I was at our homeschool group park day yesterday and the subject of keeping our house tidy came up. A year ago I probably would have joined the ranks of the "what? your house can actually be clean?" However, now that I am doing daycare, cleaning has become a top priority and in turn my house is cleaner than it has been before(and staying that way!). We get a lot more visitors now, and I know that parents take note of cleanliness.
Another benefit that I noticed that has been a result of doing daycare is that we get outside every single day. I remember those winters where we would feel so cooped up all the time and even the TV was on more than I wanted. Now I have a policy that we go outside every single day (for our sanity along with ensuring a restful nap-time).
Our days are much more organized now, which I finally realized needed to be done after so many months of frustration. In order to meet my goals in homeschooling and daycare, I need to have a plan or it won't work. Therefore, I had to enforce some structure (not just a routine, but structure), which wasn't present in our lives before daycare.
On the other hand, I feel that our homeschooling lifestyle also benefits our daycare in many ways. My 9yo is here all day and he is a great help with the little ones. We also visit the county library along with our charter school's library (which has games and manipulatives along with books/videos) at least weekly. We get out to park days and have fun field trips already set up for us.
Lisa S
KidCare Adventures, CA
