1. Its still sunny and hot and it sure feels like a splashpad day (yes i know, the beach side bikini days have been
replaced by motherhood)
2. School starts. It really seems unfair, as soon as you stop dreading the start of school for yourself, you have kids!
3. The ice cream man in colorado will surely disappear soon
As a homeschool mom I get really excited buying new curriculum and planning all the things we will learn throughout the year, but I also get really overwhelmed. After a few months of not schooling, I realize that a regular mom has a full time job just keeping up with the kiddos and cleaning the house. My days become super full and around July I always wonder how in the world I ever fit homeschool in, and how in the world I will be able to do it all again. Often I consider the option that last year's me was younger and must have been smarter, more rested, and perhaps even organized. I know this year's me could never compare and therefore I begin my rationale. If you know me, you have probably been fed my rationale atleast once. Last year it was "I cannot homeschool three school aged kids so somebody will have to go to school" and then this year it was " I cannot homeschool three kids bec I'm having a baby"...I'm also fairly sure I've used that one before. I have a few more in my bag of tricks and I'm sure there will be new ones. As usual, come Aug, I chickened out and began scrambling my curriculum together. I realized the kids didnt want to go to school, we would be out late on school nights with activities, I would have to actually get children dressed and out the door hours before my brain functions, and I would miss out on all those benefits I tell other people about. Most importantly I accepted that homeschooling is def God's plan for our family......atleast for this year :) remind me that come July.
It hit me yesterday that school should start this week. So I cleaned out our homeschool cabinet (formerly the home of Mikasa's Palatial Platinum china) organized all the books and even created a fun new spot. The school supply shelf. Who knew that would be so great but it really made today go easier and gave a home to the school supply lists i half filled when i was struggling with this years doubts.
Then reality hit.............i was really gonna do it.......the same thing i do every year yet always seems such a huge task....
Today I decided to start with just 1 homeschooler. Piper , my first grader. And I have to admit today was awesome, easier than i expected and left me wondering what exactly i was dreading in the first place. We did Bible, Phonics, math, science, Lang, and handwriting. Including chores and 2 meals served we were done by 1:48pm. I was flippin shocked! We ran some errands and around 3 I decided to go ahead and have Paxton's first day as well. We got most of his work done (he is doing some computer schoolwork this year that hasn't been set up yet).
I am totally not delusional. I know everyday will not go so well, but what I do know is that there is potential. I know while some days will be crazy, some will be amazing just like today. Some will remind me exactly why I chose to be a mom, to stay home, and to be my kids teacher. I need days like this to remember on the days that aren't quite so nice. Yes, there were poopy diapers, dirty dishes, laundry, and a couple of minor injuries but in all it was a fabulous day and I even got half a shower! Life is good :)
In conclusion, summer is over, but there is lots of fun still to be had. School starting wasn't so bad, and the ice cream man still came around! Now lets see how it goes come january when we factor in even less sleep, and a snuggly new baby to distract me from my job performance :)
