Life is all about change. Change is inevitable. And for the most part, I like change. But change also disrupts your life. Especially when you have small children. This last month has been full of change. We started small. We wanted to move Ari into a big girl bed so we could have the crib for Kira. Well, instead of a simple bed, I found bunk beds for the same price. Long term, I saw this as a good investment. Well. after getting the bunk beds, I realized that after you put a set of bunk beds up and the crib in the girls room, there was no room left for toys. Long story short, Michael and I now have our bedroom in the family room downstairs, our old room is the play room/guest bedroom, and Kira still sleeps in the pac n play but at least in the separate room in the basement.
And now the big change. Pre-school. No, we aren't enrolling. We just don't have the money at this point. No I am going to home school. Unfortunately this means I have to change a lot of our daily habits. Big one is me getting up in the morning. Usually I don't have to roll our of bed till around 8:30 (I know, so spoiled) and I don't go to bed till midnight. Then we poke around all morning and get nothing done. This is not going to fly. I need a schedule. I hate that word by the way. So starting next week I am going to start waking up at 6, going to the gym, getting my quiet time in. Have the girls wake up around 8. Eat breakfast as a family and start school around 9:30 and end around 11:30. Also going to have to start going to bed early myself...:P I think this is going to be harder on me than the girls. Waking up early is not my thing, or getting myself going for that matter.
So any pointers from anyone. Not only in me getting up and getting going but how do I break up a 2 hour school day for Ari. For putting my family on a strict schedule they have never had to follow before. (Michael is so getting up with me. I am not doing it alone!!!) And just to teach Ari that for these 2 hours, they are different and separate?
After typing this I am trying to figure out why I decided to write on two separate things. Does rearranging my house and starting school really have anything to do with each other. Not really. Do beds, cribs and school really fall in the same category. Nope. But I think the thing is, that when you have kids, you have to change and be willing to change. And all your carefully laid out plans really mean nothing. When I bought the bunk bed, I never thought it would result with us sleeping in the basement. And I never thought that Ari finally being able to start school would have to completely change the way we function in our daily lives. I think we will live though, as long as the coffee doesn't run out. :)
First, pre-schooler right (3-4)? Think more like 30 min to an hour. Honestly, we get up around 8:30, start school by 10 and can still usually get done by 12-1. Thats with a 2nd grader and a kindy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the key things is to remember you don't "have" to have your school look anything like public or private school. Oh and you may be more of a routine family that a schedule family. If you would like I can send you a link via FB to a bloger that did a great post about that very thing.
~Ang
I agree with Angela about a little less scheduled school time. Most home-schoolers I know, no matter the age of the kids are done by about 12.
ReplyDeleteI've tried really structured days before and got so frustrated because kids are unpredictable and it's hard when your day sort of involved unpredictability to have hard fast structure.