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Mom-to-Mom: Tips for Homeschool Mompreneurs

October 8, 2019 by Jenna

tips for homeschool entreprenuers
Are you looking to join the ranks of homeschool entrepreneurs? Many homeschool moms become entrepreneurs by blogging, vlogging, running home shops, or even working a regular job from home. You’ve probably weighed out why you should or shouldn’t do it, but how do you manage it? How can you balance being a full-time homeschool mom and running a business? We asked two of our homeschool entrepreneurs for their go-to tips on balancing their businesses and their family lives.

Mom-to-Mom with Megan

1. Prioritize

Before you commit to any type of business, I would advise you to take some time to write out your priorities. It’s hard to balance a business, homeschooling, and church and home responsibilities. I learned early on that I can’t do everything. I found it helpful to have a list of personal nonnegotiables written down so that I can refer to them whenever I feel overwhelmed. Am I doing the really important things? I’ve had to ask myself that question many times, and you probably will too. If you’re neglecting some of your priorities, you may need to give something up or scale back your business.

2. Take Care of Yourself

Don’t forget that taking care of yourself needs to be on that nonnegotiable list. I have to admit that I am not very good at self-care. For a long time, I felt guilty for taking any time away from my kids to care for myself. But I’m learning that self-care is necessary if I’m going to be able to continue all the work I am called to. I am not somehow cheating my family if I get a babysitter and go get that overdue eye exam, get my hair cut, or take an aerobics class at my local gym. In fact, not doing those things—not taking care of myself—will likely result in my someday not being able to care for my family as I should. So be sure to put outings, exercise time, and routine medical appointments on your schedule—and don’t feel guilty about spending that time on yourself.

3. Teach Quiet Time

Teach your children how to be quiet. Only one of my children still takes naps every day, but all of them have quiet time. It’s an hour or so when they are allowed to read, write, color, or work on a project independently, but they’re not allowed to interrupt me or talk to each other. It’s good for them to have some quiet time every day. It’s also good for me because I get some uninterrupted time to make phone calls, research a topic, or whatever I need to do.

Mom-to-Mom with Jennifer

1. Personal Space

It’s important and helpful to have an allocated work space for your freelance or other work-at-home projects. Whether it’s an actual office or just a quiet nook in your bedroom, try to create a workspace that’s completely away from homeschool areas. This will help you avoid distractions so you can focus on your tasks. Also, try to keep all of your work-related items organized in one place (e.g., laptop, tablet, files, portfolios, etc.). That way they won’t get accidentally mixed in with school materials. Extra tip: I always keep hard copies of work assignments in a small notebook just in case of computer problems. As much as possible, choose a space that is relatively quiet, well-lit, and free of clutter. The fewer distractions around you, the better you will be able to concentrate on your work.

2. Work Time

It’s also important to keep work time separate from school time. Even if you’re a great multitasker, it’s difficult to juggle school and at-home work at the same time—one is bound to suffer at the expense of the other. Setting aside specific blocks of time for work will help you stay focused and productive. Looking ahead and planning your work schedule is also key. I usually follow the same procedure whenever I receive a new work assignment. First, I look at the date it’s due and enter it into my calendar on my phone.

Second, I look at our family’s schedule to see all our other activities and plan my work times around them. This is especially helpful because I know for certain which days I simply won’t have time to dedicate to my project. On the days I do have free for work, I carve out at least one or two hours for my assignment. I like to work ahead and complete my project a few days before it’s due so I can read over it a few times and make any necessary changes. When planning your work times, remember to remain flexible for your family. There will be times your work gets interrupted by a “Mommy/Daddy, can you help me?” As spouses and parents first, we need to be willing to put aside our work so we can take care of our family’s needs.

3. Mind the Gap

Keeping work spaces and times separate from school will greatly help you in completing your at-home work in an efficient and timely manner.

Megan homeschools her four daughters while working with BJU Press to provide blog posts and other written content. Jennifer homeschools her two daughters while also working with BJU Press as a blogger and writer. We love working with these two ladies and are thankful for all that they are able to contribute as both full-time moms and homeschool entrepreneurs.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: business, homeschool entrepreneur, space, time, work

Tour These Homeschool Spaces

February 2, 2017 by Justin

Tour These Homeschool Spaces

Whether your kids work at the kitchen table or in a dedicated homeschool space, you’re probably always looking for creative ways to stay organized. Here are some of our favorite homeschool room designs, ideas, and hacks from Christian homeschool mom bloggers.

Mandy, who wrote for the blog Biblical Homemaking, takes organization and design to a new level with her creative homeschool room. Her blog no longer exists, but you can see how her homeschool room accommodates four kids working at the same time in the picture below!

Biblical Homemaking homeschool room

Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler enjoys the “school at home” style for her boy and girls. A dedicated homeschool space in her basement is as well equipped as any modern classroom. Check out the tour!

Confessions of a Homeschooler homeschool room

Lara from Everyday Graces takes a warm and cozy approach to her homeschool room. (We love the reading nook!) Check out her comfortable and welcoming room for her boys here!

Everyday Graces homeschool room

I hope you enjoyed these ideas. Share your homeschool space ideas in the comments below!

Image Source: camera; wood

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: homeschool, organization, room, space

Remember These Dates in October

September 29, 2015 by Meredith

Big advances have taken place in transportation during the month of October in American history. There were cars, and ships, and rockets—oh my!

illustration of model T and early airplane

October 1

The Model T was introduced by Henry Ford in 1908. It could go as fast as forty-five mph! For almost twenty years, this cheap, reliable car dominated the auto industry because of the increase in car production as a result of the assembly line. See how the “Tin Lizzie” impacted transportation in America.

 

fireman with hose and firetruck

October 4–10

This week is Fire Prevention Week. Teach your kids fire safety and preparedness with these activities from Sparky the Fire Dog®. It’s also a good idea to practice what everyone in your family should do if your house catches on fire.

black and white coloring page of rocket orbiting in space and parachute landing

October 11

Apollo 7 launched into space on this date in 1968 with astronauts Schirra, Eisele, and Cunningham on board. It was the first mission to fly after the fatal Apollo 1 accident and kept us on track for reaching the moon. The space flight lasted ten days and twenty hours. During part of that time, the first live television broadcast from space was recorded. Take some time to explain an astronaut’s rocket launch and reentry process to your kids with this Space Coloring Page created by a BJU Press illustrator. My favorite picture is the parachute one!

illustration of Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria

October 12

Columbus Day is named after the explorer Christopher Columbus, who ironically never reached the North American mainland. So what’s important about today? Don’t Celebrate Columbus Day offers a biblical lens through which you can discuss the actions of Columbus with your kids.

George Washington in military dress

October 19

In 1781, the British surrendered at Yorktown, recognizing that the Americans had won. This event formally ended the American Revolutionary War, but some fighting did continue until 1783. Without the support of French troops and warships allowing Washington’s total forces to trap the British in Virginia, the battle could have turned out quite differently!

WP-NY-Stock-Exchange-9-2015

October 29

The Stock Market crashed on “Black Tuesday” in 1929. Prices on the market continued to decline for three years during what we now call the Great Depression. During this period of time, millions of people lost their jobs and had little money for food and other necessities. There were many factors that contributed to this financial crisis in our nation’s history. Find four simple ways to teach financial lessons to your kids so that they can make good choices now and in the future.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: astronaut, coloring page, events, finances, fire prevention, Ford, October, space, stock market, Yorktown

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As parents, teachers, or former homeschool students, we are passionate about homeschooling from a biblical worldview. We hope these teaching tips, fun activities, and inspirational stories support you in teaching your children.

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