Most families do that to make sure their kids' English is ok. Thanks for sharing. I see there are two cellists in your house. Awesome!!

Merci, Cleo. I know it's not very common. Sometimes I wish we lived in a region where both Mandarin and English are common spoken languages.... Singapore?:D

Cooking used to be my stress-relief when I had only one child. Once upon a time I even follow Julia Child's recipes for my daily meals....Now this is the way my DH does to calm me down. ha ha Will try this tomorrow first thing!!

or oxygen mask when homeschool doesn't go the way you planned or when kids put off their work or simply when you feel you are left alone to tackle problems? This is just the end of my second year of HS. Still got a lot to learn. So many parenting books tell you to "just take a deep breath", or "put on your oxygen mask" before you should get upset and yell. But when kids push that botton, before I have time to take a breath, my brain switches to the "fright or flight" mode. Where do you find your oxygen mask??:confused: Obviously, mine is still lost somewhere in the mess of my living room....

I have to admit that is a very MUSICAL thread!! Thanks for sharing, Laura.

Hi, y'all, I am so excited to know there are so many music talents on this forum. This is Shu-Yi--cellocoffee. I started cello when I was 10, got a doctoral degree in cello performance. I am originally from Taiwan. I maintain a cello studio at home and homeschool two DD. This is my 3rd year of homeschooling. Nice meeting you!

Wait?! Where are you in Texas? I am in Austin!!:lol:

I guess not.:nopity:

Thanks, Pata. (I feel really excited that the author of Elemental Science responded to my question. Celebrity!) It is so invaluable to me to know how other working/HS moms deal with this situation. So far I have four sitter/tutor interview lined up. Thanks again! Y'all are AWESOME!!:thumbup:

Positive! I love it!! I think this thread will become the Chicken Soup thread for HS working moms!

TOTALLY:iagree: That's what I am going to do. Thanks for your support!

Hi, Lisa, this is a great tip. I do plan DD1's work this way now but not as well paced as I would like it to be. This is another great insight. I am glad I am not crazy for moving our school time together around the clock. Although I will keep in mind not turing into a pushy monster mom, I see the more flexible way of time use. Thanks for the encouragement!!!

Are you a musician, too?

:iagree:Thanks for confirming this. I have been playing tough..thinking I can do it all. Now I realized I have been too hard on myself and it's bringing stress to the whole family. :bigear: And thanks for listening and sharing!!

Thanks for your cheering! Yes, when the girls enjoy their free time playing either on their own or together, I feel calm. I have put a help-needed announcement and am interviewing some sitters. BTW, I like your signature. CFO...cool.

I admire your strength. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!! DD8 does see how much I multitask and how devoted I am in teaching. She has learned to greet my students' families, help them get situated and even play with their younger siblings. No, they haven't ever complained except my 2-yr-old occasionally wants me to nurse her...:tongue_smilie: I think the main reason I feel the guilt is that I witness DD1 who just turned 8 this week wants to learn a lot more things and do more. I think I need to start our daily routine maybe an hour earlier to try to get all subjects done before I teach. Thanks for listening to me.

TRUE!! I found myself constantly trying to find DD8 some work to do before I teach to make up for my guilt. That's not a good cycle of interaction. I really should stop worrying. Yay!!

:iagree: I think I should print your thoughts out and read it everyday before I teach. Thanks!! I am thankful to be able to maintain my career partially while I can still see my girls grow.

Yay!!! Are you a cellist, too? Yes, I agree with you totally. I think getting up earlier to finish the heavy duty stuff before I teach will definitely help with my nerves. I am also considering hiring a tutor/sitter now on two of the longer teaching days. Thank you all for listening!! Let's keep in touch Sara in AZ.

Thanks, Garga, During my teaching, DD8 does do her unfinished work. I usually give DD2 some Reader Rabbit time. Sometimes they play house together or just roaming around.

Thanks Truscifi, Yes, DD8 does do work on her own quite well when I ask her to. Recently she even practices cello or piano during my teaching time. The problem is more me...I just feel guilty. But like your situation, it is nice to have spare money for their extra activities. I must remember that. Thanks,:)

Hi, fairly new member here. This is the third time I am trying to post this thread. So if somehow one of you find my lost two threads with a similar title, please forgive me. I maintain a cello studio at home. I don't teach until 4 or 5 and I try to be done at 7 or 7:30. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching cello and share my passion about music. On top of homeschooling, teaching cello, I also try to continue performing chamber music regularly in my community. BUT, DD1 is now 8 and she is learning so much quicker than before(last month she asked for cursive, Latin, and more science). With a 2-yr-old acting terribly to her right, it's getting harder to finish all the schooling before I teach. Although it's usually no more than 2 and a half hours a day I spare from the kids to teach, I am feeling more and more guilty and pressure when I am teaching. Besides my passion for teaching, financially I can't quit totally either. Have any of you hired a tutor or nanny while you work? My husband comes home around 6. So it feels almost silly to hire someone..... Thanks in advance.

Hi and thank you for your warm welcome!:001_smile: My name is Shu-Yi. I am from Taiwan. Cellocoffee's name is from: I am a professional cellist and I love and live on espresso drinks. I heard about this forum through a close homeschooling mother friend/mentor(Sharon in Austin, did you hear me?) I am married for 9 yrs to a sweet TX cowboy and I have two girls, 8 and 2&1/2. Reasons I started homeschooling: 1. Didn't want my DC to loose their Mandarin.(DH kindly only used his limited Chinese skill to communicate with DDs until he can't disguise himself any more.) 2. I teach cello at home mostly during after-school hour. If DDs go to school, I will not see them during the day until their bed time. I don't want that kind of life style. I am so glad to have found a forum like this. It really provides lots of knowledge and stress relief tips.

I am just curious if any one else is pursuing this......:tongue_smilie: Since I feel like a rarity in any homeschooling groups.... We do almost all the subjects in both Mandarin and English every day. Now my DD1 (just turned 8 this week) is learning much more and quicker in all her subjects in English, I feel I am in a rat race everyday trying to maintain her Mandarin writing and reading....

We actually started using it this year after watching a documentary about Dr. Bronner from Netflix. Check it out, it's very interesting. At first we used it for head-to-toe shower. Then I found it made our hair fuzzy and the girls hair got tangled more. So we switched back to regular hair shampoo. Other than that we still love the body shower gell.