Making time for Mom

As a homeschool mom, I find myself caught up in our school day with little or no time for me. I'm either I'm teaching, doing lesson planning, or some other activity with my daughter. Add to that cooking, cleaning and laundry. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

The result is a very tired, very frustrated mom with no outside contact or interests of her own.

Since I started homeschooling, I've given everything I've got to teaching my child. I've completely put my own life of hold because of it. As much as I love to homeschool, I realize that this attitude is not healthy for me or my daughter.

I've been thinking about ways to remedy this situation. I want to start small - baby steps - so I stand a chance of making it work.

Here are some ideas I came up with and I plan on trying them throughout the school year. Some of these can be done in 5 or 10  minutes with little planning. Others might require more planning and more time, even the help of the children and spouse.

• Take an extra long hot shower or bath. I've actually done this and it's usually the only time I have in the day to be completely alone with my thoughts.

• Take a walk around the neighborhood or a local park. If you have dogs, don't take them. This is not a walk the dogs outing. It's just for you to get out, get some exercise, get some fresh air and basically step away from your routine.

• Go shopping. And I don't mean food shopping. I'm talking about going to the mall for an hour to just window shop, look at what's new and maybe even buy yourself a little something.
• Grab a cup of coffee and just sit and people watch. It's amazing how much fun you can have watching people go about their lives.
• Make a lunch date with yourself or with a friend.
• Take a class. Do something that interests you whether it's learning to knit or learning a new language. It will make you feel good to do something that is just yours and you'll meet new people. And hey, you might discover a new passion or talent.

 
• Get a massage. What better way to get away from it all and unwind than pampering yourself.
• Get a manicure/pedicure. 
• Meditate. Take 10 minutes or longer if you can, lock yourself in a quiet part of the house, put on some soothing music and do some meditation or relaxation exercises. Meditation doesn't have to be anything scary or complicated. Just doing some deep breathing and letting go of the day's stresses will go a long way.

 Moms need to take care of themselves so they can take care of their families. How do you make time for yourself and what do you like to do?