Advice and Encouragement Needed

[scampbell2003]

Okay Ladies I just found out we are expecting baby #4 in March. I am already not feeling that well. I will be homeschooling for the first time with HOD and homeschooling two kids for the first time. I can't tell you how excited I am and how much I love being home with my kiddos

How do you get through a homeschooling day when you are pregnant and not feeling well? I also have a busy 19 month old. I have a schedule for him which will probably not work as he has decided of recent that he can not be contained I feel like I am almost back at square one with my schedule time with the toddler except for when he is playing with the older two.

I know a lot of you have toddlers and babies and/or are pregnant as well. What are your tips?

We are already involved in Bible Quiz team which I coached last year and was planning on doing again. I was also planning on joining a co-op 2 Fridays a month and the kids have gymnastics 1 day a week. I was already thinking this is going to be to much but really thinking it will be great for my kids as well. Memorizing scripture, meeting with like-minded families, and physical activity once a week for the older two. Now we are adding a pregnancy and then a baby. Am I crazy? Praying for the Lord's direction.

So glad the Lord lead me to HOD! The kids and I are so excited to start!

[blessedmomof4]

First of all, congratulations! I am also expecting a little one, and have only now at 22 1/2 weeks gotten over the fatigue (morning sickness was over around week 15). My best advice to you is listen to your body-if you are not feeling well, you need to take it easy and give yourself plenty of grace. As a homeschooler, your schedule is your own-many states require only about 180 days per year of instruction and you have 365 days to do that Now is a good time to enlist the aid of your older kiddos and train them to be momma's special helpers. Your 8 and 6 year olds can really be encouraged at this time to step up, keep taking turns with your toddler, and learn new household chores. As for outside activities, see how it goes, and if it ever gets to be too much, don't feel bad about having to drop something. Lastly, since your kiddos are on the fairly young side, get a trusted babysitter/relative/friend to give you a break once in a while. While I was in my first trimester, I was good for nothing without a daily nap-my kiddos are older than yours, so I didn't need someone to watch them, but you may need that kind of help. Most of all, don't stress the schooling-you need to take care of yourself and your growing baby first and foremost-don't wear yourself out

[abrightmom]

Samantha,

Congrats on the new babe and on embarking on a homeschooling journey. You are encountering some twists and turns right out of the gate.

If I was pregnant with my 4th right now I'd cancel EVERYTHING happening outside the home for this season because the first trimester is utterly miserable. I simply CANNOT be on the go and whatever shred of energy I might have MUST be funneled into the home. Mostly, I just languish and beg for relief while the kids run amok. I did do some minimal homeschooling from the sofa when I was pregnant with my 4th. I only had 1 student then and he was in first grade. We did the bare minimum. He is doing great today (rising 4th grader).

You and your husband will have to decide what is best regarding your "outside the home" time and it will likely be based upon how you feel in early pregnancy. You are not obligated to do any of those things. Perhaps they can be postponed until you are feeling well again.

Toddler training (and survival ) will be a big part of your day. Homeschooling with toddlers is a joyful, loud, unpredictable time. I often did our school time at his nap and it was heavenly. If YOU don't need to nap when he does (and you probably will) you could schedule the focused part of the school day for that time (i.e. math, phonics, storytime). Another option is to start school after you've made it thru the exhausting early weeks of your pregnancy. It really depends upon how sick and tired you are in your pregnancy and what you can personally handle. I could do NOTHING but survive until 15 or 16 weeks.

May the Lord bless you and pour out His grace on you during this time! Pray, talk with DH, and be willing to make the best decision for this season of life. The mind of man plans his way but the LORD directs his steps. Sometimes we have to be willing to forego the good things to make way for the best. In this season you may have to forego desired activities in order to rest in your pregnancy. I'll say a prayer for you today that God will grant you wisdom in these decisions.

[scampbell2003]

Thank you Lourdes and Katrina for the encouragement and advice. I really appreciate it! I will talk with hubby about what we are going to be involved in this year. Usually he says to do what I think is best but maybe he will give an opinion. My schedule is from 8:30 till about 2pm. That includes snack, lunchtime, and recess, as well as Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts. Does that sound about right with having a toddler around as well?

[Kathleen]

Congratulations Samantha!

Welcome to HOD! I'm with you - I LOVE being able to be at home with my kids, and we love our days spent homeschooling with HOD. You're in for some great fun and learning and growing over the year! I know that I was especially thankful for the fact that the HOD guides are open-and-go during the early months of pregnancy. If you read through the introduction, you're good to go. You can just open the guide and enjoy your time with your kiddos every day. I do have to say that I personally love our homeschool days much more when I'm feeling energetic and nausea-free. But, I found that it was still enjoyable even during that time. I also found that continuing on with our homeschooling was better for me and the kids (even if I wasn't feeling great), because the other choice was me laying around and them being left to do whatever. And, "whatever" usually means watching TV or jumping off beds or arguing or something else that is going to make me feel much more crazy than continuing on with school and having a productive morning with some routine.

I also wouldn't be too scared of outside activities either. I guess it depends on how overwhelmed you're feeling. If YOU think it's too much, then let something go. If not, they could actually be helpful. I know in my early days of homeschooling (Grant was 7, Allison was 3, and Garret was 1) I really enjoyed our times out of the house, too. I found this to be especially true when I wasn't feeling the greatest during early pregnancy - maybe because it took my mind off it?? I was actually pregnant for 4 springs in a row (and miscarried the 1st 2 towards the end of the 1st trimester, but had all the morning sickness that comes with a normal pregnancy first). How do you feel about the activities you have planned? Are you planning them because you feel like the kids need them and you'll be letting them down if you don't (but personally dreading them)? If that's the case - drop them. The kids will be a-ok and better off with a mom who's not stressed. But, if it's things you're looking forward to, and you'll be getting some other mom interaction while you're out, you might come away feeling more refreshed than stressed - so feel free to hang on to those activities. I personally am at a point in our lives right now where I love to stay at home and we don't have regular committments outside the house (except on Sundays for church and AWANA). But, we used to have a homeschool group that we got together with weekly and a ballet class (for Allison) and it was worth the effort to go. The kids and I all loved it! For us, our committment to homeschooling comes 1st on the responsibility list. So, if something is getting in the way of being able to do that completely and happily, it has to go. Those "extras" are extra. But, if it's something that refreshes me and is enjoyable for all of us, we add it in for seasons in our lives when it works. (And, yes, I have learned this by being over-committed at times and realizing it makes me a stressed, snappy Mom.)

You are in for a great journey with your kids!
Kathleen

[spidermansmum]

Hi Samantha
Congratulations.
My first Trimester is always the toughest for me .I struggled to summon the energy to push the hoover round.I scrapped all but one outside activity[plus church].I was just soo tired .I started naptime [ my youngest is 5 ] because I needed the nap.They listened to stories on CD or on the computer.
I am not sure how we will cope with a newborn, whilst homeschooling a 5 yr old,a 9 yr old and a 16 yr old.Mostly I feel that I should focus on today .Today has enough trobles of it own and I should not worry about tomorrow.

[HollyS]

Congrats! These are pretty simple, but here are some ideas:

Cut back on clutter in the house...if it isn't there, you don't have to pick it up!

Also, I love to use the crockpot for dinner...I have "morning sickness" in the evenings, so it would be a big help to have dinner prepared when I felt better earlier in the day. After your baby is born, it will help to fix dinner while they are napping (mine were always fussy during dinner time).

When I was expecting my 4th, I made a big box of school-ish activities. Instead of having them watch tv, I could have them pull a game/activity/etc. out of the box. It had math manipulatives, educational games, puzzles, crafts, workbook/activity books, etc.

Teach them to do more around the house...the more they can do well, the more they can help. Even my 2yo can help with laundry and put away non-breakable dishes.

[scampbell2003]

Thank you ladies! You have all given me good things to think and pray about. So thankful for HOD and you wonderful ladies.

[scampbell2003]

Just wanted to say Thanks again Ladies for the encouragement and prayers!

I was feeling overwhelmed with the thought of a new little one and a toddler along with schooling two others. The Lord has given me peace and I we start school 2 weeks from Monday!

I think I will probably start out half speed the first week to ease everyone into our new schedule.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!