Sometimes I feel like it is impossible to work and try to homeschool. Am I insane? Oh, yeah, we also are foster parents. I was talking to another woman yesterday about the different things our family does. She looked at me as if I had two heads. It is possible though. Here's what I have learned:
You must be very organized. I plan out our homeschooling two week at a time. All worksheets, projects, and/or other materials are put together on our homeschooling bookshelf at that time.
We use more worksheets than I would like. I envisioned long days of hands on projects, but that isn't really happening right now. We do get to do projects, but since I'm not with Luke five days a week while he does his school work, he does a lot of worksheets on the days I work.
Prepare everything the night before. As soon as the kids go to bed, I start dashing around. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next day are set out or prepared as much as possible. Everyone's clothes are set out in the bathroom. If I'm going to work, I put all of my stuff in the car in the evening. Anything else that needs to go with us gets put right by the door. Then I put a load of laundry in the washer. If I have time, it goes in the dryer, if not, it goes in the dryer first thing in the morning. Then it gets folded first thing in the morning.
Be flexible. Kids get sick, work doesn't get done, stress levels rise. Remember to be flexible.
Have a backup plan. When I worked full time this was so important! We only had one child at the time, but we also had a foster child. It seemed like someone was always sick! Make sure you have a back up plan when thing don't go right. Who will pick up the kids, where will they go, can you miss work, how often can you work, etc.
Working outside the home and homeschooling is not ideal, but it is possible. Do you work and homeschool? Please share your advice and suggestions with us!
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