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Maggie
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| Posted: July 28 2009 at 9:40pm | IP Logged
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Hi Moms~
I think I am setting the bar waaaaaaayyyyy to high.
I have a 4yo and 2yo. Yes, I need not stress about anything...but I do.
I love gleaning information on the site, but then I feel like I have so many holes in my day. I do not have circle time, or toddler work boxes, or music time, (or even a set story time)...we don't have much rhythm to the day and take each day, one at a time.
I have tried waking before my children, but I am savoring cuddling with my 2yo in bed in the am...and sometimes when I am squished between him and my 4yo, it makes the morning that much sweeter...
But then, I do feel behind...showering and praying that no one breaks their neck, cleaning spill after spill, disciplining, regular chores...and then, oh my...it's lunch time! And then naptime/quiet time, books, play, and dinner...and if I throw in errands, drs appts, etc...then my whole day is gone.
I feel like so many moms have made home schooling their way of life--that their day is literally, every hour, centered around home schooling/or even just the edification of their children, albeit fun...and that I need to as well...but when? Should I be praying for this grace? Or am I thinking way too far ahead...
Does this make sense?
Yup. Type A personality here.
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Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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lovebeingamom
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 9:13am | IP Logged
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I am excited to see what others have to say to your situation .... I am in the same exact situation!!!!! Reading your post was like reading about my life.
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 12:45pm | IP Logged
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Well, I think things are different when all of the children are under school age. Really, you don't want the day to "look like" homeschooling all day long, because they are too young, and a good homeschool is more about HOME than about SCHOOL.
I wonder if a daily rhythm that focuses on normal parts your day would help you feel less behind. I wish I had my Kindergarten with Your 3-6 Year Old book, because Donna has a really peaceful daily rhythm for a mother of a preschool/kinder- age child and a baby in there. I lent it out though, so I'll just try to sum up what she emphasizes.
It might be helpful (and I don't mean to sound bossy or know-it-allish here, so please excuse me if I do!) to peg your days around regular mealtimes/housework. Not a stick-to-the-clock kind of schedule, but more free-flowing. Things get done in a certain order, but not necessarily at the same time every day.
For example:
~Cuddle in bed and rise with the children.
~Prepare and eat breakfast together.
~Shower yourself and get the kids dressed for the day (kids look at books/color/play with cars, etc on the bathroom floor or somewhere else "safe" while you shower)
~4 yo helps you make the beds, do a quick tidy in the kitchen
~playtime/outisde play/go for a walk (any of these)
~prepare lunch (4 yo might like to help with this) and share the meal together
~read alouds/ quiet time
~share a snack and clean it up together
~playtime/go outside/go for a walk/run errands
~quick tidy (everyone helps as they are able)
~dinner preparations (maybe have a special activity for just this time, like play dough or a video, so that you can focus on getting dinner prepared)
~clean up and family time
~baths and bedtime rituals
This is just an example, of course- the one Donna lays out in her book is far lovelier. That book is a wonderful resource for learning how to structure your day/activities/rhythms for young children. I love it and go back to it several times each year.
I do think it's helpful for children to know what's coming next- it's comforting and secure for them. But at the same time, having a schedule that's too rigid will only make you feel more frustrated and behind.
It will morph as your children grow- I'm surprised at how different our daily rhthym looks now, with a 2nd grader, Kindergartener, and preschooler, than it did 2 years ago (with a Kindergartner, a 3 and 1 year old). So don't worry too much about what your day will look like a few years from now. Just figure out a good happy rhtythm that feels good and peaceful to you, and then go about your day with confidence, knowing that your calm and loving presence is the best gift you can give your child at this age!
Hugs to you!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 1:36pm | IP Logged
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Try and remember that education is not limited to acedemics.. they're learning from your example every bit of the day.. they see how you interact with people on errands and appointments, they're learning to take care of the messes they make when you help them clean up those spills.. basically, everything you listed up there is a learning experience and it shouldn't be short changed just because it's not acedemics. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
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Ditto to what the other ladies say. Cause they are learning from real life..use those 'teachable moments' (I just had one when my oldest dd asked me about s*x change operations--not in so many words, but oh my goodness--and she's only 9...  ).
Obviously, they aren't going to be so shocking and startling. LOL. But you can teach in the produce department, while folding laundry, while sweeping the floor, while scrubbing a toilet while they are in the tub. Learning while living, or living while learning--I'm not sure which way it 'ought' to go--or does it really matter?
HTH (cause I've btdt, and I've been haunting the homeschooling boards for evvverrrrrr...since about the time my oldest was the age of your oldest...)
Prayer, prayer, and more prayer.
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Home schooling as a way of life?
