Homeschooling A Houseful

and Girls!!! So those of you who don't know me personally don't know that I have 4 boys in a row. Ages 8, 6, 5, 4 and a toddler 20 month old girl.... who might be mistaken for a girl in a skirt! What can I say, she was raised by those 4 boys! Plus I have 2 older boys, who use to be little boys. And a couple other wiggly girls all in one house!!! In my opinion it's fine to let them be wiggly, to let them use that energy they have, because a lot of the time they just have a ton of built up energy they need to have used! I thought I'd collect a few tips and ideas for teaching wiggly kids. *If you are trying to practice reading with them, and they can't sit still long enough to do a lesson, make a deal, for every page they read they will earn 2-5 minutes of "recess" or "free play" right after their lesson. This should be changed to their age and ability. So it could be page, paragraph, sentence- word or flashcard. I like to say you have to si...

When you tend to be an OCD Planner Mama, it's difficult to work with the normal chaos of a homeschool life. Babies and Toddlers, Illness and Sick Days Vacation and Spontaneous Activities Feeling Overwhelmed and Burned Out Can you honestly plan those things into your day, into your life? NO..... because would you plan those things into your life, if it was your choice! Well I'm sure we'd all plan babies and toddlers, but they'd have their behavior more on our schedule! I love having a plan, I love knowing my plan, but having that plan and knowing that plan, can also cause such a stress when things, aka life, happen. Over the years of homeschool I have learned, I need a plan and a routine, I (along with some of my children) really work better with that in place, yet when my plan is out of sequence, or off schedule, it feels like a weight or a burden. My answer is simple, because when you live in organized chaos, like I often feel, I need simple, I crave simple...