Exhaustion is both a reality and real threat. People give up on homeschooling not because they don't believe in it, but because of being completely worn out by the standards they set for themselves!
It is amazing how a little quiet time and silence can help so much to balance out the chatter! I have a friend, a well declared introvert, who every week after a day of communal adventures with her boys she schedules a "reading dinner" where they do not talk during dinner. Everyone reads at the table, cleans up together silently, and continues reading 'till bedtime. These type of requests can feel unreasonable in our heads, but in fact your children are happy to learn about you and grow into accommodation with you.
That is such a great idea, I love the sound of a reading dinner. I’m definitely going to try that. The endless chatter is certainly a contributing factor to the exhaustion! And thank you for the podcast link, I am looking forward to having a listen to that.
On being exhausted... for me it MOSTLY stems from the fact that I am an introvert and need quiet time alone to recharge, which as a homeschooling mom I almost never get.
Lately, my wonderful husband has been making a point of taking our five year old fishing with him several times a month, which gives me much needed alone time. It helps immensely.
I also started doing some weight training exercises. Nothing too crazy, I just use a 15lb kettle bell and follow whatever YouTube video I find that day. I started with 15 min videos 3 times per week. I’ve been doing this for about a month and I feel stronger and my energy level has slightly improved..I think?? I’m hoping for more improvement in the future.
I also use herbal supplements to boost my energy levels, along with several cups of coffee per day. I use some combination of these everyday, depending on how tired I feel:
Tincture- ginseng, Eleuthero
Capsule-white sage, green tea extract, lions mane, rhodiloa.
Tea- rosemary tea. It doesn’t have caffeine but is invigorating. I have a rosemary plant in my backyard, just pull some leaves and boil in water.
There are some great tips here, thank you. I think exercise would help me. It’s just so hard to choose to expend energy when you feel like you have none to expend! I’m also an introvert and the biggest luxury is time by myself at home with nobody else here. I can take a lot of silence, which is of course hard to come by when you’re homeschooling!
I don't think you should worry about having Fridays "off" because they are probably using free play time to assimilate what they've learned, plus their games will get more sophisticated as they grow too
Exhaustion is both a reality and real threat. People give up on homeschooling not because they don't believe in it, but because of being completely worn out by the standards they set for themselves!
I think it's wonderful how much time your children, particularly at *their ages*, have in outside in parks, gardens and with friends. I just listened to a podcast interview with a pediatric occupational therapist that was chock full of reminders about how physical activity outdoors is essential to proper growth and brain development. https://1000hoursoutside.libsyn.com/1kho-200-children-today-are-under-relentless-supervision-angela-hanscom-balanced-and-barefoot
It is amazing how a little quiet time and silence can help so much to balance out the chatter! I have a friend, a well declared introvert, who every week after a day of communal adventures with her boys she schedules a "reading dinner" where they do not talk during dinner. Everyone reads at the table, cleans up together silently, and continues reading 'till bedtime. These type of requests can feel unreasonable in our heads, but in fact your children are happy to learn about you and grow into accommodation with you.
Oh and PS I’m over half way through John Adams now and loving it so much!
That is such a great idea, I love the sound of a reading dinner. I’m definitely going to try that. The endless chatter is certainly a contributing factor to the exhaustion! And thank you for the podcast link, I am looking forward to having a listen to that.
On being exhausted... for me it MOSTLY stems from the fact that I am an introvert and need quiet time alone to recharge, which as a homeschooling mom I almost never get.
Lately, my wonderful husband has been making a point of taking our five year old fishing with him several times a month, which gives me much needed alone time. It helps immensely.
I also started doing some weight training exercises. Nothing too crazy, I just use a 15lb kettle bell and follow whatever YouTube video I find that day. I started with 15 min videos 3 times per week. I’ve been doing this for about a month and I feel stronger and my energy level has slightly improved..I think?? I’m hoping for more improvement in the future.
I also use herbal supplements to boost my energy levels, along with several cups of coffee per day. I use some combination of these everyday, depending on how tired I feel:
Tincture- ginseng, Eleuthero
Capsule-white sage, green tea extract, lions mane, rhodiloa.
Tea- rosemary tea. It doesn’t have caffeine but is invigorating. I have a rosemary plant in my backyard, just pull some leaves and boil in water.
There are some great tips here, thank you. I think exercise would help me. It’s just so hard to choose to expend energy when you feel like you have none to expend! I’m also an introvert and the biggest luxury is time by myself at home with nobody else here. I can take a lot of silence, which is of course hard to come by when you’re homeschooling!
I don't think you should worry about having Fridays "off" because they are probably using free play time to assimilate what they've learned, plus their games will get more sophisticated as they grow too
And judo and a museum is good going anyway!
Can so relate about no lunch though!