I am not sure what to do...

[peridot]

Hi everyone! I am back...as much as I can be! Our 4th daughter is now 6mths old and my husband was just deployed at the end of March. He is in Mississippi right now and we are going to Gulfport to visit him for his 4 day pass before he goes to Afghanistan.

Here is what I am not sure what to do: We are still on Unit 20. I don't know what to do. I have been trying to do 2 days in one day to be caught up by the end of May but it has been a struggle. We aren't enjoying it as much as we did because of that. We aren't able to do the activities because of everything that has been going on with my husband's training and now deployment. We miss the activities! Should I just stop doing the 2 days in 1 day and just go one day at a time. I wanted to finish by summer but it doesn't seem like it. Any words of wisdom?

Thank you so much,

April

[sharonb]

I would just do the program at the regular pace and finish when you finish. (We school year-round though, and just keep going with something until we finish, and start the next thing right away.) Unless you have a deadline for a portfolio evaluation or something, I'd say just take your time. You have a lot going on right now, so it's okay to take it slow!

BTW, I had a baby 9/12/08! We took off quite a bit of time from everything except the 3R's when I was pregnant and after she was born. It took a long time to really feel like I was back in the swing of things. I can't imagine having my husband away on top of that. Take it easy and don't stress too much! Your kids are young and will be fine; just keep it fun!

[tiffanieh]

I second that opinion. What's the point of this great heart felt, Christ centered curriculum if you are rushing thru it, avoiding all the fun things and everyone is frustrated. I say go at the pace you want to make it enjoyeable again!!!

Your kids are so young so it's not like they have to have x,y,z done before they go to college next year!

Enjoy yourself...you deserve it!

Best wishes with your hubby being gone...I know that must be taxing on the soul! ;(

[Mom2Monkeys]

You could just do one day at a time and really enjoy it! It sounds like you really need that! When you are ready to break for the summer or whenever you break...just break! Then pick up where you left off. So, in August if you are only on Unit 30 and ready to start your new school year, start at unit 30, finish the guide, then start the next one when you finish that.

I just picked up Bigger and Little Hearts after finishing Beyond and LHTH. We'll only be somewhere between Unit 5-10 when we break. So when I start back up, that's where we'll start! Enjoy the flexibility of HOD!

Now, if you have to meet certain standards, I'd do the left side one day at a time, and really concentrate on the 3 R's to make that deadline for the "important" subjects.

Just my two cents...you have so much going on and school doesn't have to be that rough!

[Lynnw]

Hugs! My dh will will deployed to Afg. this fall/winter - so I almost teared up when I read your post. Has your dh been deployed before? I didn't know if you're used to deployment or not. My dh was deployed to Iraq when our third child was born - school wasn't a huge issue for us as my oldest was K - so we just did it whenever. A loose routine was helpful - at that time I had a 5yo, 1.5yo and a newborn. I think this time HOD will be part of the glue that holds our life together. If I were in your shoes I would forget school until after the four day pass (I assume it's soon?). Then take a few days to settle back in after your trip. Then go back to HOD at regular pace. Over the summer take whatever breaks you need (summer activities, visiting family, whatever) - but don't let the days waste just missing Daddy. I would continue through the summer either regular pace or half pace - just for the sake of sanity (but that's because I don't do well when it's a "free for all" here, LOL). It's hard enough getting to the end of the day and wanting Daddy to come home - but if you've fed their minds in the morning they will likely be more content the rest of the day. If mine don't have school in the mornings they are much more likely to get "bored" and look to me for something to do - this is ten times more frustrating if dh doesn't make it home for supper . If I'm going to make use of any "movies/videos" I'd rather do it at night when we're all ready for a "break" from each other and I feel better about doing that if they've had their noggins put to work earlier that day.

I don't think I'm saying any of this very well, but hope it might be helpful anyway

Blessings,
Lynn

[my3sons]

April - congrats on the birth of your baby, and I am thinking of you as you prepare for your dh's deployment. Lynnw gave some great advice. I just wanted to encourage you that if you do decide you need the summer off, it is easy to take time off and come back to an HOD guide. We were halfway through LHFHG and took the summer off in the middle, picking it back up in Sept. It worked great! We did finish working on phonics in the summer, but otherwise, that was it. This year, I will be halfway through Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory when we take our summer break. I'm not worried at all. Our oldest ds still talks about doing Beyond - and that was 3 years ago. If HE can remember a good portion of what he did, I know my other ds will too. You may want to continue with phonics or the Emerging Reader's Set though, that beginning stage of reading may suffer a tad from a break in the middle. I don't think anything else would though. Otherwise, you may very well find that your dc thrive with school each day and enjoy that filling their mornings up. I can see that this would be an enjoyable way to get your minds off missing daddy (and dh). But for sure for now, enjoy your time as a family together with no guilt or worries.

In Christ,
Julie

[peridot]

Thank you ladies so much for the encouraging words!

Lynn~This is our first deployment. Dh was active duty Army when we married and 1.5yrs after we were married (Ranger and 82nd). Now it is Army National Guard. It has been a whirlwind. Thank you for the encouraging words and ideas to get through the day.

You ladies are a blessing!