A lot of homeschooling moms (well, all moms in general) have a very hard time planning a day of rest each week. We do it all. We homeschool, do housework, run errands, cook, take care of the needs of our children, and so on. It’s very difficult to get in a day of rest when there is so much to be done each week.
I love having a day of rest each week. God knew we would need it and so He commanded it. We homeschool four days a week normally. That leaves Fridays to do chores other than the normal day-to-day cleaning such as dishes and laundry. On Fridays we do extra things like clean the bathrooms, vacuum and mop the floors, catch up on laundry, dust, etc.
That leaves Saturdays to do anything we didn’t get to on Friday as well as yard work. We work in the yard almost every Saturday, even in winter. I have three sons who absolutely love everything outside. We give them jobs to do such as bag leaves, pick weeds, mow the lawn, and help my husband where needed. We have an acre of land that needs to be maintained. It isn’t perfect but we take care of what God has given us. I do inside things as needed.
We try hard to keep Saturday afternoons free so we can explore our historical town and local parks. We go on hikes and bike rides as a family. We also like to visit with friends and have bonfires in the summertime.
This makes it easy to keep Sundays as a day of rest. We go to church early and come straight home. We have lunch together and during nice weather we go outside and relax. If it’s too cold or rainy, we start a fire in the woodstove and sit around it. We play games with the kids and read and just enjoy being together.
I also love to make a nice big dinner on Sunday evenings. We sit around the table and talk about the week. We don’t get to do this every week but it’s something I want my children to remember doing when they are older.
Having a true day of rest is very difficult in our very busy society. But, we can make an effort to have a day of rest that fits our families needs. I encourage you to make having a day of rest a priority in your life and family. It has changed our family dynamic so much and for the better. Putting God first and enjoying the blessings of the family He has given us is very important. Think about what you could do to give yourself a day of rest each week. Start small and build on that each week. You won’t regret it.
