A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Day

The next question I would like to address comes from a friend in Carbondale.  She asks,  "How do you work everything in before everyone is worn out?  After lunch we are so tired!"  

Wow!  I know what you are talking about! Motherhood, and teaching on top of it - is exhausting!  While I haven't gotten to the point that I sail through every day with tons of energy, I do have some words of wisdom to offer.

First, you must make sure you are doing all you can to make or keep yourself healthy.  Get as much rest as you can - I know, it's not always possible to get 8 hours when you have children, but do your best!  Eat as healthy as you can - eat more veggies!  (I don't like to admit it, but our moms were right.)  Get some kind of exercise in.  I do a 15 minute workout, myself.  I'm striving to get it in 5 days a week.  I figure I can do anything for 15 minutes!  Even go for a walk with the children.  Anything to get the blood flowing.

Now, I don't think it's possible to fly through every day full of energy when you are doing so much.  You are running a school, a family, a household, you are the cook, cleaner, trainer-of-character, laundry maid, and more (at least until your children can help with these tasks).  Once your children are old enough, you can start training them, but that now means you are the project foreman!  While you are always going to have energy-draining tasks throughout your day, the key is to figure out how to recover.

Next, don't race at trying to get all your things done before lunch.  Pace yourself.  Yes, Miss Mason's idea of morning-only school is appealing, but it doesn't always work when you have little ones and a home to tend to.  We have had seasons when I primarily taught school in the afternoon, while babies and toddlers were napping.  We now are back to morning school, but the little ones are not as little, anymore, and they often come along for the ride when I am teaching.

Lastly, put rest times in your day.  I still have quiet time in the afternoon for everyone.  We all take a little time to read, play on the computer, watch a video, or even sleep (my personal favorite on many days!).  I keep this time relatively short for all but the littlest one.  We spend 30 minutes, maybe one hour in this quiet time.  Otherwise, chaos rules!  

So, stay healthy, get rest, pace yourself, and allow for times of recovery for you and your children.  You will all benefit from it!