This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: From Overwhelmed to Encouraged with Suzie Lubbers.

From Overwhelmed to Encouraged with Suzie Lubbers

Everyone needs a little encouragement sometimes! That’s why we invited homeschool/life coach Suzie Lubbers to share ways to go from overwhelmed to encouraged. (You can catch Suzie’s interview with Vicki on Near Still Waters podcast.)

About Suzie Lubbers

Suzie is a “graduated homeschool mom”! The youngest of her seven homeschool graduates will be getting married soon. She and her husband live in Ontario, Canada.

Her oldest son has a chromosome disorder. Although he is very high functioning, he experienced challenges with learning.

Then, her last two children were born eleven months apart. With the entire package of seven homeschoolers and some special needs, Suzie noticed that she was becoming worn down. When her youngest two were elementary-aged, Suzie became ill and was bed bound for almost a year.

In working through her illness, she learned to read her own body and care for her needs- even while caring for the family. (As opposed to the “care for family and not myself” mindset that sometimes happens.)

She also adjusted some of her homeschooling methods. It might have been a different type of homeschool than she wanted, but it was realistic for her family. AND it worked! Her children grew up and are living their adult lives!

Suzie’s mission is to help overwhelmed moms find peace in the chaos

Here are some of Suzie’s tips for finding peace and balance:

Learn to read yourself

Suze works with homeschool moms so they can comfortably read themselves and understand if they don’t take care of themselves, it’s going affect their homeschool. We homeschool moms want to take care of everybody and do all of the things, but sometimes we think that requires not paying attention to the signals of our bodies.

After all, our human bodies are human and they don’t last forever. We must take care of them!

Find a moment of relax time

Make sure you have time to relax every day. It can be difficult, but each mom will find that individual time (whether it’s like getting up fifteen minutes earlier or settling the kids for the morning and then trying to take fifteen minutes.

Maybe try some journaling

Suzie highly encourages moms to journal, because journaling helps you express yourself. Simply open a page in the journal.  Then write one whole line every single day. At the end of thirty days, you have thirty entries and it has not taken you more than five minutes!

Organize one thing

Everybody has their own thing when it comes to organizing. However, if you are feeling overwhelmed and unorganized, pick ONE thing and work on a plan to start organizing that one thing. Maybe it means maybe making a meal plan. Or maybe it means take turns with a friend watching the kids so you can organize one room.

But remember: in homeschool life:

You’re not gonna have a Pinterest home!

So manage your expectations. Don’t expect to have a Pinterest home or Pinterest organization in everything!

Remember: relationship over books

Suzie always encourages moms to foster the relationship with their homeschoolers.  It is more important to be concerned about the relationship more than they are about the academics. It is not healthy to think you have to accomplish everything.

An remember:

You are not homeschooling to school like the schools school your kids!

You’re homeschooling to educate in the ways that are best for them. Follow what works for you and your family.

Know when to delegate

If you want something for your homeschoolers that you cannot give them: delegate! Our homeschoolers can have part of their education delegated out: to co-op, umbrella schools, and online courses or online schools (like our friends at FundaFunda Academy). You are doing what is best for them.

Talk to a homeschool coach

Suzie sees herself as a Titus 2 woman (the older women helping train and support younger women). As a certified Christian coach, she works with homeschooling moms who are feeling overwhelmed to get to their place of encouragement. If you are not feeling happy about where you are in your homeschooling journey, talk to Suzie or another homeschool coach. They can help.

In coaching, Suzie helps homeschool moms define what needs to get better and set realistic goals. She meets with her coachees monthly or every other month, according to their needs.

As a coach she also provide homeschool moms with helpful accountability (if they would like to have that kind of support).

With coaching, Suzie’s homeschool moms are going from overwhelmed to encouraged!

Connect with Susie Lubbers:

Website: NearStillWaters.ca

Podcast: Near Still Waters

And thanks to our friend, Teresa Wiedrick of Homeschool Mama Self-Care, who connected us! And to Seth Tillman for editing this podcast episode!

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