Helps for homeschool burnout

A mom on a facebook group posted about feeling burnt out with homeschool and managing a household and meeting the needs of her kids. After I wrote my response, I realized I wanted to save it, so that I can fall back on my own advice when I hit a slump. 

Julie B Beck gave a talk once in our stake and talked about how you can't work all three shifts. You have to take some time off. My first thought was that as a homeschooling mom (I have 9 kids at home, and I'm pregnant) that was impossible. My husband pointed out that if she had told me to do MORE, I would have figured out a way to do it. But, because she told me to do less, I was saying it was impossible. That has been several years ago, but I think of it often when I start feeling overloaded and it is usually because I have been working all shifts, up with a baby or sick kid at night, then doing school, and dinner, and housework. . . . . I've found for us, doing school year round helps because then I can take breaks or even just lighter days when I need. We always take advantage of the good weather in the spring and fall and the kids spend a lot of time playing in the backyard. I also try to ask myself if my discouragement/frustration could be hormonal, nutritional (I tend to become anemic very easy and then I'm tired and annoyed and grumpy), or spiritual. I do a 5 point evaluation on each of my kids regularly where I just ask myself if their needs are being met Physically, Socially, Spiritually, Emotionally, Mentally. I find doing the same for myself helps me figure out what I need. This year we've added a friend day in the afternoon on Tuesday. Kids play while the moms visit. That has also helped me-- at this stage-- because my kids know they have to work really hard on school on M and W and the house has to be clean Tues morning for this to continue. At other stages, it would have stressed me out and not been helpful. Pray, evaluate, and figure out how to take a break. I've found that I can take an occasional break for me from the work of schooling without the kids taking a break. I let them work on websites like prodigymath or sumdog which feel like games, not math. The older kids take a 2-3 days book binge and the preschoolers get an educational movie marathon (Wild Kratts, Magic School Bus, Leap Frog. . . . . ) I may nap, read, clean, . . . . . it doesn't really matter as long as I am getting a break. In the past there have also been times, usually when pregnant or nursing a newborn, that I just hire someone to come do part of the cleaning-- usually bathrooms and mopping, the jobs I hate the most. It's usually about $40 and SO worth it. I also simplify my cooking and only do super easy meals for a while (spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, chicken and rice with precooked chicken, crockpot meals. . . ).