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Joelle
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| Posted: Aug 01 2006 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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I have been reading and relating to so many of the posts out here and love it! Based on my last post, you can tell that I struggle with this issue: There are so many smallish people in our house that need my physical care and are very busy, busy, busy! Last year, in March (of course), I sent them for the day to the conservative Catholic School (small-multi-aged classrooms-true to the Magisterium), just for the day, to see if it would work for next (now this coming) year. No great revelations-they did o.k. but aren't clamoring to go. We prayed and prayed and have come to the conclusion that we are called to homeschool and we WANT to homeschool.
That said, I feel so busy with "physical care" that school work seems so difficult to fit in. I want to spend time with each of them (9mo, 2,4,6,10), but find my days a whirl of changing diapers, making and cleaning up after meals, cleaning (not even to my lowest standards, mind you) and "putting out fires." All of the extra, hands-on activities seem to be put off and just the nitty-gritty basics for school seem to get done (most of the time). Nothing like I pictured! I pictured the nature walks (which we have to drive to--I live in a neighborhood), cool projects to reinforce what we are reading in history (haha) or working on in math...you get the picture. We did take the summer off, but as the new year approaches, I am feeling overwhelmed as I put together my schedule/curriculum. Are my expectations too high at this point, or is there a secret to homeschooling the larger families that I am unaware of? (I use a combo of CHC, MODG & RC History for history--not regimented, but "gently scheduled"). I would appreciate any advice and or wisdom you would mind sharing! God Bless, Joelle.
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Sarah
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| Posted: Aug 01 2006 at 4:47pm | IP Logged
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Joelle, you and I are in similar boats with my kids being 1 (in 3 days), 3 (yesterday), 7, just barely 5, and just barely 10.
I very often feel as you do and I have learned time and again to "keep your eyes on your own work"--meaning don't compare yourself to other moms or schools, that less is often better than more schoolwork if it means an unhappy home, and that even if you feel they are NOT learning. . .they are.
You sound like you are off to a good start with the "gently scheduled" plan.
I felt overwhelmed here recently as I began to plan, realizing that what I had planned for in the upcoming year was way too much. Aim for the "peg" idea that Elizabeth, Lissa, Leonie, and other moms use to get stuff done. That simply means that you make some basic goals that you want to accomplish this year and "plug" them into certain predictable times of the day. For example, I remember one of the above-mentioned moms saying that she has her kids listen to music during one of the meal times. Another example could be poetry immediately following lunch, or writing immediately following breakfast. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well, maybe someone can help here. . .
I often feel as you do. I was laughing with another hs mom the other day when we were talking about MODG curriculum stating that you should do Latin, because its "ONLY 5 MINUTES." We remarked that NOTHING takes five minutes when you have little ones. First you have to find the book, then you have to find the kid, and just as you begin there is an urgent toilet issue and a diaper diaster, etc. . . I'm sure Latin is good, though, and we'll find a time to do a little vocab. . .hopefully.
Hang in there. . .It will all come together. I worry daily as you do, especially as you start to read people's blogs and feel all thumbs  .
This forum has really helped me. I thank God for the people who made it possible. 
__________________
Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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momwats8
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| Posted: Aug 01 2006 at 6:23pm | IP Logged
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Joelle - it is always hard to homeschool but I find it even more challenging with little ones under foot. I have 8 children - 14, 11, 9, 7 1/2, 6, 4, almost 3 and almost 1 - the first 7 are boys!. The little ones do not understand waiting when they have needs. The more you homeschool the more you find a routine that works sepcifically for your families unique needs. That is why we homeschool.  We have found that for us it helps to be enrolled in Kolbe Academy and to start our day with the older kids rotating between their independant work - spelling, handwriting, etc - and playing with the younger ones. While they do that I work with my younger school aged kids in the morning and the older two in the afternoon. Every day is not perfect but if we have an idea of what we need to do to stay on track it helps.
Keep up the good work and pray for peace. Just remember that you need to answer to your family and not to anyone else.
Hope this helps 
In Christ - Mary
Wife to Mike and Mother to Austin(92), Mikey(95), R.J.(97), Benedict(98), Kolbe(00), Ignatius(02), Christian (03), and Margaret(05).
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LLMom
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| Posted: Aug 02 2006 at 7:20am | IP Logged
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Joelle,
Many of us are right in there with you. I am feeling that way too. I really worry about crying little ones. My two smallest need me so much. Over my years of hs and reading about it, I have come across a few "plan B's" if the original schedule didn't work. Here is one: All of the olders have a list of things you want them to do. You begin your day working with a child who needs help. As you go along, if a baby or toddler needs you and no one else will do, the other kids continue on with their list independently. If they can't do anymore on their own, you have them pick a book (from a box of chose ones you pick up from the library on various subjects--science related, history, biographies, etc) and read or look at them so that they just don't wander off and get sidetracked. Also, since yours are all fairly young, you could have some Montessori type activities out for them to choose if they can no longer work on their own and you are detained with a baby. The other one I heard from Mary Hood, who writes the Relaxed Homeschool and a few other books. She said to have 3 reading times a day, (one with a science related book, one with a historical book and one with a literature book), do a bit of math and the rest is optional if you can't get to it that day. She said she found this works well with the under 12 group. Of course you probably would need laundry, eating and dishes in there as well. I think what she is recommending is to lower our expectations when we have little ones. I am trying to do this. Also, which maybe you do already is have some of your older ones try to play with the little ones while you accomplish something else. I hope some of this helps. I will pray. I know how hard it is.
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
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saintanneshs
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| Posted: Aug 02 2006 at 8:16am | IP Logged
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Hi Joelle,
I, too, know what it is to feel overwhelmed! (Don't we all?) My littles are almost 2, 3, 5 and 6 (new baby coming in mid-school year). So there's lots of physical care going into each day here.
Funny, I just met a mom at the pool this week (who happens to go to our church) and she confided to me that after having her 3 boys (same age as our three) she just couldn't get beyond the physical demands and wondered if she wasn't just "done" having children. She said she couldn't imagine trying to fit homeschooling in but would love to. I told her she didn't have to explain why she wasn't homeschooling (I felt like she thought she should because our pool is filled with great homeschooling families from our church), and I also told her that I knew exactly what she was talking about and it IS a full-time job just mothering so many little ones so she should feel good about her decisions as a mother. (I didn't get the feeling that she wanted homeschooling encouragement, just relief from the pressure she was feeling.) I hope I did the right thing.
I think the ladies here have already given you any suggestions I would have. Pegs are great. They are a work in progress for us.(We do much better without the pressure of a regimented time schedule...too many babies around here for that and no "big helper" or independent workers just yet, although ds6 is getting there-YEA!!!)
Good luck and keep your chin up...the rewards are worth the struggles! 
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Kristine
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Aug 04 2006 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
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Joelle wrote:
| Are my expectations too high at this point, or is there a secret to homeschooling the larger families that I am unaware of? |
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Maybe your goals aren’t too high but your expectations are? Think about what you want and be willing to settle for something less. You don’t have to leave your neighborhood to go on a nature walk. (With the bugs around here, we don’t even have to leave our house!) The house can be “clean enough” if you give yourself a break and think about the average desk in an office.
What I have observed in successful large homeschooled families is that the children are well trained which means that as they grow they have learned how to be helpful and are able to take on responsibility. But you have to work hard to grow those future babysitters. Just yesterday I was starting to see that things are a little easier than they used to be.
Remember Galatians 6:9 “Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest.”
I may only achieve half of what I set out to do, but I just try to plug along and know that if my standards were lower, I would only achieve half of that.
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Dawnie
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| Posted: Aug 04 2006 at 10:48pm | IP Logged
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Joelle,
I noticed that your youngest is only 9 months old. With each of my children, I found that the first year of life was the most demanding, physically. If you're breastfeeding, many 9 month olds still nurse 8 or more times a day. And remember, just breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day, which is the equivalent of swimming laps for an hour! Okay, I'd be pretty worn out if I swam laps for an hour every day, and I'm more tired than usual when I'm nursing a baby.
I have continued nursing each of my children past a year, but I have found that I have more energy and getting more than "the bare minimum" done is a little easier when the baby gets to be 15-18 months old.
I've also come to the conclusion that lots of hands-on projects are unrealistic for me when I have a new little baby. I'm expecting a new baby in November, and although I'm planning some hands-on stuff, it's not stuff that's preparation-heavy on my part.
Another thing I discovered--reading aloud is something I can do a lot of with a baby-in-arms. I'm planning on having a basket full of read-alouds related to our unit studies next to the place I usually nurse. Then, whenever I sit down to nurse (which I'm sure will be upwards of 10 times a day!), I can pick up a book and start reading--that counts as school!
I feel challenged by balancing everyone's needs, too...I know I don't do it perfectly, but I'm getting a little better at keeping priorities in order with each baby.
Hang in there and keep active on this forum--it has been a HUGE help for me as a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Dawn
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Visit my blog!Water Into Wine:Vino Per Tutto!
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Kim F
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| Posted: Aug 05 2006 at 5:56am | IP Logged
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Joelle I have never not homeschooled with little ones so I know well the physical exhaustion inherent with the lifestyle. We added farm work to the mix a few years ago as well. Some ideas that have worked well here are to start with the little ones. If they are unattended then the rest of the day goes poorly and is spent in disaster recovery for me. They get their table time first and when they tire of that they are more content to go play blocks or something nearby while I give the olders intermittent directions in their seatwork. Often they hang out with us and get to do a little bit of what the olders are - playing with a cuisenaire rod during math, scribbling while they write, and so on.
Our projects are usually related to the Sunday readings and household crafts. I really am not happy when I am not making something so that works for me. Really however they need to read, write, and do their arithmatic. Anything else is gravy.
And noone said there was a magic time of day to do all that. When my oldest began schooling we worked on formal schoolwork all of 45min in the evenings while dh bathed the babies. Later we added some time during baby naps (if I hadn't joined them! ; )) Even now, we "peg" schoolwork much like the chores and they fit them in throughout the day when there is a lull in the activity.
I walk the little people through their routines and chores and keep them with me while we clean or cook or change babies etc. I think they have learned more by our random discussions than by *sit down* learning truth be told. Everything takes longer this way but no longer than fixing what unattended little people can manage to do. If you are reading in slower moments and discussing that reading in little bits throughout the other parts of the day you will accomplish more than if you lock yourself into a school mindset.
Don't think you need to do big and difficult things to make an impact. There is plenty of nature learning to be done right in your backyard even in a neighborhood. Surf for backyard science sites. There is likely more by way of inspiration right under your roof. I for one get exhausted by leaving the house and try to do as little leaving as possible. When we have slowed down and looked around we found there were science opportunities in the kitchen, yard, and bathtub, religion through our Sunday mass that could be stretched into the week (see Open Wednesdays online) life skills and crafts related to things we needed at home (small table centerpieces and clothing etc) We needn't go far with a big family!
Kim
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Aug 05 2006 at 6:22am | IP Logged
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Joelle,
I have some of my secrets on my blog recently. I'll hyperlink here (mostly because I really need to run to the grocery store before everyone awakens, so I can't spend a whole lot of time here.) One key for me is to keep them all together as much as possible. I can't juggle much more individual subject matter than math and language arts. Another big key for us is to build much of the preschool through primary years learning into the the environment. The series that starts here show you what I mean.
Another is to work diligently at training the little ones and keep them with you as much as possible. Prevention goes a long way here. Nature study can happen very well in your home or neighborhood. Here's an example of a little study. And here's a great big one. Here's an example in the neighborhood--we never even left the block!
It's a big event when we can do those glorious get away nature days! But they might just be once or twice a year when we have little ones and nursing babies and morning sickness all day long for nine months. 
And on that lovley note, I really must go gag my way through the store.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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