Asalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu Sisters. We’ve spoken extensively about the home-school balance, creating an environment which sparks curiosity and ensuring our Home takes precedence over school.

However, in pursuit of trying to achieve the perfect day, unintentionally we mothers can pressurise ourselves, and seriously drive our selves into the ground.

Before we know it, we begin to overanalyse anything and everything.

We didn’t get that nature walk in – the kids must feel suffocated!

I had to cut down play time today, am I restricting child led learning?

Tablework took longer than usual – my home has turned into a classroom!!

But I’m here to reassure you that’s not the case. Just because you’ve been indoors most of the week, it doesn’t mean that you’re depriving your child. It simply means you didn’t go out much, and that’s fine.

And extended tablework time doesn’t translate as a rigid school atmosphere – sometimes its just a case of getting things done and seriously every now and again that’s totally fine! Because it frees up time to enjoy other things else. And at the end of the day, as kids grow older or you begin to teach multiple grades, focused work will naturally increase.

So don’t worry about if your homeschool has those not so exciting days. At the end of the day, homeschool like other things in life has seasons and some are a little more ‘traditional’ than others.

I’m all for advocating a relaxed home environment, but not at the expense that Mama drives herself crazy and begins to read between lines that don’t exist.

And remember, if you are feeling things are a little ‘bootcamp’, it’s not difficult to relax your homeschool. A change of scene, spontaneous hike, surprise field trip or even just chocolate chip pancakes for lunch can soon fix that.

Have mercy upon yourself Mama, and have a wonderful day.