I am super guilty of not getting the self care that I need. I always see pictures of women who spend the day at the spa, go out for pedicures, or even spend a weekend away from home. These are all great ways of getting self care, but they’re not for me. Self care doesn’t have to be expensive, or even have anything to do with pampering your body. I’m not one for mud masks and bath soaks. I don’t like spending money at the spa. So, how do you get self care as a homeschool mom?

1. Watching a show late into the night

This is my jam right here. I usually stay up until midnight, by myself, watching some type of pointless TV to get my mind off of the day. Right now I’m watching Anne with an “E” (any Anne of Green Gables fans here? I am!!) and you’ll see me anxiously awaiting for the next episode of This Is Us this fall. You might be saying, “But what about sleep!?”. I can assure you that I get my average of 7-8 hours every night. (Thank you homeschooling for allowing me to sleep in!) This precious time to myself is something I never regret come morning. After spending all day homeschooling my kids, this is the easiest way to unwind and get that self care as a homeschool mom

2. Taking a walk outside

Sometimes we spend so much time inside that we don’t even realize it! I can spend the entire day indoors working, doing school with the kids, cleaning the house, and more that dinner time comes and I realize I haven’t stepped foot outside. You’ll often find me grabbing my fox hound who is super excited to go for a walk and heading out through my neighborhood in the evenings. (Prayers appreciated for the mosquitos to not attack me…)

3. Reading a good book

This is something I don’t do often enough!! It’s hard to find quiet time for me to focus on a book with two loud boys and a baby in the house. But, when I do find the time to grab a good book, I’m so happy that I do. There are so many encouraging homeschooling books out there for moms! From Homeschool Bravely to The Brave Learner, there are great options out there to get that encouragement and use it as self care as a homeschool mom all at the same time. (Please post book recommendations in the comments. Historical fictions are appreciated!)

4. Taking a long shower

Okay, okay. I did say I don’t like long baths. But long showers? Those are a different story!! Even when I have small babies (or really, especially when I have small babies) I take my shower time seriously and am known to just stand in there doing nothing. Don’t ask me why I prefer my long showers over a tub soak, but I know I can’t be alone in this, right?

5. Spending time in prayer

This one seems so obvious, but how many days have you gone through without really taking some quiet time to talk with the Lord? I know my answer is, embarrassingly, too many. I do a lot of short, muttered prayers under my breath all day (“Lord, help me!” seems to cross my lips a lot), but actually sitting in the quiet for a few moments to truly thank Him for my day or to reach out to His loving presence is something I need to be more mindful to do, and always makes such a huge difference in my day. ‘This is the ultimate homeschool mom self care!

Self Care Ideas for the Homeschool Mom

This list may seem simple, but I challenge you to do each one of these this week and see how much of a difference these simple tasks can make! What do you like to do for self care? Drop a line in the comments or in my online homeschool community and let me know!

We all need encouragement from time to time! For more encouragement for a successful homeschool, click the image below!