The house all tidy and freshly scrubbed
Sunlight pouring all over the wood floors, the glassware, the toys and the kitty
The Magic of the Harp playing on the CD player
French roast coffee in my tummy and in the pot
Me, wearing a clean outfit, shoes laced, showered and clear headed
The day's homeschool lesson plans all laid out
Empty the dryer's contents onto the couch
Love and gratitude in my heart
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6 comments:
So do all these ideal times happen at your house, and do they happen in the same day? I'm impressed if they do. I think I will write out something similar so I can see clearly what it is I want to achieve. Great idea.
I love your blogs.
No, they are all dreams for now, but attainable ones, I think, if we set our minds to it.
Our homeschool year starts on September 4th, and we have been workiong very hard this summer to get alot of kinks out of our home rythms and bad habits. I knew if I wrote these and re visited them often, they would become positive ideals.
I am so happy that you have been enjoying the blogs. The comments mean alot to me :)
Oh, Joy, I have been so lazy this summer. Maybe I'm detoxing from public school, just like my son.
We started out great - set time in the morning to meet and read and play and work together. Then my washer broke, and my whole house and schedule fell apart. The washer is replaced, but I still am having a hard time getting back on top of my life. Argghh. I really like the ideas you have, and I really want to create something similar for my family. I was getting up at 5:00 every morning to read my scriptures and focus on my own studies for 2 hours. I felt so alive and on top of things. But I've been so tired lately, and haven't been getting up, and feel like I am getting farther and farther from my ideal.
I know I'm just whining, but I wonder if I am going to seriously screw up my kids. I am so impressed at the level of planning and preparation you have accomplished. That is absolutely fantastic. Hopefully I'll be able to soak some of that up if I just keep reading and reading your blog.
Keep it up. You are very encouraging.
KELLEY!
First of all, these are dreams. Wonderful dreams that I wanted to get down to look towards when I felt lost, which is almost always, I assure you.
Last year, my blog was full of doubts and good natured self depreciation. Do I even deserve to be homeschooling? Why is laundry mountain bigger than the actual landry room? Will I get a shower this week? Does reading candy wrappers count as school? ;) I am serious.
We all have seasons to our lives, and seemingly little things like the loss of a washer (WHICH IS NOT LITTLE AT ALL!!!!!) can totally throw off a family, for a long, long time.
Babies, moving, new jobs, loss of jobs, illnesses, sleep changes, LIFE changes, these take time to come through. We were literally sick for 3-4 months this past winter/spring. Our minivan died, we had no family vehicle, I was going through some hellacious stuff with my extended family--trust me, there was no pot of french roast or ANY semblance of a good routine for us. My guilt and stress left me very drained and distracted and there were many days when I didnt even get dressed, the kids ate cold poptarts and got crumbs all over the couch, festering out on spongebob and jumping on the couch.
I am ONLY telling you all of this so you know that it is all ok, you will NOT ruin your kids, and all of my new proposals and dreams are NOTHING like what I had "going on" 6 years ago when we first started official homeschool.
Go easy on yourself. Right now all your kids need is to be in a realtively happy environment with their days laid out in some sort of vague rhythm which feels right FOR YOU GUYS, and which is based in LOVE and not what someone else does with their days.
I have spent too many days trying out funky new lifestyles with my poor little guinea pigs (my children!) all bedraggled and confused, just because I was up all night with the latest How To Homeschool book or SuperOrganizedWoman website. I always "failed", and I hope those days are behind us.
My kids are going to be in 5th, and 2nd grades, along with a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. I am not pregnant, I am not constantly breastfeeding, I am not babysitting (such a nightmare! three years, off and on!) and we are not moving. So this year is SUCH a biggie for me and all of us.
I have yet to get up at 5am. I have had every opportunity to do so and I have not. I have every excuse in the book and yet I am like some kind of addict when it comes to my puffy fluffy bed. Challenging myself yet not becoming self-abusive is going to be a new frontier for me, for sure.
If you set up some small new habits and just try them on for size before making any big announcements, then you will be able to better determine what works for you guys!
(This coming from the QUEEN of rash announcements!)
And also, OF COURSE you are detoxing from public school, and only you and your son can determine how long that will take!
Now that I have possibly deflated your image of me, back to my soapboxes!
;)
Okay, thanks. I needed that. A good bonk on the head to open up the channels of reason is a good thing.
Actually, not to sound twisted or mean or anything, but it really is nice to know that other homeschooling moms freak out occasionally. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself, and it's nice to know that other moms do, too.
I guess it all comes back to "there is a time and a season for everything." This is just my freakout time and season (said very tongue-in-cheek ;) ). I am having to work pretty hard to buoy myself up against the yuck coming my way from my husband's family in regards to homeschooling. My MIL never misses a chance to be critical of me. I think I just let it get to me for a while. I've gotten to the point where I barely tell her anything about me and what we are doing in our family. Sad, but necessary for my sanity. Gosh, I hate to just whine here, but it really is nice to know that you understand where I am coming from.
And, please, go back to your soapboxes. I thoroughly enjoy what you have to say from up there. :)
I have started taking quiet time in the morning to put together my own ideal plan for the day. I really like that you split your days into parts so that each section of the day is a new start. Brilliant!
I feel so much better. :)
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