“We should be baking cookies for the neighbors… and maybe doing crafts too...”
You know that little voice? The one that whispers, “Do more. Be more. Produce more.” Yeah — she showed up.
But then I looked at my boys, nestled into their calm activities, and realized:
We were already going to a holiday light event that night. That was enough.
I don’t know about you, but I have this itch to be productive — even in December.
I’ve come a LONG way from wearing my “busy badge” like it proved my worth…
but sometimes I still struggle to just rest.
And mama, if you’re longing for a slower, more peaceful season too?
Let this be your permission slip:
You do not earn homeschool-mom righteousness through exhaustion.
You are the steam engine behind your homeschool train — and running yourself into the ground is NOT noble. It’s NOT holy. And it’s NOT sustainable.
So this week? Say NO more. Do LESS. Let what you’re already doing be enough.
Your kids don’t need a performance. They just need you. Rested. Present. Even if that means sitting on the couch saying, “Nope — lights tonight. Cookies can wait.”
P.S. In case you need a reminder that NOBODY has it all together, here’s my second born getting his head legitimately stuck in the lights display at the Glow event.
If your December feels like this, you are in very good company. 😅 Take a breath, mama. You’re doing great. ❤️🎄
🎥 Feeling overstimulated or stretched thin? This might help.
If you’ve been carrying a lot this season — emotionally, physically, mentally — I want to share a video with you that might feel like a breath of fresh air:
How the Traffic Light Brain can help you regulate, reset, and reconnect — without guilt (timestamp: 19:51)
One of the most freeing things we can learn as homeschool moms is this:
Your body is giving you signals — not shame.
We’re not meant to function in “green” all the time. December especially pulls us into yellow or red — overstimulation, pressure, tiredness, sensory overload, emotions running high.
And when you can name the state you’re in?
You stop blaming yourself. You stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” You stop trying to push through with guilt or grit.
Instead, you can make the next best choice for where you actually are.
More of that grounding goodness is in the video. If you need a supportive reset right now, I think it will really encourage you.
Feeling Overwhelm?
If this season has you feeling stretched thin — or if you’re carrying guilt about everything you aren’t getting done — this book is for you.
My 9-year-old pulled it off the shelf recently when he was having a rough moment, and we talked about how the rabbit is like the Holy Spirit—steady, gentle, comforting, just with us.
If you have a child who feels deeply (or if you do), this one is such a gift.
The Hobbit — by J.R.R. Tolkien
AGES 8-13 YEARS OLD+
My 11-year-old dove into this one after finishing the entire LOTR series on his own… and we even have the Silmarillion waiting for him next. (Oh yes. We are BIG nerds over here. 😂)
He describes The Hobbit as “captivating” — the perfect doorway into Tolkien’s world. If you’ve got an adventurous reader who loves rich stories, this is such a fun family read-aloud or independent read.
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy — by Orson Scott Card
AGES 12 YEARS OLD+
My 13-year-old has been working through this after reading much of the Ender’s Game series (which mixes psychology, biology, and futuristic thought in such a cool way). Card’s writing book is meant for adults, but if you have a budding sci-fi or fantasy writer, this is a fantastic resource.
It’s short, practical, and full of “aha moments” for creative teens.
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