Getting Back on Track?

[HSMom03]

Okay, I was really hoping we would be finishing Unit 15 of BEYOND by tomorrow (Friday 1/8), but it looks like it will be a stretch to even finish up Unit 13 this week. I'm so discouraged and have no energy! Any tips for speeding things up until we get back on track? Just to get ahead a little? Also, I'm a little nervous about running Little Hands, Little Hearts, and Bigger next year... with a toddler in tow! You know, and actually getting it done I'm so tired!

[StephanieU]

How old are your kids? What grade do you consider each of them?
Honestly, I wouldn't speed up the guides now. We have sped up the end of LHFHG with my oldest, but the end was a lot easier to speed up since we were really in a groove then. And it was just so we could be done by a date when we had a "forced" break. I didn't think coming back and finishing 1-2 units was worth it.

[hs.mama07]

Sorry you are low on energy--I sure empathize with that!!! Could we hear a little more about your kids' ages/grades? And in what way are you behind (are you wanting to finish at a certain time, or are you talking more about grade level?)

[MomtoJGJE]

I agree... why do you say you are behind? Is it just that you are a couple of units away from where you thought you'd be by now?

[rumkimom]

It's OK!!! I too sometimes feel like we are behind, but then we get done what we get done! We are unit 13 in LHFHG, unit 12 in Bigger and unit 10 in RtR.

[MelInKansas]

Honestly, I just had a bit of a breakdown and called up a mom I know who also uses HOD, but now has 8 year old through 17 year old so she's out of the little years. Her encouragement to me was to not be too hard on myself about getting EVERYTHING done. Focus on the basics and foundations, especially with the younger ones. Thankfully my kids actually like reading and math, I can't imagine if that was the struggle areas. Anyway, I wanted to just give myself the grace to keep plugging away at it and not stress myself out.

Now I will say for me the keys are 1) a schedule, not to strictly follow by times, but to have a routine so everyone knows what they should do when (if only the baby read the schedule...) 2) I will just finish up the next day what we don't finish in a given day. For quite a while now the pattern has been on days when we have afternoon activities I will be able to finish 2 of my kids' school and one will be unfinished. The unfinished one gets extra time the next day, usually our days out of the house are at least followed by a day at home. On the days we don't have any other activities I can often be still doing some school by 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. I've just had to come to peace with this. Your kids are younger so hopefully you won't have that long of days. My kids really have to get into a pattern of clipping right along when I do work with them (they get breaks as I keep working with the others).

Is there a reason you're not combining the ones that are in back-to-back guides? That would be something else to consider. It really makes a big difference in the younger guides and I can now say from experience that doing Bigger and Preparing Hearts at the same time is a LOT of work and not to be recommended.

I see you will have Little Hands and Little Hearts which aren't necessarily back-to-back if your preschooler is more than one year out from starting LHFHG. We tend to take our slow and easy way through Little Hands to cover those two years of preschool.

[my3sons]

I had to smile empathetically when I read your "I'm so tired" comment - it is a universal comment I hear from every mom I know - whether they homeschool or not, it seems. However, the 'tired' takes different forms in different stages of mommyhood, or at least it has for me. My mom has often said to me "This too shall pass, and when it does, a part of you will long for it back." In my mid-40s now and approaching 50 yo, I see the depth of this insight she shared. We had a homeschool gal come to watch our dc 2 afternoons a week for about 8 years, and that homeschool gal is now married with her first baby. I just spent 30 minutes after church holding her little baby thinking how much I miss holding a little one in my arms - she was precious - my dh and kids were waiting in the car, but oh, there was just something so precious about holding a beautiful, little baby in my arms. Her mommy looked exhausted and had not slept for a very long time. I remember that. I miss the little babies though - so precious. The toddlers are tougher than the babies, IMO. They are EVERYWHERE! They are forever busy, quite noisy, and not prone to do what they are told. I don't have any toddlers anymore, and just the other day my dh and I were saying how much we miss the laughter little toddlers bring to the home - such noise, such joy, such energy, such unexpected laughter - such exhaustion too though, as we run after them.

The youngest guide I am teaching right now is Bigger Hearts for His Glory. I am loving teaching this guide this 3rd time!!! It is my last time to teach it, and I am determined to hold onto this time and make as many memories as I can, because having an almost 13 yo and a 16 yo, I know it won't be long until all of my dc are grown, until our house is quite in order, until I have time to bake and attend that Bible study I've wanted to attend forever, until I have time to actually talk to my dh, until I have time to maybe join a gym, run a half-marathon, vacation somewhere warm when it's freezing cold winter here... but it also won't be long until the house is very very quiet, until I don't hear the pitter-patter of feet up and down the stairs, until there are no more of my children's birthday parties to plan for, until there are no more mornings to have those heartfelt discussions I get to have with them in HOD, until there are no more times to cuddle up and read on the couch, until there are just 2 plates to set on the table for meals... and then I'm sad and I don't wish these years, this particular stage away. So, my dear, this too shall pass, but when it does, a part of you will long for it back! That's the heart of the matter, and I guess this Sunday it was on my heart to share. Thanks for letting me!

The practicality of the matter is that maybe you don't need to have 3 dc doing 3 guides, and of that I am not sure and would love to ask you some questions. First off, could you please share the ages of your dc? Are they well-placed? Also, could you please share the overall flow of your day - do you have some type of routine/schedule in place, or not so much? What seems to be the big stressors? Many times I have found that the stressors aren't school-related surprisingly, they are house-related (when to do laundry???), errand-related (when to go to the dentist???), food-related (what to make for lunch??? when to get groceries???), interruption-related (the phone rings off the hook- the doorbell brings someone new every hour), baby-toddler-related (what to do with the toddler when trying to homeschool???), etc. Anyway, we would all love to help, but more information please, and then we will be brimming with ideas!!! Looking forward to hearing more about your dc and your days, and looking forward to brainstorming together!

In Christ,
Julie