice now is to simply get up a little earlier and just do it. I also have little check-ins with the Lord during the day, to say thanks for small blessings, or to ask for help. If I can get prayer time in first, and then exercise, all before the family gets up, then I’m having a good day.
This year I’m also doing the Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz. That’s great for centering my mind and spirit. My daughter and also my son and his wife are also following along at their own pace.
5. SLEEP!
It’s important to get enough sleep. I would love to stay up late and watch movies or play on the internet. Having little babies to nurse at night was a good excuse to do either or both of those things!! But since those days are over, it’s time to embrace this time of life and try to get at least a solid seven hours in – so most nights that’s bedtime at 10 p.m. for me!!
Developing these habits now will help you, the mother, wife, and teacher, keep your household, homeschool, and marriage together. It will also keep your body, mind, and spirit healthy!
