Before Mighty Joe's stint in the hospital, I had meant to write a post about the help I have in our home. At the time, I had a weekly housekeeper and an "Alice", but Alice broke her arm and the housekeepers are nursing a mother in the hospital. Not sure what God's trying to tell me, but I have had to rethink the way we're doing some things here.
We did a "room by room" cleaning this week, in which we all (13yo, 10yo, 9yo, 7yo, 4yo-- the 15yo, 1yo, and 3mo were off the hook) tackled one room at a time together. Our tasks were spelled out for us, using the Fast Clean/Deep Clean Standard Cards from House of Order and our knowledge of Speed Cleaning tactics. We only cleaned the downstairs, and it took us at least two hours. There are 4400 square feet of house here.
My plan was to tackle the upstairs the next morning, but life got busy and we didn't quite do that... today we spent another hour in the disaster zone school room, but the one vacuum we have that actually works got a purple marker jammed in its tube. Did I mention that someone threw away the dustpan by accident last week? At least that's what I think happened, but the bottom line is that we now have no working vacuums and no dustpans.
Whatever God is trying to teach me, I need to learn it fast. Because I have a feeling we'll be using old toothbrushes to clean next, but we have plenty of those.
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How come their babies sit so still?
The fun question:
What is your favorite summer salad recipe?
Panera's Fuji Chicken Salad. Oh wait! You meant one I make. Well, since my salad recipe repertoire contains exactly three salads, this isn't too hard.
Cindy's Salad
romaine, cut into chiffonade or shred
red onion, thinly sliced
bleu cheese, crumbled
poppyseed dressing
Seems like an odd combo, but if there is one salad I get asked for consistently, this is the one.
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And now the serious question:
My oldest just turned four, middle child just turned two, and the baby is 7 months. My question is, HOW ON EARTH do I wear them out?!! We play outside, spend time in the sun working in our “garden” (a patch of sunflowers,lol), play in the sprinkler or baby pool…these kids just have so much energy. Naptime is a nightmare and my four year old can not fall asleep. It is 10:15 as I write this and my four year old has been awake since we put her to bed two hours ago. The two year old head bangs at naptime and bedtime (we’ve already had him checked out by the neurologist and he’s fine physically). I think the key is for them to fall into bed physically exhausted, but I don’t know what to do. I’m exhausted–why aren’t they?!
Oh, and how do you keep the little ones from mischief while you’re nursing the new baby? That’s one I’ve never mastered!
-Andrea
Hi Andrea-
Take heart! When they're teenagers, they'll sleep a lot. In the meantime, I wouldn't insist the four-year-old sleep, but I would insist she rest quietly on her bed for two hours. YOU need her to rest ;D As for the nighttime, I would tell her the same thing as her naptime. She must be quiet on her bed. In fact, I might even allow a book for her to look at or a book on tape. And a nice cup of Sleepytime tea might not hurt. Or Benadryl. Just kidding!
Unless they're completely wiped out, my middle kiddos stay awake for at least an hour at night talking. I remember a guest in our home one night hearing them laugh for a while after they'd been sent to bed and asking, "Do they always do that? Are you ok with that?" Yep, we've always been ok with it. These are the relationship bonders that sibling memories are made of. You just need to decide if you're ok with it.
If the little ones can't stay out of mischief while you're nursing, it's time for some training. I would use my high chair or playpen and keep the older one(s) there while feeding the baby. We have a playpen set up in our bedroom right now so I can pump or nurse while the 15-month-old watches a video or just plays. He sometimes convinces an older sibling to get him out and play with him, but if not, he stays right where he is until baby and I are done.
~Kendra
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The Fun Question:
How far apart are your children and how many preschoolers have you had in your house at one time?
Between 1 and 2-- 2 years minus one day
Between 2 and 3-- 2.7 years
Between 3 and 4-- 21 months
Between 4 and 5-- 22 months
Between 5 and 6-- 2.7 years
Between 6 and 7-- 3.3 years
Between 7 and 8-- 14 months
See that 3.3 year break? I loved it. I proclaimed to anyone who would listen that 3 years was the ideal gap. From now on, we would try for a 3 year gap. As someone wise once said, "We make plans. God laughs."
I think three preschoolers at a time is the most I've ever had. I usually have one preschooler, one toddler, and one baby. I always have two in diapers :)
And the serious:
What are the most important things I can do to structure my 2.5 year-old's day to prepare for homeschooling?
-Sara in St. Louis
Hi Sara-
In my humble opinion, the most important thing you can do to prepare any child for homeschool is to teach them to obey you. Obedience needs to be exhibited as quickly as possible (right away), thoroughly (all the way), and with a good attitude. No stomping feet, rolling eyes, or reasons why they can't obey. When I say, "Please put that towel down on the bench", it's not ok for a preschooler to say, "I'll just put it on the table." Delayed or partial obedience isn't obedience.
Is your 2 1/2-year-old characterized by obedience? By that I mean, does he or she typically obey you quickly, thoroughly, and sweetly? There will always be lapses or times when a child falls out of the habit and needs a gentle reminder, but overall is that little one obeying you when you give a command?
Schoolwork is a non-negotiable, so when it's time to open a workbook or begin an assignment or activity, you need to know that everything you do with your preschooler is not going to begin with some sort of battle, be it small ("Do I HAVE to???") or big (a knock-down, drag 'em out tantrum). Can you imagine how quickly you'd want to throw in the towel if this was your day, every day? Teach that little one that your no means no and your yes means yes, and you will both enjoy homeschooling immensely more.
I'd also encourage you to take a look at the Bluedorn's Ten Things to Do With Your Child Before Age Ten. I couldn't rewrite it any better!
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