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How do I nurture myself as a homeschool mama when I’m old enough to have a conversation with my child that goes like this:
“Happy Birthday, Mom. Should I not ask how old you are?”
Umm, that’s the sign. This is how I nurture myself as a homeschool mama.
I’m more than 40, so how do I nurture myself?
Since I’m not remembering the exact number anymore (my kids tell me that I’ve told others an older age than I am–I’ve actually forgotten), what do specifics matter?
Though my age is reflected in my external appearance, my spirit feels younger, freer, and happier than when I was fourteen, twenty, or thirty.
I have integrated a few things into daily life that have helped make my life the younger, freer, and happier way it is right now.
First, yoga.
Also known as strengthening stretching.
For the cynics out there, no need to be afraid of this exercise practice. If 47 has taught me anything, it is that this body is not remaining static. I am getting achy.
The older I get, the more frequently we change our mattresses. This is not a sign that mattress construction is declining. My stretching routine, aka yoga, keeps this thing agile (pointing to my back).
Here are a few yoga routines I use.
Meditate.
No reason to be afraid to meditate either. It’s really just quieting our minds.
Getting our minds to slow is much like choosing to go on vacation temporarily. In your room. To focus on not focusing actually focuses our body to move into a quieter mode.
You might want to call this prayer. But I don’t mean talking to the Creator. I mean not talking at all. Not sharing our worries or our petitions.
Just letting the thoughts, the words, the constant mental chatter slow.
Anti-inflammatories (& turmeric tea).
Anti-inflammatories for the aches and pains unresolved by a good night’s sleep and yoga. Or by trying to move too many wheelbarrows of bark mulch to garden beds. Or attempting to keep up with my seventeen-year-old Pilates online class.
The medical world isn’t out to get us with their Western ways.
They have children that get hurt on the playground, have aches and pains after fourteen-hour shifts in emerg, and get terminal illnesses and car accidents too. They’re neither convinced that the medical system can save us, nor Western (or Eastern) remedies will perfect our lives, but they try to improve our daily experience with a couple of Advil, just like we do.
So I take anti-inflammatories when I need them.
Or I take turmeric tea on the regular too.
- A teaspoon of turmeric
- Add a teaspoon of honey
- A pinch of pepper (to absorb the turmeric better)
- And a half teaspoon of fresh ginger
- A spoonful of coconut oil
- Then boil it with a cup of almond milk
And you know what? This is the non-western medicine alternative to Advil. (And it’s comforting like hot chocolate).
Exercise (almost daily).
I have a resistance to our culture’s perfect body syndrome. I have learned that exercise for pride and vanity is an unhappy-making, shame-inducing experience.
Still, there will be no circumstance where I tell myself not to exercise.
Exercise doesn’t have to be about mastering aesthetic perfection.
- Exercise is what our bodies are meant to do.
- When we don’t do it, we get sore, bored, lazy, and less happy.
- Exercise helps us burn off tension and increases our endorphins.
My ideal exercise is in the outdoors: hiking, biking, canoeing, walking, yoga, paddle boarding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
And in the worst weather, the elliptical machine, a video, dancing with the kids, or running stairs.
Here are a few workouts I use that are available on YouTube:
- Cardio dance workout
- Toned arms workout
- Easy Dance choreography
- Kickboxing workout
- Full body Pilates
Is there a perfect routine? Yes. The one that I enjoy the most.
I experiment with variety.
Adolescence doesn’t have to be the only time in life we discover who we are and what we’re about. We have our entire lives given to discover us.
How will we know we don’t like something if we never try?
Having said that, my twelve-year-old asked if I would skydive with her on her eighteenth birthday. Naturally, I told her emphatically: not gonna happen. RIP twainausten February 10, 2021.
I know my limitations; I will surely mess that one up.
I’m not experimenting with things that test my adrenals, but I am looking to live the life that is most engaging, with new experiences, new activities, new foods, and new people.
Naturally, maintain a journaling practice.
Every morning I journal.
Like really, almost every day of my life. (Except for the days I don’t, but really, almost every day).
It helps get me clear on what I feel, what I think, what I’m grateful for, and what I intend to do to show up in my life.
That might be why I’ve created a few journals for you, homeschool mama!
- Homeschool Mama Daily Journal
- Build your Boundaries Journaling Workbook
- Toolbox for Big Emotions Workbook
- Deschool your Homeschool Journaling Workbook
- Grappling with Overwhelm Journaling Workbook
- Reimagine your Homeschool Workbook

Wellness Guide: Homeschool Help for Moms
Introducing Your Ultimate Wellness Guide, an ideal guidebook for homeschool moms seeking effective strategies to maintain physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. This comprehensive guide offers practical tips, actionable steps, and easy-to-follow instructions to help you prioritize self-care, manage stress, and enhance your overall homeschool experience. Get your copy now and take the first step towards a healthier and happier homeschool mom life!
How to do that? Building authentic connections with others by being authentic and reaching out.
We were made for a real connection.
When we share who we really are, and sit with the truth of others’ real experiences, we gain as much as we give.
It’s especially helpful during this time of great change. (Can I just call it to change? Tumult? Trauma? Crazy?)
It is definitely a massive life shift in the last few years.
We play a meaningful role in others’ lives, and we build communal connections. And we build our own community in an authentic community.
Therefore, no matter my actual age, I have learned I will always be 25.
I set my life to believe what I did at 25:
- life will never end,
- I will always have a place in it,
- my body will always function as I like,
- happiness is always an option,
- others can make me happy,
- and I have much to look forward to.
Idealistic yes, and resolutely hopeful.
Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer
You’ll find straight talk about self-nurturing practices that address real homeschool mama’s needs.
People also ask:
- how to love yourself as a homeschool mama
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- how to take care of myself as homeschool mom in middle-age
- Do you offer a homeschool mama virtual retreat?
- How to Incorporate Ten Basic Self-Care Tips for the Homeschool Mama
- Do you do one-on-one life coaching?
Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventure
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Wonderful post! I’m 35 and making changes now so my 40 will be as happy as yours sounds 🙂
Well, I wouldn’t say every day was super happy. That would betray my reality. But carpe diem, today’s the day I invest the energy to make it the best day it can be!
hmm… interesting post. I’m also over 40… my listing would be differently focused I think…
What would you include?
This is beautiful and I can totally relate as at 44 I feel the same way. I just keep on going and never stop. 😌
Great list