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I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a break this summer! Don’t get me wrong – I love spending time with my kids. I’m so glad we have this homeschool time together. Watching my oldest learn and grow through his kindergarten year has been amazing, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
However.
Kids 24/7/365
Everyone needs a break. I actually had my first honest-to-goodness vacation this year. My first nights away since before my six-year-old was born. It was amazing.
But now I’m back to reality. Our reality is that we don’t live by much family. We don’t have a network of family to babysit. My husband works in a restaurant. If you aren’t familiar with this schedule – basically he could be working all day everyday or all night every night or both. Usually both.
So most days it’s just me and the kids.
But not this summer!
This year my kids are going to camp. It’s a big decision to make – sending your kids to someone else all day. Well, it was a big decision for us.
I do realize that something like 97% of all other kids go to school 180+ days a year. But our kids have never been away that long. We’ve done a bit of preschool – half days and partial weeks, but WOW goodbye from 9 AM to 5 PM five days a week? What ever will I do with myself?
Don’t worry, I’ve got 101 ideas in my back pocket.
It’s funny with homeschoolers, though. I feel like I have to defend my choice to send my kids to camp. Some people homeschool because they would never, under any circumstance, leave their child in the care of another adult.
But their hangups aren’t my hangups. Not that I don’t have hangups. It’s just that the reasons we choose to homeschool don’t have to do with sheltering my kids or mistrusting teachers. I love teachers. I love camp counselors. I love sending my kids to camp.
Grab your sunscreen and a cocktail
with an umbrella. It’s summertime.
Whether you’re sending your kids to camp, getting a babysitter for a night out, hiring a mother’s helper, or dropping them off with family for the week: Let the guilt go!
You now have permission encouragement! Do it. Take a break this summer. Take time off from homeschool. Take time away from your kids. Take some time for you.
101 Reasons to take a break this summer
Reasons a break will be good for you, for your family, for your life. Taking time for a break is not wasting time. It’s a relief from the everyday. Revel in it. Soon it will be back to the grind.
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You’ll have time to do something just for you
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You won’t have to write lesson plans
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You don’t have to make a library list
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You don’t even have to go to the library
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Exhale
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You can step away from the stress being with kids all day can cause
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You can step away from the stress that working and taking care of the kids can cause
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Time to pursue your own interests
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One on one time with younger kids
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One on one time with older kids
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One on one time with your partner
It’s hard to come by! -
Step out of the teacher role
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Step out of the Mom role
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Catch up on Orange is the New Black
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Get into your own summer reading list
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Spend hours pointlessly surfing Facebook without guilt
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Declutter the house
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Clean behind the stove, finally
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Move the furniture around
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Redecorate your office
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Play in your planner
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Create something beautiful
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Shop for something beautiful
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Shop by yourself
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Take as long as you want in the dressing room
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Eat lunch by yourself
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Not share your lunch
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Go to the movies
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Pick which movie you want to see without compromise
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Keep all the popcorn to yourself
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Go to the bathroom in the middle of the movie
without having to take the whole crew along -
Go to the bathroom by yourself
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Have time for all of the well visits you’ve been skipping
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Go to the dentist
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Let your mind rest
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Pick up a hobby you’ve been thinking about
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Catch up at work
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Get ahead at work
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Work without feeling like you should be doing something else
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Take time to plan your upcoming year
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Visit a friend you haven’t seen in a while
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Have a day out with the girls
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Have a day out on your own
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Have a day when you can take your own sweet time and not have to report to anyone, be anywhere, or do anything for anyone else.
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Your kids might want a break, too
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Do something you’ve always wanted to do
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Do something that would even surprise yourself
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The kids can try something new
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They can meet some summer friends
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Explore their own interests independently
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Or watch TV until their eyeballs fall out
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Then they’ll realize they’d rather be doing other things than watching TV until their eyeballs fall out
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You can watch TV until your eyeballs fall out
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Watch a whole season on Netflix in one day. In bed.
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See why everyone is always talking about The Walking Dead
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Watch shows for grown-ups without worrying that a kid is going to come in during a shoot-out
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You’ll have more time to nurture your adult relationships
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Have a park day with your spouse and no kids
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Just relax
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Go back to your yoga class or try it for the first time
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Go swimming without having to monitor children
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Go camping without thinking about where to stash the diapers
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Just hang out with another adult
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Make plans on the spur of the moment
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Cancel plans because you plain don’t wanna
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Have a wild night out
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Have a wild night in
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It’s natural to want a break
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It’s okay to need a little down time
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Change is good
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Have a day that you’re just yourself and not MOM
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Everybody Else is doing it.
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You’ll get that schools-out feeling again
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After a break, you’ll look forward to school being back in again
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There won’t be anyone asking you for snacks today
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You don’t have to share your snack today
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Summertime day drinking.
No judgement. -
Go places you usually
wouldn’t take your kids -
Try a new bar
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Get your nails did
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Get your hair did
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Have a day of pampering rather than a day of Pampers
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Have room to breathe
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Create some space or margin in your routine
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Take time to meditate
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Start a gratitude journal
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Volunteer
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Start a garden
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Pick flowers
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Visit a farmer’s market
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Lay on the beach all day
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Lay on the couch all day
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Write down some goals you’d like to accomplish
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Take time to reflect on your life
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Make a plan to change things that aren’t working
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Do all the little things you don’t usually have time to do
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Do nothing at all and don’t feel bad about it
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Miss your kids
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Look forward to the end of your break
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Look forward to getting back to your regular routine
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Appreciate the life you’ve created
More summer fun & learning from the Resource Room:
Proud to be featured on iHomeschool Network’s 101 Reasons

Ashley helps parents who want to homeschool find the resources they need to successfully teach their children. Ashley is a former teacher, current homeschooler, published author, and designer behind Circle Time with Miss Fox printables as well as the creator of this website, The Homeschool Resource Room.
Woohoo! Enjoy your summer break. We have thought about summer day camps and my kids have participated in a week or a 1/2 day camp here and there but I have never had all three kids in one camp to have time to myself. It just never seems to work out that way.
I hear ya! My daughter is still home with me, but she’s the easy one!!! My 2yo is just in 3 days a week, but WOW is the house quiet when both the boys are gone!
Awesome list! Love these ideas:)
Thank you!