Jump to content

Menu

Dark Ages, February Blahs, Mid-year Burnout


Recommended Posts

I would guess that if you've homeschooled for a couple years, you've had some experience with the tiredness and burnout that often seems to come around this time of year. The feeling that you just aren't getting things done, aren't doing well enough for your kids or just that everyone around you has it together (homeschooling friends, homeschool families in magazines or the internet, the school down the street, the Duggers :D) and you don't.

 

So what do you do about it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We actually make a big curriculum shift in Feb - every year now. We homeschool year-round and it seems like we're pretty much finished with most of it by late Feb. It seems like they're all treading water, waiting for me to let 'em go. :tongue_smilie:

 

Their activities are really wearing me down. My body was just shutting down over the weekend. With 4 of 'em and basketball, brownies, daisies, cub scouts, cookie sales, cheerleading, co-op classes...:ack2: It's killing me.

 

I feel your pain. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I hung out with Marilyn Boyer and her 21 y.o. daughter at a mother/daughter conference this weekend and I am re-charged :thumbup:

 

But if I can't do a getaway like that, I have a stockpile of recordings from previous conferences that inspired me.

Listening to them while walking or running (by myself!!) is always helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We usually take a week off in February. I recharge by planning for fall and regrouping for the rest of the year. We usually just hang out, watch a few movies, go out to lunch at least once.

 

This year we were so behind schedule I opted to take off only Monday. That'll teach me. I ended up sick on Thursday and we got almost no work done for the last two days. If we'd taken off I probably would feel fine, Murphy's Law I'm sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My local hs group has a Mommy Teacher Retreat Day in late January or February and that helps. This year we have reservations for a spring break vacation in the Smoky Mountains, so I have something to look forward to as well.

 

Something I tried this week that I think I will continue doing is:

 

I made a "video school" recording (using my webcam) for the boys for Friday (with history read-alouds, Bible story read-along, and instructions for their Weather log, etc) and let them work independently for one day while I concentrated on cleaning the house. I will definitely try it again this week based on the results! Not only is my house much cleaner than usual but it gave me a much needed change of pace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shifted our school year to follow the calendar instead of public school schedule. We are just two months into our new school year and new curriculum. That helps me get through the February Blahs for the most part. But this year has been rough with the weather. It now looks like Spring Has Sprung, though. :D

We also school year-round and take time off where needed. I plan to school one more week, then take some time off to enjoy The Great Outdoors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I really need it we either take a couple days off and just have fun. Sometimes I put us on a light work schedule so there is less dependence on me and kind of chill. Before long my little break helps and we are back on board. I think a true burnout may require a week off of school, or maybe even time alone. My dh takes the kids away periodically for the weekend. It is heaven and then I get a chance to miss them all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wrote this intending it to be longer, but then we headed out the door to go to the Smithsonian.

 

We have had horribly disrupted fall/winter 2 of the last 3 years with international moves. So I think that my personal solution is going to be something of a teach in.

 

We've wrapped up our current section of Sonlight and I have about a month to squeeze in all the fun middle ages reading, cooking, movie watching, building and writing that I can before we need to move on to ren/ref.

 

Fortunately we aren't yet in many activities here, so other than continuing our quest for a scout troop, I should be free to do what will be something of unit study mania.

 

I have been reading several education/homeschooling books. Oddly enough my reaction to several has been that they weren't telling me much new. I guess that means that I'm not as off the mark as I sometimes worry that I am.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I start planning the next year ... I realize to get to the next year, I must finish the current year.

 

This is what keeps me going, too! Seriously! :)

 

Also, seed catalogs. My garden is completely planned out and I can't wait to get out there. The 4 foot snow drifts can't last forever, right? :tongue_smilie:

Edited by Heather in WI
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...