10 Things I’ve Learned About Myself When Homeschooling a Large Family

Homeschooling a Large Family:  What I’ve Learned About Myself

1.  I will never get it all done – It’s true.  Getting it all done is a myth.  What is “it all” anyway?  There are days that I feel like superwoman and that I can actually get EVERYTHING done on my list, but normally, I stick to the more important things on the list and work from there.  If I don’t get it all done one day, I move it to the next.  I try not to make myself guilty over that.  Mothering 6 children is a big job!

2.  I will always have to feed them! – Kids are hungry all. day. long.  At least my kid are!  The trick to making those “I’m hungry” moments go smoother is to keep regular snack foods on hand.  Keep a dinner plan available at your fingertips and try keeping an easy meal on hand at all times.  My favorite easy meals to keep the ingredients available for are my 6 in 1 Easy Mexican Meals.   

3.  It’s OK to be a night owl.  Sometimes, I don’t get a chance to think very thoroughly during the day, so I stay up late to do my thinking.  My blogging happens at night as well.  Any planning I do, happens at night.  Many of you would croak to know that I often stay up until 2:00 a.m.  I try not to do this every night, but many days I get so much done by doing this!

4.  I’m no clean freak!  My house explodes every day!  No, not literally explodes.  I’m talking about the mess that a household of 6 children can leave behind.  It is amazing to me how quickly a house can fall apart.  What’s equally amazing is how fast 5 children and a toddler can pick things back up!  I have learned to use my children often in order to keep the house in a workable enough mode.  Is it perfect?  No way.  Some days are way better than others.  We’re definitely a work in progress at all times!  

5.  I enjoy getting to be there for my kids throughout the day.  I remember when my oldest was a baby and how I had to go off to work and leave him for the day.  Most of the time, my mom or my husband’s mom helped to watch him, but it still felt so wrong to be leaving him.  I ached to be by his side, caring for his every need.  I was able to fulfill that dream before my 2nd child was born.  I’ve been a stay at home, homeschooling mommy ever since.  I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to be there for their many moments.  First words, first steps, first ride on a bike, learning to read, learning to add and subtract.  It’s been fun.  Yes, it can be mentally taxing, but it’s so worth it!  

6.  I have a hard time actually homeschooling when I’m never home.  Some weeks are rough!  It feels like we go from appointment to appointment, or activity to activity.  Those busy weeks, we often slack in school.  I found that in order to get enough school done, we have to stay home as much as possible, keeping our activities during the day to a minimum.  Some weeks I’m more successful at this than others.  Those weeks where we don’t have anything scheduled, are my most successful weeks!

7.  I have to choose what’s really important.  Is it more important to have a clean bedroom?  or to make a memory together?  Is it more important to begin your day with math or to begin with a Biblical foundation?  Choosing something better is something that I constantly have to remind myself to do.  Sometimes I make things important that just aren’t.  I have to constantly evaluate my day and my responses to life’s circumstances to see if I’m in the right mindset.  If I’m getting angry too quickly or feeling rushed and stressed all the time, then I’m making a choice that I shouldn’t be making.  

8.  I’m not very good at listening to 4 kids talk at once!  It’s funny.  In large families, every person gets this great idea to tell mom about all at once!  Sometimes they all just start talking and think that I can hear them all.  Sometimes this totally stresses me out, other times, I find it hilarious.  “One at a time” has been known to come out of my mouth many times a week!  On the plus side, I’m so glad that they like to tell me their thoughts.  We are close. Sometimes I get bored of hearing every single detail about the baseball game but I’d rather it be that way than having a child that didn’t talk to me at all.  

9.  If I don’t take the time to exercise before anything else, it won’t get done.  Exercise is a hard thing to get to.  Especially when all eyes are on mom who is standing in front of the TV doing weird movements with her arms and legs.  I made one rule, that I don’t always stick to, but it works when I need it.  If you start staring, you’re joining me!  When I start my day with exercise, I tend to get more done in that day, than when I don’t.  When I don’t start my day with exercise, I often won’t do it at all for the day.  

10.  I am very forgetful.  I call it brain overload!  I use lots of things to keep me from forgetting things.  Evernote, pen and paper, Windows Notes, I-pad calender.  If I don’t write it down or type it in, I will forget it.  

What about you?  What has Homeschooling Taught You about Yourself?

Every Tuesday, for the next ten weeks, I will be participating in a special Ten in Ten blog hop with iHomeschool Network.  I will also be linking up to Many Little Blessings Top 10 Tuesdays.  Be sure to check out both iHomeschool Network and Many Little Blessings for more Top 10 Posts.