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ABCs of Homeschooling - B is for . . .

ABCs of Homeschooling
For the second week of the ABC of Homeschooling, over at 5 Kids and a Dog, we are tackling the letter B. It took me a while to come up with a word but I settled on Balance.

I think that most homeschool mothers will agree that homeschooling is all about balancing or, to use another word, juggling responsibilities. Homeschool moms are first of all wives (for the most part),they also are  keepers of the home, mothers, home educator,s and for some, bloggers, and some even have to balance a work at home job as well. These responsibilities can be overwhelming to say the list.

In my case I only have to balance household, school and church responsibilities and yet I find it sometimes difficult.

I do believe, however, that this is our calling as women to be keepers of the home, to love and care for our husbands and to educate our children. These are our primary roles and responsibilites and they must be attended to with diligence and care.

So how do we balance our lives as homeschoolers:

1. Know your priorities and MAKE them your priorities. Do not let other responsibilities cloud them. For me that means God, husband, children, house and church. Even within these main responsibilities we have to prioritize:
    • God - time in the Word and in prayer.

    • Husband - intimicy, and care.

    • Children - care, education (both academic and spiritual), and family time.

    • House - keeping the home in some sort of order (this is relative to each home), meals, finances, and overall making the home a haven.

    • Church - regular attendance and doing my part in the body of Christ locally (as a pastor's wife that can mean a lot but I still have to keep an eye on how much I can do given my other responsibilities).

2. Set up a schedule or a routine. This ensures that your primary responsibilities do not get overcrowded with other things.

3. Keep God at the center as He is our strength, help and wisdom.

4. Make homeschooling a lifestyle, not an add-on.

5. Enroll your family members in helping with household work.

6. Take time for rest.

7. Enjoy life!

In all honesty I am not proficient at this but this is what I am working toward so as to maintain a good balance in our homeschooling lives.

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Comments

Dawn @ 5 Kids and a Dog said…
I LOVE your word, BALANCE.
Yes it is SO important to know what our priorities should be and then to CARRY THOSE OUT first. If the family or the house fall apart, we have blown it. Finding the right balance of priorities and outside activities is key. Homeschooling should be our lifestyle if we want it to work. Adding it on top of everything else just sets us up for failure. Good thoughts! Thanks for linking up today!
April 19, 2011 at 9:06 AM
Becky said…
I LOVE your word! Balance is such a hard things for most of us homeschooling moms to achieve. I know that it is really hard for me! Great post!
April 19, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Jessica S. said…
I can honestly say my priorities are way similar to yours. Although, with my DH deployed, the time for rest has not come across as easy as before. I find myself up during most of the night; not because I worry for him, but because I simply miss him.

Thank you for sharing!!
April 20, 2011 at 3:12 PM
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