You know how a one-year-old changes about every week? New developments, new skills, new difficulties, new frustrations (for child OR parent!). Well, that's what homeschooling is like for me!

Lately I hesitate to write about our homeschooling because it's always changing. Looking back a week, it feels different -- what's happening is different -- attitudes and needs are different... Boy oh boy, it sure keeps me alert. Tonight I realized this feeling is familiar from when the boys were toddlers, changing so rapidly it was hard to keep up.

Last week Son1 was encountering a new grammar term and learning to apply it in Latin. He was working with fractions in math. He was reluctant to tackle his composition lessons. He was "bored" with no (desired) books to read. He was kind of interested in getting out of as much seatwork as possible -- Latin, math, composition.

This week Son1 is cheerful and generally doesn't grumble about seatwork. His Latin work is faster and easier for him, and he does most of it solo. His math is now about areas of triangles, and he is doing it completely solo, something I was working him toward all last week, yay! He does laundry and household chores promptly when asked throughout the day. He does his subject reading (in his assigned history or literature book) somewhat cheerfully. He is reasonably willing to tackle the work for Scout badges with me.

Last week Son2 was reviewing one Latin lesson per day by listening to the CD and looking at the workbook. This week he's gotten to the new material, and we'll study it together and listen to the CD more (his Latin is entirely vocabulary and prayer memorization). Last week his math was about three-digit addition and subtraction. This week it's completely different: measurement in centimeters, meters, yards, feet, and inches, so he spends half of his math lesson measuring objects and people! He, too, is fairly prompt and cheerful this week about household chores and subject reading.

All that reasonably willingness and promptness and cheer helps keep MY spirits up too, and I tease and joke and encourage and chuckle with them, yet again making for good days.

Let me just say: Hurrah!!

Another aspect is our schedule. Last week we had two light days due to special days -- very unusual for us. One was Monday, in honor of Son2's birthday AND Presidents Day; the other was Ash Wednesday, the last of the boys' three museum-class mornings, and chess club in the afternoon. That meant that on the other three days last week Son1, especially, needed to stay focused to get his Latin lesson done by Friday (nearly accomplished) and his composition lessons as well (did it!). It was a pretty good week, but different, and we got more of those subjects done in one day than he'd ever tried to do before.

This week is more steady. We have a few things around which we can rearrange our seatwork and other work without taking a light day. Wednesday afternoon is chess club. Thursday noontime I plan to take the boys to the dedication of a historical plaza along the downtown walking trail, this one about our town in World War II; there will be lots of military presence, and a flyover of at least one biplane! Both of those days we can do most or all of our lessons before the activities.

On Friday morning, if all goes well 'til then, we'll go out to a coffee shop to meet my MOMS Club friends midmorning for a treat. And then who knows what will be around the bend the next Monday!