Just reached the 1/2 way mark with Beyond and ...

[BrooklynsMom03]

I have come to realize I am not a year round kind of home schooler! I am finding myself wanting to order Bigger for next year...and am so restless with where we are....Our year has been rough....with all we have gone thru with in ps school and back out and back in ps and in January coming home for good...we started...with HOD ....and my daughter has grown so much I can not believe the difference in her...She is much more confident...she is on a swim team 3 nights a week....gymnastics 1 night a week....and her emotional maturity is amazing...and after having some tests done...we find out a couple weeks ago...she is in early puberty! YIKES! She is barely 8! I do not like this one bit! I wanted a couple more years to settle in! So we have to make a huge decision on to stop it...with drugs...or not...that is weighing in my mind...Another topic another day!

So far I have witnessed my little girl become a great reader...so much improvement....she is in Singapore 1B and getting into multiplication...and that freaked her out a bit...but I think she might have a knack for it...it seems to be clicking for her...

So why do I feel a bit discouraged....that we are only 1/2 way done? We are enjoying it...she is doing so well....yet I really want to be done for the summer...We have had a rough year..with family stuff...the latest my nephew was diagnosed with terminal cancer 5 months ago and died on Tuesday...him and his family came for a visit just 4 weeks ago...and 2 weeks after going home...he was gone...this has all really taken a toll on our family....but I do not want to take a break because it is important that I keep going thru summer so that we can reach our goal of starting Bigger in Sept....I am reading that Bigger is quite a step up and that has me a bit concerned as well....I am trying to figure out how to work in all we need to get done and not be overwhelmed at the end of the day...So my question is.....would it be okay to do 2 days of Beyond in 1 day? I dont want to rush my daughter but it seems she could do this thru out the summer so we can get on a regular school schedule? I dont want to make what has been a great experience stressful but I do want to hurry it up a bit! Has anyone done this? Thank you so much! Beth in Idaho

[countrymom]

You have truly had a rough year. I'll be praying for you that things can settle down. We are about 1/2 way through Beyond as well and I really think you would lose something with doubling up. I'll just throw out there what kind of jumped off of the page to me as I read your post, it may or may not help. I read that your daughter has made tremendous improvements in several ways and is doing better with schoolwork. I also read that you are worried about the step up for Bigger. If I were making the decision, I guess I would ask if it is imperative she start Bigger in September? The beauty with year around schooling is you don't have to be held to those "school dates." It seems you might benefit from a break, maybe not the whole summer if that is too much, but at least some sort of break. Then could you just pick up with Beyond where you left off and continue with your successes, giving her time to grow into Bigger. Many parents do not finish a guide before summer break and just pick up where they left off. That would be my first thought - praying for wisdom for you as you make a decision.

[Mom2Monkeys]

You have truly had a rough year. I'll be praying for you that things can settle down. We are about 1/2 way through Beyond as well and I really think you would lose something with doubling up. I'll just throw out there what kind of jumped off of the page to me as I read your post, it may or may not help. I read that your daughter has made tremendous improvements in several ways and is doing better with schoolwork. I also read that you are worried about the step up for Bigger. If I were making the decision, I guess I would ask if it is imperative she start Bigger in September? The beauty with year around schooling is you don't have to be held to those "school dates." It seems you might benefit from a break, maybe not the whole summer if that is too much, but at least some sort of break. Then could you just pick up with Beyond where you left off and continue with your successes, giving her time to grow into Bigger. Many parents do not finish a guide before summer break and just pick up where they left off. That would be my first thought - praying for wisdom for you as you make a decision.

Just agreeing with all that was said. We will pick up Preparing in the fall with my 5th grader in unit 5 No need to start Unit 1 of each guide every year right at Sept. And if you dont' finish a guide, you seriously can stop where you are when it's break time and pick up where you left off when it's time to start back! And the joy of that is that it's already so familiar, and that makes starting back up so much easier. You have both EARNED a break! Celebrate your successes and don't frustrate you both with doubling up if you don't have to. If she's doing well, she's right where she needs to be. You don't want to hurry her through it just to get to a level she may not be quite ready for. Congrats on your achievments, and many prayers and hugs for all youve gone through. You're doing a great job!!!

[pjdobro]

I agree with the pps, don't worry about finishing now. You've made great strides in your schooling since January and your dd has blossomed. If you think about it, she has already done a full year of school since she did ps before starting homeschooling in January. Why not go ahead and take a break now or soon? You can start back up a little early in the fall if you want or just wait and start at a normal time. Take your time and finish Beyond and then start Bigger when you are done. Maybe your new school year (or guide) will actually start in January each year and that's ok. Actually many homeschoolers start their new school year in January instead of August or September. It will be nice for you to take a break with everything that is going on in your family life and the familiarity of coming back to a guide with which you are already familiar in the fall will make coming back so much easier. Feel free to give yourself some leeway and don't feel bound by someone else's schedule. I'm really sorry for the passing of your nephew and the hormonal issues that you are dealing with your dd. I will pray for comfort and wisdom for you and your family.

[spidermansmum]

You have had a rough year.Im sorry about your nephew.I also wanted to say that having three daughters-I was sad when each one of them hit puberty .
There is a lot of talk in April /May within homeschooling circles about what to use next year. I want to thank Carrie for not adding to the hype by running April/May ordering deals .It can feel like everyone else is finishing and and when we are not we are falling behind.
I have to remind myself to enjoy each day and treat this as a journey [not a race].

[BrooklynsMom03]

Thank you all for your helpful responses....As I read them I realized that the reason I think it feels like we should be done...is...we have already done a year of second grade but didnt start Beyond until....January.....as much as I like a regular school schedule with summer time more for the fun stuff like tennis lessons and just much more laid back...I need to keep working on getting thru Beyond...and it is okay to take a break in August like I really wanted to do...her swim team is off for that month as well....and I was feeling pressure to have Beyond done then too...so I decided we would just work thru the next several weeks .....even taking a week of June off so my husband and I can go away and celebrate our....25th anniversary....alone!!....and not feel stressed about that either......It is okay to come back in Sept....and still be finishing up Beyond!! I am going to just sink into this a bit..and be okay with it!!

I was feeling that pressure to buy all our curriculum...(mostly for me to look at!!!) and was feeling the end of the year...was happening for everyone but us..and I was way behind! So...slowing down here...going to settle in and just enjoy the second half of Beyond...and watch my daughter continue to blossom in more ways than one!! lol......

What a wonderful group of lovely moms!!! Beth in Idaho

[Carrie]

Beth,

I am so sorry for the loss of your nephew. I will pray that both your family and your nephew's family will find comfort that only the Savior can give. Only He can know your pain and truly comfort you in your loss. I pray you will feel Jesus' loving arms surrounding you and that He will carry you through.

I agree with the sage advice that the ladies are sharing. We look at the journey through the line of HOD guides as being a steady walk, enjoying the days as much as possible as we travel, rather than an all-out race where you end up breathless and exhausted at the end of each year.

This past year, my third little guy started where he left off in Beyond from the year before. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed picking up where we left off with Beyond to start our year. It felt so familiar, and my son didn't miss a beat. Plus, he was taking even more from it! I was so pleased. We finished Beyond just before Christmas. We started Bigger then, and it was a wonderful time to be getting to start a new guide! We even did Bigger at half-speed after that, because my little guy was still coming along in his writing. So, next year we'll start Bigger where we left off, do a 4-day week, and finish Bigger in a year. Or, we may even do Bigger 5 days a week, if he's ready and finish early. I love the flexibility in the younger years of meeting kiddos where they are.

It sounds like you made such good progress that it's time to celebrate with a break! Your daughter has been "schooled" all year, so she is likely ready to have some time off too.

Blessings,
Carrie

[BrooklynsMom03]

*We look at the journey through the line of HOD guides as being a steady walk, enjoying the days as much as possible as we travel, rather than an all-out race where you end up breathless and exhausted at the end of each year*

Carrie...

Thank you for this beautiful visual! I can see now I was just getting caught up in that hurry up and lets get done mindset...and not relishing in everything my daughter has learned since January...it has taken almost 5 months to get her mind open and ready to learn...and she is there now...she is retaining information...something she has struggled with in the past...and I see her reading amazing...and so many struggles she had are all but disappeared....Another thing that I want to thank you for...is the way spelling is set up...I come from the *old school* of writing all spelling words down and than checking them and than having the child write 10 times the misspelled word....when we first started Beyond..I did as it was directed to write the spelling words...on an index card and having my daughter look at it after each word...Her retention had just gone thru the roof...correcting the words she missed right away has been key for her...I know that has been one of the keys to her reading improving so greatly..

I can see now I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with different events we have gone thru lately...that it what was feeling overwhelming for me to think of not being done and starting a new program in Sept as well as doing school thru out the whole summer....so I am going to take the advice of that you and others have given...I am going to take a week off in June...school for July...and take August totally off...and if we need more time off that is fine too.....and in Sept we will start wherever we are in Beyond....and just embrace it!! Whew....that sure takes alot of pressure off!!

Again thank you so much....for HOD....and for this board...it has helped me grow in my homeschooling adventure and my daughter....has a chance to learn and be and grow into the amazing woman God created her to be ....she wouldnt have had that chance in the public schools...she was fighting to just survive...now she is florishing and loving God and learning!!! Beth in Idaho