My Order Has Arrived and I'm Freaking Out!

[stawnasalas]

I just looked through it all (I am new to hs, and HOD both and will be hs'ing a 6 yo dd and a 9 yo ds, BLHFHG and PHFHG), and am feeling overwhelmed! I know that's to be expected, but I am really wondering how in the world I will be able to go through each subject with both kids and get them both done with 2 little ones running around! Ahhhhh. Lots of prayers are going up in the next few weeks. Tell me this is normal please!
Just needing some encouragement from moms who've been there I guess.
Stawna
Nathan (9) PHFHG
Ashlyn (6) BLHFHG
Lucas (4)
Brody (2)

[netpea]

Very normal. Just take a deep breath and relax!
If you read through the threads you'll find lots of good ideas on keeping the little ones occupied and scheduling time with the bigger ones. Enjoy organizing!

[raceNzanesmom]

Agreeing with the above. Also remember it's a lot of books- but you don't use them all at once. Try putting together just what you need the first week. It'll show you it isn't so overwhelming. Make sure to check out the "keeping the little ones busy" threads. Lots of good ideas in them.

ETA: I'm only teaching one, but I've found it very helpful to color code my books. I have all of Beyond's with a yellow sticker on the binder; the few Bigger's I have I started coding them orange. That way when I look at the shelf I know what's what. I know some even code them according to storytime, history, etc. Hang in there. You'll get the hang of it. Welcome to HSing and HOD!

[VAmomto4]

I completely understand . IT helped me to look through the guides and see how quickly we will be able to get through some of those boxes. Also, I found Julie's posts on scheduling very helpful and encouraging. Here is the blog of another HOD mom that posts here and I find her posts about schooling with littles helpful: [urlhttp://ourfamilyforhisglory.blogspot.com/][/url] If you click through her archives you may find something that will inspire and encourage you!

Praying for you!

[3sweeties]

First, take a deep breath and relax...with God's help you can do this!!!! Trust me, I am going into my 5th year homeschooling and I am sooooo glad it is with HOD! HOD has taken such a load off of me. My first two years of homeschooling were spent planning, planning, planning and heading toward burnout. You do not have to worry about that at all your first year! I wish I had heard of HOD from the beginning and used it with my oldest DS from K on!

Anyway, I agree with the pp as far as looking up some of the threads on ideas of what to do with your youngers during school. Some of the best advice I received on this board was to spend the first 30 min. or so of the school day with your little ones (I did LHTH with my 3 yo, read books, played a game, etc.) so their little cups are full of your attention and then they will (usually! ) play happily on their own for a large portion of the morning.

I agree that it is a great idea to set aside the books you will need for the first week so that all the books at once don't seem so overwhelming. I would also suggest that you EASE into school, especially since you are new to homeschooling. Your children may need to take it extra slow if they have been in formal school up to this point. Maybe start with 2-3 subjects/boxes the first week and then add another one the next, etc. Another idea would be to get your oldest going in his program and feeling comfortable (Preparing has a good amount of independent work and once he is doing it on his own it will help you be able to spend the time you need to with your Beyond student!) and then start up your younger child the next week so it is a gradual build. HTH a little and if you have any more questions ask away--there are awesome ladies on this board who are so very helpful!!!

[stawnasalas]

Thanks ladies for taking the time to encourage a newbie! I do feel better today. I did lots of praying. I also had my ds start reading Grandpa's Box (I was thinking maybe I had started both kids in over their heads and wanted to see just how well ds could read that book). He was complaining that it was too hard, he couldnt do it, but then when I started dd in on the first reading lesson, he jumped right in and read the first 3 pages. I am feeling a bit more confident with dh's encouragement and affirmation that we did choose the right programs for them. My dd was really excited, that helped too. I know ds will be a bit more of a challenge, but the Lord will help me with that I know. I love the idea of starting with 2 or 3 subjects the first week, I think I will do that. I also like the idea of playing with the younger 2 so they will get that time and then hopefully do fine with just each other for awhile (they do usually play very well together for the most part, and both still take naps for about 1 1/2-2 hours ever day). That will really help. I will be putting the books we dont need aside as well, that was a great idea. Thank you again for all the encouragement and I will have to look through some threads on keeping little ones busy. That Satan is really trying to make me doubt everything that dh and I had agreed upon when deciding to hs and ordering the curriculum .

[raceNzanesmom]

That Satan is really trying to make me doubt everything that dh and I had agreed upon when deciding to hs and ordering the curriculum .

Oh how he loves doing that. Tell him to get out! You, dh, and Jesus got this!! ((hugs))

[Kathleen]

Welcome Stawna!!

I can say that I have learned A LOT in our last 4 years of homeschooling... So, give yourself some time to figure out what works best for your family as you get into a groove. It might take a little bit. And, with little ones, you'll have to plan on time to take care of them, too. Julie's (my3sons) scheduling tips were a HUGE help to me as we got a schedule figured out for our family, too!

In Preparing, Grandpa's Box is actually a book that YOU are scheduled to read to your son. (I LOVED that book, so you might not want to let him loose with that one on his own. ) In Preparing the "T" boxes are the ones you do with your child, the "S" ones are the ones that you get your child going on and then let them finish independently, and the "I" boxes are ones that they read directions and do on their own (and then you check up on later). There are threads on the board that can give you approximate times to complete the boxes for Preparing and Beyond if that would be helpful in planning your schedule, too. (I don't think I have them saved, but if you want them I'm sure that someone knows where they are and can link you up if you ask. )

Kathleen

[KristinBeth]

Hi Stawna,
Praying for you to have peace with your decision. Give it some time, you'll hit your groove. Easy for me to say since I haven't officially started yet. Luckily there's a wealth of experience on this board to help you, and lots of helpful moms here who love the Lord and want you to succeed! Give it all to the Lord and He'll bless your homeschool.

[stawnasalas]

Thank you ladies! I just need to remember that God is in control, and things will fall into place eventually! Oops, I didnt see the "T" on Granpa's Box, so that is good news! I was jumping the gun yesterday, that's for sure.

[hobandrolly]

Stawna~

We just completed our first week using Preparing with my twins, Beyond Little Hearts with my 3rd little gal, and doing PreK/phonics with my last one. You know what I used last year! This is my 5th year of homeschooling and I say with total joy that this week was the smoothest, most delightful first week of school that we have ever had. I was very worried about running two guides PLUS having my PreK girl needing her own attention and teaching her to read. Our week went without a hitch. I saved Fri. afternoon to prep and plan (last year I needed a few hours to prep for the following week)~it took all of 30 minutes to pull all the books I need, mark my places in some of them and put away our supplies. You'll do fine~and I'll pray for you too! When is your official start date?

One little tip, since this is your first year (and I made this mistake MY first year!): stick to the guide and items that Carrie has chosen to go with the program. Don't add or supplement extra things and lengthen your day. This is a very good, high quality program that you and your hubby have chosen! It's so tempting to add a little extra here, another something or other here. Stay with what is scheduled and you'll be fine. The Lord will see you through Stawna!

Blessings Sister! ~Holly

[stawnasalas]

Hi Holly! Thank you for your help! I am so glad your first week was awesome!! I plan to start Aug. 10 with a few subjects, then add as we go. Is that what you did or did you just jump right in? Also, are you going to be drawning out Preparing into 5 days or doing it in 4? I plan to draw it out for 5 days, so maybe doing 3 1/2 - 4 hour days all week b/c Beyond is 5 days so I will be doing that with Ashlyn anyways. I was trying to devise a schedule with Preparing for 5 days, and thinking what subjects I could roll over. And one more thing (sorry!) do you have all kids doing the same subject at the same time (b/c they are pretty much laid out that way for both Preparing and Beyond) or do you, say, have your 9 yo's working on math and your 7 yo doing a reading assignment? I want to be able to follow exactly the order they have in both the teacher's manuals but not really possible if you are to be reading to both levels at the same time for History, or whatever. I am sorry for so many questions, I know you are busy! If anyone else has any answers to my many questions, feel free to jump in .
Thank you!!
Stawna

[cirons]

Hi Stawna,

I am doing Preparing and Beyond this year and I DON'T have my kids doing the same subjects at the same time. I give my Beyond ds instructions for doing his independent handwriting/copywork and maths quickly then begin the lhs of the manual with my Preparing dd. When I have done 3 boxes with her, I send her off to do some of the semi or independent work based on the readings we have just done, and then I sit with my ds in Beyond and basically finish his program in the time it takes my dd to do 3 boxes of Preparing. Then I bring my dd back and finish Preparing with her. This works for us. I don't have younger ones to think about though. I don't think it is important to do the LA in the order that it is in the manual. The most important I would say is to do the history readings before the other boxes on the lhs of the manual and everything else can be done as it suits you and your family situation.

HTH,

Corrie

[stawnasalas]

Thank you Corrie. It came to me in prayer the other night that Beyond will take half the time of Preparing, so get as much done with dd who is doing Beyond while ds is doing some indep. work in Preparing, and then continue helping ds when dd is finished. Duh! And then I read your post and it helped to "see"
a bit of a schedule in my mind. Thank you again! I reallly need to take a step back and breathe, and let listen to God's voice! It will work out.
Stawna

[hobandrolly]

Stawna~

Sorry it's taken me a few days...school has been busy and we came home Sun. night to a cat having 5 kitties in our yard and I'm fighting a sore throat. You'll really have to play around with your schedule to see what works for you and your aged kids~it may take a couple of weeks and THAT'S OKAY . I am following Julie's (my3sons) order of Preparing subjects and it's working out BEAUTIFULLY! I don't know how to link but I'll try:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9826 See if that works and find my3sons post...
if not, the post is titled Preparing...Order of Your Day.

I tuck teaching my littler two girls in when the twins are doing independent parts (they do the Science Exploration and Independent History Study alone~that gives me about an hour to work with my 2nd grader). Another thing I've done is stagger the start times...my twins start at 8:30 and we crank out Bible Study, dictation and grammar before I even start my other two. Also, we do both Poetry segments from the two programs AND the storytime from Beyond during breakfast...that means that by 9am, Poetry, Storytime, dictation, Bible study for the twins and grammar are DONE.

Take a peek at Julies order, see if that might work for you and look for ways to tuck in the other kids. If it helps, string it out and do Preparing over 5 days. We save our Thursday DITHOR assignment for our 5th day (lightens up my Thurs. day a tad) and also do math and grammar 5 days a week for the twins.

I hope that helps a bit~it will all come together because you are not doing this alone...He has called, and HE will equip. Give yourself lots of grace as you start this journey~and if you want a cat let me know!! (Yay for the monsoons!!)