What would you do? (moms of many pls)

[Rebecca]

Curriculum thoughts for my family

 

If you know me IRL (shh!) we have not shared our news.

 

We just discovered amazing, wonderful news today that we are expecting twins in July.:party:

 

Our school has been going well this year. I have been using SL with my "younger" children and Sea and Sky with my oldest (who is 10.5).

 

So- I don't want to use WP again next year and I was feeling led to place him in AO year 6.

 

I just want to know what moms of many are using. Help me. I will have sixth grade(advanced- reads Howard Pyle, Hobbit, Tom Sawyer with ease). Fifth grade (combines well with my next son) Third Grade, Second Grade and Kindergarten plus a three year old and then the twins!

 

I was going to keep my younger set in SL (combining the fifth and third grader in Core 3) and using Core K with the second and Ker (they are using P45 this year). But I also thought I could use AO with them if it would be easier. I do not get to a lot of extras with them and I am sure next year will be the same.

 

I do not think TOG is for me. I do not have time to plan and every time I read threads and visit their site I feel that it is not for me.

 

I am wondering if I should order the Year 6 books and start reading them now- so I can discuss with my son. With most of the books he should be able to read them independently and meet with me for discussion/narration.

 

I am wondering if it would be better to use AO with my younger ones- if I would be able to achieve school and not stress myself out...

 

Again they will be

11

10

8.5

7

5

3

next school year.

 

If anyone has BTDT- what do you do? Should I just go down to the basics and not read aloud next year? :confused:

 

Any help appreciated.

 

My mind is still spinning at the sight of those two precious babies.

Rebecca

[delaney]

There are SO many things that are unpredictable with twins, especially when they will actually arrive! I would plan for the hardest situation and add from there. If they are easy full-term babies then you can add stuff in as you see fit. If they are early and needy then you will have a solid plan in place. How exciting!!! I always wanted twins since I have twin brothers and my FIL was a triplet...no luck.

[Annie Laurie]

Congratulations!!!! What a wonderful blessing!

 

I have 5 and am still adjusting to that, so I have no advice, but wanted to say congrats!

 

Is SOTW a possibility? It seems like it might be easy to combine ages with that. I plan on continuing with SL or using SOTW.

[Rebecca]

:( I don't want to stop homeschooling.

 

My biggest concern is my (will be) sixth grader.

 

Computer based learning... sigh.

What are the optons besides SOS. I haven't heard good things about that...

 

Thanks so much for advice,

Rebecca

[cathmom]

Twins aren't just twice the work that a baby is. They are exponentially more work. Honest.

 

I think that if you are intent on continuing with the homeschooling (as it sounds like you are), then you seriously need to scale back, get as much done independently as you can, and just resign to the fact that this coming school year will be a bust.

 

But don't despair. All your kids are young enough that you still have time to catch up at a later date.

 

 

 

I agree, especially the bolded part. My twins are now 5. They were my fifth and sixth babies. The older dc were 16, 9, 7, and 2. My oldest worked independently. My 9 and 7 year olds had checklists of a few things they could do independently. My twins were born at 37 weeks and healthy, so we had no issues there. Still, I could not do ANY school with my dc until they were 3 months old. I tried at 6-7 weeks but just wasn't getting enough (ANY!) sleep to manage. But I don't think you need to resort to computers or Life Pacs. Also, keep doing schoolwork as much as you can through your pregnancy. While I wasn't technically on bedrest, I needed to lay down the majority of the time, and school was the one thing I could still do with the dc on my bed.

 

Congratulations!

[Mommyfaithe]

I think twins are awesome!!! Congratulations....

 

And don't sweat it too much. The best homeschool years we had were the ones where I was parked on the couch either pregnant or with a new baby. Prior to babies being born, make up a list of read-alouds from the WTM, Sonlight, Ambleside Online etc. Makr sure you have lots of quiet, keep their hands busy stuff to use during read alouds. Older kids can do handi crafts, little kids can color, do play dough, play lego...no digging!

 

THEN....I would buy CLE Math, Reading and LA for your school age kids. Kids in grade 4 and above can do much of this independently.

 

Get a netflix subscription and cue up movies for your time period that you are studying. Make extensive use of videos for history and science. Magic Schoolbus, Bill Nye, National Geographic, Nova etc.

 

You can read aloud SOTW, have the kids color, do the map, read to YOU the extra readers, narrate, and write a sentence or copy one or two.

 

You can nurse one baby, while a sibling rocks the other....and a 3rd reads to you all.

 

Anyway, what I am getting at is "Couch School" works. It was our sweetest homeschool memories....

 

Oh,,, flipped over laundry baskets make great floor desks. We flip them back, throw our school stuff back in them and shove them either behind the couch or under the coffee table...ready for tomorrow!!

 

Good luck! and Congratulations!!!!

 

Faithe

[abrightmom]

:( I don't want to stop homeschooling.

 

My biggest concern is my (will be) sixth grader.

 

Computer based learning... sigh.

What are the optons besides SOS. I haven't heard good things about that...

 

Thanks so much for advice,

Rebecca

Rebecca,

 

:001_smile:Congratulations and how awesome! How are you FEELING????

 

I only have four at this point and my oldest is 8 :D BUT I have learned a few things in my research. Just a couple of suggestions . . . if you don't want to go computer based you could TRY Heart of Dakota for your oldest. It is unabashedly Christian and you'd have to be alright with that. If not then dump this idea :001_smile:. The only reason I mention it is because at that age/grade level the programs are written with a lot of independence expected of the student. It is also literature rich and the book choices are excellent. The day is laid out on a two page spread with each "assignment" in its own box. The box is coded with a T for Teacher Directed, and S for Semi-Independent and an I for Independent. In many cases the student can do his/her work on their own with oversight from you at your leisure.

 

I've also heard excellent feedback from JudoMom who is using Sonlight Core 6 and 7 with her 5 boys. It is a two year world history overview and ends up reading through all four volumes of SOTW along with other fabulous literature. She's been very pleased with those Cores (at least 6; she is planning on using 7) and is actually using it with a wide age spread. She is able to do that because it uses SOTW. The youngers don't need to listen to the harder books and you might even be able to throw in a few Core 1 or 2 options for them as you have time or energy. Your youngers could listen to SOTW on audio too. Jim Weiss is dreamy :001_wub:.

 

My husband always says that the best curriculum is the one that gets done! To that I say, "Amen!" :grouphug:

[CarrieF]

Is SOTW a possibility? It seems like it might be easy to combine ages with that. I plan on continuing with SL or using SOTW.

:iagree: Your 6th grader could do it independently and the next "set" could listen to the CDs and do the questions/narrations together, maybe? The youngers could listen in and do the coloring pages so they would feel "included" too. :001_smile:

Congratulations! Just hang in there and do the best you can . . . that is all anyone could do. :grouphug:

[CarrieF]

Oh, forgot to say that I have not been successful in getting my oldest to agree to switch, but several of my friends use and LOVE Teaching Textbooks for math. It is computer based and from what I have seen, very good. If dc is solid/good in math you'd probably have to bump up a year/level or two, but at least the program would be the math teacher and not you. :001_smile:

[PeterPan]

As another option, Veritas Press has fabulous online options that would work for your history, maybe some other subjects. They hosted a live Transitions class this year that I assume they'll repeat for next year. It would be perfect for your advanced 6th grader. The rest could do the self-paced classes online, again fabulous. Actually, all of them could do the self-paced classes if you want, even the 6th grader. My dd did some of the MARR this year (as long as the free trial lasted, sniff), and she LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.

[La Condessa]

I'm not a mom of many (yet), but if you usually stop for the summer in June, maybe you could keep going until whenever the babies come. So if they are born in July, you would have a month under your belt already, and if you then took three months off and started up again in October, you wouldn't be behind at that point at all. Just a thought.

[Another Lynn]

I'm not a mom of many (yet), but if you usually stop for the summer in June, maybe you could keep going until whenever the babies come. So if they are born in July, you would have a month under your belt already, and if you then took three months off and started up again in October, you wouldn't be behind at that point at all. Just a thought.

 

:iagree: That's great advice.

 

Like you, I'd rather plan my reading around AO, but SOTW on CD could be a real life saver for you. As pp said, Jim Weiss is great on the cd and most of the kids (maybe even the oldest) could color the activity pages and maps while they listen. You could still assign AO year 6 to your oldest (my oldest read many of the year 6 history books last year without problem). You could plan to use AO yr 1 with everyone else if and when you can, but don't sweat it if you can't.

 

Faith is right about CLE - it could be very independent... but switching or not also depends on what you're currently using for math and LA. Though independent, it might cause your older ones to spend longer on those subjects than they are used to (depending on what you're using now).

 

I say all this without the experience of having twins, LOL. But remember that God is blessing you with this wonderful gift and He will provide for your needs as you welcome them into your family. Your children will learn wonderful things just by having these special additions. You know in your heart what will or won't work for your children for school. Streamline where you can, assign independent work where you can, but don't lose the heart of it. Take 3 months off....assess how much sleep your getting....set small goals - 1 family read aloud/day and 3 reading lessons/per week with the youngest (or something like that). Finally, go for cheaper on curriculum and use the money for cleaning help!

 

Blessings,

Lynn

 

ETA: a pp mentioned HOD. I love HOD, but if you find yourself needing more than 2 guides, forget it. I tried it twice, but each time I ended up with 3 guides because of the age spread of my kids. Two guides are doable. Doing 3 guides was stressful for me. just my .02.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Another Lynn

[Rebecca]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

For these ideas.

 

I am pondering it all.

I thought about Veritas but wondered at the cost.

 

SOTW is just history- not literature though? I know it won't be enough for my oldest...

 

Will be rereading everyone's thoughts.

 

I send out gratitude from my heart. The Hive is my main source of homeschooling support and has been for all these years. This is the place I come. This is the place I find answers.

 

Blessings on all of you,

Rebecca

[Rebecca]

We also loved HOD. I lost it though when I had to go to four guides.

I just couldn't do it.

 

I handled three- but not very well.

 

We are going to be praying about RTR just for my oldest though.

 

Thank you for the dear person who told me to listen to my heart.

I am really going to try to do that.

 

Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Just remembered that

maybe I could WP's CATW with my 2, 3, 5, and 6th graders.

I would have to skip the "extras" like cultural gatherings, etc.

 

And then I would only have one program to work with.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts about that?

 

Thanks!

Rebecca

[Homeschooling6]

Another idea :001_smile: use audio books for the younger ones with regarding history and science. I have done this for the past two years with my four younger students because (grades K-4) I just can't do it all. My two older have used textbooks for the past three years.

If your comfortable with paring down to just the nitty gritty (3R's) that's what I would do and have done.

There are going to be days that not much will get done, and that's okay, just pick up the next day where you left off. My advice; one day at a time, one lesson at a time. Don't forget that the babies will be teaching a lot to the older children as well.

 

Next year I'm going to or may try Easy Classical with five of my children (not sure about my oldest yet). I 'plan' to use one history cycle and science for all (grades 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) and combine with the Main Schedule as much as possible. For instance my 1st and 3rd graders will both use the 1st grade Main Schedule, the 4th and 5th grade will use the 3rd grade schedule and my 6th grader will use the 5th grade schedule.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Homeschooling6

[melmichigan]

:( I don't want to stop homeschooling.

 

My biggest concern is my (will be) sixth grader.

 

Computer based learning... sigh.

What are the optons besides SOS. I haven't heard good things about that...

 

Thanks so much for advice,

Rebecca

 

Congratulations!

 

I have twins who just turned eight. So much will depend on your pregnancy, any complications, at what gestation they are born, and what their health will be. :) With so many variable it is hard to plan.

 

I would plan as much of any vacation you normally would take to be taken when the babies are born as possible, family bonding time and setting a routine will be the priority. Since you won't know their health I wouldn't plan any outside commitments until after they are born. Have plans for basics with the youngers, read alouds while snuggling with you, books on tape that you can doze through ;), but realize that it might not happen for a while depending on the situation and that is OK. You can also shop for education things you can have around the house for them to do independently or with just set up, there are dozens of options. (My DD loved reading to the babies as she was learning to read at the time.)

 

If your concern is the 6th grader and you use SL then your thoughts of reading ahead if your child can complete the core relatively independently, especially if you are discussing something like Core 6, are good, but again, you will have to be good to yourself in what you will expect of yourself.( Your youngers could just listen to SOTW.) What can you do with other subjects ahead of time, after and what can be done independently would depend on the child and your curriculum.

 

My biggest piece of advice, be good to yourself. :grouphug: Oh, and take lots of pictures, you might not remember later. ;)

[catholicmommy]

Congratulations!! That is such wonderful news :grouphug::grouphug:

 

I just adore my twins. After they got past the crazy baby stage (which is really crazy) they really were almost LESS work than a singleton, because they play together and occupy each other constantly. Right now they are four and I can hardly believe they will be in K next year!!

 

THey were number 4 and 5 and it was a bit crazy then because my eldest was only 5 at the time, and just about to start grade one (we were homeschooling).

 

You will find things much easier because you have older ones to help out. Even the five year old was helpful, but an older child, as you know, can make the difference sometimes. I actually had a local hs girl (11) come over twice a week to help me out by just holding the babies, folding laundry etc for the first six months or so.

 

Homeschooling is a perfect option for you in this situation!! Everyone told me to put the kids in school when the twins were born, but can you imagine having to pack everyone up every morning to drive to the school or walk to the bus stop... make lunches, help with homework etc... maddness!!

 

Homeschooling is super flexible and just what you need. It's a gift to you. You just need to change your expectations about what needs to get done.

 

I recommend taking AT LEAST two months off after the babies are born from any expectations on yourself to be doing anything besides taking care of everyone and learning to let others take care of you. (train yourself to say 'yes' to every offer of help... it's so easy to get into a pattern of turning down offers of help... by saying yes, you are actually giving them a gift: the opportunity to serve and give of themselves and grow in generosity.

 

1) plan out how many weeks you want to do 'school' for.

2) plan for a generous babymoon where you don't have to do anything

3) pick a flexible start date, look through the calendar to get an idea of how long it will take you to get to your end date

4) stop worrying! Remember, even though YOU will be busy with the twins, you will likely be happy to have something of a routine for the other kids to follow so they don't get in your hair and mess up the house all day :-)

5) change your expectations. One year of craziness won't do anything bad except teach the children to be flexible, give the older ones more opportunity to learn domestic skills, and give dad the opportunity to step up his help in concrete ways.

 

6) I know i'm biased (filing queen :)) but have you thought about using the filing system? If you take the time to set it up now, it will allow your kids to do a lot without you actually having to 'keep the ball rolling' each day. You can tell them to grab their folder and start their work. Anyone can help you because every week is already laid out. For read alouds, if you want to do that, other people can help you very easily, because the books would already be filed in the appropriate weeks (I use sticky notes as a bookmark with the 'schedule' for each book written on it... i.e. ch 1: week 4, ch 2: week 5, etc..).

 

I know this is getting SO long.. sorry!... but I just wanted to encourage you to embrace it for the gift it is, and realize that it is a wonderful time of growth for you and your family. Twins are Super duper hard, but only for the first few months, and it's such an amazing opportunity to grow in selflessness, generosity and trust. I loved those years of babies everywhere. If the kids were all in school they would have missed so much of the daily fun.

[Rebecca]

Thank you all so much.

I think I will definitely not plan on starting our school year til October and we will keep working as very long as I can...

 

I very much appreciate the BTDT advice-

and catholicmommy- that is what I felt- that is would be easier to all be at home together- thank you for your gracious words.

 

Thank you melmichigan!

 

I have gotten a little overwhelmed thinking about it all. And now am wondering if there is a twin book I should read.

I have questions about nursing and everything. I have always nursed all our babies.

 

My older sons are a big help. So that is a blessing.

 

My other curriculum:

Math

Starting in fourth grade we begin Saxon with 54. I use the D.I.V.E. CD's even at 54.

Before that I use Singapore- now switching to Math Mammoth.

We use calculadder instead of the Saxon drills.

 

Language Arts

Rod and Staff Grammar

Writing With Ease

Copywork progression for handwriting

Building Spelling Skills

Wordly Wise

 

for studied dictation we use

Spelling Wisdom

 

For us- Rod and Staff and WWE are pretty teacher intensive.

 

I think that is all. I might be forgetting something...

 

Moms of older kids- I was planning on using LL7 with my sixth grader next year. Do you think that will be too much?

 

Thank you and blessings,

Rebecca

[cathmom]

I exclusively nursed my twins (neither of them ever had a bottle). It's hard work and takes a long time. I totally see why many moms don't do it. If you're going to nurse them at the same time, it's very hard to get them into position by yourself. Plus, I never liked that, because I felt trapped beneath them, and you pretty much have to have your shirt off with no way to cover up. My pediatrician wanted me to nurse one first because he was gaining slower than his brother (ironically he is the bigger one today!), so then I started doing that instead. I preferred nursing them one at a time, but then you are pretty much nursing all the time!

[melmichigan]

Visit www.twinstuff.com forums. You will find a wonderful group of very supportive women who will be glad to offer BTDT advice and there is an expecting board that is much more informative than any book I could recommend you read. :) Which reminds me I need to check in over there.

[MelissaMinNC]

Just remembered that

maybe I could WP's CATW with my 2, 3, 5, and 6th graders.

I would have to skip the "extras" like cultural gatherings, etc.

 

And then I would only have one program to work with.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts about that?

 

Thanks!

Rebecca

 

I'm sorry, I'm not a mom of many, but this post made me think. You might want to look at MFW ECC. It's designed for 2-8th grades, so all your kids could do it. I think there are a couple of threads on this forum comparing it to WP's CATW, if you want to look into it. If your 6th grader is very advanced, they have a 7th-8th grade supplement package you could get and have him use. Maybe?

 

Just a thought.

 

Congratulations! How exciting!

:)

Melissa

[AngelBee]

I'm not a mom of many (yet), but if you usually stop for the summer in June, maybe you could keep going until whenever the babies come. So if they are born in July, you would have a month under your belt already, and if you then took three months off and started up again in October, you wouldn't be behind at that point at all. Just a thought.

:iagree:

[AngelBee]

Congrats on your twins! You can do this!!! We just need a plan.

 

AO is a great option too. You can combine kids in it and your son can do some independantly.

 

Hang in there! We will figure it out! :)

[AngelBee]

When are you due? I may have missed that in PPs.

[MeganW]

We just discovered amazing, wonderful news today that we are expecting twins in July.:party:

 

 

 

Congratulations!!!!! What a blessing!!!!

 

The BEST thing you can do for next year is have a healthy pregnancy this year. I would do ANYTHING to re-do my pregnancy. I *had* to clean my house. I *had* to shop for the nursery. Etc. My body began giving signs that I needed to slow down, but I didn't, and ended up in premature labor. The doctor managed to slow the labor way down, but the damage was done. My babies were born several months early.

 

I won't even go into the emotional implications, but let me tell you how much time I have spent in kids' physical, occupational, and speech therapy appointments, at doctor appointments, at having various types of testing, etc. If I had had older children, there is no way I could have handled homeschooling on top of very premature multiples and all their issues.

 

Full-term, healthy babies would be the BEST thing you could do to ensure a successful homeschooling year next year and for the next 5 or so. If that means backing off and having a less rigorous year for your kids academically this year, you need to do that!!! LISTEN to your body. If you are exhausted, you need to REST. A multiple pregnancy is different than a singleton. Your body is designed to grow ONE baby. It can certainly handle two, but just know that you need to take more care than you would in a normal pregnancy.

Edited January 23, 2011 by MeganW

[Rebecca]

Thank you so much for this advice.

 

I am entering the 17th week and some things are very different!!

 

My due date is July 7th.

 

I am still pondering school- but am actually leaning back toward HOD with my two oldest working independently in their own program...

 

Rebecca

[MeganW]

Regret is a horrible thing. I look back and know that *I* made some really stupid decisions, that both I and my kiddos will have to live with forever. I know that had I taken the best care of myself that I could have, and they had still come so early, I would be at peace, knowing I had done my best. But as it is, there is a lot of guilt. I know that God forgives me, but I also know that my family has to live with the consequences of those bad decisions that I made.

 

Don't do anything that you will regret later. Realize that taking good care of yourself now something you are doing FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY. It is NOT selfish. Your body is not yours - it is your babies' right now. And the rest of the family will live forever with what you do with your body for the next 6 months, so indirectly it is theirs as well. How would you take care of your body if you really believed that??

[MeganW]

I'm sorry - I don't mean to sound like the voice of doom! Especially given that you have had children previously, the chances of a great outcome are very high. I just want to make them even higher, because the implications of an extremely early birth are far-reaching!

[Rebecca]

No- you don't sound like the voice of doom at all! I appreciate it. :grouphug:

I am so sorry for all that you went through. How early were your babies?

 

I recently just found out that another mom at my church (who had twins last year and they were her first children) went into spontaneous labor at 28 weeks and they do not know why. They have no reason to pinpoint. Everything was going very well- with no indications. My husband and I were surprised by this- but we took it to heart. We will not be traveling in the third trimester and I am going to ask lots of questions of my doctor at my appt.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

I am hopeful- because I have had prior babies and all has been well- that I will continue down that path- but everything is new and different.

 

Thank you for your advice,

Rebecca

[AngelBee]

Again they will be

11

10

8.5

7

5

3

 

 

Out of your children, are any of them close in ability?

 

For instance, I can combine my ds11 and dd9. I can also combine my ds6 and my dd4. Ds18 does some with ds11 and dd8, otherwise works alone. Baby.....she does what she wants when she wants. :D

 

I am on bedrest right now with a singleton (pelvic bone split issue....nothing bad :) ) and planning this out for after my birth (due next Sat).

[MeganW]

I am 5'3", and all legs/no torso length. I had never had a baby before. So I was told going into the pregnancy that the outcome was not likely to be good. I just got a little careless in the excitement of planning the nursery & baby showers & visitors.

 

I went into labor at 17 weeks (just because that was when I ran out of room and my cervix had more pressure from baby weight than it could take). I was immediately put on bedrest. I took it very seriously for the first week, then got careless again and at that point ended up in the hospital being beaten up with every drug known to man.

 

I managed to hang on until 31 weeks, but numerous times during that LOOOOOONG hospital stay, they thought delivery was imminent, so I wasn't allowed to eat. I don't think I got to eat more than once every 3 days or so. So my babies were extremely small for gestation (2 1/2 pounds-ish), which is why we ended up with as many issues as we did. Weight matters!

 

Keep in mind too that I had triplets, which is very different than twins. Your chances of a great outcome are MUCH higher. I just want to be voice of caution when your brain is telling you to really ramp up what you do before the babies get here so you can relax later!

 

Rest when your body is tired, even if that means somebody misses their math lesson.

 

DRINK WATER like you are about to go on a trek through the desert without a thermos. "A well-hydrated uterus is a happy uterus!" as my doctor said about 4000 times every day. I'm not talking 6-8 glasses a day. You need to be SATURATING your body! I was supposed to get a MINIMUM of a gallon of water every day. I am not sure how the recommendation changes for twins vs. triplets, but I would guess you need to be aiming for 12+ cups of water a day.

 

Eat lots of protein (dairy & meat & eggs). For some reason that is way more important in a multiple pregnancy, though I can't remember exactly why.

 

Don't do housecleaning that puts a lot of pressure on your cervix (anything you can feel in your abdomen). Vacuuming, moving wet clothes from washer to dryer, bending and straightening over and over (like emptying a dishwasher), and excessive going up and down the stairs are not ideal activities!

 

Again, honestly, I think these precautions are probably not all that necessary for you at this point, but given that you REALLY NEED the best possible outcome in order to continue homeschooling, it is worth taking them just in case.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I have not read any other replies so I hope this has already been mentioned but just in case it hasn't, have you checked out MFW? They are set up to do family cycles. You do all the grades 2-8 together for history and science.

[Aubrey]

Our school has been going well this year. I have been using SL with my "younger" children and Sea and Sky with my oldest (who is 10.5).

 

So- I don't want to use WP again next year and I was feeling led to place him in AO year 6.

 

I just want to know what moms of many are using. Help me. I will have sixth grade(advanced- reads Howard Pyle, Hobbit, Tom Sawyer with ease). Fifth grade (combines well with my next son) Third Grade, Second Grade and Kindergarten plus a three year old and then the twins!

 

Again they will be

11

10

8.5

7

5

3

next school year.

 

I have NOT btdt, but I tend to think VERY off-the-map, so I thought...well, you can always ignore me! :lol:

 

1. Learning the layout of a new curric can be tough. You might consider sticking w/ something like SL, mainly for the sake of familiarity.

 

2. You might think about some variation of putting your oldest "in charge." Of course, this would depend on a lot of things, but I have learned a lot by teaching my kids, making lesson plans, etc. IF your oldest is motivated, creative, etc--it could be a good experience. Like student-teaching.

 

Then just use 1 core for everybody. (I know that's not ideal, but could it work for a year?) That 1 core could be aimed at the oldest, & he/she is responsible for finding ways to teach the concepts to youngers. It could be aimed at the youngest, & all the olders could help teach it. Or you could split the difference & aim for the middle.

 

3. Unless you absolutely can't, I think you need to hire help now & keep them for a while. To help w/ chores, reading, math, whatever.

 

Full disclosure: I have 4 dc. The third was 3mos old when we moved to seminary & 5mos old when I found out I was expecting #4. We've had some, uh, rough years. :lol:

 

BUT after #4 was born, I remember a couple of months of hs'ing that was the best hs'ing experience I'd had to date...it may still be. I knew I'd be changing a lot of diapers; I knew I wouldn't be able to get much done. I did a variation of SL for that period, reading to the dc while I nursed & not worrying much at all about what we got done. One story led to another which led to a conversation which led to non-fiction reading. It was bunny trails & conversations & hardly any math or writing, & it was so richly wonderful. If I were expecting twins right now, I think I'd aim for something like that.

 

Also, mil stayed w/ me for a week or two during that time, & her work in the kitchen & play time w/ #3 are the ONLY reason I was able to nurse the baby & read to the kids. She was awesome! Iow, help makes a difference. (Although who of us doesn't know that?)

 

Good luck, & congratulations! :001_smile:

[Rebecca]

O- thank you so much.

 

Wise advice here- that is why I am steering away from Ambleside- it would be completely new- I have never used it before and I know I will not be able to assess learning really- it will just be a reading list for my boys. I pondered if that was okay for them- but thought I prefer using HOD especially if it will be just a reading list. I don't think I can do SL next year. I am anticipating hardly any time to read aloud- and the little time I do have- I think I need to direct to my younger children (who are right now 4, 6, and 2). This is also what is keeping me away from MFW. I do not think I will have a huge chunk like I would need to work with all my students- when I already meet with them for their math, language arts, etc. This year- I have really moved my 9 and 10 year old to a meeting time with me where I correct work, instruct subjects, and assign work- then we meet later for their "read aloud Core" for them this year is is WP Sea and Sky. They have assigned independent work as well- which does not require much for me like calculadder, building spelling skills, bible reading, devotional reading, etc.

 

The older teaching younger is such a great idea. I am a terrible adminstrator though and struggle with this. However, I am going to assign some "teaching" to my oldest next year- with my younger ones... just not sure what yet.

 

I do not have any help. I think it is going to be crazy. It is hard to find help with everyone's different schedules and also no money. The no money part is the big deal.

 

My "big boys" 10,9,8 right now- need to have a productive day. If they do not it does NOT go well for any of us. I need them to be able to be working and diligent and getting their assignments done... especially the two older ones without me totally directing all their day. This is a major reason why I am not going to tank school next year. I cannot imagine how crazy it would be if they did not have productive work to do. They are also all three very strong readers- although my second son is reluctant.

I wanted to mainly focus on our meetings times next year- and have them working as independently as possible otherwise. But my 8 year old will need more direct instruction. Although they are close in age- it has been a little hard to combine them. The second two combine the best... but the 9 year old is definitely fourth grade in his skills, handwriting, etc- while the 8 year old is strongly second with those things.

 

We combined this year in different things- and it is "okay" - it hasn't been the best.

 

Aubrey- thanks for our "out of the box" thoughts. I appreciate it.

 

I will look at MFW again.

 

I chose Ambleside levels that I knew my boys could handle reading on their own. But- when I considered all the content and my inability to really guide the discussions- I reconsidered HOD. Considering choosing levels for my older two that they are well able to "run with" and can really drive their program with me facilitating.

 

Still pondering- and seriously a little nervous. Praising God for these precious, precious babies and SO THANKFUL that my littlest guy will be three. I have never had a three year old and babies before- so I am grateful for that.

Rebecca

[melmichigan]

I am 5'3", and all legs/no torso length. I had never had a baby before. So I was told going into the pregnancy that the outcome was not likely to be good. I just got a little careless in the excitement of planning the nursery & baby showers & visitors.

 

I went into labor at 17 weeks (just because that was when I ran out of room and my cervix had more pressure from baby weight than it could take). I was immediately put on bedrest. I took it very seriously for the first week, then got careless again and at that point ended up in the hospital being beaten up with every drug known to man.

 

I managed to hang on until 31 weeks, but numerous times during that LOOOOOONG hospital stay, they thought delivery was imminent, so I wasn't allowed to eat. I don't think I got to eat more than once every 3 days or so. So my babies were extremely small for gestation (2 1/2 pounds-ish), which is why we ended up with as many issues as we did. Weight matters!

 

:grouphug: to you. I was expecting triplets. My surviving twins were born at 35 weeks and were both six pounds. We just finished all the PT, OT, and ST for now. It is well worth all the time, effort, and emotional chaos.

 

There is nothing like a first pregnancy, please try to forgive yourself, your OB should have been more specific and stressed the risks. Then sometimes you do everything right and things still happen, it is out of our hands.

 

If I've overstepped please just ignore me. :auto:

[krisperry]

My children are currently: 12, 9, 7, 5, 3, and 9 months

 

If I were you, I would look into doing this:

http://www.geomatters.com/learning_series/Paths_of_Exploration/

I would add in the middle school supplement for your oldest.

 

You will still be reading aloud but it will be significantly less than Sonlight.

 

Congrats on the twins :)

[Alicia64]

I didn't read everyone's post. Can I just say: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

I have twins. When my babies were tiny I felt like I was pretty much underwater most of the time.

 

But I can't tell you how much I wish I knew you and could come visit and cuddle everyone. . .

 

Baby Hunger!!!

 

Alley

[Amy in KS]

We love the Self-Paced VP history course. You can try it free for 30 days to see if you like it. It is exceptionally well taught regardless of how well prepared I am! It has more depth than I could possibly give on the topic as well. I would do that for my older kids and then a geography course country a week for the younger set.

[SnMomof7]

Congrats Mamma!

 

I only have 4 so far, but have gone through PPD a couple of times with them, moved twice this year, constantly building/renos etc.

 

Pare back to basics :). If you can get those done then I think you'll have time for reading when you nurse. I do with my latest singleton, it's really lovely.

 

In any case, you may want to get an e-reader, load it up with good, classic content, and go to it. That way you won't have a bunch of different books to keep track of! Mix it up, use the AO reading list - lots of good reads there that you can easily find on the internet. Maybe download the free recordings of the public domain books from the AO lists at librivox.org and let the dc listen to those if you feel too busy to read :).

 

Then call it good! 3rs plus books = a good thing!

 

(I think twins are so neat!)

[SnMomof7]

Congrats Mamma!

 

I only have 4 so far, but have gone through PPD a couple of times with them, moved twice this year, constantly building/renos etc.

 

Pare back to basics :). If you can get those done then I think you'll have time for reading when you nurse. I do with my latest singleton, it's really lovely.

 

In any case, you may want to get an e-reader, load it up with good, classic content, and go to it. That way you won't have a bunch of different books to keep track of! Mix it up, use the AO reading list - lots of good reads there that you can easily find on the internet. Maybe download the free recordings of the public domain books from the AO lists at librivox.org and let the dc listen to those if you feel too busy to read :).

 

Then call it good! 3rs plus books = a good thing!

 

(I think twins are so neat!)

[Ibbygirl]

I have no advice and sorry I haven't read the other replies, but I just wanted to wish you my heartiest congratulations. I know you will have your hands full, but what a blessing! Two babies! :) I'm so happy for you. :grouphug: