The First 90 Days in a New Town: A Christian Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Starting Fresh

Moving can feel like your life is in cardboard boxes, or in our case, suitcases & a cargo ship in the Pacific.

You may know where the new grocery store is and where the kids will sleep, but you don’t know where you will go to church or where the best park is.

You don’t know another homeschool family or which roads to avoid, yet.

Creating a cozy home isn’t just about unpacking boxes; it’s about planting roots and finding new rhythms and routines in your new place.

Take a breath, mama; the good news is you don’t have to figure it all out in a week!

Instead, focus on a few key things in the first 90 days. These first few months will help you find a new foundation for your family’s next season.

We’re following this first 90-day guide from our recent move from Hawaii to Texas. This is our 3rd really big move in the last 3.5 years, and I wanted to be really intentional about planting roots and building a community this time around.

In the remote area of Hawaii where we lived, we didn’t have much of a community, church, or even a grocery store! I wrote a little about homeschooling with no community; if that happens to be the season you’re in, be sure to give it a read!

Let’s jump into this first 90-day guide for living in a new town:

Week One

Make your house feel like a home.

Don’t prioritize unpacking every box; focus on the essentials first.

• Make each kid’s bed
• Set up one cozy area of your home your family can relax in
• Hang one family photo
• Light a candle
• Cook one favorite family meal
• Focus on read-alouds

Your children don’t need perfection in this season; they need familiarity.

Learn your daily places.

Find:

• Go-to grocery store
• Pharmacy
• Favorite coffee shop
• Library
• Closest playground

These little places quickly become part of your family’s rhythm.

Pray over your neighborhood

• Take a family walk
• Pray for your neighbors (and perhaps introduce yourselves)
• Pray for friendships
• Pray for your children’s future friends
• Pray for your church

Month One

Instead of trying to do everything, focus on one thing from each category.

Faith

• Visit churches
• Find a local women’s group (ideally through church)

Community

• Join homeschool Facebook groups local to your area
• Research co-op options (if that’s something you’re open to)

Explore

• Visit local parks
• Find a favorite walking trail (for you and the family)

Practical

• Get library cards
• Locate your closest medical center or urgent care (we experienced this first-hand when we had to take our middle child to get staples in the first week we moved 😒)
• Get family established with medical care (family Doctor, Dentist, Specialists you may need)

Month Two

Spend this month finding connections wherever you can.

Visit

• Homeschool park day/Nature meetup
• Library program
• Gardening workshop
• 4-H meeting (if applicable to your area and interests)
• Local farmers market
• Sports/activties based on your kids’ interests

Don’t feel pressured to make best friends; just become familiar. If you hit it off with someone (or more likely, your kids do), ask for their number, or ask if they have a place they visit weekly where you can meet up.

Month Three

Spend time this month planting roots and finding your people.

• Invite another family over
• Host a simple pizza and s’mores night
• Choose a Saturday family tradition (we love Saturday morning donuts)
• Find a place to volunteer/serve
• Celebrate your first local holiday (depending on the season you move in, visiting a pumpkin patch or Christmas market would be perfect)

This is when your new town really starts to feel like home.

Final Encouragement

The goal isn’t to recreate your old life, though you can absolutely enjoy the same hobbies and activities.

The goal is to faithfully build your next season little by little.

One walk. One church service. One meal. One friendship. One tradition at a time.

God often builds a meaningful home in the ordinary moments.

While often exciting, moving can be a particularly difficult season, with disruptions to schedules, new financial pressures, and feelings of loneliness. If homeschooling during this season feels impossible, don’t be discouraged! It’s temporary and can be a time of rest and recharge. I wrote some tips for homeschooling through difficult seasons here.

For a visual and practical reminder of these first 90 days, get the free checklist below! This is a wonderful way to help anchor yoru family in this new place – hang it on your fridge and rejoice as you check the boxes off together! (Reminder: this isn’t another to-do list; it’s a soft guide to give you some direction and clarity in this new season and new town).

If you’d like more help intentionally building a new rhythm in your home, our peaceful home rhythm bundle is a great way to find your weekly and daily anchors while adding in time for rest and homeschool. Read more about how to create a peaceful home rhythm here.

In the journey with you,

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