What Homeschooling And Working Looks Like In 2020 (With Abigail Zieger)

Have you ever wondered if you can keep homeschooling and working when life keeps changing? If so, you’ll love this interview with Abigail, working mom of 4. She shares how she’s continued to make it work for her family.

As a busy mom who works full time and homeschools, life is never what you call “boring.” 

In fact, I’ve never had a conversation with another working homeschool mom, where she says, “Gosh, I have all this free time. I’m so bored!!” 

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Homeschooling And Working With Extra Challenges

Am I right? No, our problem is keeping the kids on task, meeting our job demands, and our coffee cups full! 

Homeschooling in 2020 has added an extra challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the “normal” chaos in our lives. That’s right, even for us seasoned homeschoolers, this year has been a challenge. 

I believe in the power of knowing you are not alone. I believe in showing that even when life turns upside-down, you can continue to work and homeschool successfully. 

Interview With Homeschooling And Working Mom Abigail Zeiger 

I’ve often mentioned that one of the struggles of being a working mom who is homeschooling her kids is the feeling of being alone. 

As if you are the only working mom who feels lost, overwhelmed, and struggling with all the changes, and everyone else seems to have it all together. 

I hate that feeling. So, I decided to connect with another working mom, Abigail, and talk about what it “working, homeschooling, and moming” looks like in 2020 for her family.

We are going to talk about what if …
…you have more than 2.5 kids?
…you work outside the home and inside the home?
…you have medical emergencies pop up?
…COVID shuts down your work?

Can you really handle all of this while homeschooling and working?

Let’s find out! You can watch the video, listen to the audio, or read the show notes.

Video Interview With Abigail Zieger

Video not working? Click here to watch on YouTube.

Listen To The Audio:

Show Notes: Homeschooling And Working in 2020

Since I don’t always have time to read or listen, I thought you might enjoy the summary below and direct links to resources we chatted about.

Grab a drink and let’s dig in!

Meet Abigail Zieger

Abigail was a public school kid, turned music educator, turned homeschooling mom of four kids. She worked both outside the home and on her own business as the writer behind Woven Homeschool.

I met Abigail about a year ago. She was one of my first students to go through my Take Charge Of Your Life Mentorship Program. As we worked together each week, I admired how Abigail continued to work hard to practice what she was learning.

Abigail not only writes for her blogs but also has contributed various articles for other websites. 

She’s been homeschooling since the beginning for six years, solidly in the trenches with the littlest one (who joined us for the interview!) coming up the line. 

What Does Working And Homeschooling Look Like For You?

Abigail shared her career background before having kids. She was working 50-60 hours a week at multiple part-time jobs. 

After having kids, she continued to work. While homeschooling, her jobs ranged from 20 hours outside the home while teaching her own private lessons in her own home and juggling performing with her husband doing gigs and community music classes. 

However, in 2020, it looks a lot like “a little bit of this all day long,” she laughs while juggling her youngest and chatting with us. 

I’m sure we can all relate to those days! 

What Does Your Homeschool Schedule Look Like?

From the very beginning of her homeschool journey, Abi has been working. When they started, she had 3 kids, including a 1-month-old daughter, while working outside the home. 

To make it work, she did homeschooling lessons in the morning from 9 am-noon. Then lunch with the kids. 

After lunch, she would rush around prepping dinner, getting changed, and running out the door to teach from 3 pm – to 8 or 9 pm. Rinse and repeat! 

Abigail has shared her more recent homeschool routine here. 

Child Care Options For Working Moms

For working moms who homeschool, child care is always something a challenge.

Here is what worked for Abigail and her family while she was homeschooling and working:

1. Flip flop schedules with her husband, she would leave 15 minutes after he got home
2. Grandparents stepped in to hang out with the kids until her husband got home 
3. When working at home, she would make wise use of screentime and use a baby carrier to strap the baby in while she taught. 

By the way, Abigail recommends the Tula Toddler Carrier and Ergo Carrier for when the kids were smaller. 

Since child-care is one of the first things you need to get sorted out as a working mom, I created a list of solutions for homeschool moms here.

What Is The Best Thing About Working & Homeschooling At The Same Time?

It’s easy to focus on how challenging it can be as a working mom who is also homeschooling. But there are some really great moments too.

Abi said that even though there are challenges to her, one of the best things about being a working mom is having a sense of contribution to herself and her family in various ways.

Her work is very much tied to her passions and who she is. She pointed out the benefit that her kids get to watch her work on personal development and work hard to reach goals. It’s also important that her kids understand that mom sometimes has to go to work and sometimes stay home.

“A mom can look like a lot of different things.”

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge Of Homeschooling And Working?

There are so many challenges to homeschooling and working from scheduling to ensuring your children get enough attention to making sure you stay sane while juggling all these balls.

But the biggest challenge for Abigail is reconciling my “actual life” to my “ideal life.”

We get caught up in thinking that all things need to be equal, but there is nothing wrong with being “all in” for homeschooling and when work picks up, being “all in” there. It’s about finding the rhythm that works for you and your family.

“It’s okay for life to be messy. This is our REAL LIFE!”

Finding the right system, routines, and schedules make things easier, but expect change because you have kids! Kids keep life interesting.

How Do You Juggle Homeschooling Multiple Kids While Working?

Any mom with more than two kids is a superwoman in my book! Abigail has 4 children, so I asked her to share her top keys to working and homeschooling.

She shared this gem: “The more kids you have, the less sense of perfectionism you are able to hold on to.” Hello! LOVE THIS!

She talks about letting go and how important that is as a working mom. We have an idea of what being a parent will look like, but the reality is different.

“Having kids is humbling.”

She also talked a bit about chores, adjusting your expectations, and making the family part of the team.

What Do You Wish You Had Known Earlier In Your Journey?

They say hindsight is 20/20. I love asking other moms to share advice about what they wish they had known earlier in their journey as a working mom who is homeschooling.

Abigail mentioned understanding that she needs to live up to her own standards. She wishes she had stopped worrying about what others think earlier.

She often felt “not enough”. Not stay at home mom enough, career enough, not enough. The main thing is to focus on your family and finding value in your life.

“There are a lot of good ways to be a mom. A lot of good ways to be a good homeschool mom. A lot of good ways to be a working mom. What matters is that it is working for you.“

What Would You Tell A Brand New Working Mom Who Started Homeschooling?

If you are brand new to this working homeschool mom life, this is what Abigail would want you to know.

Don’t try to figure it all out at once. The quickest way to burn out is to try to do “all the things with homeschooling all the time.”

Covid-19 really impacted her homeschool this year. Abi used the first few weeks, trying to find their groove. She found adding work slowly to their homeschool routines best for someone like her, who works at home and controls her work schedule.

However, if you are already working or have little control over your work schedule, she recommends slowly adding homeschooling to your working routines. Adding one subject at a time and taking advantage of the flexibility of homeschooling.

How to Start Homeschooling – Why?

Abigail is a heart centered leader and decided to help new moms who were starting to homeschool due to all the changes in 2020.

She talks about why she decided to create her course, “How to Start Homeschooling” to help moms to stop second-guessing every decision they made.

Her course is designed to help new homeschoolers find answers to questions such as, “How do I make sure I’m doing it legally? How do I pick curricula? What does a normal homeschool day look like? How do I know I’m doing enough? Will I be doing justice to my child’s education?”

Another great resource Abi has for new homeschooling parents called homeschool stories. You can find those here.

How Do You Cope With Medical Issues Or Challenges When They Pop Up?

There is no easy answer, but the beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility.

Abi shared her story of when her daughter and another family member ended up needing medical care. She talks about rolling with it and adjusting even when her income loss is due to Covid’s shutdowns.

Instead of focusing on what she couldn’t control, she worked on what she could do. She had to brainstorm ways to overcome the obstacles that come up.

She said they reduced their homeschool load while her daughter was in the hospital. She took advantage of hands-on learning, documentaries and looked for other ways to fulfill the requirements for homeschooling to help get through those times.

“I had to be honest with myself and my own limitations.”

You Can Work & Homeschool In 2020

For those of us who worked, homeschooled, and survived 2020, we learned the value of rolling with the changes.

As you can see from Abigail, changes are expected, but having a plan and understanding the value of being flexible is the key to working and homeschooling successfully.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might also enjoy checking out how other working moms homeschool.

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