Breathe in, Breathe out.
OK, now that you have calmed down a bit, I'll tell you some secrets to help you down this road.
~ You don't need it all. Once upon a time, there was hardly anything out there for homeschoolers. They struggled to find materials and ideas. Now the opposite is true. There is so much out there one can easily become overwhelmed. The less complex is usually better.
~ Your family is different, your homeschool will look different; that's ok, it is how it is suppose to be. After all, you have a different mission than the other guys.
~ You have to enjoy this. If you don't enjoy it, neither will anyone else. So follow your interests too. Take the time to fill your reservoir. You can't give if you are spirtually and emotionally empty.
~ The other families have plenty of bad/rough/not-as-planned days too. No, she doesn't have "it all together," and her kids are not perfect.
~ Follow the spirit. You will be guided to what you need for your family just when you need it.
~ It doesn't have to be that hard. The tendency is to make things so complicated, but it doesn't have to be. One example is from my long time mentor Donna Goff. She has created a beautiful way to introduce a broad liberal arts education in a simple way with The Power of an Hour - I love this woman! She has become a second mother to me.
~ Everyone has holes in their education. You DO NOT have to cover it all. Sit down and think about each of your children: What type of adults do you want your children to be. What are the most important lessons you want them to have? That is where your focus should be. (And chances are it has very little to do with academics.)
~ Life will derail all of your well laid plans. That's life; those lessons need to be taught too. Diane Hopkins wrote a wonderful article about just this thing called The Baby IS the Lesson. The trick is to have rhythms. Establish a default rhythm that can function even when things get rough.
~ Know that there is a time and a season for everything. Rachel DeMille was asked "How can you juggle everything you do?" She answered "Exactly, I juggle." When you juggle, it doesn't matter how many balls you have in the air, you still only have one, maybe two, in your hands at one time. You take care of what is needed and trust that that ball will come around again later in its turn.
Enjoy this journey; this is exciting!
