I'm often asked the question (lately by fellow business owners on Etsy) about how I do it all. This always comes after they somehow find out that we are expecting our 8th child. :-) Some actually go so far as to say I must be supermom! Ha!
I try to explain how we make it work but I thought a pictorial explanation would be fun.
So, here we go.
Homeschooling:
This picture is a little blurry because she was a flurry of activity. She was doing her typing lesson and trying to go very fast! She's working next to me as always. I'm actually on the couch next to her working on a different laptop. This way she can show me how great she's doing!
My 17 year old finishing up his math. Again, he's right near by so that I'm available to answer any questions. In this way, business tasks and school are getting done at the same time.
Chores:
The answer to how we avoid letting the house become a disaster and keep the kids fed is that they help. :-)
They help to care for the animals and milk the goat. My 11 year old milking.
They help with the cooking and cleaning. My 15 year old stirring.
Playing:
And of course they have fun! I try to keep the little ones near by while doing other things. They love to play together and, of course, they make a mess whether they are crafting or playing. Thankfully, they're pretty good about cleaning up afterwards.
Exploring outside together.
I also wanted to show you how we work together on packaging up orders but we didn't have any packing to do today or yesterday.
Basically we get it all done because we do it together. I most certainly don't do it all. :-)
hi there, stopping by from Flickr(thank you for posting your blog!) and i am so glad i did!
how can one not be inspired by you! soon to be eight kids, homeschooling, running your own company..."supermom" i do not know but what an amazing woman you seem to be! :)
i have two kids (7 and 4) and have been throwing around the idea of homeschooling in my head for a while and if you can do it with 7 i know i can do it with 2! lol.
have a wonderful day!
Posted by: Jennifer White | November 05, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for commenting. Yes! You can definitely do it. :-)I'll never regret spending this time with them homeschooling. They all have big plans for their own businesses now since they've been around us helping with our family business. :-)
I guess it just becomes part of the daily cycle of things. Chores, business tasks, play or read with the littles, help with school, rinse, reapeat.... :-)
Good luck! You're free to email me if you ever want to chat a little about it.
By the way, I looked at your site and your stuff is amazing. Adorable!
Posted by: Tanisha | November 05, 2008 at 01:08 PM