How to rest? or Get them to be less annoying??

Hi Misty,

I know I’m a bit late commenting here, but I just wanted to take a moment to encourage you.

I have been in the trenches of having very young children and babies in the midst, and I will tell you that it feels hard because it IS hard. You are not doing it wrong….some seasons are just very challenging.

My best advice is to have grace for yourself, and set your expectations appropriately. Toddlers and babies make even the most simple accomplishments very challenging. 

Miss Mason did not conduct her lessons while nursing a baby and potty training a toddler (not that I am aware of anyway! Someone more knowlegeable may correct me on that!) However, her methods (short lessons, simple materials, etc) are adaptable even in the midst of toddlers and babies.

My children are now 10, 7, 5 and 5. And let me tell you, when the little ones were toddlers, we had some days just as you described! There were a few things that I did that were helpful, and perhaps they will be for you too:

* Contain the babies to one area/room of the house. I gated off one section of the house and made it fairly baby-safe. This kept the majority of the crazy toddler-mess contained to one area, which mentally helped me not feel totally scattered all the time. A toddler free-ranging while mom is trying to nurse a baby, read aloud, etc., is just a recipe for disaster.

* I chose one 30 minute video per day for the toddlers. I used the Signing Time DVDs, which are lovely, gentle, not-sensory overload…and probably not “Charlotte Mason-ish”, but hey, they worked for me. Then….and be prepared to be scandalized here….I put my 2 toddlers in their high chairs, strapped them in, put a little snack on their trays, and put their chairs in front of the TV. Yep…I strapped my kids down in front of the tube!! Mother-of-the-Year-Award, here I come!  However, this gave me THIRTY WHOLE MINUTES in which I could read to my older kids, without any interruptions. It worked for me during that season.

* And finally, as others have said…read and rest time was absolutely non-negotiable. Everyone went down for 2 hours daily (and still do, although it is more reading now than rest). I usually allowed my oldest to stay up for 1/2 hour of reading time with me while the little ones went straight to bed. Then her rested too. And I did too on many days.

Hope these responses have been helpful. Your are in a very challenging season right now. Be easy on yourself. Take a deep breath, pause…pray.  

Shawna