Making Time For Yourself
As mothers we are at our best when we make space for own born-personhood.
As I scrambled out of the house to make my way to the library this week, I considered how difficult a task it is for moms to make and hold space for themselves. On Friday mornings I meet with a lovely group of ladies from The Collective for our weekly Bronte Room Zoom session. An hour set aside every week to do something for ourselves. Some women write, others journal, read, craft, or paint. I write this missives to you, dear reader. It is inspiring to spend this small part of week alongside other mothers who are prioritizing themselves.
As mothers, and most of us home educators, we spend the majority of our week giving of ourselves to our children. Moving through our days prioritizing others’ needs and souls. Which is a sacrificial act that mirrors the love of God in Jesus made flesh and then broken for us.
Mothers are truly changing the world one snack, one read aloud, and one hug at a time.
I am in awe of the mothers in my life.
However, in all of that sacrifice it can be easy to forget that we are all image bearers, made to create, with souls that also need tending. It is important that we learn to prioritize ourselves in the movement of our days.
This can be as simple as enjoying your drink of choice while it is warm, taking a few moments to move into Incarnational Mindfulness or a broader practice of a morning quiet time and/or an afternoon one woman tea time.
Every day I try to spend two chunks of time devoted to my own education and fulfillment as a born person. This means that other things do not get done in my home - toddler messes abound, fancy snacks and activities aren’t being organized daily, and my children do not participate in many out of the house activities.
Most mornings I wake before my kids. This is an intentional effort that starts the day before by ensuring that supper is planned and served on time and that I am in bed with a book early enough. I am not perfect at this, but I have been making a concentrated effort in the last few months to wake before my toddler. I have a tendency to want to stay up late and it's one that I have had to reign in over the years. As I know that my late evenings are not as fruit-producing as my early mornings.
Every afternoon, while the toddler naps, my big kids and I have individual quiet times. This can last up to 3 hours in our house. I spend this time working out, lesson planning/researching/documenting, attending webinars for The Collective, and having a one woman tea time. During this tea time I light a beeswax candle, make myself a cup of tea, a protein rich snack and then head to the couch with a stack of nonfiction books and my commonplace book.
Meanwhile, my older three kids finish their independent work, read in their rooms and play outside. This is the block of time where they can spend time pursuing their own interests and it is integral for the success of our homeschool.
Let me know in the comments or by replying to the Substack email if you would like to hear more about either of these times that I set aside for my own personal development.