• We go outside and play for a bit if it isn’t too cold
• Come inside for Lunch and table chores
• Free time before naps while I nurse the baby or do some cleaning
• Nap time for 1.5 to 2 hours
• I nurse the baby and catch up on to do list and routines

• Boys get up and we watch "Little House On the Prairie” for an hour! This is a new addition to our day, some of you might cringe but yes we sit as a family and watch a solid hour of Little House and we love it!!!  Troy has even joined the fun LOL
• We usually do something fun like a craft or bake or play a game inside or out. (This day we baked a cake; I think I have baked 3 in the past week!)

Cake bakeing with the boys (excuse the christmas Tree that is still up in the background. LOL)

Finished cake...

•   Then its dinner, table chores
• Baths
• Quick clean for everyone
• Read aloud
• Bed (7 or 8 pm depending on if nap was taken)
• I clean up when not with Noah and do my Before bed routine as fast as I can
• As soon as Noah falls asleep I am diving into the bed right behind him!

And lest you think our days are perfect, I didn’t get a pic of the 2 cups of spilt drinks, shoes full of Geese poop from our front yard.

(These are the nieghborhood geese that LOVE to spend the day in our front yard.)

 Ashton kicking and screaming on the floor throwing a tantrum, the burnt oatmeal cookies I attempted to bake, Micah whining that he doesn’t want to do lessons, Noah filling his diaper to over flow with #1 and 2 and having to be fully changed for the 3rd time!

Oh and last but certainly not least when Micah asked Ashton to get him some toilet paper to blow his nose, Ashton quickly and obediently lends a helping hand. A few hours later I go into the bathroom to find half the roll of toilet paper in the toilet!!! "Littles", Gotta love um!

And that is a "Brief" peek into our current day, we also read a lot of books and I am in the process of starting chapter books. I would like to start reading aloud from the Little House books since they love it so much.

I want to share a couple neat articles on Homeschooling with a newborn should it help some of you that are also in my shoes or will very soon be blessed to be in my shoes, Homeschooling with a Baby in tow. 

  From Susannahs blog here at HSB a great article from one of her previous posts...

1.  "Work the problem."  "Houston, we have a problem!"  When one child is yelling for my help over another (seemingly oblivious to the other child), while yet another is spilling koolaid all over the kitchen floor, while the baby is squirming and starting in to fuss, while another is coming in on the carpet with muddy feet, and lunch is already two hours late...that is not the moment to lose my head.  My knee-jerk reaction is to get frustrated.  But if I can lay aside the emotion and work the problem itself, I completely forget to feel sorry for myself and can maintain patience with the children.  The resultant feeling of accomplishment builds my mothering self-esteem.

2.  "Embrace the Chaos."  This is from the first chapter of my newly acquired book, God's Whisper in a Mother's Chaos:  Bringing Peace Home.  Some days that's all that goes through my mind.  Embrace the chaos, girl; that's how God is going to perfect you.  Without the chaos, it won't happen.

"Resisting the chaos in our lives hinders the work of God in our souls," writes Kerri Wyatt Kent.  "When we embrace the chaos, admit that it is there and it is okay because God is there too, then the difficulties and unpredictable circumstances of our lives become a tool that God uses to strengthen our faith."

3.  "Just Muddle Through."   

"Muddle through

I've never seen a self-help book with this advice, but really it's some of the best advice I can give somebody going through a difficult stretch. Sometimes the absolute best you can do isn't that pretty, or elegant, or graceful, or frankly all that inspiring. When you're in one of those stretches, stop worrying about it. Nobody else could do that much better in your position either."

In other words, don't be so hard on yourself.  This one, I believe, is thoroughly scriptural.  It's another way of describing grace.  I know God understands that we are only dust.  He has grace for us in our time of need.  His compassion for our difficulties, big and small, is unending.  He really does care for us, and we really can cast our cares on him.  With our Father, we have no fear because of his perfect love.  We have no performance standards to live up to.  We can run to him after a difficult day, cry on his shoulder, and rest in his loving arms. 

  And for some more great suggestions....

Try to remember that one of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the gift of freedom. You do not have to (nor should you want to!) duplicate the school environment at home. When I was feeding the baby, we all cuddled up on the couch and I would read to my older girl. When I cooked dinner or baked cookies, we practiced reading (the cookbook) and using measurements. When I took the baby for a walk, we'd talk about the trees or stones or insects we discovered. Our walks would be followed by a trip to the library to further explore items of interest or to answer questions that came up. I'd pop in an educational video in the afternoon for my daughter, and I'd rest with the baby. In essence, we continued living and learning, just like before. Only now our activities were more varied and interesting.

Hope you enjoyed those little bits of tips and helps...

If you MOMYS have any tips or suggestions on homeschooling  young children with a baby in tow please feel free to comment and share some wisdom with this Mama!!!