View

Jan 9

If your homeschool routine feels fragile right now, it doesn’t need fixing—it needs simplifying.

January routines work best when they’re light enough to hold but steady enough to return to. You don’t need long days or packed schedules to get back into a rhythm.

Start with predictable mornings, one clear academic focus, and shorter lessons than you think you need. End earlier. Leave space. Let consistency do the heavy lifting.

The goal isn’t a perfect routine.
It’s one that survives real life.

If this week felt uneven, that’s okay. Simple routines have a way of strengthening quietly over time.

#homeschoolroutine #homeschooltips #HomeschoolLife #homeschoolers #homeschoolingfamily

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 8

Open

Slow homeschool doesn’t mean you’re behind.

It means there’s space to understand instead of rush. Space for questions, connections, and learning that actually sticks. Speed can look productive, but depth is what lasts.

January often tempts us to hurry—to catch up, to make up for the break, to prove we’re “on track.” But rigor isn’t measured by how fast you move through a lesson. It’s measured by how well your child understands it.

Going slower right now isn’t a setback.
It’s an investment.

If you’ve been feeling pressure to speed things up, give yourself permission to hold the pace that works for your family.

#HomeschoolLife #homeschoolers #homeschooltips #homeschoolingfamily #homeschoolroutine

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 7

Open

If homeschool feels extra chaotic right now, it’s not your imagination.

January brings new toys, disrupted routines, and a lot of mental noise for kids. That kind of novelty overload makes focus harder—even for children who usually do great.

Distraction doesn’t mean defiance.
It means their brains are still adjusting.

This phase is temporary, and it settles faster when we respond with consistency instead of urgency. You don’t need to clamp down harder—you just need time and a steady rhythm.

If today feels scattered, try one small reset:
clear the table, pick one short lesson, and stop early.

#homeschoolers #homeschooltips #homeschoolingfamily #homeschoolroutine #HomeschoolLife

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 6

Open

January homeschool guilt can be loud.

We took too much time off.
We should be further along.
Everyone else seems back on track already.

But rest didn’t derail your homeschool. It supported it.

Learning doesn’t disappear because you paused. Connection, play, and margin aren’t detours—they’re part of the process. And you don’t need to earn your way back into a routine by rushing or overloading your days.

Homeschooling isn’t measured by how fast you restart after a break. It’s measured by how well your family can return without burning out.

If January feels slower than you expected, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means you’re listening.

#homeschooltips #homeschoolroutine #homeschoolers #homeschoolingfamily #HomeschoolLife

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 5

Open

January has a way of making it feel like you need to start homeschooling from scratch.

New plans. New schedules. New expectations.

But the holidays didn’t erase everything you built last year.
Your kids didn’t forget how to learn.
And you don’t need a full reset to move forward.

Instead of rebuilding, try re-entering.

Pick one anchor to start with—maybe a read-aloud, a math block, or a simple morning routine. Let that settle before adding anything else back in. The rhythm usually returns faster than you expect.

Homeschooling isn’t about how quickly you restart. It’s about creating something that lasts longer than January.

If you’re easing back in this week, you’re doing it right.

#homeschooling #homeschoolroutine #homeschoolrhythm #homeschoolschedule #homeschooltips

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 4

Open

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 3

Open

When kids resist going back to school, it’s easy to assume they’re being difficult.

But more often, they’re just exhausted.

Exhausted from long days, constant expectations, and the pressure to perform on someone else’s timeline. What looks like defiance is often mental and emotional fatigue showing up the only way it knows how.

Learning under stress doesn’t stick.
And pushing harder rarely fixes the root of the problem.

Instead of asking, “How do I get them to push through this?”
It can help to ask, “What about this environment is making it so hard?”

Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do isn’t to change the child—but to change the environment around them.

If you’ve been feeling that tension, give yourself permission to experiment. A slower morning. Fewer demands. A different rhythm. Small shifts can make a big difference.

#homeschooling #homeschoolingfamily #publicschool #schoolchoice #homeschoolers

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 2

Open

Have you ever noticed how your child feels different during Christmas break?

More relaxed.
More rested.
More like themselves.

And then school starts back up… and everything shifts.

That change isn’t random. It’s not laziness. It’s not a sudden attitude problem.

During break, kids get more sleep. Less pressure. Fewer demands to perform all day long. When those pressures are removed, their nervous systems settle—and behavior follows.

So if the transition back to routine feels hard, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with your child. It means they were functioning in an environment that finally let them breathe.

That’s worth paying attention to.

If you’re dreading the return to school this week, you’re not alone. And if you’ve been wondering why this shift feels so heavy every year, there may be more going on than meets the eye.

#childbehavior #nervoussystem #homeschoolingfamily #familylife #parenting

wearethehawleys

View

Jan 1

Open

January always whispers that we should start over.
New plans. New systems. New expectations.

But homeschooling doesn’t really work that way.

Learning didn’t stop on December 31.
Your kids didn’t forget everything over the holidays.
And you don’t need to burn down what worked last year just because the calendar changed.

If you’re feeling the urge to change everything, try this instead:

→ Keep one thing that worked
→ Let go of one thing that didn’t
→ Adjust one small piece that feels heavy

That’s it. One, one, one.

Progress in homeschooling usually comes from refining—not reinventing. From clarity, not pressure. From choosing rhythms your family can actually live inside.

This year, we’re not chasing perfect.
We’re choosing what’s sustainable.

Save this if you’re entering January gently.

#HomeschoolLife #homeschooling #homeschoolers #homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolfamily

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Amazon

Instagram
Facebook
Amazon
Pinterest

wearethehawleys

Family Travel + Lifestyle + Homeschool

Shop Digital Resources
Work With Us
About Chelsea
HOMESCHOOL
TRAVEL
FAMILY

Instagram
Facebook
Amazon
Pinterest

Creative Ways to Use the Wardrobe Bundle for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Novel Study

November 9, 2025

Creative Ways to Use Acrylic Writing Boards with a Charlotte’s Web Novel Study

October 12, 2025

hey friend!

I'm Chelsea! Wife, Mama, Homeschool Teacher, Traveler, and Blogger. Lover of Coffee, Slow Days, Reading, and My Family.

Learn More

Hands-On Activities for a James & The Giant Peach Novel Study

HOMESCHOOL October 8, 2025

James & The Giant Peach Novel Study If you’ve been around here a while, you know I love bringing books to life with hands-on learning. Currently we are reading James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. This classic is…

What Is a Microschool? Should Homeschoolers Join One in 2025?

FAMILY August 6, 2025

Microschools Are Making Waves in 2025 So, what is a microschool anyway? In a nutshell, a microschool is a modern, small-scale learning environment — think of it as a one-room schoolhouse, reimagined for the 21st century. Typically made up of…