When I was young, I remember my mother getting up before daylight, quietly going to the kitchen and making coffee. She would sit at the kitchen table with her coffee, staring out of the back window into the woods, enjoying the silence for a while, before we all woke up. I never understood just how important this time was until I had my own children, and now I appreciate her exasperated look when one of us would wake up early and wander out before daylight!

Here are a few ideas to help you begin taking care of yourself so that you can be your best to take care of your crew:

• Try to get up early in the morning to have some quiet time before everyone wakes up – read the Bible, pray, and listen.
• Keep a journal — write in it every day. Not only does it help you see all that has been accomplished and record the daily happenings — the simple act of journaling provides a constant steady reminder of the passing of time. As homeschoolers, we tend to get wrapped up in marking time by years until graduation, instead of enjoying the value of each and every day.
• Make time to see just how far you have come. Go back through photos from the past occasionally. Look back over goals from years past. See just how far your family has come, and you will also notice some new directions that need to be taken.

When you begin to take care of your needs, your children will learn a valuable lesson — that everyone has needs that are very important. As parents, our needs tend to get pushed to the background and set aside, and this isn’t healthy for the individual or the family.

You know the safety talk that the flight attendants give, just before you take off? They always remind us to fix out own oxygen mask first, then take help a child with theirs, should the oxygen masks come down during the flight. This is so that you are prepared to take care of the child with a clear head and focused thoughts. That same principle applies in many areas of parenting.

As my mom is always reminding me, I will pass her question along to you. My mom is wise. What can you do to carve out a bit of time for yourself?