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Sorry this is jumbled... I'm typing one handed while Evie is trying to look at a picture in front of me

I feel so guilty. It's totally me! I'm tired of having to flip to the Beyond manual to do the hands on for Grace. She's not having any trouble with the math at all. But I think I'm just going to do a page or two a week. Like maybe one lesson worth. We are in unit 8 in LHFHG and she's doing 1A... So I figure if I do it this way she'll catch up before too long. She just turned 6 in January, so I'm not concerned academically. She's just doing so well and she likes it... but I need less right now.

I'm also going to slow down handwriting... but that doesn't bother me as much she's gotten quite sloppy. She's doing ARFH A, so instead of doing a whole page at a time, we'll just do one section (half a page) and do it better.

But the math is a decision I've just realized that I have to do. For my sanity. And it's killing me because I don't know that it's best for HER. UGH!

Lora Beth - I was just reading your signature tag and thinking that you have a lot of little ones right now that can make for a busy day! You are on the precipice of being able to receive some real help from your oldest 2 dc though. Jayden and Grace are of the age they can start to be your "right hand" helpers. Maybe you are already utilizing this to its fullest capacity - I did not. I remember I was still doing most of the household chores, getting out everything for the dc, picking up everything, trying to be the only one in charge of our youngest, etc. I remember being especially exhausted one day when I took my baby to yet another physical therapy appointment with my other 2 dc in tow, and with my dh being gone for the week. I felt like bawling. I remember getting home and seeing all that had to be done and then thinking, "maybe my 7 yo could do that"! You know what, he could! And he could do a lot more than "that" too. I remember getting out a piece of paper and writing down everything I was doing throughout the day that perhaps one of the dc could be trained to do, and this was the beginning of our chore charts, which for me have been a lifesaver. I'm just typing this to speak to the underlying tension I am reading in your words here - there is real help on the way, and it's in the form of Jayden and Grace! However you can utilize them I surely would, and in the process, they will learn some wonderful life skills too!

Back to the math though, I wondered if you could just get the Earlybird K math and do that right out of LHFHG with her? Sure, it might be beneath her somewhat, but it would be super easy to do math each day, and it would actually be better for her than just 1 lesson here or there in 1A, plus you'd get to start Beyond from day 1 with the plans for math just as they are written. I'd just get a 1A book and start over with Beyond then. Not every single subject has to be at our dc's optimal learning level. Sometimes, the best choice is the one that gets done. Likewise, why not just do "A Reason for Handwriting K". Sure it will be easy. Oh well, it will be good daily review, and best of all, it will be almost completely independent for your dd, while still giving her some daily handwriting. These are just a few ideas I had, but I wish I could give you a hug! This too shall pass, but until then, doing what's in her guide though it'll be a tad easy, I think, is a pretty good solution!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks for the reply

I have to apologize for the tone of my post.... we've been sick the past two weeks and the baby is clingy

We have gotten off our chores lately. And I'm sure that's adding to my stress a lot. I start training them young to help out around the house. Evie can do just about any chore that is on our job cards! Of course she still needs help, but she's getting there. Thanks for reminding me that it helps my stress level if I actually stick with the chores!

As far as doing Earlybird and ARFH K.... she's already done those. We've done all the hands on for Earlybird K... we did the K level right side along with K level science last year with her. I think the biggest thing for me was having to pull out a 4th guide every day just to do one thing. Especially since she's so young anyway. So that's why I was thinking I could do math and handwriting maybe every other day? Slow it down just a bit and eventually it'll catch up in the Beyond book. It would be similar to half speed, except we'd be doing Story Time and Thinking Skills as it comes in the guide. My other thought was to just slow down until July, when her school starts being counted. (compulsory age here is 7, but I start at the beginning of the attendance calendar for homeschoolers and it starts July 1st)

I guess my biggest concern is "am I setting her up for success or failure later on?" Will slowing down these subjects that she is capable of now make her think that it's ok to be lazy? Or is it just being wise with my time? I've already decided to wait until our enrichment class is over before we start the second Bible in the ERs even though she's reading just fine.

I think a lot of it is the stress from the last few weeks where we've been so sick, but I guess I just wanted to know if anyone has done the right side half speed and left side full speed?

I'm so sorry you have been sick! That puts a damper on everything and makes it tough just to get up and get through the day. I hope you and your dc are feeling better now. I didn't think there was anything wrong with your tone - I just was sad you sounded stressed. I didn't realize dd had done the K math/hw already. I do think you could go half-speed with the right side and full-speed with the left side. I was not understanding that's what you were wanting to do - sorry! I think that your dd is already ahead in those areas for her core guide anyway, so going half-speed with them would be fine. I think consistency is more important than speed in this situation, so I really like your idea of doing handwriting one day, and math the next day. Going every other day like this will keep her consistently doing these subject areas each week and slowly and steadily move her along. I would do this rather than trying to do 1/2 a handwriting page and 1/2 a math assignment each day. Time is taken up by transitions of getting out things and putting them away, so alternating the days instead would work better IMO. Sometimes the best decisions are the ones that are good overall for the entire family. I think that this decision falls into that category and that your dd will not be hindered by it in any way. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks Yeah I read my original post again and it totally didn't make sense Yeah, I was meaning alternating days with doing math and handwriting, basically 4 days a week, or maybe just three and adding in reading more consistently on the 4th day... like math, handwriting, math, reading.

Thanks for the thoughts... brainstorming helps me think through things