I've been doing more than my fair share of complaining lately. Seems this homeschooling gig used to be more fun in the early days. Lately we've been stuck on the same ol' lesson: "For Every Action There Is An Equal And Opposite Reaction." For Example: I say, "Let's get moving and finish the schoolwork (and the housework) so we can get to the fun stuff." Their reaction is to whine and dig in their heels- while productivity comes to a screeching halt. And yet another day passes without getting to the illusive Fun Stuff. Why is it soooo difficult to work with these boys lately???? Might as well browse Facebook and read a blog post or two while I wait for them to get busy. Right? Probably not. Well, maybe, if it means reading this post by Heidi, at Busy Mom. Turns out it isn't a boy thing. It has nothing to do with the kids at all. I have simply lost my vision. I lost my vision for our homeschool, and for our family in general. It seems to be a common theme this time of year. My friend, Jennifer, agreed," I will join you in finding a vision. As my youngest complained the other day that school is just work. He wants to just learn, not sit and do work all the time."
Time to put less value on the task list and more value on the person in front of me at the moment. In case I was wondering if this renewed vision was what Christ would want me to pursue, another friend, also named Jennifer, confirmed it in a Sappari Solutions Workshop which referenced 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families and this blogpost on Creating a Positive Family Culture.
So I ditched the regularly scheduled day, to read and pray
and listen to podcasts. I learned a lot. (Well, re-visited old lessons with a refreshed mindset, anyway).
AND it was exciting…..
AND it was FUN…..
AND it was decided that we DO need more learning
without so much Work! More hands on experiences
and fewer workbook pages.
(Finally set off those smoke bombs we made in January)
AND we definitely need fewer Mommy Melt-Downs
over that pesky task list.
AND we REALLY, REALLY needed a Wednesday night star gazing party, complete with roasted marshmallows, hot chocolate, good friends and football on the lawn. A delightful evening to break up an otherwise monotonous week. After the other families said their good-byes, the kids and I stayed up ridiculously late ON A SCHOOL NIGHT to learn about the winter sky. We learned the difference between sighting the Little Dipper and Orion's Belt, and between the red glow of Betelgeuse and Jupiter or Mars. We laughed and talked and sang Mumford and Sons songs around the fire pit with a dear young priest that stuck around for the "after party." We told funny stories about growing up in a large family (Fr. Stephen is #8 of 10). We ate lots of chocolate. Then we called it a night. We called it a Very.Very.Good. Night. Lesson Learned.
I'll be trading in February Burnout, for Smoking Hot Homeschooling to wrap up the academic year. Lent provides the perfect opportunity to make a habit of keeping things in proper perspective.
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