family / home / HOMESCHOOLING / LIVING WELL

stop. regroup.

going out

We've been "in school" now for four weeks. Four pretty intense weeks. There have been things that have been tossed by the wayside in an effort to keep moving forward. Things that need to be done, that have been ignored.

So I have declared this the official "stop & regroup" week. Our school schedule is a lot stricter than ones I've kept in the past. And I feel really good about it. It is something we all need. If the girls and I stay on track, it means that we always have Fridays off — for lounging, running errands, playing, watching movies together. 

But not as many Fridays as I would have liked have felt like that loosey-goosey pace I was hoping for. 

I vowed that this year, I would make more of an effort to get my girls "out there". We've joined a great co-op. Which means we now have fun things like choir, and American Girl Club, and classes here and there on other fun topics. They both have taken on music lessons this year, too. Emma on violin. Mary on piano. Not to mention the soccer practices and games.

In the past, I have always dragged my feet on "activities". We all tend to err a bit on the homebody side. And with very little ones in tow, I am a dictator about naps. I will not miss them. 

But I've had to ease up a bit. Be a little more flexible. I realized over the summer, that Emma might very well miss out on "out and about" kinds of things for years because of the need to always be back home for naps for her younger siblings. I've had to be okay with a nap in the car, knowing a better one will come in a few hours. I've had to be okay with earlier bedtimes, even though it might cut into time with Daddy. 

But at the same time, it is so very, very easy to get swept up in activities and going and doing. And so, I've also had to put on the breaks. Saying no to things. Both for them, and for me. 

And I've had to do things like this. The stopping. The regrouping. Read a few chapters. Go upstairs and clean a bedroom. Start a science experiment. Go out to the barn and unpack the tubs with warmer quilts and comforters. Go to the library. Knit. Make applesauce. 

Once I let myself let go of this week, I felt instantly better. I felt the furrow in my brow release itself. There is no rush. 

Stop. Regroup. 

Refresh.

going out

We've been "in school" now for four weeks. Four pretty intense weeks. There have been things that have been tossed by the wayside in an effort to keep moving forward. Things that need to be done, that have been ignored.

So I have declared this the official "stop & regroup" week. Our school schedule is a lot stricter than ones I've kept in the past. And I feel really good about it. It is something we all need. If the girls and I stay on track, it means that we always have Fridays off — for lounging, running errands, playing, watching movies together. 

But not as many Fridays as I would have liked have felt like that loosey-goosey pace I was hoping for. 

I vowed that this year, I would make more of an effort to get my girls "out there". We've joined a great co-op. Which means we now have fun things like choir, and American Girl Club, and classes here and there on other fun topics. They both have taken on music lessons this year, too. Emma on violin. Mary on piano. Not to mention the soccer practices and games.

In the past, I have always dragged my feet on "activities". We all tend to err a bit on the homebody side. And with very little ones in tow, I am a dictator about naps. I will not miss them. 

But I've had to ease up a bit. Be a little more flexible. I realized over the summer, that Emma might very well miss out on "out and about" kinds of things for years because of the need to always be back home for naps for her younger siblings. I've had to be okay with a nap in the car, knowing a better one will come in a few hours. I've had to be okay with earlier bedtimes, even though it might cut into time with Daddy. 

But at the same time, it is so very, very easy to get swept up in activities and going and doing. And so, I've also had to put on the breaks. Saying no to things. Both for them, and for me. 

And I've had to do things like this. The stopping. The regrouping. Read a few chapters. Go upstairs and clean a bedroom. Start a science experiment. Go out to the barn and unpack the tubs with warmer quilts and comforters. Go to the library. Knit. Make applesauce. 

Once I let myself let go of this week, I felt instantly better. I felt the furrow in my brow release itself. There is no rush. 

Stop. Regroup. 

Refresh.

24 comments on “stop. regroup.”

  1. I’m glad you’re feeling some relief after giving yourself some breathing room!

    I found myself celebrating this morning that there were no after school activities today! Fall baseball is over and with it, the Wednesday practice is gone. Finally a free day I thought. Sadly, about 30 min. later I realized that today is in fact Tuesday and that means religious education after school. The depression I felt at that realization is a strong indication that we’re over scheduled. I’m just not sure how to not be in that situation with 3 kids each having a single sport plus girl scouts and church school. What do I cut? No easy answers for me.

    The youngest in the family always turns into a pro car napper I think. It is really unavoidable. The great thing is that it often translates into them being a heavy sleeper who can sleep through anything and a kid who will sleep on long car rides. It isn’t all bad!

  2. I can relate to this post too. I always have so many things I want to do and a schedule that I want to keep that I feel the pressure to rush. It’s a nice reminder to stop and regroup.

  3. I keep trying to add structure and I have to accept that we all just do better with a more relaxed flow. I need to accept and just get in that groove rather than getting caught up in too much stuff. I know it works well for some, but the rushing is not for me.

  4. This is a post I needed to read right now. You have captured exactly what I have been feeling and I am going to adopt your idea of stopping and regrouping. Thanks for your wise words.

  5. it sounds very balanced to me, actually. and this may be not directly related, but it reminds me of my tendency to see things in black and white: either it’s all going great, or everything’s broken. when the truth is that every day has a little bit of each.xo,tara

  6. and a deep breath too!

    I caught myself holding my breath as I was reading your busy schedule…took a big deep breath at the end…

  7. We’re having a stop and regroup week around here, too. I so felt much of what you wrote–I, too, tend very much toward the homebody side of things and the shunning of the activity side of things, and am very much a protector of THE NAPS. 🙂 I hope I’m finding a balance that is fair to the younger and older siblings. Good that you squeezed in some knitting and a trip to the library–always good things!

  8. We’re 4 weeks in right now, too, and I’m so glad we are about to go out of town for 10 days. What was fun 3 weeks ago feels very formulaic right now, and it will be nice to have a break and come back to it with fresh eyes and minds! I’ll have to look back at my calendar for the year and make sure we have some of these breaks built in.

  9. I, for one, am glad you have stepped out a bit more. I’m hoping we can fit in a cup of coffee sans kids one night 😉

  10. I started doing this about half way through the school year last year, and I am personally finding it so much more “us” that I was smiling while I read your entry. We do about 4 or 5 weeks ‘on’ and then the next week after is a much lower key, stop and regroup (love that description!) week where we may not do anything at all…I love that it gives us a chance to sort of wrap up.

    I haven’t done unit studies much, but my friend mentioned that she loves the idea in that regard b/c it’s just about the right amount of time to focus on a subject. I’ve appreciated it for the headspace. And I find it’s a great week to keep up the records for the state instead of trying to backtrack over months. (We use a mostly Charlotte Mason approach.)

    I haven’t approached the level of burn out that I used to since we made the switch- having the week off gets us all revved up again.

  11. we definitely err on the side of homebodies so i know what that struggle. we do school 4 days and take friday off which i love – get the groceries and library and cleaning out of the way so we can enjoy the weekend and time with daddy.

    ps: love that bag! mind sharing what kind it is?

  12. I love this! I have felt the same for a while. The busyness of life seems to take over at times so that we forget our priorities. OR we tend to hunker down so much with schedules and the way we do things that we don’t make time for life’s interruptions – that can be quite fun. i too have challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and regroup. I now have a weekly challenge that I blog about on Fridays. It’s really helped me refocus. xo

  13. I too have 4 little girls (aged between 7 and 6 months) and so can relate to everything you just said. It’s nice to get out into the world, it’s also very nice to come home again.

  14. I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was last week when I realized I had the freedom to change our schedule around! You never can do that if your kids attend school outside the home and I’m still learning to relax and know when it’s okay to “adjust”.

    Here’s to “stop. regroup.”!!

  15. This post was a great, and eloquent, reminder to me as well. It’s too easy to just keep going and going and going and going. I also need to remember to Stop and Regroup every now and then.

  16. This is definitely a struggle for. I am a fellow homebody and I know I will have to give some of that up as my boys are getting older. I would love to hear more about this as you continue to adjust…I need lots of help in this area! 🙂

  17. Balance. I think it’s a matter of balance and taking steps back and exhaling. I’m a homebody, and I ‘rev’ up on alone time, quiet time, etc. So this year has thrown us for a loop (or should I say has thrown ME for a loop). It’s a good loop with co-op classes, speech & debate club, piano lessons, youth group and homeschool, but at the same time, I wish things were slower paced. I feel the laundry and the meals and grocery shopping (not to mention sewing and crafts and photography and…) get tossed by the wayside. That’s when I need to pray and like you said…regroup.

  18. I can SO relate to this. I could have written this:

    In the past, I have always dragged my feet on “activities”. We all tend to err a bit on the homebody side. And with very little ones in tow, I am a dictator about naps. I will not miss them.

    But I’ve had to ease up a bit. Be a little more flexible. I realized over the summer, that Emma might very well miss out on “out and about” kinds of things for years because of the need to always be back home for naps for her younger siblings.

    I think it’s part of the delicate dance of homeschooling, living a “home-based” life, balancing little ones and big ones.

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