Day 92: Oh, the days leading up to Christmas break have been like torture. Neither of us are enjoying much of anything school-related, except maybe the Advent crafts we are doing. Frustrations are high and patience is VERY low. Note to self: Never EVER evaluate your desire to continue homeschooling right before Christmas break.
Day 93: AND….We’re back! Wow, that two weeks was exactly what Big J and I desperately needed. Even though I am exhausted from being in my third trimester, I have found renewed energy and joy in teaching him. Thank you Jesus! I know sunshine and roses won’t follow us through every single day of the rest of this year, but breaks are truly a gift from God. And Big J received Bananagrams for Christmas, so we’re having fun with some new word games as part of our school day!
Day 100: PARTY TIME! Such excitement around the house today as we celebrated our 100th day of school! We followed our usual morning routine, but the afternoon was reserved for lots of fun activities centering around 100! Big J thought maybe the 100th day meant we were almost done for the year, so I had to break that news to him, but otherwise much fun was had by all! {And I did a little happy dance because I made it through 100 days and I still want to keep going!}
Day 104: The post-break honeymoon has somewhat ended and Big J is needing new forms of motivation. We are now battling the monsters of stalling, whining, and distraction – fun… So behavior goals and rewards are being set for each week and we’ll see how that works. Still trying to figure out exactly what motivates this boy – and the “still trying” part is key! And praying for a revelation in this area!
Day 110: Starting to imagine what in the world homeschool will look like for us once baby arrives. We are due February 28th and I have scheduled a couple of weeks of break around that time. I’m thinking we may ease back into school before that break time is up, though. Lots of reading can be done while snuggling or feeding a baby, right?! I know I can’t predict what any of this will look like, but I am trying to plan ahead some – I bought some new workbooks at the dollar store that the boys can work on “for fun” but still be learning. Big J LOVES word finds and Little J LOVES doing any kind of workbook, so I’m stocked up on both! I guess we’ll just see when baby decides to show up!
I know there are some experienced homeschoolers out there who have gone through the transition of adding a baby in the middle of a school year – any advice?!
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Erin’s writes about life in the crazy {and awesome} world of boys at Home with the Boys. She is the co-founder of The MOB Society.
Hey Erin,
Sorry you are struggling again with J:( Your energy level I am sure is not all there as baby 3.0 is going to be here any day! I had babies 2x over while homeschooling. The first was E when I was teaching J her basic preschool stuff…so it wasn’t very challenging…When I had W, I was teaching K & J it was a bit tricky, but I just had to try to keep a routine….but that was hard most days. I would teach as I nursed…then give them some independent things to work on in between if I had to go change a diaper, lay down the baby, or do another task. Otherwise W (or E) were always there with us as I taught. Thank goodness for bouncy chairs!! It is easy to just say go watch a tv show or go play by yourself, but I just always stressed that school was important. For me…and this is my personal opinion…many don’t share… but for me before we even think accomplishing anything relating to school, it starts with Eph. 6:1 Children obey your parents…. if that isn’t a priority in our kids thought process than nothing will get accomplished. Far too many times I see parents pulling their hair out because that hasn’t been a priority. It is a constant…constant…constant struggle that we work with everyday. Every child is different…I guess I have stressed that so much and J has understood the guarantee that I have with her is that mommy has XYZ that we are going to accomplish today and as promised if we get XYZ done, she will have free time to do as she chooses…if we don’t…I will go all day (we never do…but threats have helped). I guess I am a mean mom…but my kids don’t get many choices when it comes to school…they either do as I say…or well do as I say. Just my two cents…again I know not many agree with that. Oh…I am careful about making things dry…It sounds like you have great curriculum that engages the boys…stick with it.. you will be FINE!! oh and if you need a breather…seriously drop the boys off here for a day or two or three…we would love to have them join in with us…I won’t be mean…I promise:) Can’t wait to meet 3.0!!!
Erin, you will be able to continue homeschooling. I had two, 18 months apart while homeschooling my older children. Take it one day at a time. Take advantage of nap time. If you don’t finish everything you think you should, don’t worry about it! You always have the next day! Read, read and read some more. Reading can take place while your feed your little one. Seriously, just take it one day at a time. Know that having a little one is a learning experience in itself. You will be okay!