Homeschooling When Mom Gets Sick
I have a terrible chest cold. I want to crawl in bed with tea, tissues, and cough drops, but I can’t. I homeschool. All three kids are here.
And I am supposed to be educating them.
There’s no sub to call when I am sick.
So what’s a homeschooling mama to do?
I had my older two kids (6 and 8) do their reading, journal entries, and math first thing this morning. They sat on the sofa next to me while I rested.
I gave my 3 year old some puzzles to play with while they did this.
Since then, they’ve been on their own, coloring, playing, dancing, reading, and watching educational shows on NetFlix. (Seriously, NetFlix is awesome for homeschooling. Bill Nye! Magic School Bus! So many documentaries!)
They will probably eat cereal for dinner and I am counting the hours until my husband gets home and I can hide in my bed.
That’s enough for today. And tomorrow will probably follow a similar pattern.
I’m okay with it. They’re still learning. I’m trying my best to rest and they will surely get by with a few easy days of learning.
We’re not running a race. We’re living our lives. Even when it gets messy, it’s beautiful.
Dear Tired, Busy Mama
Life isn’t easy for me.
I have three kids with differing special medical and dietary needs. This includes everything from intractable epilepsy to autism to 16 combined food allergies.
Until a few weeks ago, my oldest child, who is nearly nine, had never slept through the night. NEVER. No one in my family has slept well his entire life.
My husband lost his job last May, which resulted in a 12oo mile move to a new state where we knew no one.
Within a few days of closing on our house in our new state, my dog, my best friend of 10 years died.
A month later, my son had a terrible seizure that lasted 3.5 hours and landed him in the hospital. We were in Nashville – on a layover from visiting family in Seattle-when it happened. We had several months of awful medical struggles afterwards.
During all of this, I was homeschooling my kids and trying to finish my first book, “Nellie Nova Takes Flight.”
I am not telling you all of this so that you can feel bad for me. I am telling you this because I want to you to understand where I am coming from before I tell you this:
Dear Tired, Busy Mama,
You may think that your dreams have to be pushed aside. That there’s no time in your schedule for you.
You’ve convinced yourself that whatever it is your heart desires will have to wait for another season.
But, Tired, Busy Mama, it’s not true. You are still your own person, in spite of all of your responsibilities.
In spite of – and because of- these responsibilities- you need to have an outlet. You need to leave a portion of yourself for you.
Mama, you matter. Your dreams matter. Your soul matters. Your happiness. Your success. Your joy.
It all matters.
Whatever it is that you’ve been pushing aside- go for it. Don’t make yourself a martyr to your circumstance.
You can do it. You can go back to school. You can write that book, paint that painting, get that job, volunteer for that amazing charity you support. Whatever it is, Tired, Busy Mama, that lingers in the back of your mind, whispering,“What if.”
Please leave room in your life for yourself.
If I can do it, so can you.
Sincerely,
Another Tired, Busy Mama
Supporting a Love of Science
It’s no secret that I want to be sure that my kids have lots of exposure to science. It’s part of why we homeschool. I want to be sure they have lots of chance for exploration.
My kids love science. I think it’s because it’s been integrated into our everyday lives. We spend as much time in nature as possible. Exposure to nature has sparked many new interests in the past. From bird watching to digging for fossils, many trips in nature have inspired further exploration at home. The more time my kids spend in nature, the more they want to know about it.
We also try and take as many trips as we can to science museums and exhibits. Seeing things in person that you never would see otherwise can really ignite a passion. We have made it a point to take advantage of the many science centers we’ve lived near. So often, these places offer many chances for hands-on learning.
I find experiments and hands on projects to be especially helpful. While we love reading about science, I think that creating and experimenting make science come alive.
I am so happy that I have been able to bring science to life for my kiddos.
How do you encourage your kids to love science?
Resources For Martin Luther King Day
Maybe you were like me and procrastinated putting something together to celebrate Dr. King. Procrastinate no more! I’ve gathered up some great resources to share with your kids.
“Nellie Nova Takes Flight” is Now Available!
I am happy to announce that “Nellie Nova Takes Flight” is now available for purchase! Check it out!