Do you find it difficult to get it all done?

[playschool]

I know many people who have used programs like this in the past (for example MFW and Sonlight) and have gone to textbooks because they could actually stay on track better and get everything done. Many of them said that they loved the idea of these programs and wanted to make them work, they even thought these programs were what they dreamed as a homeschooler they would use (the "ideal"). In reality, however, they just could not make a go of it, and could not stay on track. They have found with textbooks that they are accomplishing what they need to get done and are staying on track. I am one that also struggles with this having used Sonlight and currently using MFW. I have found when I have a difficult time getting science and history done in a week, I will default to picking up one of my history or science textbooks (I have some that I have picked up used) instead of using what is planned out for me in MFW. I love the idea of these ( meaning Sonlight, MFW, and HOD- type programs) programs but am afraid that I will struggle the same with problems. In my ideal world, I would love to use Preparing next year but struggle with wondering if it will be one of those programs that sit on my shelf while I default to textbooks. I am not posting this to look like a negative for HOD, I am just wanting to know if any of you were like me and were able to be successful with HOD. Thanks!

[water2wine]

I am not sure if I am exactly like you but I do have a tendency to think that a lot of resources would be great together and then struggle with implementing them all. I also have a hard time with programs that dictate every second of my day. So I have found that the way HOD has everything organized simply and plainly that I am able to get it all done and then some. We are definitely able to get done everything in the program regularly with no problem even using two programs. When I add extra things like Foreign language or things that I thought just looked neat in the way of character etc I have a harder time getting those done regularly. I need to make an extra box in the HOD manual and pretend like it comes from Carrie to get it done regularly.

I think if you struggle with implementing things yourself or doing a program that is micromanaged and has a lot of parent preparation you are going to find HOD is a good fit. It allows some freedom while still giving guidance and that allows you to find the best way to implement it or use it exactly as written. I found MFW to be too intertwined for me and not flexible enough even though it looked simple in practice I did not get things done as well and part of it was that it just was too structured in a way that did not mesh with my personality. I think HOD allows more freedom to work with different personalities. With all the talk in the hsing community about kids learning styles I think people forget that it really has to be flexible enough to mesh with the parents teaching style as well. HOD seems to get that and I find it directs and motivates just perfect for us. In the end though you may just have to give it a try and see how it works for you. I'm betting it will.

[netpea]

We are able to get it all in, including adding a couple of extras. When we have trouble getting it in, it is usally because my son didn't go to sleep when he went to bed, but stayed up reading instead. If he is tired, his attention wanders more and it is difficult to keep him on track. But when we have those days, I don't worry about it, sometimes we just do 1/2 day and do the rest the next day. With the HOD programs, it doesn't matter if you take longer than a week to do a unit. If I don't finish a manual in the school year, we just continue with it when we start up again in the fall and then move into the next one.

For me the one day at a time box layout of HOD is perfect, we normally do school until all boxes are checked in both kids' manuals. If we don't, I just pick it up the next day and finish off the boxes we missed. The layout is structured enough that I get it all done and freeing enough that I don't worry about it.


In fact, it isn't the HOD part of my day I have trouble getting done. It's the other chores in my day that aren't laid out in the boxes for me to check off. I think I will get the motivated mom chart and see if that helps...

[Mom2Monkeys]

I still struggle with it as well, but I recognize it's a season in my life that is the root of the chaos and not the curriculum. I don't think I'd be happy using textbooks, but I do see how I'd stay on track better with those. The freedom with HOD comes in the fact that you never actually get off track. You just pick up where you left off and you're not going to be behind. The only things that I feel I have to keep up on are the text book parts like Math and R&S grammar.

I'm a former MFW mom and I find that the science in HOD is MUCH MUCH easier to handle than the MFW science. I find the format of HOD makes it easier as well...I didn't like the MFW plans for the week being all on one page and then having to flip through the pages for the notes on each days plans for different subjects. I love the content but it wasn't realistic for us to do...HOD has been much better. I'm still having trouble with it, but we're in a very rough time right now. If it weren't for that, I think it would all work out fine. I still find we are usually done by lunch if we start by 9ish...even with interruptions and breaks. If I'm having a morning I'm ready to get right on the chores, then we might get about 1/3 of it done, then finish while my napper is napping. At least then we're schooling in a clean house, but we don't get done until mid afternoon. Either way, if I'm honest with myself, I know it's more than doable and it's all about discipline...for myself. Getting up early enough to shower, do my HOD devotional, and start the laundry is an important part of my day to accomplish prior to the kids getting up...my whole day is off if i don't do this and yet, knowing what this will do to my day, I opt to lay in bed and doze off here and there until they are calling for me-

I try to make my goal to get math and Language Arts/Phonics done each day. The rest of HOD is next priority, then our extras we've added. And realize there is no certain time we MUST finish each guide. I always have them read each day even if we don't get to school...they love to read and so their minds are still being fed even if we aren't learning it from HOD and even if it doesn't pertain to our lessons. You could save projects and science for the weekend for some family fun as well...then you don't ahve to worry about that during the week.
Just my 2 cents every family is different...just make HOD fit you, instead of trying to make you fit HOD.

[mansmom]

I haven't done Sonlight but I have tried MFW and Winterspromise which is similar and we didn't complete either year. I realize these are a great fit for many families, I'm not bashing...they just weren't a good fit for my family or me....HOD is the first curriculum that I do regularly without question, that I LOOK FORWARD to each day....it makes me feel at peace. The activities that Carrie has you do really add to the lesson as opposed to being just an activity for the sake of an activity....my kids are excited about school, they know the routine now and yet even within the daily routine there is variety that keeps us excited!

There is something about the boxes on a page that puts my mind at ease.....I could hyperventilate (sp?) just thinking about the weekly charts and ....ugh....My dh says it's how my brain works...and maybe that's it...but it always gets done with HOD's boxes and we always enjoy doing it.

When I go to get my stuff for next year....I haven't even considered looking somewhere else....HOD is it for us and we are happy to stay here with Carrie as long as she goes (HINT HINT!!!!)

I will pray God leads you in the decision that is just right for you AND your children!

[wisdom4us]

I started out using Sonlight and I was not able to get it all done. But I also had 2 year old twins on top of one being in Kindergarten and it was my first year of homeschooling. I have struggled w/HOD too but it was ME not the program. That was a hard lesson for me to learn, I am not an organized person and time management is not my gifting! LOL!

I am now using a notebook that I have created from forms off on Donna Young's web site. I am now getting more accomplished in a day than I ever have before!!! HOD is so easy to implement, everything is laid out before you, just like Sonlight but in my opinion, a MUCH better/deeper program. One of my pastor's use to say, "Look at the common denominator". If you are struggling to get things done no matter what program you are using, could it be that you struggle with time management too? So many of us do! I have found Donna Young's forms so helpful! Even with Carrie's so well laid out lesson plans, I needed our time on paper. Doona Young's Daily Timer form is saving me loads of time and keeping me on schedule!!! You can find it here:

http://donnayoung.org/household/fullsize/timers.htm

There are days (like today) that we are not completing everything but we are having beautiful weather for the first time in weeks so we are going to the park with friends. That is the beauty of homeschool, you have a plan but you keep it flexible so you can still live your life and enjoy it!!! I'm still learning that one!!!

[Mom2Monkeys]

I forgot to mention the chore organizer at www.motivatedmoms.com . I've been using for going on 3 weeks now and it's a huge help. Other ladies on here have recommended it as well. You just print and go...no work on your part for the planning...it's all done for you and it covers everything in rather manageable chunks.

[my3sons]

Well, I could have been the kind of person that just used textbooks because I often love routine. But the more years I've taught, the more I've come to realize that not much seems to get remembered from textbooks (7 years of ps teaching prior to homeschooling taught me this). I've also realized the flip side of that - not much seems to get remembered from elaborate projects done day after day with a lot of work on my part by ME (mainly because the dc aren't doing a lot of it). Balance is what I need, and it is what I lacked without HOD. I love the boxes. I check them off and feel my spirits soaring as I had a little of this and a little of that in our day - balance, balance, balance. A breath of fresh air for me. I have thought long and hard about what I want our dc to learn. I'd like them to learn balance in life too. So, it's important to me that their school has some get-up-and-go to it, and some sit-down-and-work to it too (which HOD does both). Neither Textbooks (mainly all sit-down) nor Experiential Learning (mainly all get-up-and-go) have that balance. It is also important to me that they have time after school to just play and explore personal interests - so school needs to be done on time in a timely fashion. HOD makes that possible. I also want our dc to enjoy school and see that learning is just part of life - not just for school. HOD has them transferring what they learned in school to their playtime/free time. Finally, I want our whole day to have the Lord in it. Whew, I might struggle with really doing that without HOD. I know we need those conversations about faith, reading in the Bible, praying together - but, I don't know if I'd get it done without HOD. So, in a nutshell, HOD gives me the balance I need. I devote the whole morning to homeschooling with HOD, from about 8 to noon or 12:30, and when I do that, I don't struggle with getting it done - and then, I have the rest of the day for all of life's other responsibilities (and joys). I think you could easily do PHFHG next year - we are currently doing it along with BLHFHG and finishing around noon. I know you could too!!! I just want to encourage you, Playschool, wherever you are on your homeschool journey, I do think you would get HOD done - and what's more - done very happily!

In Christ,
Julie

[mamaloves4]

Dear Playschool,

I love your name! Sometimes all I feel like doing is 'play school' and using HOD makes me feel like it is 'play'. --albeit with some work!!!--such as working with interrupting little ones, frustrated older ones, or enthusiasm that spills out and over into every aspect of our lives (which is actually fun work). I just want to share a little bit of our story and hope to encourage you. This is our fifth year of homeschooling. The first 3 years were simply dedicated to reading/phonics, writing, and math and reading aloud. We looked at Sonlight, but the manual scared me silly. We looked at textbooks, but the lack of variety warned me that I would quit. We used MFW, which I liked, but had trouble finishing all that was planned due to lack of ready supplies or ease of projects, plus, and this is a big plus for us, our younger daughter was not learning when she was being taught with her older sister. So in October of this year, I sold MFW and bought Preparing and Beyond for my two daughters. My younger daughter is now enthusiastic about school and I can see that she is learning and retaining so much more without her older sister involved. My older daughter is thriving with Preparing--it has a 'just right' blend of challenges that make her feel successful--she is being stretched, but not so much that she breaks! She is also learning about herself and is working on some character issues that she sees--such as panicking when something isn't 'perfect'. anyway---that is a long story, but yes, I love HOD. We are able to get done usually by noon. Sometimes she has some independent work to finish in the afternoon, and that is okay. School is about the only thing I get all done. the housework and other responsibilities are my weakness. It is likely a lack of discipline--it is just hard to make housework 'fun' especially when you live on a farm and it can all get undone in a moment of boots tromping through the house!!!

anyway, I wouldn't worry about getting Preparing done. It is quite mama friendly, meaning it takes my desire for a good, quality, Lord based education and fits it into my lifestyle of being a mama first! This is my first year, where I feel like I am accomplishing what I would like in my kiddos education and I believe that HOD has made it possible. I am soooo glad I decided to make the switch!

I hope you are encouraged--you got a lot of wonderful responses here and I am positive that if you ask--the Lord will direct you to what He wants for your family!

In Christ,
Jess

[momof2n2]

This is my experience.
We are doing two programs.
I am sticking to them better than I anticipated we would be able to.
That requires a great big \o/ PRAISE THE LORD.

September almost killed us. We had to make modifications for our family. I think my signature still refers to my DARLING 2 year old as a menace...
But with structure in our day and a lot of prayer we have stuck it out.
The only thing we dropped was music. I couldn't make it fit. Then when I was ready to add it back in, we'd damaged the CD. Every other subject gets done each day.

I have combined days and just picked out what was "most important," during holiday weeks.
We did a whole unit in two days for Christmas week and a whole unit in 3 days for New Year's week. We read extra in science and history, skipped art, and eliminated days 3/4 of Bible, concentrating just on Carrie's emphasis in days 1, 2 and 5.

Okay - that was more of an answer than you likely needed. I just want to say I am pleased with how well we have been able to stick to the curriculum.

HTH

[deltagal]

Hmmmm. Hmmmmm. Hmmmmm.

An interesting question - getting "it all" done. Yes and No. I too have had experience with the curricula you've mentioned and then some. Of course, our success in getting "it all done" has varied based on what my expectations of "it all" was and the stages of our children. I do agree with what the other posters have mentioned that there is a wonderful sense of balance in the HOD material between hands-on, kinesthetic, fundamentals, challenge, etc. The guides are very easy to use, well laid out and very satisfying. The lessons are easy to implement - including science and art projects. However, our success each day has more to do with our structure or lack there of and my expections of what we can accomplish. So, yes, we do "get it all done" on the days I plan to get it all done, but I don't plan to get it all done every day. I certainly can't get it all done 5 days a week and sometimes even 4, I think 3 is much more realistic for me (and I don't even have a baby or toddler). The truth is, even if I like it, I don't want to do "it all" all the time. But the real beauty (I think) of HOD is you truly can set the pace and decide where you want to be and when you want to be there. I charted our course based on our pace and I've projected that we'll finish our current materials the week before Thanksgiving. I noted in my calendar where we needed to be ideally each week to stay on track to actually FINISH at a certain time. And I've allowed myself lots of flex time, because life's not just about curriculum it's about living. When you pick up your HOD guide (after a few days off or on) you can actually get to work. You don't have to spend time (as you might have with other curricula) finding stuff you don't usually use to do the assignment or preparing an activity. The prep work is VERY manageable. But ultimately what you do with the material is up to you. I, too, have a stash of this and a stash of that - all of which I've used and loved....and then moved on to something else without finishing the first. In truth, I'm not bothered about it, it served us for a season. That's a blessing. But it would be nice if I didn't have so much curriculum clutter.

[Patience]

I recently came over from MFW, and I agree with all the wonderful things others have said. I am so glad I tried it and have seen a real difference in these programs. I haven't used "Preparing" yet, but I'm working in Beyond and there are a few differences I have noticed in the short week that I've used HOD that will make it easier to "get it all done". Here they are: you no longer have to go to the library unless you want to. The weekly routine is more consistent and therefore, easier to predict and manage. I don't know about the crafts in Preparing, but the ones I'm doing in Beyond don't require anything you wouldn't ordinarily have on hand. I think I read in Preparing, they work on their projects more than once throughout the week. So you won't have an odd craft one day that takes a really long time, throwing your whole day off. Growing independence on the child's part has been considered as well. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how thoughtfully and realistically this curriculum has been crafted. I also think you will be pleasantly surprised at how relational HOD is. Try it! But, when you do, remember, it is still okay, if you don't get it all done Only God gets his TO DO List done.

[playschool]

Thank you very much for all of your encouragement. I have to say I am a "box checker." I am constantly making "to do" lists around my house so I really do not feel right inside unless I have completed all of my tasks for the day, whether it be in the teaching of my children or my ordinary household chores. I do find that by the end of our school day, if I am really tired, science, history, and art go by the wayside. Right now, however my husband is assisting me in Science. I can identify with many of you who have toddlers as well. My dd is almost 2 and totally into everything. Whenever we sit down to work on school subjects she is right there under our feet, either making a big mess or being loud trying to get our attention. That alone makes schooling difficult, although we try to let her have "crib time" in the morning looking at books and she takes an afternoon nap. I think the set-up of the pages will be a big help to me. It is easy to get overwhelmed looking at a weekly format, knowing that you need to do everything on that page to finish up the week. It will be nice just to go from lesson the lesson, knowing that if you do not finish in a week the next lesson can be carried over to the next week. Right now, my older dd (11) is using a dvd program for her schooling. I would ideally like to switch my ds (8) and my dd (11) into Preparing next year using the extensions for my dd. My husband is pretty set on her continuing on in with what she is already using next year, so for now I am just praying that if it is the Lord's will, God will open his heart toward this option as well. I would also love to have a dd (5, will be 6 in Sept.) in Little Hearts doing the Kindergarten package. Thanks again for all of your helpful comments in answering my questions.

[MommyInTraining]

I want to thank you all for share why HOD works for you. Thank you for taking the time to share.