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The big yellow bus came...and they got on


Meadowlark
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And then I took a few pics of their faces smashed up against the windows smiling from ear to ear at me.

 

And then I cried. Then my 3 week old cried, then my 4 year old cried. We were all standing in my kitchen crying. Did I mention I'm postpartum hormonal too? It was kind of awful for about 30 minutes. I felt like I had lost everything and failed.

 

5 hours later I'm still getting used to the quiet. But, I can honestly say the time has flown by and I haven't gotten a thing done. I think my husband's expectations of me might be a bit warped, which he'll soon find out!  I used to think if I wasn't homeschooling, I'd have all the time in the world to get all of those things done that I haven't the past 10 years. At least not today.

 

At any rate, this is a year of change. It sure will be interesting how it all plays out. For me, for them, for my house even.

 

Happy new year everyone!

 

 

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Hugs! 2/3 kids are at Day camp this week and I have gotten so little done despite my grand plans. So I understand the feeling. And honestly I'm not any less tired then when I have them all day. But good luck. Hope you feel better about everything!

 

 

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If you send the little kids to school with them you'll get a lot done. If you keep the baby and preschooler home and keep them clean, fed, and alive you've done a lot.

 

How much does your husband accomplish while caring for them alone?

Right. My husband would often flee to his mother's house if he was left with all three for several hours or a weekend.

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How did they say the day went?

 

Oh boy. I'm a mixed bag of emotions right now. As for the kids, the general consensus between all 5 of them is that things went well. Teachers were nice, kids were nice, and they were smiling.

 

However, I've learned a few things that I'm not so fond of. I"ll spare the details but let's just say there's a clash between what *I* think a good education is and what the outside world currently thinks. I know by making this decision I'm also deciding to let it go...to try out new things and see how it works. I just wish I wasn't bombarded with a few things I feel strongly about on the first day. My kids also are kind of appearing to be like sponges. The very first day and they've come home talking about things that I certainly haven't introduced them to. That's all part of it...I guess.

 

Oh, I don't know. I'm just having a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle. I spent 30 minutes making 4 lunches...will have to revamp that plan. That stinks! And now my kids have to match, and the girls' hair has to be done, and I have to be on time, and they have to be on the school bus...etc etc etc. You get the drift. It's not always greener on the other side, just different.

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You haven't failed. Failing would be continuing to make the wrong choice. If you've decided that homeschooling is no longer the right choice, and you've therefore made a new one, then you haven't failed.

 

I guess I just wish more than anything that homeschooling worked. You know...I was the happy, patient, loving mother and they were the sweet, obedient kids who wanted to be home. Neither was true last year and so something had to change. 

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Everything would be wonderful if we were all perfect and our kids were too, but here in the real world you have to work with what you have.

 

Besides - you know you wouldn't really want those sweet, obedient kids. I bet the children you actually have are a lot more interesting!

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I'm glad it went well!

 

You can lower your standards too. Pbj &a fruit makes a decent lunch. Or leftover spaghetti in a thermos. Takes less than 30 minutes.

 

Matching clothes? Nah. My k-er went with his shirt backwards a lot last year. I figured if anything it would make the teacher chuckle.

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Maybe this was not the time for you to send them back? 

 

My middle children start Monday. It is taking for-e-ver to get here!

 

I am so excited, I am downright giddy!!!

 

But, sadly, this is probably our last year of the beautiful yellow box picking my children up and whisking them off for me. Next year, I will likely be home schooling the entire bunch of them.

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I completely understand your mixed feelings. Depending on the school or home environment, there are pros and cons to both B&M schools and homeschooling. I weigh the pros and cons each school year. My 11 yo wants to go to 8th grade to see what it's like and decide about high school, but that's a couple of years away.

 

I know it can be hard and rushed to get out the door each morning, For lunch, I recommend you have the oldest 2 make their own and for them to assist the younger two the night before. For breakfast I recommend bananas, a large handful of nuts (if not allergic) or boiled eggs, and healthy-ish muffins. For clothes, I recommend the 2 oldest lay their own clothes out the night before, and you assist the younger two with the goal of them being more independent with time. My oldest only went to school 1 year, but it helped he wore 3 rotating outfits. He would set one out for the next day directly from coming out of the dryer on days I did laundry. I would guess you have to do laundry everyday with a newborn. It could be the kids wear one outfit to school, you wash the previous day's outfit while they are at school, the kids come home and choose their outfit from the laundry pile and set it by their bed, the outfit they are wearing goes into the laundry bin at night, and repeat the next day. A 3rd outfit will break up the monotony.

 

As far as the things you feel bombarded by from the school, ignore the fundraisers unless you are interested in participating. If the kids whine, "But mom, I won't get to go to the pizza party if I don't sell x items", just tell them you can go as a family to a pizza restaurant or ice cream shop special around that time. If that's not in the budget, a special after school park day with a homemade treat. Ignore whatever you can that comes home in the folders that doesn't require a response or commitment from you or your children.

 

And remember, next summer you can reassess and decide. If you are not happy with the education they receive this year, just know next year you can bring all or some of them home again if it works for your family. There will be up and down days while they are in school this year just like there were up and down days with homeschooling. Don't get too discouraged and think you made the wrong decision to send them there when a few down days occur. The only exception would be if you felt your kids were not in an overall safe, caring environment---then I would reassess sooner than next school year. There are overwhelming aspects to having them in school, but if you were homeschooling all 4 of them you would likely be just as overwhelmed and have days you would wonder if you made a mistake for not sending them school.

 

Hope all goes well for the school year. ETA: just reread you have 5 in school-adjust my numbers above according to that.

Edited by TX native
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