The housework seems to be a never ending responsibility, especially if you’re a homeschool mom. Here are the main things you need to know.
Housework Can Wait
Yes, the old adage is true. The dishes can wait. Parenting and homeschooling your kids well requires you to focus on the task at hand. Because we know that the years with our kids are short.
Some of us don’t need this reminder, because we’re already ignoring the housework to a certain degree. Sometimes a minimally acceptable housekeeping standard is fine.
Some of us spend too much time on the housework or stress about it while not having enough mental space to homeschool well.
So, whichever category you find yourself in – be reminded that the housework can wait. Homeschool the kids and spend your energy doing this well.
But, does that mean you’re doomed to live in a house with piles of dirty dishes in the sink and laundry piles that never get clean? Of course not! Read on.
Enlist the Kids
This is the best way for a homeschool mom to conquer the housework. that is to enlist the kids. It’s prime teaching opportunities in the life skills category and your daughters and sons-in-law will thank you for it!
I haven’t done laundry except for my own in many, many years. And we have five kids living in our house right now.
They’ve all learned how to take a day, run it through the washer, throw it in the dryer, take it out and put it away the same day.
Just because you have kids in the home doesn’t mean you should have more housework.
Now, a disclaimer is in order: If you have babies and toddlers, then yes, the housework will still fall on your shoulders. But there’s a day coming when you can (and should) hand off many tasks to them!
My kids vacuum, empty the dishwasher, clean the glass doors, clean the bathrooms, do their own laundry, mow the lawn, and more!
If you want to learn about our chore system and how it works, you can find that post HERE.
Batch Tasks
Instead of doing housework in dribs and drabs all the time, consider batching tasks. This is also known as block-scheduling.
When you look at the magic of 168 hours (that’s how much time you have in a week), then consider how many concentrated hours you really need for the housework and schedule it in.
Do you really need 5 hours a week? If the kids are doing their part, I’m guessing that you might get by with 1-2 hours per week on housework. That’s not bad. That’s only 1% of your weekly time!
So, I hope you’re encouraged that you can homeschool and manage the housework too!
Balancing Housework & Homeschool: Practical Solutions that Work
