Ever have that need to just re-charge? I do. This last weekend I was really sad, over a variety of things. But on Sunday I was totally recharged by getting together with a new friend over coffee. Just two homeschooling moms, out having coffee, chatting, and laughing together. Boy it was a lot of fun, and very refreshing. I needed it. 

If you ever have those moments(I can’t be the only one…), here’s a great list of ideas of how to recharge from Cindy Rushton. I first “found” Cindy in 2006, while researching lapbooking. She’s a work-at-home, homeschooling mom who has very generously shared her heart and experience with fellow homeschoolers for quite some time.

I’ve been blessed by what I’ve read and listened to from Cindy. If this is the first time you’ve heard from Cindy, I recommend reading her websites and listening to her audio programs and online expos. There is gold in what she shares.

50+ Ideas for Taking Care of Mom!
By Cindy Rushton

Tired? Weary? Need some fresh ideas for taking care of mom? Feeling that push and pull on you as you balance all of the many demands in your life? Are you great about taking care of others, yet not quite so good about taking care of YOU? Has it been a long, long time since you have done the little things to just fill your cup back up? How about a few fresh ideas for filling your cup and ministering to your heart! I promise that these will be easy for you to do! Here goes:

1. Grab Your iPod and go for a long, long walk! I LOVE my iPod. I have it filled with great Praise and Worship music, teachings and workshops, podcasts, tutorials, etc. My iPod has become my .pocket pal. when I work on my chores, take care of business duties, or even get out for my walk. Talk about my best investment of 2006!





2. Laugh! Just sit there right now…laugh! Start small…just a little giggle! Then…laugh about laughing! Roll on the floor laughing!  Feel better?





3. Begin a new Bible Study.  Either find a Bible Study guide…or dig out Words to study on your own!  For Word Studies, I LOVE my Strong.s Concordance. It helps to find all of the references of a certain word of interest. I also love my Vine.s Dictionary. I use it to look up the meanings of the words AND it also has other references for uses in Scripture. Another great help for Word Studies is my good old faithful Webster.s 1828 Dictionary. I LOVE it as a reference to deepen the studies. Usually it helps me to also find OTHER great studies to dig into also! Dig into the Word! It will feed your heart and soul during this tough time!





4. Meet a friend at the park and let the kids play while you visit.





5. Go for a drive around the city.look at the lights! Look at flowers. Look at the seasonal changes.





6. Look at photo albums.  Remember the silly stories!





7. Watch the sunrise! Or, not an early bird? Watch the sunset!





8. Collect jokes and funnies! Barb Johnson…Chonda Pierce…Becky Freeman are just a few of my PERSONAL favorites! Get one of their books or videos. Then, snag some mom-time to just kick back and enjoy!





9. Chocolate! Chocolate Candy…Chocolate Bars…Chocolate Shakes…Chocolate Latte.s…CHOCOLATE! REALLY! Chocolate helps to release endorphins in the brain.plus! It tastes great to boot! So, why not grab a bit for mom-time!





10. Watch an old movie! Curl up under a great big quilt.even if you have to turn the air down COLD!  Don’t forget to turn down the lights and turn off the phone!





11. Look at your old school albums!  Your HAIR! Ha! Enough said.





12. Got a grassy hill nearby? Go to the top and just roll down it! Like a child! (Snowy? Get a sled! And SLIDE!)





13. Take the kids to the park – just WATCH them! They are adorable!





14. Begin a Quote Book.  Collect quotes that encourage you to keep on, keeping on!  Keep them in a special journal dedicated only to keeping your special quotes.





15. Memorize your favorite Psalm. Try out Psalm 91…or Psalm 61…or Psalm 35…or Psalm 37…Oh! Enjoy!





16. Begin a Tea Ministry.  Doing for others ALWAYS lifts even the heaviest spirit.  Get a tea basket to keep your goodies in…visit a shut-in…bless them. Then! Watch the blessing boomerang! You won.t be able to leave without a blessing.





17. Take the kids to a candy store – sample the Jelly Bellies…or Sweet Tarts…or Sour Gummy Worms.





18. Fly a kite!





19. Take a ride in the country.  Turn up your praise music…roll the windows down…sing to the top of your lungs!





20. Watch a funny video!  Elisabeth and I LOVE to watch old movies like If a Man Answers. It is one of our chick flicks that we always watch together. We love it! SO FUNNY! Chonda Pierce is another one of my picks. She is just totally hilarious. My children LOVE old comedy shows like I Love Lucy or The Three Stooges.  Oh, you may want to watch anything! Just find something that will make you laugh hard!





21. Scrapbook!  Pick photos that you MUST tell the story behind! Kick up your favorite music…spread out your goodies…and Scrap till you drop!





22. Read a biography of a GIANT in the faith!  My favorites are Corrie ten Boom…Hudson Taylor…George Mueller…Amy Carmichael…Jim and Elisabeth Elliott…etc!





23. Get today’s newspaper and read the comics!





24. Get a yo-yo! PLAY!





25. Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with the kids! On a diet? Take them to someone who blesses you! Include a note of thanks and encouragement for all they do to bless you!





26. Go out and sit on your boat.watch the stars! (Oh, watch the sunset or sunrise, if you can too!)





27. Dig into the Bible and study what God says about trials…suffering…faith…death…depression…oppression…warfare…battle.





28. Read a new book! Normally ready non-fiction/how-to.s? Get a fiction book for a change!  Normally read fiction? Get a humorous book! Renew your weary heart and mind!





29. Take a break and go for a long ride on a motorcycle! Don’t forget your headset and praise music!





30. Take a hike! Really!  Find a nice nature trail OR go for the tough stuff!!





31. Go to the mall with your teenager!  ENJOY!





32. Buy a Mp3 Player and some great praise music.turn it up!  I LOVE my iPod! I have my iPod loaded with all of my favorite CDs. My favorites are Michael W. Smith’s Worship CD.s AND Hillsong’s Praise and Worship!  The moment you enter into worship, you will enter into the very presence of God.so, turn it up and devour the presence of our precious Lord!





33. Pull out that old sewing machine and make some of those goodies that you have been wanting.new purse/tote…outfit…home decorations…doll clothes…etc!





34. Buy a .whoopee. Cushion…or .Bubba. teeth… At least your family will laugh!





35. Write out the funny family stories! Reminisce! Enjoy!





36. Go skating! 





37. Try an afternoon of Laser-Tag with your teens! Get um!





38. Make Homemade Bread – KNEAD yourself!





39. Plan a regular Mommy Getaway. This is not an extra! It is essential!  I plan getaways for different purposes: to just get alone with God to hear Him, to plan, to work on my homeschool and business projects, to just fill my cup back up. Decide what will fill you up. What do you need right now? Decide what will help meet that need. Gather your goodies: Bible, journal, iPod, camera (I love taking pictures of little treasures along the way), your planner, your computer/Idea Notebook, etc. Pull aside and take that time to just get-away and fill your cup back up!





40. Get a pet! My bird, Harley, has ministered to my heart MORE than I could remember! He is just SO funny! HE had the idea to .boogie. for Jesus! I had not danced for years! AND it is decent!  Elisabeth.s new puppy, Pooh, is a TOTAL delight!  I say all the time that she is JOY in fur! She has become my little buddy. She loves to sit with me while I work and follow me around while I am doing my chores. She keeps me in stitches. Struggling? Get a pet just for YOU…see that puppy in the window??





41. Take the day to go for a flight!  Look at the whole world from a different perspective!





42. Dance! Turn up your favorite music and dance! Dance your heaviness away! Dance till you laugh! Dance in worship to the Lord! Jump! Lift your hands in praise and worship!





43. Clean out your house (only if this is NOT your struggle! Ha!). Attack those closets…cabinets…dusty bookshelves…paper piles!





44. Go out for a cup of coffee…tea…or a good old Coca-Cola! Meet your sweetheart or a mommy pal! Or…take your Bible and make it a special time with the Lord!





45. Find some silly-putty or slime.PLAY!





46. Get up earlier (or take regular breaks throughout the day!) for your quiet time! You may feel SO weak that you can barely concentrate.if so, just turn on praise music and lift up your arms in praise and adoration. Watch what happens!  Make a list of your heartaches.lift them to the Father (then, hide them in your Prayer Journal.later they will be a praise record!).  Dig into the Word for comfort…perspective…and hope for tomorrow! Really tough days? Well, when the Israelites had very HOT days, they had to gather MORE manna.in the heat of your battles and toughest trials gather a surplus! It will help you survive your struggle.





47. Make a quilt. You can EVEN cheat by making it on the sewing machine! ENJOY!





48. Take an afternoon to go to the movies. Get a big bucket of popcorn…a super-HUGE Coke…sour Gummy Worms (unless you are due a BIG DOSE OF CHOCOLATE!). Take your sweetheart…or a friend if you want to share! Pick a movie that will make you laugh like crazy…OR CRY your eyes out! ENJOY!





49. Ride three-wheelers! Get MUDDY!





50. Treat yourself to a leisurely afternoon (or a bunch of afternoons!) at the pool…park…or creek.





51. Try your hand at BOWLING. Take some friends!





52. Take time for tea each day.





53. Exercise. Swim…walk…jog…hike…go skating…aerobics. Relieves stress AND boosts your health to boot.





54. Learn a new hobby!  What have you been putting off that you have ALWAYS wanted to know? Pottery? Quilting? Flight Training? Smocking? Scrapbooking? Jewelry Making? Sewing? Crochet? Horse-back riding?  Go for it! Now is the PERFECT time.





55. Treat yourself to a nice looooonnnnnngggg Bubble Bath! Don.t forget to set up your favorite music to play during your Bubble Bath.  Also…be sure to fix a nice cup of tea (or a Latte!) or a nice big Coke that will last till the water gets cold! ENJOY!





56. Go to the park and just swing.HIGH!





57. Go get an ice-cream cone.with a double dip!





58. Do a Promise hunt in Scripture.  Keep in a Promise Notebook. of your very own! KNOW that they are yours.





59. Snuggle up for the afternoon to read a great book!

Got some fresh ideas? Don.t let this limit you! Let your brain GO! Find some things that will fill you back up and take care of you all along the way.

This is not an extra. This is an essential. Carve out time on your calendar today to just take care of mom!

Need MORE Help?
 
How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Women’s Expo! We are recording sessions live right now! They are CERTAIN to fill your cup to overflowing! Grab your ticket today.

(Shannon’s note: If you do decide to check out Cindy’s Ultimate Women’s Expo, note that she’s doing preview chats now, that are free, which will give you a taste of what to expect. Also, Cindy usually makes all the audio available for download later (for ticket holders), so sometimes I’ll buy a ticket to her events, even though I can’t “attend”  live, just so I can download them later and listen to the audio on my iPod while the kids play at the park … I’ve not been disappointed yet.)

I have been really happy with our core elementary math curriculum. It’s off the beaten path, as far as homeschool math curriculum goes, but I’ve liked it.  But sometimes, the kids need a little extra practice, before moving on to the next thing, and so I turn to one of my favorite free online resources: www.themathworksheetsite.com

This site is wonderful. It was created by a homeschool dad for his own family’s use, and  has very generously shared the tools with the rest of us. I have used this site for years, with all of my children.  Right at this very moment, I’m printing off a Multiplication worksheet for my 9 year old son and two Hundreds charts for my 5 and 6 year olds.

The hundreds chart has been an excellent tool for learning to count and for skip counting. I print out as many as I need and have them color whatever we are learning. (For example, to learn to count by 10s, I have them color the 10′s row. To learn to count by 2s, they color every other number (evens). etc.)

The worksheet generator for each of the operations allows me to print out custom worksheets that cover the exact areas that the kids are having trouble with. For example, Josh (my 9 year old) had some difficulty learning the 7x and 8x tables.  Extra worksheets that just covered those helped him practice more. 

To teach telling time, I’ve exclusively used the worksheets provided on this site, coupled with a manipulative clock. So far, all four of the children have either learned to tell time this way or in case of my 5 year old, is learning to tell time.

I also like the 5 minute drill worksheets. Not as five minute drills, but as a tool to figure out what the kids really know and and how well. I’ve been surprised – both positively and negatively using these tools.

Anyway, if you are looking for some math worksheet supplements, this is a great free website.  There is a subscription area, and frankly I’ve not had a need for it yet. But the free side… well that I use on a regular basis.

And, as a side note, their blog has this great article on how it is to run an at-home business, homeschooling, and try to appear professional on the phone. I could totally relate to this one, and you might too…

Enjoy.

…Shannon

Over on her Adventures in Homeschooling blog, Frazzled Mom called January “National Homeschool Burnout Month”. And I agree with her.

Most homeschoolers do experience that “burnout” feeling at some point in the year, yet we don’t always share those down sides with others. In part one, I shared how I deal with homeschool burnout.

Here, Karri Fieglein, another work-at-home, homeschooling mom (of 5), has generously agreed to let me share with you her 26 tips for dealing with burnout. (Thank you Karri!) I hope you find something in Karri’s wisdom that helps you through any challenging times you may be having in your homeschool journey.

 

26 Tips for Overcoming Homeschool Burnout

By  Karri Fieglein

It’s hard to get back in the swing of things after taking a long break. Here are some things I have done in the past and do today to help me with feeling frustrated with the miscellaneous situations of homeschooling and the challenge of the task.

1.    Remind myself that anything worth doing in life usually take energy and determination.

2.    Remember that by me being disciplined my kids see that certain things are important and then they usually follow my lead.

3.    Tell the kids that they will need to be in charge of things in life, and that they need to have initiative in learning, so that they can do what God intends them to do to the best of their abilities.

4.    Do something fun that we rarely do , like a big art or science project.

5.    Turn up the radio and dance around with the kids.

6.    Go for a walk.

7.    We have S, S& T Time – Silence, Solitude and Tea (hot) where the kids have to sit for 30 min- 1 hour by themselves and pray, read, or sleep, but no moving.

8.    Visit family or friends.

9.    Set up challenges and reward the accomplishments.

10.   Cut myself some slack. Remind myself that this is a marathon and not a quick sprint.

11.   Read 101 Devotions for Homeschool Moms by Jackie Wellwood.

12.   Plan a nice meal or go out to eat as encouragement for a hard day’s work.

13.   Pray and read James 1:1-7, Proverbs 1:7, Matthew 7: 24-27.

14.   Make updated focus (goal) charts celebrating all that you have done and learned so far.

15.   Remember tomorrow is yet another day and God gives grace.

16.   Plan a field trip or visit Dad at work for lunch.

17.   Focus on the mission and the overall reason we are homeschooling. For us it’s not to raise geniuses, but to raise God-fearing kids that love the Lord and aspire to learn more about who He is and everything he’s created.

18.   Visit an inspiring blog or website for encouragement.

19.   Play educational board and card games together and call it a day of learning.

20.   Have a motivational family meeting to remind everyone to put forth their best efforts and have a say in what happens.

21.   Remind myself to stop comparing and be thankful with who and where I am in Him right now, knowing He’s not finished with me yet.

22.   Thank God for my many blessings and the opportunity to homeschool and be with my kids even if they sometimes drive me nuts!

23.   Look at old pictures and see how they’ve grown and we have changed even over the past few years – reminisce.

24.   Call and talk to a role model that can encourage you.

25.   Make the first day back doing the regular schedule a special day – Pancakes for breakfast, P.J day, a few hours of coloring and reading aloud time, balloons, whatever to make it special.

26.   Know when to say No and try to stay focused on one thing before moving to the next.

I hope this helps even just one person.

- Karri F.

Karri Fieglein is a homeschooling mom of five  and the Foundations Director of Katy, TX for Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian Community. For more information on Classical Conversations, visit www.ClassicalConversations.com

On her Adventures in Homeschooling blog, Frazzled Mom brought up a subject that hits most homeschoolers I know, but we rarely seem to talk about – homeschool burnout. For some, like Frazzled Mom, it comes in January. For me, it’s every February. Now, I just know that every February I hit that wall. I don’t even know where it comes from, but it’s there, like clockwork.

Now I plan for it, I know it’s coming. And so, I tuck things aside, fun things, different things, something I’d like to try out, whatever, so that when I hit that homeschool burnout wall, I just embrace it as a time to try out something new.

In 2006, I finally did our first lapbooks – on the Winter Olympics… That ended up being so much fun, we lapbooked for the next year. Sometimes it works out like that, sometimes not.

This is also the time where I do more homeschool reading. More time reading what others are doing, other techniques. The other day, a friend was over and commented, “You just use so many different methods to teach…”  And it’s true. But in reality most of that learning about different methods comes from this time of listening, absorbing, and looking for something different to spice things up. 

But sometimes, also it’s just time for a break. One of the things I love about homeschooling is that I’m not bound by any artibutary schedule. If I need to take a day off school, then that’s what we do. But we still get our school work in, in other ways. 

I also remember that there is no other choice I’d make for my children’s education. I know why I’m homeschooling and every year that why list becomes longer. I know I don’t have to force myself to homeschool the same way every year or even for the whole year, nor do I have to homeschool exactly like anyone else. I now know that no matter what my kids are still learning and growing, and changing this up does not hurt them, and sometimes, they flourish more.

If you are hitting your burnout time, remember your “why”, know it’s okay to get burned out, that it happens to most of us,  and if you are comfortable doing so, take a break or just mix things up a little. Try out something new… give yourself a break.

For more tips on overcoming homeschool burnout, come on by tomorrow for part 2.  Another work-at-home, homeschooling mom (of 5) has agreed to let me share her list of 26 tips for overcoming homeschool burnout with you. Good stuff… see you tomorrow.

…Shannon

Yesterday, while a friend and I were discussing the secret to getting kids to read – finding books they LIKE – my 11 year old daughter pops up, goes to our Sonlight 3/4 (American History) shelf, and pulls off three books. She hands the books to my friend and says, “Here. These are really good!”   So, in case you are looking for some good living books for American History, here’s Kate’s picks:

(Note: Click on the book covers to see the Amazon reviews for the same books.)

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink - Set in the 1860s, this book is based on a real life 11 year old girl in Wisconsin. She’s adventurous, tomboyish, and full of spirt. After reading all of the Laura Ingalls books, this was a great look at another girl from the similar time period. 

 

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr – Also set in the 1860s, 15 year old Simon Green is told to go make his way in the world. He decides to herd 1,000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver, and sell them. The book tells the tale of his journey and the lessons learned along the way.

 

Turn Homeward Hannalee by Patricia Beatty – Set at the end of the Civil War, 12 year old Hannalee is shipped to the north to work in the mills. The book tells her story of how she makes her way home again. Also full of adventure.

 

So, if you are looking for some good summer reading, or living history books for read alouds or to assign, Kate recommends these.

Enjoy.

…Shannon