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LLMom
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It is that time of the year again, where homeschool moms typically run into burnout. Please share anything you are trying to do to keep it at bay. I found some new ideas recently that I think will really help. I thought I'd share my ideas (I need to remind myself a lot!) and ask that you share too or link.
Homeschooling burnout ideas
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
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pumpkinmom
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I took an advance approach this year and we went to an easy routine after Thanksgiving. We stopped work in some subjects and did more reading as a family. We were done with school by lunch time or just after. This gave me more time to work on my to-do list. My Christmas vacation to-do list was all done except the school planning by Chrismtas. We were ready for Christmas and just got to enjoy it. Come January we were fired up and ready to start school and this is our third week back and it's going smoothly. We even got sick after Christmas and it was no big deal! Typically I can't get through my wishlist, never prepared for Christmas, get sick the week after Christmas, start school in January exhausted and within two weeks we are ready for another break and burned out for the winter! My plan is working this year!! 
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Cassie
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LLMom
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Cassie,
What a great idea! Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to wear me out and the kids get sick so that by Jan/Feb. I am so burned out.
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Lisa
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homeschooling ideas
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Angie Mc
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Lisa, daily anxiety reduction is how I prevent burnout. Off the top of my head I:
Tap my hand & take a deep breath and think (or say out loud) "We've got this" meaning God & me & whoever else is involved.
Quick exercises. Walking.
Chew gum. Sugarless  .
Shower.
Snack.
Nap. Long or power (coffee + 20 minutes)
Tea.
Chocolate
Stopping anxiety in it's tracks is key so that it doesn't build.
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Erin
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Getting out into nature, into the yard, even it is to just push the children on the swings.
Re-juvenate with an activity that speaks to your creativity and nurturing. Ask yourself what is your favourite activity as a homeschooling mum. Make sure you do that daily!
A while back when I was deep in my year or two of burnout I gathered several links on keeping it Simple and Practical
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Erin
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10 Bright Stars
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I keep joking that I am beyond burnout. I am that black stuff in the bottom of ovens, you know, the stuff that you can hardly scrape off. Or, maybe creosote. 
I second going out in nature. Such a soothing balm to the mind. And, trying to organize and toss what doesn't work or what we don't need. I spend too much time shuffling stuff, or feeling guilty for not using this or that book. Then, I just end up feeling paralyzed with indecision, and end up not doing much of anything sometimes! 
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Kristie 4
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I hear you Kim! I often need to do a total clean off of the homeschool shelves this time of year- toss it all into rubbermaid bins and boxes and leave out the basics, to soothe my tired mind!
Long baths and good books and nice beer- preferably together, and preferably not before 4pm!
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dinasiano
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I am hoping to find some tips in this thread. We were impacted in hurricane Sandy and are still getting things back in order. My 8 yr old has hardly done any schoolwork since Oct and my 12 yr old had done only math history, and science since the hurricane. I have 7 children all together ranging from 19 to 13 months. My house is a wreck and I feel like I am living in complete chaos. I am feeling guilty about it all. I know it will be ok but I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. To make matters worse or maybe the actual cause if it all is my lack of prayer time in the day. We are finally able to go back to daily mass because they moved it to the school auditorium, as our Church hasn't been repaired yet. Any encouraging ideas or suggestions?
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Becky Parker
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Daily Mass is the best way to start, dinasiano. Even if it doesn't seem like enough, to me, that would be enough by itself. The grace you receive from the sacraments is what will eventually get you back on your feet. I'll say a prayer for you! 
Having been through burn out a couple of times, I know it can be sooooooo hard. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. Hang in there, keep praying, and as has been suggested, simplify, simplify, simplify.
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Becky
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mamaslearning
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I tend to combat burnout by planning for next year.  It takes my mind off the now for a bit each week, and it reminds me to keep truckin' so we can move to new books in the fall.
I also plan at least one fun, out of the ordinary activity every couple of weeks during winter - museum, JumpZone, extra library time, playdate, etc. Just something to hold us over until the weather is above freezing!
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Lara
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Kristie 4
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Good ideas Lara.
I also look towards next year- my kids find it kind of funny but are used to it after 13 years 
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Kristie in Canada
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Kimct
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I am finding spending more time on the things I have always enjoyed--lots of picture books, art projects, tea time are helping get me back to a better place.
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asplendidtime
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We are taking a mid-winter break. And I started reading Educating the Wholehearted Child... I realized I need a break, and gave myself permission to need a break. Frankly I'm often in denial that I feel this way.
Lisa and thank you for sharing the article and your ideas.
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Erin
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Kimct wrote:
| I am finding spending more time on the things I have always enjoyed--lots of picture books, art projects, tea time are helping get me back to a better place. |
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This was totally my experience too! Whilst simplifying is really important, and reconnecting with nature (just getting outside really!), what helped me recover, to walk back from that horrible year (and in fact this was a process that took 2 years ) was to reconnect with my creative side. Not just something creative for me, but what was it that I most liked doing with my children yet fed my creative spirit. For me this was reading to my children, sad to say it had been a casualty of burnout and yet, it fed my soul, re-juvenated my passion for.. well many things. Mothering, homeschooling, just being me.
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Becky Parker
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I tend to start planning for the coming year as well, but the year I really had burn out I couldn't even do that, and planning is my favorite thing. I love this from Erin:
Erin wrote:
| this was reading to my children, sad to say it had been a casualty of burnout and yet, it fed my soul, re-juvenated my passion for.. well many things. Mothering, homeschooling, just being me. |
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Just recently, while I didn't have burnout I was dealing with my mother being here with us for a while. I love her dearly, but it was so hard because she has aged, for some reason, very rapidly. Trying to care for her and teach the kids and keep some order to my home was stressful. I found that when I just stopped everything and sat down with a picture book and my littles, all was right in the world! I'm not sure what it was. Maybe, as Erin said, a creativity. Or maybe it was just reassuring to the kids that I am still there for them, despite the chaos of life. Whatever it was, I found it to be the perfect refuge, if only for a short time in the day. Best thing, it got us back into the habit which, I hate to admit, was starting to fade around here.
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Becky
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LLMom
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asplendidtime wrote:
We are taking a mid-winter break. And I started reading Educating the Wholehearted Child... I realized I need a break, and gave myself permission to need a break. Frankly I'm often in denial that I feel this way.
Lisa and thank you for sharing the article and your ideas. |
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Why is it we have a hard time giving ourselves permission to take a break?? I have such a hard time doing this. I feel like I just beat myself to death. I tend to be my worst critic.
I, like Erin, am finding connecting with creativity is helping us a lot.
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Lisa
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Erin
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Becky Parker wrote:
| I tend to start planning for the coming year as well, but the year I really had burn out I couldn't even do that, and planning is my favorite thing. |
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I used to love planning too Becky but that also went by the way in burnout year. As I was climbing back out of the pit I wanted to plan again and yet... I thought of all the effort I put in and hardly ever did the children stick to my plans  and I needed a room for spontaneity which feed my creative side, I had to find a balance between creativity and a need for enough planning to ensure we were achieving. I think I've found it, though we still could have more room for spontaneity or perhaps that is more dictated by energy.
Just wanted to encourage you all, very hard to see it now whilst you are in the black pit of burnout, but when you finally manage to crawl out, you will find you have become a stronger person for it all. There is some silver lining 
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Erin
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leanne maree
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A year or so ago I went through "burn out'. I think the whole family did actually.
I just allowed dd to unschool for about 6 -12 months.
I could then see where her strengths were, what she liked to do and how she learnt.
All I needed to do was write it all down. Some days that didn't get done either.
I strewed all types of items around the house, from books to material to art work.
everything was a learning tool, and we just got out and about without restrictions.
It took the pressure of until we all felt refreshed.
We were all ready to take on our roles again.
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Maria Rioux
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Just a quick comment on the burnout thread: Maureen is hosting another free Refresh Midwinter homeschool conference on Homeschool Connections. Here's the link: Refresh Midwinter homeschool conference
Hope some of you find it helpful. Registration is limited, but the webinars are recorded, so you could view them at any time, I think.
Also, Homeschool Connections offers classes geared, mostly, I think, to high school students/adults. We've been homeschooling for 24 years and I find that people often become overwhelmed and daunted by high school. Now, I'm not saying grade school isn't daunting enough, ;) but Maureen has done an awesome job making our job a little easier when it comes to high school. My husband teaches for HC (philosophy) and some of our friends do/have (Dr. Harris(Econ.)Dr.s Ken and Alecia Rolling(Classics and philosophy)Dr. Carol Reynolds (Music). Classes are solidly Catholic, and challenging while also accessible. Another help is the Teaching Company and audible.com courses. I put out a list of courses we have found helpful on my own group (The History Place), and we have made our curriculum, K-12, available online, no cost. No program is ever going to be a perfect fit and it is your job to take what works and freely ditch what doesn't, but solid suggestions are generally helpful.
Just a couple ideas.
Lastly, I wrote a talk on the blessings in crosses which was a recognition of God's blessings at a difficult time in our lives. I don't know if it would be helpful to any of you, but an early version of it is available here: Three by Maria Rioux
God bless,
Maria
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Kimct
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I also find that if I can get the kids to do the basics and nothing else gets done except I sit and read aloud to them (and even when that's all that gets done) then at least I feel that I have fed their soul something nourishing.
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: burnout
