Reprioritize...
I have really struggled this week to keep my priorities straight! I have been on a whirlwind roller coaster ride. I will find a way to maintain a balance, but that means letting some things fall away. As a homeschooler, I am beginning to realize that other things MUST and SHOULD take a backseat. It is a great thing to homeschool, but so hard to juggle it all!! The whole reason I set out on this journey was to teach my kids, enjoy them and really know them which would allow me to help them to choose the paths for their lives. If I am busy, stressed out and screaming-that doesn't exactly accomplish my goals.
God is in the little details and I am trying to realize that! Share your biggest homeschool struggle and what you do to tame the beast when he attacks your life. If you don't homeschool, the question remains the same, just leave out the homeschool!
My biggest struggle is the calendar. With five of us, there is much to keep track of. We only have one and try to keep all things on there. Some things are optional and those are often allowed to pass without our involvement. When we have a day without commitments, we very often will break away for spontaneous family outings. I am thankful for a hubby who feels that is so important. A whole lot of those outings are my kids favorite memories. The day to day scheduling is hardest. What time and what order to do things. It is kind of like a budget in that things always have to be readjusted to suit our needs better. My goal is for scheduling to be a gift, not something we are slaves to. When I find that "magic" schedule, I
promise to share. (And the budget and menu too for that matter!)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
2 comments:
Enjoy the things you can do while they're all in elementary school and school is still mostly "fun stuff". There will come a time when you simply can't do all the field trips and join every club, and you'll have to make some hard decisions about what you can and can no longer do. As your kids get older, their workload will (and should) increase, so you lose some of the flexibility you enjoy while they're younger and they don't have a rigorous academic schedule. (This is why so many of the moms with older kids rarely show up for support group events and field trips.) I'm trying to teach my 8th grader to set priorities and I can't do that if we're never home to fulfill our obligations to schoolwork. But all that to say... yours are still young. Enjoy the freedom to go and do! And honestly, I am pretty sure the "magic schedule" does not exist... it's an ongoing struggle (sigh).
Oh my gosh, where to start ! I am a new homeschooler. My daughter (7) was in public school through first grade, I took her out of public school about two months before first grade was done.(she couldn't read)
I have been totally alone and had no support of any kind until just recently.(I joined a homeschool organization)
Let me tell you, everything was a struggle for months!
After much trial and error I think the thing that has made the biggest difference for me was having a (loose) schedule and routine. My daughter fought me tooth and nail, she didn't want to do anything. My consistency paid off. She knows she has to do school, it's not an option, period. As long as she knows I won't "cave in" and let her have a day off (which she tried everyday,)she just gets her work done and then has the rest of the day to do whatever she wants. She's usually done by 11am)
For me, I had to try several different schedules to find the "magic" schedule that worked for everyone. I think it's just trial and error and sticking to whatever you decide to do.
Deborah
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