Dateline: Feb. 1, 2007
Mid-Year Blues... and Grays...and Pinks
And now we come to the middle of the homeschooling year. Well, actually we are just beyond. It is here, every year, without fail, it seems, that I start to feel we are in a rut. The gray skies and cooler weather didn't help my mood much this week, but it was a good catalyst for the changes I made today.
Image Courtesy of Do you feel a mid-year slump with any regularity? The children have seemed to be going along just fine, but I have felt loaded down by extra-long days and a self-imposed pressure to get everything (that I have assigned myself, mind you) done.
This year I have tried, for the most part, using Charlotte Mason's methods for our schooling. I think I am finding that, for me, the shorter subjects (around 20 minutes a piece) are just not for me. I was beginning to feel I was juggling so many things.
Today, I weeded a number of daily subjects and went ahead and combined them into longer subjects with fewer days. The girls seem elated. Again, they had not requested any changes, but audible sighs of relief were heard around the kitchen table this morning when I revealed the new plan.
I have learned that throughout homeschooling, I need to make frequent changes as the girls change and grow and as the demands on our lives together change. I have not found one "thing" - one style or curriculum - that meets all of our needs. I suppose our homeschool could best be described as "eclectic," if only because it doesn't really fit entirely into any one particular category.
I am learning and gleaning from many styles of schooling as we move through our days and years.
I took some time this week to complete this sketch that I had done in my visual journal. I am quite happy with the results.
M wanted to show all of you that she lost her first bicuspid this week.
The tooth fairy doesn't bring a lot of money here (she averages a quarter a tooth), but she does always bring a foreign coin with her and occasionally leaves a special, beautiful stone. M's foreign coin this time around was from Italy.
I have been dealing with a slight sore throat all day today. I'm really hoping it won't blossom into anything more. Tomorrow is art day in our homeschool - my favorite day of the week. As you know, E has learned to knit, so I think I will encourage her to finish the little doll scarf she is working on for her Bitty Baby, Melody. M bought herself a larger crosstitch and I'm guessing she'll work on that while I stealthily work on my next knitting project - almost complete already!! When I'm done, I'll post pictures once the recipeint has received it!
With all my current projects, I feel I've been a little slug-like of late and need to pick up the exercising pace. Maybe with the new schedule I'll find some room. *Sigh* So much to do, so little time!