We certainly will pray for you as many of us are in the same boat. I have so many thoughts but will try to keep this short:) Are you doing anything right? Yes, you are doing something very important right, you are loving your children and we hear that in your post. You are seeking their good, and wanting to please the Lord. So if you feel like I do some days, like a failure, just be encouraged that things to get better and easier with consistent discipline and training.
I have 5 children 7 and under and one on the way and it is daunting most days, but not chaos. When we are in public we get compliments on how well behaved the children are but at home it seems like they are awful some days:) In fact, some days when things aren’t going well at all, we stop and just play a game, or read a fun book together and try again later or the next day. I think one thing you need to know is that with those ages, most days will be filled with interruptions. Lots of times where someone needs disciplined, taught, etc. I had wonderful advice once when I was so frustrated with my daughter and discipline was taking over the day: this is your day that God has given you, your job as a mother is to train your child in the way of the Lord. My perspective was wrong, that the discipline/interruptions were preventing me from accomplishing other things. Yes, dinner still needs made, etc. but school takes a backseat to training in my opinion. The Bible doesn’t speak much of school at all, but it speaks a lot about parenting. So esp. with a 6 yr old as the oldest, take time to focus on those habits/character training over schooling.
I don’t know your personal circumstances, but financially speaking, usually working one day a week isn’t worth it for most families for tax reasons, not to mention the stress it causes. If your husband is wanting you to, then that’s fine, but if you want to/feel you need to, I would enourage you to really look hard into the budget and see if you could carve out extra money to not have to work.
I really enjoy our schedule and sticking to it as much as possible. Do you and your children have a quiet time each day? Ours is from 1:30 to 3:00 and it helps tremedously, on M/W/F they can play computer games, on T/Th they read, or do puzzles, etc. Then at 3:00 is our daily time with mommy to play a game, sometimes individually, sometimes with more than one of them. We also have a tally mark system at home and if they haven’t lost any, they get to stay up 15 minutes later and play wtih us, maybe you could do that for your daughter? I read to my little ones after school is over, usually at 11:00. We also get a lot of our reading done during breakfast and lunch, I eat before they do so I can read to them. I read a younger picture book, then one for the older ones and the littles listen.
I agree with the planning aspect, it should mostly be done before the term starts and only tweaking here and there. Are you using SCM guide books, or some other curriculum? I feel overwhelmed if I have to plan too much, so the guide books help me so much because it’s done for me already!
One thing that helped my 6, now 7 yr old to be more independently working was that I set up totes for each child, so right now my 7 and 6 yr old have them. I printed off a simple daily schedule with boxes to check off and put that sheet in a sheet protector. That goes into their tote with a copywork binder with copywork already prepared, their math books, their reading book, and anything else we might be working on at the time. So that way they know what has to get done each day, they do their math and if I’m busy with the other children they move on to the next thing until I can check the math/copywork, etc. They have bookmarks in their math and reading books so they don’t need to ask me what the next lesson is.
Does your 4 yr old like to do things at the table with you? There are lots of great posts on occupying toddlers/younger ones. My 4 yr old likes to do his “schoolbook”, it’s a workbook with letters, numbers, words, etc. He does a few pages with me sitting there and I can read his instructions then turn back to the child I’m working with at the table. Playdough lasts hrs in our house with the 2 and 4 yr old age. Having them “wash dishes” at the sink lasts at least 30 minutes.
Galatians 6:9, And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. This has been such an encouraging verse to me through many weary days. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions, or if something didn’t make sense. Blessings, Adrienne
