Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Homeschooling with lots of babies!

So, i'm getting my year plan together and i'm wondering what all of you who have BTDT have done to prepare for a crazy insane whacked out year, homeschooling 4 and having an additional preschooler and 2 newborns!!

My plan for the year is to keep it REALLY simple. I'm buying pieced together versions of the Timberdoodle full year curriculums http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Packages_s/363.htm since i use a virtual school and they won't pay for the apologia science... so anyway, i chose those since they require much less TIME than most curricula, and so i'm hoping that will help.

Also i'm focusing now on getting ready ahead of time. As soon as the stuff arrives, which probably won't be till after they are born sadly, i'm allowing myself lots of time to break down everything into weekly folders so we know exactly what needs to be done on what weeks. Whatever doesn't get done will get done on the weekends or evenings. That's my plan anyway :-)

I'm contemplating a "Managers of their homes" style schedule, including the babies, but am nervous, having never scheduled babies before. From what I understand, many twin parents go the schedule route purely for sanity's sake, when they may not have normally scheduled their newborns, its merely a survival thing. So i'm very seriously considering it, making sure to allow close feedings for the little guys.

Does anyone else have any sanity saving ideas for how to make things come together?!

thanks,
rebecca

2 comments:

teresamatz said...

you must schedule twins!!!!!! or you will go crazy! {not that I ever went crazy :] )
I found that they liked to be put down in the same bed for naps, they played together until they feel asleep..... they started sleeping together in the NICU, and I didn't separate them until age 1.

Heather said...

The schedule idea for the twins is a definite must! Of course, you can be flexible at times when they are sick or what have you, but if you do on demand feeding with them, you will drive yourself crazy. We were on a schedule just due to the hospital keeping them on one and it worked for us quite well. It helps you "stay ahead" of the babies needs too and keeps them happy and satisfied for the most part we found. We kept a log of when we fed each one, how much, at what time, and if they had wet or poopy diapers (the hospital recommended we keep track for a while) and it was good because when you have mommy brain from lack of sleep you need a record, trust me! It was good to see how much they were getting that way too as we did breast milk/formula combo in bottles for the first few months (took a while to ease into breastfeeding and then just one of them continued with it until age 1). Keep in mind, the "schedule" for the twins will adjust as they grow (obviously), so at first you will have to tentatively schedule and see what is working and you may have to adjust it from time to time as they change sleep & eating habits. You know all this though from your other kiddos I am sure. Keep on truckin'...sounds like you are doing well!
~Heather