I know exactly where you are coming from. When my oldest was 11 months old, I first heard about homeschooling as I read a magazine while waiting to visit teach. As I put the article back on the table, the Spirit, nearly audibly told me, "If you want your children to maintain the spirit that is sent with them, you will home school." Fair enough. But I hadn't a clue as to where to start.

 I read everything I could. This was 1981 so the information was limited to the Moores and a few other gurus. I found a lady who wanted information on the church who hometaught so we talked, lots.  

 A year later, Ben came along then 1 1/2 years later, Chamrie. Then Chiya arrived. Finally, Chani started to approach that politically correct age of five. I mailed off over 50 letters to companies that sold curriculums and finally settled on one for a K program. Thankfully, it wasn't too expensive because it lasted about three weeks. 

 Today, I have nine children ranging in age from 22 to 4 1/2. We have always hometaught, adding in mentors and supplemental private schooling moments.  My oldest is a Junior at George Wythe and my next is turning in mission papers this 
 September.  
 Here is what I have learned about schooling the very young children. Don't.
Instead, have them join you in scripture study, prayer, FHE, work, play, and when you have group lessons have them choose music. At other times read to them, sing to them, and choose excellent videos for occasional watching.  Animals videos or programs are great, if you watch nature shows on television and want to avoid humanism, then just turn off the last 10 minutes when they get into the section about why man is terrible to the animals.  
 Fill a young child's life with play and chores, but mostly play and you will
set an excellent stage for them enjoying life as they grow into greater responsibility. Watching my oldest five children, all working, and their wise balance of activity shows me how true this is.  
 I know you are worried about how it will go and think that a preschool curriculum might give you an idea of how successful the homeschool will be, how stressful, how capable you are, how interested your children etc, but wait, enjoy this stage of their life as it will never come again. The world is very big on preschool for children so they can be ready for K which is supposed to make them ready for 1st. You can leave the world view behind.  
 In your home, in your arms, in the tender circle of the life you have
created for your children, they will learn far more of everything good than
they will ever learn of anything else in a preschool setting.

       

We school academics only three days each week. The rest of the time is spent in creative family life...in other words...whatever works best for mother!

We start our school at the best time for Mom. We end before she is tired, bored or frustrated.

One week day is spent on deep cleaning bedrooms and picking up the yard to recover from the weekend. After that, the children do a few intelligent or creative things that require minimum supervision on my part.

Another week day finds them deep cleaning their jobs so they can pass it off to the next child. I divide the house into areas of responsibility and the children have that area for one week. I have tried it for monthly periods, longer and shorter times, but the advantage of the job lasting only a week before being passed off to the upcoming child is that I have an overall cleaner home. Deep cleaning on a week day instead of Saturday when their friends are home, gives an automatic extra day for the reluctant cleaner to have to stay home to finish the job or the rebellious worker to be given extra jobs on the best play day of the week.

One day each week is used for whatever I want, my own projects and interests and guilt free time to educate and enlighten my own life. A balanced mother is a better teacher and play time for mom is a great way to find personal balance.

Organize the family routines to make life easier. Computer programs can be divided into educational and non-educational. Only educational programs may be used on academic days. One person each week can choose a family movie. Only educational movies can be shown during certain times. School time ends when it does for public schooled friends as this motivates children to stay focused so they can be free to play. House is cleaned before starting school so that if school starts late because of dawdling play time with friends is shortened. Have evening chores done about 4:30. That way you have a break after academics before you have to supervise jobs and they get the job done fast so they can return to play before dinner.

There was wonderful council given when LDS President Ezra Taft Benson was the president of the church about how all the GOOD things out there could take time away from Family Life. It isn't always the bad stuff we have to sift through and say no to. Often it is the good things as well. More and more families, and I suspect, especially large families, find mother burnout simply because there are a hundred classes, meetings, game practices, learning experiences that we feel compelled to provide for our children in order for them to get the best out of life in these days. We limit those extensively because it personally burns me out to spend my afternoons and evenings running children all over the kingdom. We consider the scouting program a program in the church and it is done. We do all of the programs of the church. We wait until our children are teens to involve them in sports programs and encourage creative play rather than adult led activities until that time. It may not be a problem with many mothers, but for me, giving up the guilt on this issue was a great relief. Discover areas that while good may not be best for your particular family.

When things get overwhelming, we put on favorite movies that we have taped. Can you imagine spending a whole day watching the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice (6 hours)? There are now many excellent classic movies.

Most important: over any given school year we take a break. I decide when. The break lasts until I begin to realize that my family would do better again with structure. I did do unschooling for 2 years. I had some difficulty with it. My children grew well, but I recognized inside of me a lack of that confirmation that I was doing what was best for me and my children. The blend of structure and nonstructure in our family is important for balance and recognition of accomplishment.

Burnout is a real concern. Don't downplay it.  Remember that you and the Lord are in control of your school, when you feel the need to quit for a day, week, month, put it to prayer.  Leave guilt at the door while you pray about this...and you will get some direction.  If you don't get clear direction then you can say to Him, "I'm going to take a break, stop me when its time for structure again."  He'll let you know, after all, they are his children first.

Last of all, enjoy the process. Everything doesn't have to happen all at once. There is time, step by step to accomplish all the important things if we keep at it and laugh as much as we are able.