It's a job!

So, I had this "light bulb" moment yesterday. Homeschooling is like working from home. I think I need to learn how to manage my time better. The curriculum (or lack of) we are using requires a lot of my time for planning. I'm finding myself spending a lot of my "spare time" working on schoolwork. I guess I need to schedule blocks of time to do it, and walk away when that time is up. It's just hard for me because I see it sitting there and know it needs to get done.
On another note, We had a great day yesterday getting our work done. The boys sat down and got right to it. It didn't drag on for hours because they were just sitting and staring into space. We finished our Olympic study on Monday and put the lapbooks together. The boys were quite proud of all the work they had done. I like how when it's all in one place like that, they can look at it and say "I did all this and here's what I learned". It was a good feeling for them.
My sister-in-law and her family are coming into town today to visit from Indiana. They will be staying with us for about 3 weeks. They have 4 kids that she also homeschools. Our plan is to get our schooling done with all of the kids every morning. I'll let you know how it goes!

School and sickness

Thank God for homeschooling this week! Caleb has had some stomach issues for the past week. And for the most part, he has been able to get some school done while laying on the couch. I'm so glad that we can do that and I don't have to call him in absent everyday and justify why we chose to keep him home, or try to get a doctor's note because it was longer than 3 days. But, I realize that's just me. That's part of the reason we decided to homeschool. The fact that we, as parents, are the ones ultimately responsible for our kids, and can make the decisions we feel are best for them. I could send them off to school and let someone else deal with them but, at the end of the day, we are still resomsible for their education. And Caleb just wan't getting what he needed in school. I realize that not everyone is called to do this with their kids and that for most, the public school system works great. We just felt like it was time for us to take the control back and do it the way we saw needed to be done. Maybe some of that stems from the fact that we feel like we always have someone else telling us what we can or can't do with Julianna. And for the most part, we can't change that right now. I don't know...: ) Just rambling a little. It's kind of hard to put that strong urge and desire God gives you down in writing!

A lot of the time, it's just getting through the day and our lessons, but somedays, like today, God reminds me why we started this journey in the first place and it burns in my heart. Thank God for days like this, it renews my zeal and passion for homeschooling when I feel I'm on the edge...

The Little Things

You ever have those days? You know, where you start questioning why you are homeschooling? You are tired and a little cranky, your kids whine and complain about everything you give them to do, your house looks like a tornado hit it because you haven't had time to give it any attention...it goes on and on. My whole week was like that last week. I was feeling frustrated and wondering if I would ever catch up. Then, we were out walking the dog (did I mention that we also have a huge, hyper puppy added to the mix?) we were passing the neighborhood school and there were kids out on the playground. My younger son said "wow, isn't school out yet?" I said "no, they go ALL day" Then he replied, "I love being homeschooled". Now
I realize the reason he said that was because we had finished school about an hour prior to that but, it did a lot to lift my spirits and blew a "fresh wind" into my sails. It's the little things...

Frustration!

So, we have been using our new system for about 2 weeks. For the most part, it works for us. It definately makes my day easier because I'm not scrambling for supplies the minute before the boys do an assignment, it's all ready to go.
My frustration today comes from the fact that my kids seem to drag their feet on everything I give them to do. How do you teach them self- discipline? I set a timer for them to finish their asignement in a certain amount of time. I walk out of the room and they stop working. AUGHHH!! Yes - there are consequences for not finishing on time but, sometimesthey just don't seem to care. Like today, I planned on getting my housework done because my husband talked me out of it on Saturday : ). It is now 1:20pm and I have only cleaned one bathroom. I still need to do the other bathroom, sweep and mop the whole house, dust...the list goes on. If you know me, you know that I am pretty lax on housework, not anal about it at all. But, really, how long can you let it be dirty??? There is only so much I can take! Don't get me wrong, I love my boys and am thankful I have the opportunity to be home with them. But days like today make it difficult. Anyone out there have any auggestions on how to train them to have self-discipline?