((HUGS)) Mama. I only have the 5yo and 2yo and still have trouble finding my balance sometimes.
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I only have a 6 year old plus baby at home so my hands aren't as full as yours but...
Sling. Sling. Moby Wrap. Sling. Moby Wrap. Ergo. Sling.
That's how I got anything done in the first 6 months. And, I had to shift my expectations WAY down. Laundry took forever, dishes forever +1 day, etc. Gradually, as ds got older and started sitting up, my time w/o him increased.
Of course, in order for dd and I to get a sewing project done the other day, I let ds play in the dog water.
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It worked...just one new outfit needed at the end.
Be patient with yourself. 8 week olds require SO much time. It will change, all too fast.
Sling. Sling. Moby Wrap. Sling. Moby Wrap. Ergo. Sling.
That's how I got anything done in the first 6 months. And, I had to shift my expectations WAY down. Laundry took forever, dishes forever +1 day, etc. Gradually, as ds got older and started sitting up, my time w/o him increased.
Of course, in order for dd and I to get a sewing project done the other day, I let ds play in the dog water.
Be patient with yourself. 8 week olds require SO much time. It will change, all too fast.
I don't think homeschooling needs to be difficult with a new baby in the picture ... it just has to change focus and character and pace, and this change just becomes part of the older kids' learning experiences. For us a new baby helped the kids learn patience, empathy, baby care, initiative and independence. They learned to get out paints or playdoh themselves and clean up afterwards, for example. They learned to make sandwiches, mix up juice, bake simple snacks. They learned to fold laundry, hold a baby safely and "keep an eye on her". They elder siblings learned the skills of reining in and redirecting their younger, less responsible siblings without conflict. They learned patience and adaptability when we needed to cut something short or take a break to attend to the baby's needs. They learned that any time I was breastfeeding was time I was available to talk or read aloud or help them with other sedentary activities.
Some things just didn't happen for 3-6 months. There were no brilliant and creative science explorations or complex and messy art projects. Field trips had to change character. I wasn't there constantly strewing their paths with interesting things, setting up activities, being an energetic facilitator of their academic-type learning.
But what they learned instead, though less tangible, was in many ways more valuable.
My kids were 2 & 4 years old when number 3 was born, and 4, 6 and 9 when number 4 was born. It is true that that time was not easy for me, and I had flashes of the sorts of worries and frustration you're expressing. But overall, and in retrospect, I can see that the changes that occured as a result of having a baby in the house were very positive experiences for them.
In schools there is a program called "Roots of Empathy" that is attempting to give schoolchildren some of these benefits by having them interact regularly with a baby and mom. It's a terrific program that is showing great results in the social and emotional development of the school kids involved, but it pales beside what my kids and yours get courtesy of their youngest sibling. So hey, don't worry that you're not giving your older kids more of the schoolish stuff you'd like -- because schools are out there worrying that they're not giving kids enough of the baby/family stuff that your kids are immersed in!
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Miranda
Some things just didn't happen for 3-6 months. There were no brilliant and creative science explorations or complex and messy art projects. Field trips had to change character. I wasn't there constantly strewing their paths with interesting things, setting up activities, being an energetic facilitator of their academic-type learning.
But what they learned instead, though less tangible, was in many ways more valuable.
My kids were 2 & 4 years old when number 3 was born, and 4, 6 and 9 when number 4 was born. It is true that that time was not easy for me, and I had flashes of the sorts of worries and frustration you're expressing. But overall, and in retrospect, I can see that the changes that occured as a result of having a baby in the house were very positive experiences for them.
In schools there is a program called "Roots of Empathy" that is attempting to give schoolchildren some of these benefits by having them interact regularly with a baby and mom. It's a terrific program that is showing great results in the social and emotional development of the school kids involved, but it pales beside what my kids and yours get courtesy of their youngest sibling. So hey, don't worry that you're not giving your older kids more of the schoolish stuff you'd like -- because schools are out there worrying that they're not giving kids enough of the baby/family stuff that your kids are immersed in!
Miranda
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