I am going to go back to school starting either the spring or summer semester this coming year, and would still love to hs the kids. How feasible is this? It would be so much easier to put them in PS so that I could work on classes during the day, but I'm not completely sold on that idea. Am I completely crazy for wanting to do both? I'll be going for nursing, so once I start working, my schedule will still be flexible enough to accommodate hs.
I did 4 semesters of my undergrad while homeschooling, working, (2 semesters) pregnant, and (2 semesters) with a newborn. It is TOTALLY doable. Now I'm in grad school. I was good to take 3 classes, which is full time, before I was working. Now that I'm also working full time, I only take one class at a time. I have to be realistic about what sort of curriculum I can use. For example, I would love to do all subjects that were as free-flowing as MOH, but that requires a lot more planning. So I have to use self-contained curriculum (LifePacs) for several subjects; that way I'm not overtaxing myself with unrealistic planning time. You know the old saying: Where there's a will, there's a way.
Birbitt that comes here sometimes also is in online college while homeschooling her kids. This coming semester the kids are doing a super flexible online school that she'd probably love to tell about. LOL I'll tell her this thread is here. My hubby is in pre-nursing school also. Now, he's not the one doing the homeschooling so that's a little different, but it makes a big difference for our family. When it comes time for him to do clinicals, he's not sure that he will continue to be able to also hold down a full-time job, so we are looking at making sure that between now and then I am set up to put my massage therapy to use and make enough to keep us floating until he is done - about a year. It'll be interesting, a new kind of life for a bit, and he will be helping me with schooling the kids just as I'm helping bring home some bill-paying cash. It's doable! Makes life different and a little harder, but it's temporary, and so worth it!
I think it depends on how determined you are and much support you have from your DH, family and friends. I'll be studying two papers online starting Nov 2012 and finishing Feb 2013. Then I'll be starting a certificate in health Feb 2013, which I plan to study online part time over two years. I'm currently shifting my routine so that I go to bed at 7pm (when Anaia goes to bed) and get up at 4am so I have three hours study time before the kids get up. When I've completed the certificate I plan to study midwifery. Once I'm registered I plan to work shifts in a hospital until my kids are much older. Give it a go you never know unless you try
I, too, will be attending an online nursing school this coming spring semester. I am blessed that my boys are only 7 years old, so that makes the homeschooling a bit easier than if they were older. We do the 3 r's plus Bible (which is usually incorporated into their copywork or reading) using a lot of the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling. The history and science get thrown in a few times a week in book form, but really we just use those text books as a spine for reading good readers. Also, we travel full time, so the world is our history/science lesson all the time. I "plan" on doing their lessons in the morning (when we do them anyway) and then having the afternoon and evening to study. In the afternoons, they usually are hard at exploring their outdoor world, building something, or making their own art projects (have a lot of arts/crafts stuff for them to choose from). This gives them half day of "lessons" and half day of exploration. For 7 years old, that is a good mix for us. Blessings to you in finding the right balance for your family.
I am also one of those who do online college while HS'ing. It takes a lot of time, but I somehow work it in between naps/quiet time and after the kids go to bed. I am going full time but will be taking a break in January when baby #3 is born. You can totally do it, you just have to find what works for you. My DH sometimes will take the kids with him to the gym (YMCA in our area has childcare for kids) so I can get in some extra study time.
