Best Advice to a Newbie

This is my first year possibly homeschooling, and I love CM.  This week we are doing a trial to see how it goes.  We’ll take the next couple of weeks off since family is coming in to town next week and my DD has an art camp one week.  We may do another trial week in July before starting the year in August.

So far it has been interesting.  The first day my 15 mo. old kept demanding for attention, and it was very hard to do any reading/narration with my DD.  He was tired, so once he was down for a nap we got much more accomplished.  I’m finding that I am either going to have to wait until his nap time or find something to keep him preoccupied while we do activities requiring me to spend more time with DD.  She can do more independent work when he needs me, but there is not a whole lot of that when she is only 6.

Also, we started McGuffey’s eclectic reader, and she hates it.  It is pulling teeth to get her to read it even though she can do it.  She says it is boring.  So, I’m looking for another option.  I’m thinking about using Harriette Taylor Treadwell’s books per AO’s suggestion.  I thought about Delightful Reading, but she can read the majority of the poems/verses.  I think there were two words in the Psalm passage she didn’t know.

So, any advice specific to these topics or general advice for someone jumping into homeschooling and CM for the first time?  I’ve watched the all-day seminar and am reading Levinson’s book.  I’m also reading Mason’s first book.  I am going to read LLDTR and watch the video as well.