FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WAS HORRIBLE!

[momof2n2]

Okay - that isn't a strong enough word.
First "official day" of school, despite that we started history and science early due to an upcoming trip to Nag's Head.
Even without a full schedule we didn't finish everything.
No I didn't plan too much.
No we didn't have any whining; the boys were outstanding.
My 2 year old is a menace. She is bright, cute and BUSY. She was either in my face screaming or in the bathroom making a mess.
I am not exaggerating. It was so horrible.
My girls are SO different from my boys.
My boys at 2 and 4 would disappear and play together for hours at a time. My little daughters are NOT like that.
I spent part of my late morning on the floor of my pantry crying.
Oh - and the friend I lent History for Little Pilgrims insists she gave it back [she did not ] and now I need to buy it again. That is the second book in a year the person I lent it to insisted she didn't have it.
Neither of my boys got to do their reading.

The only *good* thing to come out of the day is that the worse it got, the better the boys behaved. Cream rising to the top?
And they each liked their memory verses and they both are loving the history and history activities with Wright Bros.

We are also out of order big time. I started with unit 28 history a few weeks ago to do the Wright Bros. b/f we go to OBX. It makes perfect sense. On paper. I also started unit 1 science [Seashore} a few weeks ago for the same reason [we are LOVING that book and my son said today, "oh Mom, I just hope we can go to the seashore someday, again!" I am so excited we will be able to surprise him in just two weeks! ♥] But doing it out of order is a bit of an issue in planning.

I think what will work out is doing the left side of the page for unit 31 and 32 [all we have left] so that the Bible and Poetry mesh a bit with the history and Vocab. And we are doing the right side of the page for unit 1 - 2. Then after vacation, we will double up a bit for a week on left sides and then just start normal rhythm on unit 3 the following week. When/if we get all the way to unit 31 in the spring, I will just do something else on the left side and keep the right side going. I know, I know, I typed that more for me than anyone else... but I can't miss the chance to synthesize Wright Bros. and Seashore with a OBX visit!

Tomorrow is a weird day, as we have a free movie in the morning [VeggieTales] and a dinner to deliver in the PM... hey, at least we can finish what we didn't do today. Okay - I don't want to start crying again.

[Teena6]

I am so sorry~ HUGS...... I am new to HOD. I have two little boys close together and I remember when they were 2 & 4 at times I thought I wouldn't make it. Now they are 6 & 5 (they are 17 months apart). They do fairly well.... the 5 yr old keeps saying " are we done yet?"

I had to make activity boxes for them. I would give each of them an activity and then they would switch after 10, 15 or 20 minutes. We had to tweak it to fit us. I have olders so they helped.

HUGS.....

[Carrie]

momof2n2,

Okay, heres a BIG HUG for you! First, let's celebrate that you have that first day out of the way. First days and first weeks can be so tough, but you made it through.

Secondly, it's obvious now what the issues are... those little toddlers/preschoolers! I don't have time tonight to give you all of the wonderful ideas of what to do with your little ones while the older ones are schooling, but I know the ladies on the board will chime in to help you with that.

I will, however, make a couple suggestions that may help. I'd suggest that you downshift to doing the left side of the plans the one day and the right the next for just a couple of weeks to get your little ones "trained" with their schedule. I'd give some serious thought to what those little ones CAN do to help get the time you need with your big ones.

Next, I would switch over to doing the HOD plans as written. This will save a ton of juggling and will make HOD open-and-go which probably you (and all of the rest of us too) desperately need. I agree that it is wonderful to coordinate studies with real life when you can, but when it upsets your schedule and make school more work than it needs to be, I'd head back to the plans as written in a hurry. You may want to mull that idea around and see what you think.

For what it's worth, I don't ever go out of order. I just do the next thing in the planbook - which keeps me sane!

It will get better once everyone adjusts to their schedule! You can do it with God's help.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Jessi]

momof2n2 ((((((((HUGS))))))))

I am so sorry that you had a rotten day. When it rains it pours, right? Sorry your friend didn't return the book you loaned her. It is hard to be taken advantage of. I'll pray that things work out there.

As to your daughters and I am assuming the 2 year old is the cause of the problems today, not so much the four year old...You might want to invest in their own personal "school" boxes. Pack them full of fun activities that they only get to do during school time. I have heard that works especially for the 4 year old. Now I have a two year old that is not so easily diverted. He is a bundle of energy and if jumping off of furniture where an Olympic sport, he'd definitely have the gold medal. So I think your youngest sounds like mine. First, block off all rooms she isn't allowed to be in. You can purchase those door knob covers that make it extremely difficult for little ones to open doors.

Also, be strong and consistent with her. My son loves to scream at me and the minute he starts, I tell him to stop. If that doesn't work I immediately whisk him away to a play pen for time out. Then I walk away. When I come back and ask if he is done and he usually nods his head and we are fine. If he starts up after that I pop him on the mouth. It gets his attention. I know everyone disciplines differently...all I am getting at is being consistent in letting her know you are not going to allow her to monopolize your time.

Also, do most of your schooling when she is napping. It will help your sanity. And your boys will learn so much more without the constant distraction. Do you have any family that could take your little girls for awhile in the morning for you to get more schooling done? There is a lady in my homeschool group that took her 2 year old to her mom's house for a couple of hours to get school work done in peace. Might be an option.

Good luck and I am hoping you'll have a better second day.

[netpea]

How bout giving the 2yo Playdoh or other tactile activities to do while you do school?

[mrsrandolph]

I have 2 boys & 2 girls. You are RIGHT when you say they are SO different!

One thing that girls really crave (especially when they are young) is a attention from and the approval of their mommys.

It is hard for our toddlers and preschoolers to understand why the olders get so much of mom's undivided attention.

It might help to head some of those feeling off at the pass. Try having some sweet snuggly, giggly daughter time before you start school.

Then, when you are half way through the school day, take an other 15 minutes to give the girls extra attention.

One thing about my girls is...if they feel I don't approve of them, the work even harder to get me to. Hence, they drive me crazy! : )


I agree with what Carrie said about taking training time with your girls. I'd plan to have "light" school days until the girls are trained well and on a schedule. Make training and discipline your primary focus until things smooth out.

By the way, it is wonderful to read how much you enjoy teaching you kids!! I know your boys are catching that enthusiasm.

[Rebecca]

My day was horrible too! I had contemplated posting a thread with a similar title but decided against it.
You are not alone...
and this is in spite of doing two walk throughs last week, making a schedule, talking many things over with dc... planning things for the preschoolers, etc.

To add to the fray- our power went out for three hours BEFORE I made lunch... (Fay is making her way, I suppose)...

If at first we don't succeed- try, try again...

I started Bigger and Little Hearts today with some adjustments for various learners...

Thank the Lord for my DH!!!! As he came home, restored order, and gave me some time to work with my third grader...

I do have a preschool read aloud scheduled first thing in my day. I have made up a list of table time activities for the youngers to do while schooling the olders... I have activities, I have boxes...
I trained on chores first, several weeks ago...

It was still bad.

Our major problem is that we have been totally off any real ordered routine due to a variety of life circumstances... once I can reign it in... I hope we will "groove" along nicely...

Hugs.

Rebecca

P.S. After I wrote this- I started remembering the good things... like how hard my Ker worked and how proud and happy he was to start Kindergarten- I have never had one so ready! And how successful my seven year old felt in all his school today- and what a blessing my oldest was as he helped me with everything...
And how my daughter snuggled up so sweetly when I read to her...
And how my two year old is the first child I have had who actually giggles with joy...
And how my baby enjoyed his swing( even if it was for only ten minutes!!!)
I feel better.

Schooling
Ds-8 Bigger with extensions
Ds-7 Little Hearts plus Right Side of Beyond; finishing RME; Emerging Readers
Ds-5 Little Hearts; Reading Lesson
DD-4 Little Hearts; Reading Lesson
Ds-2 mommy time
Ds- 3 1/2 months- nursling...

[water2wine]

I am so sorry it is crazy for you. I think Carrie had great advice. I also would do it as is and maybe bring the book to the beach to excite him about future learning. While you are there maybe do some nature book sketches. I think doing it out of order would really mess up your flow for a while. I think going half time sounds great too while you get the 2 year old trained. I would get some activities and toys that she can do on her own without hurting herself to do only during school time. When school is over they go in a box. And maybe get some letter factory videos and vege tales to watch while it is school time. I would also practice getting her to understand she needs to let you do things in non school times also just so that is not the time when she feels neglected because she has you undivided attention all the other times of the day. Maybe just set up one or two times that you call play time where she needs to learn to allow you to do your thing.

I know others will have some ideas as well. Hang in there.

[Kathleen]

Oh, I'm so sorry! My guess is that you're not alone here, and most moms with little ones have gone through these times. (Not that it makes you feel better about it NOW... ) I'm amazed at how the family dynamic/school dynamic has changed for us even as the year progresses and the kids are growing. I would say that your problems won't be long-lived. Last year as we started school, my 1 yo was on the table and very noisy. I had to get a bungee cord to tie the French doors to the dining room shut and get a baby gate to keep him out of the room because I literally could not keep him from climbing on the table. Then he and his 3 yo sister moved to playing incredibly well together.

I have found that my expectations hugely affect my stress level with the kids' behavior, too. I love being able to stay at home to raise my kids and teach them, but it's not always "fun" or easy. I'm guessing you feel the same way. Anyway, last year was my 1st year to homeschool anything but preschool, and I found that when I moved from expecting my kids to only need my attention when it was convenient for me to expecting the interruptions, it made a huge difference in my ability to respond properly. I also don't expect them to play quietly or not make messes. (Typically in our house though you can get one or the other... If they're playing quietly, they're probably making a mess. Or if they're being noisy, they're interested in each other and haven't gotten into anything yet. )

Here are a few things that we've tried this year as we've started Bigger and LHTH. (But I know my family dynamic is different than yours...maybe some of it will help though. My 4 yo is the one who could play alone forever. My 8 yo still does not like to do ANYTHING alone. My 2 yo hasn't ever really needed to be alone. My 4 yo is incredible imaginative and loves to be in charge when playing with her brothers - which is fine with them. SO, most of our problems come from what Allison has talked Garret into doing. ) We have been reading our Storytime during breakfast and everyone listens. Then, Grant and I find a bedroom upstairs to hide in and shut the door to do most of the left side of the plans...at least the reading part. We can't use the couch in the living room as it is our only non-table seating in the whole house. There are no doors to the living room and the little 2 climb all over both of us if we try to read there. Then, I get Grant started on English and Math, and take the other 2 upstairs to do LHTH. I leave them in the kitchen with something interesting to do - something messy like water, beans to scoop and play with, playdoh - and then Grant reads to me or we do science. I haven't nailed down a schedule yet, but I've been able to get a good feel for what order will work for us in experimenting these last 3 weeks.

Here is the result of letting the little 2 play with water last week.

It took 6 beach towels and a mop to get the water off the floor, but they were very happily occupied for quite a while. Plus they'll have great play memories. (We are going to work on keeping a little more of the water in the tubs...and less of Garret in the tubs. ) For me, planning on some clean up time (and getting to teach them to clean with me), is worth the peaceful school time with my oldest.

I have to leave you with one more story...that I can laugh about now. Last year as we were just getting into our school day, my 1 yo came downstairs wearing nothing but his sister's white church shoes. Allison had decided that she was old enough to help me and "be Garret's mommy" while we were doing school...SO, she had taken his clothes and diaper off because he needed changed. Honestly the clean up from this one could have been much worse than it ended up. And I have now added "Don't ever take anyone's diaper off without asking Mommy first" to my instructions.

I'll be praying that your transition into school will smooth out! Keep up the effort...it'll pay off!
Kathleen

[my3sons]

I'm so sorry about your first day! BIG HUGS for you! I guess the good news is your 2 sons doing school are still happy, completing their work, and enjoying school - that's something you should feel great about!!! However, I have an 18 mo who is the terror of the house right now, so I totally understand what you are saying. I just realized that my neck and back are aching so much because I've been gritting my teeth to make myself be more patient with my toddler - it is NOT easy, no matter what I do, he's still in that stage, and it's going to be a little rough for a bit. But, you have older children too, just like I do, so we both know that it IS a stage and it WILL eventually pass. Our older children no longer behave that way, so our younger children will eventually be out of this stage too. There is hope on the horizon!!! In the meantime, you've gotten some great advice here. I think you definitely should just do the guide as is - that will be an immediate help. You could get some Seashore books from the library or buy a few secondhand from Amazon, and let the older dc read them on their own to get them thinking about your vacation location (though it will still be a surprise ).

As far as for the little ones, the one thing I keep learning the hard way is ROUTINE and consistency is everything for them. I try to switch out his activities every 30 minutes. I literally set a timer to remind myself. When I made our school schedule this year, I put his schedule down first, and worked the other children's schedules around his. We do have toys in his room that are only for his playpen time. We put 3 laundry baskets of toys under his crib. I stock the playpen with different toys and sturdy books each day, and each week the older boys and I switch out the toys from those tubs with ones from the basement, just to mix it up a bit. My ds NEVER wanted to watch a 30 minute video - then my wonderful sister suggested switching out videos until I found something he liked... The Wiggles - no, Bob the Builder - no, Winnie the Pooh -no... but then I struck gold ... BARNEY! He loves anything with Barney in it. That's 30-45 minutes that he enjoys independently every day now. The door knob protectors are wonderful. They are cheap and at Walmart. They also have $10 expandable gates at Walmart. We've used those sometimes too. Having each of my older sons take a 20 minute playtime with our toddler several times a day has really done wonders too! Our toddler is thrilled, and I get 20 minutes alone with each older child. No matter what you try, you'll probably get some resistance at first. Just stick with a routine and tweak it, because you know training them to play in a playpen, watch a video, or play in a playroom somewhat independently all takes training and time. I'm not saying that all of that stress will go away, but it does get better eventually!!! I'll say prayers for you, and you please say prayers for me! My little one is a handful right now too, so I feel for you. We'll get through it alright though - every day gets a little better! HUGS sent your way!

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

The ladies are doing a wonderful job of encouraging you (and Rebecca too)! I just wanted to pop back-in and mention that our first days at our house are often very interesting too! My kiddos are all trying to find their things, all seem to need me at once, and all are learning their routine. There are always glitches which set us back, and I begin to question my schedule. But, I want to assure you this also happened during my 11 years of public school teaching! So, hang with it! A routine will begin to form. Don't keep tweaking your schedule so much that your kiddos can never hit a rhythm. You may see some obvious areas that need tweaking that first week, but then really try to settle in and make that schedule work. Consistency will train your kiddos and make your school day flow amazingly well. Starting anything new requires an adjustment period! Times like this cause us to lean on the Lord, which is what He desires of us. So, you're glorifying Him and in your weakness (and mine), He's made strong!

Blessings,
Carrie

[AnointedHsMom]

Ok I haven't had time to read the rest of the reply's to you so if this has been recommend please forgive me. You might want to take a look at the Preschoolers and Peace web site http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com It's a great place to get ideas about how to handle those little ones throughout the day.

I feel your pain as I have a 28 month old boy on my hands right now too. I'll be reading the reply's as soon as I can to get some ideas for myself

HTH,
Paige in TN
Have decided to switch the 9 year old to Bigger ASAP
Waiting to do Little Hands with the 2 year old until he's older

[Samuel'sMommy]

I don't have any advice for you as I have an only child, but I will be praying for you to find your groove.

[inHistiming]

Paige,

That looks like an awesome website! Thanks for sharing...I plan to make a more thorough visit to get ideas for my now K'er (5) and my future toddler. It looked like some of the ideas might even be adaptable for older kids.

[my3sons]

Ok I haven't had time to read the rest of the reply's to you so if this has been recommend please forgive me. You might want to take a look at the Preschoolers and Peace web site http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com It's a great place to get ideas about how to handle those little ones throughout the day.

I feel your pain as I have a 28 month old boy on my hands right now too. I'll be reading the reply's as soon as I can to get some ideas for myself

HTH,
Paige in TN
Have decided to switch the 9 year old to Bigger ASAP
Waiting to do Little Hands with the 2 year old until he's older

I found this website last year and a summer of training my toddler to do the "Little Hands" lists she has on the website has made a huge positive difference in my toddler's day. These are great ideas that are worth the time it takes in training!

Julie