Saturday, August 18, 2012

Such a Slacker

I know, I know, it has been so much more than a year since I last wrote anything here. It's only because I have been busy. 6 kids busy. Lyme disease busy. New house busy. Over committed life busy. You know the drill. I was reading past entries and decided I wanted to start this back up again. It's a fun way to catalog my life and preserve memories. Maybe I will be more consistent this time....we shall see, no promises.

I had a looong week this week. You all know I home school most of my kids. My oldest, 17 year old Phillip, goes to school. He is going to be a senior at a local arts focused charter school. The rest I home school. I had so much enthusiasm this year for the start of school. I was uber excited to do all the schooly things that had been rambling around in my brain all summer. I made plans. I bought books. No one else was very excited, but I was. The first week was a smashing success. The new schedule worked. The new curriculum worked. The kids worked. I worked. Perfect week in a box, tie it all up with a lovely red bow and set it on the bookshelf.

This week was "week #2". Somehow, we were less organized, less motivated, less cooperative, less driven to succeed. Ugh. I hate week 2. It's when everyone has now realized that this is actually work that we are being expected to do, and not all fun and games. It's when we have a doctor appt at 9 am and can't get back into routine. It's when the toddler decides finger painting is best done on the carpet. And the 6 yr old decides that modern manuscript printing is best done on the wall of your bedroom with a chalk pastel. (Note: not actual chalk...doesn't brush off easily) Week 2 is the week when all the planning you did is a just a bit discouraging, cause now you are behind schedule. My good friend Randi says, "make a plan that works and then work the plan". I am trying, so desperately trying....but somehow the realities of life keep getting in my way.

Where's the rewind button....can I just do this week over again, please. Actually no, I do NOT want to do that. I will just keep going, plugging away, and hoping and praying for better this next week. I will work my plan, and hope that it works.

I had a few minor successes this week....I did allow my kids to write their spelling words in shaving cream on my kitchen counter, good mommy points for me. I did make it to a homeschooling event for moms and got to have dinner with a new friend. I did take the kids swimming on Monday. I did have a cleanish house on Wednesday for bible study. I did do about 97 loads of laundry this week (slight exaggeration). I did have a sweet date night with my hubby on Friday night and then yummy decaf mocha at my fave coffee shop in town, Flying M. I did place the order for the cake I need to buy for a baby shower at church on Sunday. See now, didn't that feel good.

Ah reflection puts things into perspective.

On the agenda today....cleaning out my car, going swimming, picking up the house.