Last week I realized I was worried that the boys were not doing enough in their studies, and as a result I pushed them to get more done in each subject each day. That made us all more grumpy and generally bad-tempered. Once I noticed this, I pulled back a bit. Then I took a good look at where they were in their math books, looked back at what they've done so far this year and what's ahead, and discovered they are both doing great -- they master what they're studying, and I'm comfortable with the content and the progress. The truth was that we deserved a fun day in celebration!

The next day, last Friday, we went to a coffeeshop together for a treat and I surprised the boys with plenty of reading time, a little fun time with my PDA's games, and NO lessons at all that day. I suppose, though, that one could count the silly math fact drill, Latin verb conjugations, and Latin prayer recitation during the car ride. That schoolwork took, hmm, five minutes! We also stopped at the library for more books, did some household chores, and generally relaxed.

In the big picture, I think it's not automatic for me to be tuned in to what and how each son is learning, and how to cultivate that. If I'm not tuned in and attentive, I expect immediate mastery ("I've explained it, so you should understand it now"!), usually a frustrating experience for everyone. If I'm even a bit attentive to what's going on with each son, we have fun and joke and deal with little struggles very comfortably as the boy learns and practices. Much, much better.

Yet again, my ordinary, everyday life is the toughest and most rewarding workshop in God's love. I don't have to seek something out of the ordinary to learn and grow in God's grace. Life, marriage, motherhood, community relationships, and now homeschooling, they all provide more soul-stretching opportunities the more I pay attention.

On a related note, it was a pleasure today to read some of the Guilt-Free Homeschooling blog -- she has such wisdom. Especially good for me today is the recent post, "Am I Doing Enough?", with a quiz. We scored "take a day and celebrate" and I agree with that assessment 100 percent!