Baby Countdown

In amongst our usual homeschooling schedule this week I’ve been methodically pulling out all our baby gear to check and wash. The countdown to baby number 6 is on with only a couple of weeks to go! Each time I seem to forget just how much effort it is to prepare everything. By the time I make it through the accumulated wraps and clothes (both boy and girl since we don’t know the sex), car seat covers, bassinet linen, toys etc it’s a mountain of stuff!

While we’re all really excited to meet the new addition, he or she will inevitably bring a fair bit of disruption to our homeschooling life. Up until its appearance we’ll keep on with our plans as usual, including preparing for the AHE History Fair. I’ve found in the past that it’s helpful to have a lower expectation of work output for those early newborn days, but in some ways the sooner all the kids get back into routine the better! Keeping on with at least the bare essentials tends to minimise fights and chaos that result from a complete lack of routine.

Of course my homeschooling involvement in the early days will be minimal as I adjust to another newborn, and no doubt our 2 year old will be needing plenty of attention too! It’s essential as a homeschooling mother to give ourselves a bit of grace at this time! Often it’s at these busy and distracted times that older kids actually learn to be more independent and helpful. A newborn is certainly a great opportunity for everyone to learn. One of the real blessings of living the homeschooling life is the ability to enjoy everything as an educational experience.

Now that I’ve prepared most of the gear for the baby and for (hopefully) a home birth, coordinated with family members to ensure the big kids make it to the history fair and started to freeze meals I guess we’d better stop procrastinating on choosing baby names!