HSing with two working parents

[JWSJ]

My spouce and I both work outside the home. Due to working different shifts, we are able to homeschool, but it's a daily challenge.

Are there any other families where both parents work outside the home and are able to homeschool?

How do you handle everything?

[Arch At Home]

Between my husband and I, we work 3 part-time jobs which at times add up to more that two full time jobs. Thanks to flexible employers we can juggle our schedules so that we always have someone at home with our children. I definitely follow FlyLady. I have a weekly menu and master grocery list from which I work. I have a check list of tasks which I have to get done each week. We do a lot of combining of trips such as grocery shopping while dd is at ballet and such. I must admit that there is not much free time but we do find it worth it.

[Arch At Home]

I thought of two other things. I have found that curriculum with everything laid out and not requiring too much gathering of things work best for me. Artistic Pursuits has a list of supplies that you purchase at the start of the program and then you are good to bo. Workbooks are better than textbook based programs because I cut apart the workbook and weekly assemble daily packages for each child. Then we don't have to gather up the necessary textbooks when it is time to do our work.

I have also found that I do best if I plan ahead. Often there just isn't time to do something at the last minute. I cook dinner in the morning because when I get home in the evening there everyone, including me, is too hungry to wait for dinner to be cooked.

[sheryl]

I think it's wonderful that with jobs you still feel "called" to homeschool. That is not our situation but it very easily could be and I've thought about it many, many times.

Your 7 year old is young and needs more of the parental/teacher input of teaching. As s/he (I forget) gets older s/he will be able to do more independent work. In a couple of years, you can lay out the school subjects to be taught and say read this and we'll discuss it.

There are also DVD programs, which are expensive, but perhaps it could be a "gift" from the grandparents, etc.

Lastly, you may find the weekend will present a short window of time to "catch up" on any thing that may have been missed.

HTH! Sheryl