Inner Quiet: A Simple Morning Routine for Homeschool Moms

EP#215: Ever wake up feeling like you’re already behind before your homeschooling day even begins? If you’re feeling out of sorts, the best remedy to renew and inspire you is a tiny dose of inner quiet and my simple morning routine for homeschool moms (or dads or grandmas or sisters, etc).

Trying harder is NOT the answer.

In this episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast, Jean shares a simple morning routine for homeschooling parents following the acronym ME ~ meditate and exercise.

If you’re stuck in a midyear slump, trying to get back to your routine after a holiday, or picking up where you left off after an illness, give yourself some grace. Start small and focus on filling yourself back up with inner quiet.

Find the Show Notes here  https://artofhomeschooling.com/episode215/

Join the Inspired at Home Community

Chapters

• 2:17 The midyear homeschooling slump
• 3:58 A simple morning ritual to renew your energy
• 4:49 Using acronyms supports daily rhythms and routines
• 5:58 A common mistake when starting a new ritual

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, jean Miller, and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin so. We all want to start our day from a place of peace, am I right? But how do we do that? I remember homeschooling days when I'd feel exhausted and spent and look at the clock and it was only like 8.45 in the morning. Every day during those years I'd try to be more present or have more direction or activities for my kiddos first thing when they woke up in the morning, I thought I just needed to try harder to find the perfect rhythm to do the right thing. But the chaos continued until I realized that the common denominator was me. The truth was, I was feeling out of sorts and my kiddos were picking up on that, and that's when I also realized that trying harder wasn't the answer. I recently came across this great quote and I wrote it on a sticky note that now lives on my computer screen in my office and it says here's the quote if trying harder worked, it would have worked by now. It just makes me laugh. So what if, instead, we eased up a little, right, let the pressure off, gave ourselves a minute to fill back up, especially this time of year after the holidays, to fill back up and regroup? What if we gave that to ourselves?

Speaker 1: 2:17

This episode airs the last week in January and, honestly, all the conversations I've been having with homeschooling parents in the past few weeks have been all about giving ourselves more grace to ease back into the homeschooling lessons. I recently posted on Instagram about starting small and just showing up to engage with our kiddos. No big plans, just showing up. Sometimes it's about that, just being present and doing the thing, not about fancy or elaborate, and here's a comment I got on that post.

Speaker 1: 2:57

I'm wondering if it's common this time of year to hit a homeschooling slump. It's been hard to get back into our routine after the holidays. We're consistently showing up for outdoor walks, math and language arts each day, but it's overwhelming trying to get in everything else at the moment. Yes, yes and yes. If you're feeling this way too, I promise you're not alone. Here is how I replied. For sure, I hit it every year for 25 years, I think. Start small, layer in, I think in January. We all need to fill back up first before getting back into homeschool lessons, then start with rhythm and build slowly. I promise you're not alone. And Patchwork Mama then replied thank you for this, it's reassuring, okay. So here is my message for you today, dear listener. Start your day with a simple ritual, a simple morning routine just for you. Now I know what you're thinking. I ain't got time for that, but this is what's going to ground you and set you up for a connecting day with your children, no matter what else is going on. Even if things feel chaotic, you will still feel grounded and be able to be present in the midst of that, and I can assure you it can be so very simple. We want to make it super simple and practical so that you can reduce the overwhelm. Here's my current simple morning routine that I wanna share with you.

Speaker 1: 4:49

I love using acronyms so that I can remember what I decided. That's super helpful for my brain. It tunes me in really quickly and actually uses less brain power. So my current acronym is ME M-E. I like this because it reminds me that I have a plan just for me, to nourish me, that I matter, and it gives me a reminder of what I'm going to do first thing each morning. What does ME stand for? Meditate and exercise. That's it. I even like to simplify further by deciding ahead of time what meditation and what kind of exercise I'll be doing, either this week or even this month. I love choosing a guided meditation on the Insight Timer app. I've mentioned that before. It's a free app you can get on your phone, and I'm currently loving my rebounder for exercise. Right now, it's like a little mini trampoline, because it's been super cold and snowy outside here in Northeastern Ohio, just like it's been in a whole lot of parts of the United States.

Speaker 1: 5:58

Don't make this common mistake, though putting so much energy into thinking about what to do rather than putting energy toward doing the thing. If it's too complicated and honestly, this applies not only to our morning routine, but also to our homeschooling lessons If it's too complicated, it falls apart. We have a need for ease, so stop using up so much brain power for trying to figure out what the right thing to do would be. Just start really small. So here's what I want to remind you of.

Speaker 1: 6:38

If you don't have a simple morning routine just for you right now, what might be the simplest version that could actually be doable. Ask yourself that question what could really work right now? That's it. I just wanted to offer you some reassurance that you matter and in fact, you're a very important component of your home school. So maybe you want to try this me morning routine. It's so, so simple. It could be just what you need right now. Yes, you can create a little routine or ritual that is just for you. My simplest version of this ever was back in our homeschooling days, when I'd recite a poem to myself while holding my hot mug of tea in the middle of the kitchen each morning. If you wanna hear that poem and see some other ideas for your morning routine, go have a listen to episode 148, what's your Self-Care Plan? And if you want more inspiration for why starting your day off strong is important, check out episode 13,. Create a simple morning routine for a strong start to your day, where you'll hear more about research on willpower and how it diminishes throughout the day.

Speaker 1: 8:01

I hope I've encouraged you to ease back into your homeschooling lessons by starting with replenishing your own energy first. That's why every year inside the Inspired at Home community, we focus on gathering the light in January and then reset your rhythm in February, in that order. Come join us if you'd like my support and a wonderful group of heart-centered homeschoolers from all over the world. And a wonderful group of heart-centered homeschoolers from all over the world. You'll find links to everything I've mentioned in the show notes at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 215. Thanks for tuning in today and I'll catch you next time. That's all for today, my friend, but here's what I want you to remember rather than perfection, let's focus on connection. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast.