This post is part of the Avoid Homeschool Burnout series. See the footer for more posts. Leave a comment to share your ideas with other homeschooling families!
Homeschooling can fill my life and expand to smother it until my dreams are filled with a sea of papers and my days with to-do’s, legos and cute little homeschooled faces covered in peanut butter and jelly.
After 20 years homeschooling, I feel like we’ve tried everything, experienced every high and crashed to almost every low. This is no naive, sugar-coated series promising a quick fix but, as a veteran homeschooling mamma, I want to offer some protips from experience! Here’s today’s:
As important as homeschooling is, don’t let it alone define your family. You were married before you started homeschooling and you want to be long after you’re done… so make time for your marriage!
By the end of the day today, schedule a date with your honey. Always aim to plan something for your marriage before you plan school activities! Plan ahead instead of trying to squeeze in time for the most important relationship in your life.
No matter how full and busy your life is, you can make space for special moments with your spouse. I’m homeschooling 5, teaching 1 history and 2 lit classes and have other areas I volunteer my time. My hubby doesn’t have a lot of free time right now either. He’s developing sweet new features for Homeschool Manager in addition to working his day job. But we’ve learned dates don’t have to be all-night affairs!
Whether your schedule is crammed or you’re juggling littles and homeschool, here are date ideas you can definitely make time for:
- coffee and prayer at home first thing in the morning {or after the kids are in bed… decaf!}
- a weekend brunch date when an older kiddo can babysit
- jog together around the neighborhood {takes +/- 20 minutes}
- knock out after-hours work at the same table at night, pausing to chat & for kisses
- a Netflix movie date {cheap and doesn’t require any planning or conversation on those days you’re too tired to talk}
- double date with friends who can encourage, laugh with and pray with you
- one round of a favorite card game
- read the same book separately and chat about it when you can
- fancy dinner or dessert at home after kids’ bedtimes
- for particularly crazy seasons of life w/young kids and low budget, drive them in the car until they fall asleep then park and laugh at Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan or Tim Hawkins YouTube videos while munching on smuggled snacks
Dates don’t have to be romantic dinners by candlelight- though I highly recommend those, too. Dates don’t have to be expensive or long or out of the house or even romantic at all! Dates do have to be special times for you and your spouse to have fun together, laugh and have uninterrupted conversation.
It’s great to have planning times, discuss homeschooling issues and work through parenting challenges but try to enjoy these set aside date times as hubby and wife. Remember why you fell in love and started this crazy homeschooling adventure in the first place! Take time for one another.
This post is part of the Avoid Homeschool Burnout series. We’re building a list of ways to avoid homeschooling burnout. <- Read those and also add your favorite date night ideas in the comments!
