Homeschool Co-op

As I had posted a few posts ago, I was feeling overwhelmed by all the things I had taken on. My husband encouraged me to cut back on as much as I felt I could. We prayed about it, and initially it didn't seem possible to cut back in ANY area.

1. This past week at church I had two ladies ask to be added to the list to help in the nursery. That makes it possible for me to schedule myself less, since I work it every week during Sunday School and wind up filling in whenever needed.
2. Since I was one of the teachers for Wens. evening children's church, that added another day of lesson plans to the week. Now our church is doing an all age group study on Wens., parents, teens, children, so I will have less to do on Wens., as well as we have pizza there every Wens. so the ladies don't have to stress about dinner before study!
3. We decided that I should drop the homeschool co-op. I have to come up with what I will teach, what grade level and a lesson plan for each week that we meet (twice a month) for 6-14 children, as well as co-teach one other class each meeting.
4. On above mentioned co-op days I have to try and get Joseph to get all his work done BEFORE we leave for co-op, because when he gets home, there's no way he can concentrate.

I had resigned myself that we just wouldn't belong to any co-op and that was fine. I really love the ladies and children there and was very sad at not taking part, but with Jonathan's therapies daily and with whatever Anah may add to our schedule, I just couldn't bare the thought of dragging everyone away from home and their school work/therapies. Then a friend at church mentioned her co-op. Well I knew her co-op and it was not one I would care to be a part of. It was too large and didn't have the family feel that I like. Then she said that no, she and a few of the other ladies had formed a spin off co-op. I wasn't terribly interested, but she is my friend, so I listened of course. She went on to tell me that it is a co-op that will actually teach a course/curriculum, so that is one or two less I have to teach at home!! Something that would actually DECREASE my work load??!! When I asked if I would have to teach (which is typical and expected) she said not this year, as the ladies had it all planned out, but even when we do teach, the lesson plans are already prewritten and all I would have to do is follow it!! I can handle that!! I also know at least half of the families that formed the co-op, three are from our church and two others come to some of the "special" things we have at our church! I have also met some of the others at some joint church functions that we have had.

Joseph will now be taking writing, science, critical thinking skills, and art/music. I have no gifts in the art or music area, so I am soooo thrilled about this. I will also have to only to language arts and spelling the writing portion is taken care of. Science will be taken care of, we do the reading at home during the week, but each co-op he will do an actual lab! Critical thinking will be very good for his thought process in general. I will do school Mon-Thurs and nothing on Fridays except co-op. I of course will teach Math and Social Studies as well. Gym is included in the co-op as well and Joseph plays hockey in the winter and bike rides in the nicer weather.

When I spoke to the lady running the co-op (I know her), she said she had been praying about who she could get to work in the nursery, so she was sooo excited to hear from me. Everyone KNOWS I'm crazy about babies/kids! She asked if I would be willing to work their instead of teach....hmmm....let me think.... OK!!!! LOL

God is so good! I know it may not sound like any huge miracle to anyone else, but to this overwhelmed, tired mommy it was TRULY an answer to prayer! Oh wait, almost forgot. The lady doing the preschool class has a sister with Down Syndrome, she will be Jonathan and probably Anah's (even though she's older, she's had NO schooling at all) teacher! She understands how they may not be able to sit still the whole time, or even be able to be in the class the whole time and she's perfectly fine with it! There is also a 15 yo girl with DS that will be attending the co-op! Also, the church that we are having it in is the church of the two families that have the children with DS, so all are very familiar/comfortable with children with DS!! How awesome is that! A miracle for this momma! Thank you Jesus! You are so very good to me all the time!