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I think today is just an off day for me.  And I know I can homeschool DS.  But I'm just feeling like I work all day and minimal real schooling gets done, KWIM?  By evening I'm too exhausted to prep for the next day, and so I have to wake up early to prep.  Today I just slept and I'm so far behind.  Too often I just set up DS with audiobooks. 

 

I just took an excellent OG course and really feel empowered to use it with DS, but with every new curriculum I feel it takes a while for us to get efficient at it.  We were just starting to get into the groove of Barton when I decided to ditch it for the most part for the OG training I received.  That's part of our problem is it will probably take a few weeks to get into the new groove, but we'll be interrupted with the holidays and travel before we really start progressing. 

 

I spend usually hours every day related to planning and schoolwork.  Not just prepping but the massive amount of research involved with a 2e kid.  And we're not really on a good rotation for things for me to have it all seamless (for instance fine motor activities/gross motor activities, etc).  Enrichment?  That's a lofty goal at this point, and I'm wondering if documentaries can really provide enough education that it counts for anything in real life, much less school work.

 

I know we all have days like this, but today especially I'm just wondering how we can do it all?  Probably after a few weeks of figuring out the new skills from the OG course we'll be in a better place, and I'm looking into outsourcing some subjects to take off the burden (like science maybe on K12 and I subscribed to dreambox for a little math practice when I am busy).  But the house is a mess, there are no plans for dinner, and I'm trying to lose weight, which is a full time job in itself!

 

Sigh, sorry to unload but I know you all care out there and I'm feeling pretty down.  I think I just need to start a blog.  But I know I don't have the time!  Tell me it'll get better and that we'll be more productive, and that one day we'll have a regular schedule after we have hs for a while.  :)

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I remember days like that.  We didn't have 2E but do have 3 with learning challenges.

 

I would try to streamline things as much as possible.  Stick with simple meals for now and have a weekly menu so you don't have to think much about it.

 

For school, figure out what is key and try to get that done every day.

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You will get into a regular routine. The first year of homeschool is the hardest. For us, it helped to pick one recommendation at a time from the neuropsych report and get that running smoothly. For you would that be the OG work? Get just that going well. Then add in the fine motor/gross motor. Then math. Then you have permission to worry about enrichment, but not until those other areas are established and running, lol.

 

It is absolutely a ton of work and a ton of research and I never feel like there are enough hours in the day for remediation and exploration with 2E kids. But for the most part my kids are happy, engaged, and love to learn and that really is enough too. :) Rome wasn't built in a day and consistency over the long term counts more than getting everything just right today. You have time to get this worked out. You really do.

 

Fwiw, I spend most of my summer prepping & planning materials. I'm researching and sorting through continually but at least a significant part of summer is devoted to actually getting materials printed out, sorted, and stored in a manner that makes them most easily accessible to us during the year when the weeks are crazy busy. If you are taking a break over the holidays, you may have some time to do a mini-prep session. If not, then maybe plan on doing what you can this year, and devoting some time over summer to get organized. Meal plans and house routines need to be part of that plan too. My crockpot is an absolute staple in my home used at least 3 days a week. You'll get it all worked out. The first 6 months of homeschooling were (and still are) a memory blur because they were so busy and so much change all at once.

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Thanks for the replies.  It feels better knowing we're not the only one.  I was thinking how a lot is contributing to this.  I'm somewhat organized with school work but with the new OG program I probably could use a few days just getting that better organized.  And home/food plans have always been... spotty.  I have a migraine today too which I know is a main contributor to my mood.  The holidays are coming up and still we haven't decorated, bought gifts, gotten family pictures, etc, and we'll be traveling soon.  It's just so much and then today I felt like I said "12 is twelve, not twenty one" for the billionth time today.  I know it's not DS's fault and I don't really feel frustrated at him, just worried.  I don't really want to take a prolonged holiday from school but maybe at least a few days off for me to get my stuff together better may be helpful.  I just hate taking time off because we're already "behind schedule" in my mind.  Well, it'll be another short day today and then maybe I can regroup for next week, or just take an early holiday and ditch school for a couple of weeks.  We've had a rough few months and emotionally I'm still adjusting to the diagnoses I think.   

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Awww, I'm sorry it's hard!!   :grouphug: 

 

New homeschooling is ALWAYS hard, then you add in disabilities, the holidays, your high expectations...  

 

I do find the Barton work makes my ds very tired.  You're going to have behavior problems, etc. if you push into that too tired zone.  It has been tricky for us to find that balance of feeling like we're working all we can but keeping it a doable amount that he can do every day without keeling over.  Short sessions help.

 

Just as a suggestion, I know you said you want to move on from Barton, but have you thought about letting Barton help you?  Our dyslexia school in town trains people, but they do it for 6 weeks with 60 hours of coursework and 60 hours of supervised practice.  It's NO WONDER you feel overwhelmed at the thought of writing lesson plans from scratch!!  Let the Barton that you have HELP you.  Nothing says you have to do it all yourself now that you have that knowledge.  You can work together.  It's like saying you can't shoot aperture priority just because you're a professional photographer and know how to shoot manual. Professionals shoot priority modes like that ALL THE TIME.  They TAKE ADVANTAGE of the materials and they use them more creatively because they SEE WHERE IT'S GOING.

 

Now that you know where the curriculum is going, you can diverge, add in, do more techniques, customize.  But it's ok to let what you have be a starting point, at least for a while. 

 

Messy house and struggling to get dinner on is your new norm.  Give yourself some crockpots for Christmas, like FP says.  I got some at Penney's last year for $15!!!  The Cook's Illustrated Slow Cooker cookbooks are super fab and super easy.  Teach him to unload and reload the dishwasher and do chores every day.  Put it on a list.  My dh has taught my ds, and it's such a glorious thing.  :D

 

Be careful you are realistic.  Homeschooling is HARD.  The winter is HARD.  Your vitamin D is going to drop.  February is the worst, worst month.  Slow down, be realistic in your expectations, and pick a slow, gentle pace you can keep up with.  Whatever blending or helps it takes you to get something done is good enough.  Barton plus your new knowledge would be AWESOME.  If that's more likely to get done than you making the lessons from scratch, do it.  If 30 minutes a day plus a quizlet app for fluency is realistic, do it.  

 

And um no, it's real hard to have the emotional stamina to get more done on top of it.  My ds wants more.  My body and brain sorta give out, lol.  I keep telling myself to think SIMPLE, not mom-driven.  Science dvds, knex kits, that kind of thing.

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Thanks again!  :)  I already feel better just saying I'm done with school for today.  I'll have to look into more crockpot recipes.  I love my crockpot but don't use it a ton because I tend to make too much and the kids never eat it.  But it's still good for me and DH and controlling my meals.  Maybe some new recipes will help inspire me. 

 

I think I just need DH to take the kids out so I can plan for a week.  :)  Haha.  In reality I probably need a break myself.  Are there any good movies out? 

 

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Ease back. Really, it's ok to ease back.  I think taking hours to plan each day is much too much.

Once you've decided on your curriculum/approach, an hour of planning on a Sunday should take you through the week. If it's not, you're doing too much. You'll burn out, you'll be fried, you won't be happy.

Pick the one subject that you think should be the focus. It sounds like you're dealing with dyslexia type issue (btdt! have the badges & scars!) so that will probably be your 1 non negotiable thing each day. 

Then pick the one subject that your kids LOVE & possibly don't get enough of. Do that at least 3x/week. Or as an alternative, do your #1 thing 4/week & have your 5th be just the fun stuff day.

If you did nothing but OG & science activities, it would be fine. Really. Add documentaries, audio books, calliope magazine, play, nature walks, & you're done. REALLY.  Esp since you're also listing 3 out of the house extracurriculars. You're doing a LOT. Maybe too much. It's ok to cut back.

Get into a groove for a bit, hit your stride & then think about whether you want to add something else or not.  Or cut something out.

Also consider your scheduling. Are you family who does better after an outing & then can hammer out 2h of phonics before dinner or is it better if you do your seatwork in the morning & then take afternoons off for other stuff? Or would your kids enjoy doing math at 10 pm? 

& it's totally ok to take a break & just regroup!

GL

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Funny movies?  You have Prime or netflix?  :)  I treated myself to Prime and an amazon fire tv a while back and I have way too much fun with it.  You can just tell it your favorite movie star and it starts giving you ideas.  Sometimes you end up on rabbit trails.  I had never seen IQ (about Einstein) with Meg Ryan, and that was TOO FUNNY, what a hoot!!!  I watched Hitch a while back and I just can't remember if that was appropriate with kids or not.  I remember certain parts were pee your pants funny.

 

I used to watch the Hallmark stations a lot, but they've ruined themselves with the whole "santa's evil child must repent while elves solve the problems of the world" junk.  I'm just over it.  If we could get football/sports separately, we'd cancel cable entirely and just live on Prime.  

 

I just got a movie movie of Sherlock through the library, haven't watched it yet.  My dd has been going through the original series of Star Trek on prime, so that sucks our evenings when we sit down to watch.  That and sports and history.  When he turns on history, I leave the room.  I don't like history anyway, and after I work on education stuff all day I don't need another yucky thing in my life!  So I say watch chick flicks and things you like.  Oh my, there was one, hmm, was it "Failure to Launch"?  Oh my lands, another you don't watch with the kids, lol.  But seriously, it's a good thing I have a leather couch it was so funny!  I don't know much about newer movies, so those were discoveries to me.  Usually I'm in the Cary Grant, b&w, old stuff.

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I'll add myself into the group hug. :grouphug:

 

May I ask why you decided to ditch Barton if you were just starting to get in the groove on that only to now feel overwhelmed with this new approach? I used to add lots of other remediation stuff in addition to Barton. I took other O-G training too (via the internet) and read multiple teacher training manuals. Most things I added were helpful and useful, but as I continued through Barton, I discover some of what I added we eventually covered with Barton. The more training from sources outside Barton I got, the more I saw that some of the "Barton things" that I previously just did because they were in the Barton script made great sense.  While remediating dyslexia (and dysgraphia and all the other "dyses" and language/auditory processing problems) is never really "easy", creating your own Orton-Gillingham lessons plans sounds like a more difficult approach. I don't mean that to sound critical, because I admire you for trying to do it! But what your wrote definitely sounds exhausting! I can see why you'd feel overwhelmed! 

 

 

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I'll add myself into the group hug. :grouphug:

 

May I ask why you decided to ditch Barton if you were just starting to get in the groove on that only to now feel overwhelmed with this new approach? I used to add lots of other remediation stuff in addition to Barton. I took other O-G training too (via the internet) and read multiple teacher training manuals. Most things I added were helpful and useful, but as I continued through Barton, I discover some of what I added we eventually covered with Barton. The more training from sources outside Barton I got, the more I saw that some of the "Barton things" that I previously just did because they were in the Barton script made great sense.  While remediating dyslexia (and dysgraphia and all the other "dyses" and language/auditory processing problems) is never really "easy", creating your own Orton-Gillingham lessons plans sounds like a more difficult approach. I don't mean that to sound critical, because I admire you for trying to do it! But what your wrote definitely sounds exhausting! I can see why you'd feel overwhelmed! 

 

I was wondering the same thing. If it's budget concerns I completely understand but I'm also a trained O-G tutor and use Barton because quite frankly I found it to be the best. It's nice to have the curriculum all set and ready to go for me and then just when Ana needs extra explanation or review or just a break to do something fun I can delve into my O-G toolbox to make up a fun review game for her, give an alternate explanation, or whatever. Professional teachers are trained but still use a textbook or curriculum as their basis and then do the brunt work of teaching and checking work, they don't create curriculum from scratch. Good experienced ones supplement with unit studies and projects, crafting 1-2 new ones each year so after a decade they've got several to choose from. 

 

But ITA with everyone else that you might have a mom talk deficit and perhaps a mom date, a movie, and Christmas break will help you feel a lot better. And then just ease back in with the most important things first. 

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Another poster on the boards here who tutors OG professionally says she spends *2 hours* planning every single session!!  That's absolutely ridiculous for a mom to put that on herself thinking it's the only way to do a good job.  It's not realistic with the other responsibilities we have.  We're not being paid to do that and we have too many other things to do.  Something that gets us most of the way that we modify is a much easier place to start from.  

 

SandyKC has mentioned that she got the training, but even with the training she didn't teach from scratch but brought in some materials to create a framework.  

 

I always tell myself to look for the thing that gets me 80% of the way there and then make it my own.  

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(((hugs))). I'm right there with you. I'm schooling three kids, two of which are 2e. And this year I totally burned out from just being in our seventh year at it.

 

I've trained to do different therapies over the years and I'm so over therapies! We took some time off this fall, more than normal, because I needed a break and the kids have been unschooling and surprisingly learned a ton and kept busy with various projects. We also outsourced a few classes to keep from total educational neglect. The break has been so good for all of us. The kids have made big leaps in independant learning. I'm actually beginning to feel energized and enthused for the new year when we'll get back into things.

 

I'm not sure how old your ds is or what LDs he's got, but is there a way you could have him work independently on certain subjects with something like work boxes or a routine?

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I have really liked Slow Cooker Revolution (a book) lately.  It has recipes where you can, like, make a big batch of slow cooker chicken or beef, and then use it in different ways.  Everything I have made from it has turned out well.  It takes time in the morning, they are not the easiest recipes (probably two steps to the right of easiest) but my kids have liked them.

 

I have just got it from the library.  There is a sequel that is healthy recipes, but I haven't been able to check it out yet.  

 

Cooking is always a struggle for me, too, but I have made progress in the last year.  

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Thanks to all for your replies! 

 

I feel much better this evening after resting and taking some pain medicine for my headache :)

 

As for the new OG curriculum, I am following a curriculum from the course I took, but since we just started it there's prep involved: making sheets, teaching DS what we're doing, getting stuff together, reviewing processes, etc.  And I'm trying to get a good weekly schedule with our priorities (writing daily, likely dictation or sight words daily, etc) with the new course so I'm still in the process of figuring it all out.  I'm not saying Barton isn't good.  I think it is, but this new system I feel is a much better fit for DS's learning styles and much more flexible for what I need to do with DS. 

 

I think I'll see if there's any movies to see out of the house too.  Or maybe go on a date with DH...

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:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

 

I am super stressed myself, which is why I took a nap this evening after DH arrived home, and now can't sleep at 1 am. Sigh.

 

Homeschooling can be totally overwhelming just on its own. Add in some learning disabilities, and the stress can increase exponentially. Not to mention the other aspects of life that you have to attend to. I know it is not expert advice, but what I have to say is.....what you are feeling is absolutely normal. That's both good news and bad news. It means that you are not alone and can find support and suggestions that may help from others who have traveled the road before you. The bad news is that this kind of stress may happen periodically instead of going away altogether forever (whew, that would be nice!). Developing some good stress relief activities is a great idea. I personally love movies, and reading, and chocolate.

 

I do have one suggestion about the crock pot. You say you don't use it much, because you tend to make too much, and your family cannot eat it all. That can actually be a plus for you. Stick half of the food in the freezer for a month. When you pull it out and reheat it (you can do this in the crock pot, too), it becomes an even easier meal than it was the first time.

 

It's also okay to take things slow with the academics at first while you get your footing. It's what happens over the long haul that will make the difference. Your children are young, so you have years ahead of you to figure things out. It's okay to get off to a slow start.

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