schooling around a move

[mamamindy]

We're due to move in about 1.5 weeks. We will be moving within the same town, but a move, nonetheless. I've moved many, many times, but not since we began homeschooling. Our school day is really a way of life for us right now. (Finally! It's awesome!) We do our basics in the morning, and extras in the afternoon. When the weekend rolls around, my older girls are almost bored/taken aback by the lack of "school". (I am working on that by the way - to add something for them to explore independently, and outside now that it's getting nice.) All that to say, I don't want to stop school, or even take much of a break since we will have an inevitable break when baby arrives. Any suggestions for me? Or tell me how to approach this realistically? Sometimes my ideals are not very realistic.... :glare:

[MinivanMom]

Realistically, it is a good idea to take a break. I moved a year and a half ago when I was pregnant and my older kids were 7, 6, 3, 19 months. I took off the week leading up to the move and the week after the move. I'm so glad I took a break. It's easy to try to take on too much when you are pregnant, but the packing and cleaning and moving is physically hard work. Be kind to yourself.

 

I would suggest packing the toy boxes and homeschooling boxes last. Then unpack those boxes first. Try to keep your kids on as normal a schedule as possible. Get good sleep yourself. Seriously, you will cope better if you have gotten rest. Don't wear yourself out with packing and cleaning. If someone offers to help, say yes. Memorize the number of your local pizza delivery guy and don't feel guilty about it. It's just a few weeks of chaos and work, then you'll be back on a somewhat normal schedule . . . until the baby arrives. :001_smile:

[mamamindy]

Thank you for the dose of reality. Truly. :) I often try too much. And this being a move within the same city, with in-laws nearby, it just seems so easy. Ha, ha!

 

I have had offers of help.... but I'm never sure how someone else can help me....???? I am terrible at accepting offers of help. My husband has help lined up for the actual moving. And he will be doing painting, etc. before we move in. I should come up with a list, and see where I can direct a kind offer of help. :) Thanks, again.

[Koerarmoca]

I would plan to take some time off. Moving is stressful! Keep a few things out but keep it light (read-a-longs, educational videos, independent worksheets, etc.) This way you can still make part of your day about school but a lot of your day needs to be about setting up your new home. In the long run you will be happier that you got yourself organized not that you did school everyday and still have piles of boxes to get through.

 

We just moved across country last month we took 3 days to drive, a week to get "settled" and 3 days to visit with family and friends. It did put us a little behind but we are making it up quickly.

[ErinD]

We're trying to sell here and buy/move 12 hours away at the moment. We are down to the bare-bones schoolwork, only because I have a 12 year old who needs to keep plugging along. Your kids are so young that even a few months off wouldn't damage anything. I vote for take a break.

[Tess in the Burbs]

unless you have access to the new place long enough before you have to move you could in theory pack up school stuff and move it over a weekend and somehow do school and move in the evenings. We moved in Oct 2010 and we took a month off. It was a 4 hour move so we had to pack up and go and couldn't do school during the packing and unpacking time. However, we moved last summer and I was able to get that move packed and done in a week. Unpacked in 2 days. So if you are organized you could get away with just a few days off. My kids help pack. We open boxes in every room and they can choose what they do. I only finalize boxes before taping them. Good luck. Unpack quickly and life can get back to normal!

[mamamindy]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We're moving 20 minutes away! And that just seems so easy - we've moved 13 times since we married 10 yrs ago & that includes several horrendous military moves - that I'm not really sure what to do! :lol:

 

I may have serious "baby brain" as I just can't focus. I've started a little planning though. My husband is taking care of some essentials, like a bathroom renovation (new shower) and painting a couple of rooms before we move. We plan to move this coming weekend. So I'm just gonna pack as much as I can this week, and shoot for that! ;) Since we don't have any deadlines, I'm having a hard time buckling down and just saying "this is how it is." I have told the kids that we're going to pack up this week, and move into our new house this weekend - so they know what to expect. (And they're super excited!) My kids thrive on routine, and their school day is like play to them right now, and their routine, so that's what concerns me most. Yes, I am so fortunate that they are still young that taking a break from school doesn't harm them in the least. So my plan is to set up a "moving routine" for them, in which they pack during our regular school time, so they will have something to do and we're productive! I will leave out light stuff like math games and we'll keep writing (and we read every night no matter what is going on so that's no big deal.) I plan on doing that moving routine this week before the move, and the week following. Then we'll do more school, until the baby comes, and I'll have to come up with a whole new plan! :laugh:

[Dahliarw]

Take the help packing. Even if it's just the day before the move. It's easy to hand someone a box and tell them to pack up the plates or the pantry or a closet. And it's less you have to do. It helps if you've already decluttered beforehand, but if not you can always do it when you unpack if you need!