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vmalott
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| Posted: Dec 31 2007 at 7:14am | IP Logged
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Hi ladies,
I'm curious how you handle schooling during the initial postpartum period. Do you take a certain amount of time off? Do you plan ahead of time to make sure some amount of schooling gets done on a daily basis? Please share.
I have roughly two weeks left in this pregnancy, and although I have several weeks' worth of school plans typed up for the kids (they have assignment sheets each week, outling what needs to be done), I'm finding myself not wanting to have them do much of anything. 
My initial plan was to have taken two weeks off for Christmas, which was supposed to have been last week and this week, but wound up being last week and the week before! Then I was going to have them do a couple more weeks' worth, or follow the plan until the baby's arrival, taking more time off following the birth.
However, I'm not fond of the idea of starting back up this week and then stopping again once the baby is born. I'm also not fond of the idea of them not doing anything and driving me somewhat crazy during these last weeks! 
Any ideas? I thought I had it all figured out!
Valerie
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Valerie
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Maryan
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| Posted: Dec 31 2007 at 7:59am | IP Logged
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No ideas here Valerie... but I'll be reading with interest!!
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Maryan
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Bridget
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My children seem to need some structure from me right away. The first or second day home I have them bring their work to where ever I am, the couch or bed.
It's usually a bit abbreviated. We may just do a grammar page and read aloud. But anything I do for about an hour gives them the 'mom structure' they need. Keeps their brains engaged. 
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Rachel May
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Last time we took a couple of weeks off, which I was planning to do this time too. I think it will depend if family is here to help. Guests make schoolwork a challenge, but if no one is here to help, I think they will need something like Bridget suggests.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Dec 31 2007 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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Watching this with much interest too!! I need to be very frugal about the days I take off because I had to start almost a month late since I was so sick.
I want to try to provide some relaxed structure - the kids always seem to need that when a new baby arrives as Bridget pointed out. But, when family descends it just seems to turn into a free-for-all and routine and discipline spiral out of control. Oh well...that's another thread. 
Very interested to hear more ideas for your postpartum days - the ones that can count as a legal day of school. 
Do you plan ahead a lot on paper for each child? I haven't been good at all at planning this year - feels like I'm always a step or two behind. It's probably time to get motivated huh?
Do you set out special (non-Mommy-involved) projects?
Do you resort to judicious use of nature programs, etc?
Can't wait to hear your ideas!
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Lisbet
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We only took a day or two off after MB was born. I know from experience that it is much more difficult to 'school' when baby is older than when he is newborn. My kids also get very fidgety if we take too much time off. They day after Mark was born my husband took care of math, grammer, and music, then they each came upstairs to me for religion, spelling, and writing. So while I didn't plan any elaborate projects, we stuck with the basics.
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KellyJ
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Lisbet wrote:
| I know from experience that it is much more difficult to 'school' when baby is older than when he is newborn. |
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I agree with Lisa. We might take the remainder of the week off, but we try to get back mostly on schedule pretty quickly.
At a minimum, I'd identify my longer-term goals (When do we want to be finished? When can we be reasonably finished for the school year?), then prioritize the work and determine which subjects must be done.
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JenniferS
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When our two year old was born, we just kept plugging along**BUT**my mom stays with the kids while I am in the hospital. She is a former school teacher. She felt it was easier for her to handle the kids if she just kept them right on task. AND that was two years ago when my mom's health was better. I'm not sure how it will go this time. I do know that my kids deal better when we keep things as close to our regular routine as possible at first. If dh's sister helps out with kids, she feels the sam eas my mom, so we will probably just keep plugging along as much as possible.
Jen
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amyable
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KellyJ wrote:
Lisbet wrote:
| I know from experience that it is much more difficult to 'school' when baby is older than when he is newborn. |
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I agree with Lisa. We might take the remainder of the week off, but we try to get back mostly on schedule pretty quickly. |
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That was our goal, and in general I agree, however this time I spent most of every day for the first two months yelling, "What?? I can't hear you!" over the babies colicky screaming. ( I can only laugh now that it's mostly over, LOL) Needless to say we haven't gotten much done, despite the best of intentions.
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aussieannie
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vmalott wrote:
| I'm also not fond of the idea of them not doing anything and driving me somewhat crazy during these last weeks! |
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I have to laugh Valerie, my sediments EXACTLY!
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vmalott
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Thanks for the input, ladies...it gives me some more to think of. I am definitely sure they need daily math and language. The oldest two, who are working on the same math, are approaching a topic they're struggling with, so I hope to get at least a little of it under their belts before little man is born.
We've more or less bailed on the science plans I had pulled together (which I'm fine with). I'm thinking the annual bird feeder watch might be a suitable replacement.
History is what I'm hesitant on. I suppose I could scale the plans back to be really relaxed, relying on reading aloud and the planned videos from Netflix.  I'm probably fretting over nothing, since we're ahead of where I thought we'd be when I first laid out the plans.
And when the school-year ends is rather important, since our spring and summer is filled with travel baseball. We'll be heading to Nashville, TN in March, then to somewhere in GA, then IN. I've just got to figure what we can do easily on the road, with a baby in tow.
Keep the ideas coming!
Valerie
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Valerie
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Helen
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I don't know if this is any help to you Valerie, but this year during my pregnancy (in which I've been sick almost every day), to continue schooling, I've had the children use backpacks. Math workbooks, pencils, reading materials, even art projects are stored in the backpack. Memory work is in a plastic file card holder.
This way if I'm having a school from bed day, they bring their backpacks to me while I remain in bed. If it's a better day, I'm on the couch. The best day - I make it all the way to the table!
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Macmom
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I am 3 weeks post-partum, and if I didn't have some work for the kids to do (both schoolwork and housework) to keep them busy, I would go NUTS!!!
Having some good Netflix on hand is also a good idea. We are watching Meerkat Manor and Mythbusters right now! Also, arrange for some fun things to look forward to with Dad taking them out to the park, or a movie, or a friend's house. Just some activity that can be held over their heads... "If you can't behave, we won't go do XYZ."
But, for Pete's sake, give the little darlings some structure or they will drive you crazy.... and you're sleep deprived, anyway!
My 8 are already back to schoolwork. :-)
Peace,
Macmom
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vmalott
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Just wanted to bump this up, as I draw closer to my due date.
We started back up w/school yesterday and in the afternoon went ahead and completed 4 weeks' worth of assignment sheets for the 3 oldest children. We've been using the assignment sheets all along, though I usually type them up on Fridays and fill their work folders w/copies in preparation for the following week.
I made copies of worksheets they'll need for 4 weeks (mostly math) and printed out their assignment sheets, placing all of it in a binder for easy access. I also forged ahead and updated our Netflix queue so we'll have a ready supply of educational and entertaining videos for the next few weeks.
Oh, and while we'll stick w/our history read alouds and assigned readings, I've decided to forgo assigning specific page numbers so we'll just be aiming for finishing a certain topic or amount by the end of the month. That way, if we're having a 'bad' day, we can just go ahead and pick up where we left off. So, we're pretty much set to just "do the next thing" and it's a big relief to me to have this in place.
And the biggest deal of all...we had a break through with the math topic the 2 oldest were struggling with yesterday, so I won't have to worry about dealing with that.
Since we started homeschooling, I've given birth twice. Once was in the summer and once was at the end of November during one of our unschooling seasons, so I didn't stress over any of this. Now that we're taking a more structured (though still relaxed) approach, I was starting to feel guilty about not wanting to do anything, but certainly not enough to revert to unschooling again. Funny how things change!
Valerie
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Valerie
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jdostalik
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Valerie,
Congratulations on getting so organized before your little one arrives. I am in awe! I am feeling a bit of the February blahs a month early and my baby is about to turn one, so no excuses for me! Prayers for a beautiful babymoon for you!
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Jennifer in TX
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marianne
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Yes, I take time off. Usually, I plan ahead so that I have the luxury to take a month or so off. Last baby was born on 11/28 or '06, and we were just DONE until the new year; however, I started early that fall, like at the end of July.
If I were you, I'd keep doing school until the baby comes, but keep it easy and relaxing. For us, without school and structure to our day, things fall apart. It also helps keep your mind off of the wait!
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teachingmyown
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Marianne,
I am so glad you posted! I was starting to really feel like a slacker here. We take off at least a couple of weeks after a baby. Seth will be three weeks tomorrow and we are just getting back to the basics, math and religion. My kids will read on their own several hours a day, so it's not like we are just staring at the tv or something.
It is all I can do to keep them fed and clean at this point!
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vmalott
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Molly,
Ah, but see, your 3 weeks coincided so very nicely with Christmas. I took those same 3 weeks off because...well, because I'm tired, pregnant, and it was Christmas time.
If we didn't have travel baseball looming in the near future (March), I'd feel more comfortable taking a little time off following the birth. At least this way we can go on autopilot for a bit, plowing through the basics.
The kids are remarkable a LOT less argumentative when they have that routine of doing some work in the morning, followed by their usual free time.
Valerie
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Valerie
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Nina Murphy
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Just seeing this Valerie. Such a good question.
I prefer being so relaxed that I can take an indefinite amount of time off without pressure. But invariably, as others have mentioned: my kids go looney tunes without some sort of schedule. It is so hard on them when mom is moving in slow-motion or just staying in bed. Even my older ones get stressed. (Having a small house doesn't help.)
But, having said that, I think this time I will really not try to get things up and moving. I think I will ask my 9 yr. old and almost 7 yr. old to just work on their A Beka Math Workbooks and Seton Handwriting, Reading Comp. (mostly about Bible or Saint stories and Religion (pretty self-correcting); and read to the little boys. And let them play educational computer (which they don't always get to do); watch Little Einsteins and Electric Company (among others); and just play.
They will probably not be "ready" for the next level come Fall. Who am I kidding? They have gotten very little formal schooling this year. But I trust they will "catch up" in due time. And I have to just relax about it. I feel too old and have too many... to worry too much. I really pray and ask Our Lady to fill in the blanks and ask God to have Mercy that they will be sufficiently prepared in His time for what He calls them to! We have to let so much go! Sometimes it just is too much of a burden----! But I hope things go smoothly post-partum and I miraculously have the easiest baby and recovery ever. (Laughing.)
But I know, it's NOT easy. I like control and order. So: pray for me! And I'll pray for you. It helps to know we are not in this alone.
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~~Nina
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graciefaith
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We began a few days after i got back from the hospital. We continued for maybe a month til my family came to visit. We took off for that and then schooled for 2wks and then took off for the holidays. I didnt do a whole a lot though. We did a lot of review for the 3R's during that time and focused on the holidays with small unit studies.
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Topic: Postpartum schooling
