New-Baby-Help!
NO ONE MOTHER CAN DO IT ALL!SO STOP TRYING!!!New-baby-help means recognizing this truth. Trying to do it all only leads to feelings of failure and frustration and neither of those things is conducive to a peaceful
or successful homeschooling or family atmosphere.
The good news is:
You CAN take care of and enjoy your sweet new son or daughter AND keep a healthy, happy environment where your other children can thrive!
I have many fond memories of walking the floors in the middle of the night with my wee ones, snuggling them and holding a book to read at the same time! I learned some of my greatest mothering lessons in those wonderful pages. As time went on, my heart was bursting to SHARE what I've learned with other mothers like YOU! I will
offer you new-baby-help in the e-book:
to focus on "giving all to Christ" in our daily lives. In it, there's an entire chapter devoted to where YOU are right now! It discusses the idea of surrendering all to Christ in the
homeschooling family when a new baby has JUST ARRIVED!
that shows you how to maintain a positive, joyful, and productive home while caring for your infant!
A new baby in the house means it's time to LIGHTEN THE LOAD!
Here are a few ideas to help you do just that:
1) Keep priorities straight!
If God has blessed you with a baby, He WANTS you to spend time with him or her! Let your baby BE the center of attention! Sleep when baby sleeps. Feed baby when he/she is hungry. Devote MOST of your time to enjoying your little one; bonding, snuggling, resting, playing, and simply getting to know each other. Pushing too hard to keep up on chores or school work makes baby, mommy, AND everyone else CRANKY and discontented!
New-baby-help means: MAKE BABY THE PRIORITY!
Some of the BEST new-baby-help I've ever received is the advice to decide what the "must-be-dones" are for your family and leave the rest for a future time.
If you can't stand a dirty kitchen, then strive to keep dishes washed and counters cleared. If carpet fuzzies drive you nuts, then make vacuuming TOP of the list.
Choose 1-3 things and focus your efforts on accomplishing THOSE each day. Anything else can WAIT until the weekend or when you have a little extra time to spare. A sparkling, pristine house means NOTHING if you are making yourself sick over it!!! Better to have a little dust or a mountain of laundry, than to have a teary-eyed, physically exhausted
wife and mother!
Once again, as a family, decide WHICH lessons are a priority for you at this time. If there's a certain area where a child struggles, and therefore needs to maintain a focus, then make that a "must-do" on your list. Choose 1-4 items per day and LET THE REST GO FOR NOW!!!
You have a BABY to love and enjoy! Let the kids use BOARD GAMES and card games for math lessons,
Read stories to your Littles
AND
MIDDLES
for comprehension practice.
A RANDOM SUBJECT JAR works well for this! Decorate a can or jar and add slips of paper with random topics pertaining to things that each family member would like to learn more about! Take turns pulling out topics from the RANDOM SUBJECT JAR and then spend an hour or so learning as
much as you can about it online!
EVERY subject, EVERY day. These weeks will be fleeting ~ and there will be plenty of time to turn your attention to other subjects and assignments
later in the year.
Incorporate your "newest blessing" into your learning by allowing the kids' activities to involve their baby brother or sister! Try some of these ideas!
Have your students: * Write a paragraph about the day Mom and Dad brought the baby home from the hospital. (If your baby was born at HOME, then have them write about that experience) To add challenge and interest, you can specify things such as: "Please include at least FIVE adjectives in your paragraph", or, "Please include one humorous anecdote in your story".
* Play a game: WHAT DO BABIES NEED? Ask your students to make a list of the TOP 10 items they think one needs to have on-hand with a new baby in the house...OR...the TOP 10 items that should always be in the diaper bag! Compare lists with one another for fun!
* Write and illustrate a POEM about the blessing of your new baby! If your children have already studied basic poetry styles, then you can add challenge here by specifying the TYPE of poem you'd like them to write. If they haven't yet been introduced to poetry, this is a good time for it! Simply ask them to write a short rhyme about the JOY of their new baby! NOTE: All of the above ideas can be done on Mom's bed...or on the floor of her room! If Mom is napping, the kids can gather at the table or lounge around the family room to work on these simple,
fun, and educational projects!
A FINAL TIP TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NEW BABY DAYS!ACCEPT HELP WHEN OFFERED AND ASK FOR IT WHEN NEEDED!Superwoman, you are NOT! We homeschooling mothers are MUCH too hard on ourselves at times ~ we want to stay on-task and we think that WE are personally responsible for making that happen.
New-Baby-Help allows us to face the fact that we need REST, and we want to spend time loving our babies...this means we must humble ourselves enough to let those who care about us LEND A HELPING HAND!!!
Enlist your teenage daughters (or those of a friend!) to play with younger children while you nap. Letting someone bring a few meals to your door, fold a load or two of laundry, or vacuum the carpets can not only LESSEN the work load and prevent stress, but can also provide MORE time for you to be with your baby or share some school lessons with your other children.
A friend once told me that when we're TOO PROUD to ask for or accept someone's help, then we are not allowing THAT person to receive the grace and blessing God desires to give them for their kindness. Thinking of it in those terms helped me learn to set aside my pride and welcome the generosity of others!
NEW BABIES BRING SUCH JOY AND BLESSING TO A FAMILY! Keeping these things in mind will help you be get the most out
of the special and sacred days ahead!
Need some new items for your darling little one?Looking for that special NEW BABY gift?Leave the New-Baby-Help page to SHOP AT OUR ONLINE BABY STORE NOW!
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