Staying healthy as a busy homeschool mom is not easy, mostly because moms put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own. In the hustle and bustle of life, it is easy to neglect your own health, and that will eventually catch up with you. Let’s talk about ways to stay on top of your health and wellness to keep up with your busy life.

Show Notes:

Let’s talk about ways to stay on top of your health and wellness to keep up with your busy life.

1. Living a healthy lifestyle is protecting your health, which is the key to feeling well. This means eating well, moving a lot, and resting.
2. Set realistic goals and baby steps first. Eat one healthy meal per day or change your snacking situation. Start with trying to get 5,000 steps a day or three glasses of water.
3. Rest when you can. If you are getting up with a baby at night, try to rest when the baby naps.
4. Prioritize moving. Go to the park and play with the kids. Do some gardening, go for a walk. Get a fitness watch or band to tell you to get up and move if you’ve been sitting too long. This actually works well in a homeschool setting. Kids NEED recess, even if all you do is put the baby in a stroller and take a walk around the neighborhood. Make it a science class if you want, identifying trees and flowers.
5. Meal plan. It’s the best way to stay on budget and healthy. Do some meal prep on the weekends. It saves time and gives you the opportunity to be ready, so you are not getting junky takeout or reaching into a bag of chips.
6. Get the kids involved. Kids HATE to do the dishes and mop the floor, but they seem to really like meal prep. Teach them how to wash veggies and make a simple salad. Every meal should have at least one fruit or veggie or both. It could just be carrot sticks, cucumber slices, a cut-up apple, or a bowl of grapes. Whatever was on sale at the grocery.
7. Resting can certainly mean getting a good night’s sleep. But it also means learning to handle stress. Some people manage stress by meditating. Others take what is called a “forest bath” – walking outside in nature. We Catholics have a real leg up here. My favorite meditations are the mysteries of the rosary. There are books and online sites to help keep your mind focused on the mysteries. Or you can read scripture. Or buy a book of prayers – some specifically written for moms. Pray when you are nursing the baby or before bedtime. You may find it is worth getting up half an hour before the kids, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and pray.

Summary: It’s easy to put off doctor and dental appointments when you have small children. Bringing them along or getting a sitter can seem overwhelming, but it is essential to get your appointments done. A yearly physical, dental cleaning, gyn appt., and mammogram should be the minimum you try to achieve within a certain amount of time. At different ages, the priorities change, but make sure to be in touch with your physician at least once a year.

Thanks to Jennifer for the idea! Send us a message and tell us what you want to hear about.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Jennifer contacted us and asked for any tips we have about raising teens. It's a tough time to be raising adolescents, and there is little support for a Catholic lifestyle. In addition, the Internet and video games dominate the lives of many of them.

We thought we were doing a great job homeschooling them, but they roll their eyes like their public school counterparts. What is a Catholic parent to do? We tackle that in today's podcast.

Show Notes:

Teens have lots of energy. If you do not channel it into wholesome, enriching activities, they will find less wholesome activities to occupy themselves. Here are our tips to raise good kids while retaining your sanity.

Every Teen Should Have:

1. Regular household responsibilities - You choose the chores.

2. A Job - Start with babysitting, snow shoveling, lawn mowing, whatever.

3. An after-school activity - sports, dance, theatre, or church group. Something wholesome.

Don't Argue – You Will Never Win.

1. Explain your rules simply." Sitting around playing video games with your friends does nothing to make you a better person." You do not have to defend that point of view.

2. If a kid makes a rude demand - It does you no good to argue. Tell the kid to leave the room, gather her thoughts, and come back and speak in a civil tone. And then turn your back!

Use Good Judgment with Electronics

1. Give your teens flip phones – no internet. Consider smartphones when they begin to drive.

2. Unlimited Internet access is not a good idea. Have your kids hand over phones at a particular time to a family "charging station."

3. Unlimited Access to laptops and Chromebooks is also not a good idea.

4. Limit video games and encourage board games.

Remember - You Are Guiding Them into Adulthood. They need increasing Independence.

1. Strict curfews make less sense than "Come to me with a plan…"

2. Tell them if they do something dumb to call you – encourage honesty. Let them know you are on their side.

3. Allow friends of the opposite sex to come to family gatherings or other public events – strict "no dating until you are ready to get married" rules lead to lying.

4. Teens need to acknowledge their actions have consequences for which they're responsible.

Thanks to Jennifer for the idea.

Send us a message and tell us what you want to hear about.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services