How about a "it's going to be a great year but I'm overwhelmed already" support thread?

[mykdsmomy]

I have huge aspirations to become more organized and spend more time on "teaching" this year. I wasn't planning on starting until after Labor day but we got accepted into the charter school I had hoped to get into and BAM! We're starting tomorrow! I am feeling like I just got the wind knocked out of me because, while I'm excited that my sp. needs child will get all the services he needs, I'm a little concerned that I've bitten off more than I can chew (in relation to paperwork for the charter school and "showing" how much work we've done at each meeting. Plus we won't get any of the curriculum I ordered for another 3 weeks...so I'm sort of winging it until then.

I know it will all work out. I have faith that I can do this and it will be a good thing (I have to keep telling myself that ). But is anyone else feeling overwhelmed, intimidated, nervous, etc about this upcoming school year? Vent your concerns..... It's going to be a GREAT year and we're all going to learn so many new things about our children and this great journey we call homeschooling!

[MissRubyandKen]

I'm mostly relaxed. I've been homeschooling for five years now. However, I now have a 5th grader and a third grader and a two year old. So, yeah, lol. I do aspire to be more organized and get more done this year. I'm leaning towards a classical approach towards education right now, which is new too. I'm trying to figure out how to balance requiring more of my fifth grader, but not too much from my third grader, while keeping most of the lessons combined. I also want to have plenty of time to cuddle my baby, excuse me I mean big girl, lol, read to her, play with her, etc. She mostly only stays interested in activities I provide for 10-15 minutes and likes to be in the middle of what we're doing, including grabbing the microscope for her turn, taking papers, trying to climb on the table, throwing math manipulatives after she tires of playing with them, etc. Its going to be interesting. I also am planning to do Science four days a week this year with loads of experiments. Hopefully this will be as fun as I want. I do plan to 'feed the freezer', which is new to me, and I hope this helps with quick, healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We'll see!

[pigpokey]

I do dislike this time of year and I do lessons year round.

I like it again by October when we are all in a groove: outside classes are either worked out or tweaked; coaches are not calling me telling me that the practice time they wanted that I effortfully scheduled around now has to be something else; kids know what to expect and are less crabby.

[frugalmama]

I'm still getting used to it - this is DD's first year and I'm having to re-write our curriculum due to her skills level. She's half-way through K for Math, a third of the way through for phonics, behind in writing/motor skills. I also need to figure out what we're doing for science since DD loves it, and I haven't yet found a K level program I like.

On top of that she went to her first hsing PE class yesterday, and really neither of us cared for it. I was counting on that for social - she is an only and almost never leaves home so doesn't really understand playing with other kids and following directions from others. Add in some Aspergers tendencies, motor skills delays and being gifted so she's 4 but mentally 7, and this school year isn't starting off very good.

Our school room isn't finished cleaning yet either, and the rest of the house is a wreck.

[phatchristy]

We've just started and I'm guessing there's a bit of a learning curve I'm going through. I feel stressed already. I think the lack of sleep is getting to me, I'm staying up late doing the things I can't get done during the day which I know long term is not really sustainable. Hoping to get more caught up on things this weekend!

[madis81]

Definately overwhelmed here! We're starting first grade next week. I keep putting off the official "start date" because I have been purging and reorganizing. Our school area is not finished, and the whole house is a mess. It's been a slow process. I'm also 31 weeks pregnant, so that adds to the overwhelming factor AND is probably why my focus has been on reorganizing our ENTIRE home. It takes me so long to get things done around the house now. Bleh! Good news is I have lessons planned for a month. And I'll be planning lessons for the rest of the semester this week. That way we'll be good to go until baby is born, and then after a couple of weeks we can resume with our lessons.

[kittie313]

i am beyond overwhelmed. I have 2 doing k12 this year through our state's virtual academy, 2 preschoolers, babysit a couple days a week, and a full-time college courseload. This is our second week of the new hs year so its going ok but I just feel like I have so stinking MUCH going on right now for this year (and its only going to get more crazy in the next few years as my youngest 2 each join our k12 school and I keep going in college). I know that I just need to stick it out for another month or so and then I'll have a good groove to my days but right now it just feels like we'll NEVER get there. I'm seriously thinking that if by Christmas we don't get the groove, I'm going to file notification with our school district and pull the kids out of OHVA so we can take a totally different approach while I'm in college.

[broodymama]

A little overwhelmed here too! DS1 is in 1st grade and the homeschooling is going great, we're slowly working up to our full schedule. Keeping DD2 from destroying the house and getting cleaning/dinner stuff done with high needs 2 month old DS2 is making it challenging.

[lmonter]

Count me in the overwhelmed club. Not necessarily all due to hs'ing, but it is another hat I have to juggle along with everything else.

[meg-momto2]

newbie home schooler here. i feel lost and confused most of the time. i'm still trying to get curriculum together. i'll be back when i have some more time.

[mykdsmomy]

Can I just say that I'm so glad I'm not alone but I feel for all of you because it sounds like we all have a lot on our plates.

It's hard when you're new to homeschooling. There's a learning curve (which can last indefinitely ) But ...it does get better

Today went well as Boo was pretty excited about doing his school work

My ds10 will be starting on Monday because he's doing K12 again this year. I'm trying to integrate some of what he's doing into what dd11 is doing....but it's giving me a headache...lol

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by mykdsmomy

It's hard when you're new to homeschooling. There's a learning curve (which can last indefinitely ) But ...it does get better

Today went well as Boo was pretty excited about doing his school work

I keep hearing about the learning curve thing, but I don't know if it's gotten me yet... Maybe I've just been overstressed on everything else (basically a single parent about 80% of the time due to hubby's job being a state away, PPD, continually packing/cleaning up the house that's on the market that is also really, incredibly slow, canning season, you know, regular stuff) that it just hasn't registered...
Although I *am* having the problem of too many things to choose from to best fit my kiddos and their particular brand of learning, which I hear isn't abnormal.

My 4yo and 6yo are all kinds of excited to do "school," too. So cute. But I will admit I'm making a decided effort to keep it fun so to speak - good read aloud stories, manipulatives and such to keep little hands busy, etc.