Homeschooling in the Chaos

Welcome to the Super Simple Homeschool Podcast where we help you homeschool with purpose while keeping it super simple.

Whether you're washing dishes, folding laundry, or taking a much-needed coffee break, I'm so glad you're listening. I’m your host Jenny Hedrick, a homeschooling mom of 3 and licensed therapist of 20 years.

Today, we're going to chat about something I know many of us face on this homeschooling journey: how to homeschool in the chaos. We're talking about those big life events like having a baby, moving to a new home, or dealing with illness or even loss.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, trust me, you're not alone. I’ve been there, in fact, I’m there right now.

Finding Purpose in the Chaos

You see, a few months ago, we recognized that we could no longer afford to stay in our home. We have had too much debt piling up and the financial strain was more than we could bear. So, it’s time to move forward. We’ve been talking with my parents about getting a place together with them and the circumstances lined up just so that now seems to be the right time.

Cue the chaos.

Before we could list, we needed to do some work on the house. So we spent almost 8 weeks painting, moving stuff into storage and replacing flooring. Everything was a mess. We were taking the summer off from school though, so it was fine. But it became more and more clear that waiting to start our school year until after the move, just wasn’t going to be possible.

Currently, our house is listed but not sold. My parent’s house is listed but not sold. We have had open houses, showings, etc. Plus half of our stuff is in storage. Oi.

So, I’m hear today, in the chaos, sharing with you, mama. Maybe you are in the chaos too? You are not alone.

In the grand scheme of things a move is stressful, but there are many more things that make life difficult that can impact how you are homeschooling. Maybe you are dealing with something more permanent, like a chronic illness. Or maybe something longer term but temporary like a new baby in the home, or even a difficult toddler! Regardless of what it is, learning to homeschool through the chaos will provide you and your family with some stability and purpose.

Speaking of purpose, if you haven’t defined your homeschool’s purpose yet, you are going to want to grab my Guide to Discovering Your Homeschool’s purpose. It is a short guide to walk you through the steps of defining what matters most in your homeschool and THEN evaluating your homeschool using that purpose as a measuring stick. You can grab that free guide HERE.

If you are new to homeschool or still feeling overwhelmed by all that homeschool entails, check out my course, You CAN Homeschool, designed to help you start homeschooling simply and purposefully. It’s like having a homeschool coach in your pocket cheering you on with encouragement and direction. You can learn all about it HERE.

5 Tips for Homeschooling when Life is Hard

Okay, let’s get to it. When homeschooling through the chaos, I have 5 tips.

1. Life is school

2. Trim the Fat

3. Find the easy buttons

4. Ask for help

5. Stay flexible

6. (Bonus) Put your blinders on

Remember, you don’t have to be perfect or do everything right. As a homeschool mom, you can lean on God’s strength to get you through each day. You don’t have to be enough, which is a good thing because you never will be! It’s okay, He is, and He will give you the strength you need, if only for today.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Super Simple Homeschool Podcast. If you appreciated this episode, would you share with a friend or leave a review? I’d love to help more people find this podcast so they can be encouraged to homeschool simply and purposefully. Don’t forget to follow or subscribe so you never miss a future episode.