Posted in relaxed homeschooling

After a busier than usual week last week took us from our studies, I had taken time to do some planning this weekend and eagerly anticipated getting lots accomplished today.  I had the naive' expectation that THIS would be the week we would start and stay on my "dream schedule" - HA!  The word "schedule" and me don't even go together, it is a constant struggle for a free spirit like myself to keep on task - let alone keep my kids on a consistent rounine.  This is an area that God has been growing me -- I know my kids and I both need a consistent, yet flexible routine.  The Lord has been so faithful to lead me in baby steps and I have come a long way over the past couple of years - Praise His name!  I could never do it on my own!

Okay, so what about my "best laid plans"?

Well, suffice it to say that I overslept, ended up on the phone and we didn't really get started with much until 10:30 -- so much for my plans .  I remember as a new homeschool mom getting very discouraged on days like this -- thankfully, I've covered enough ground in my homeschool journey to know that these days do come (often more frequently than I'd like) and I can either give in to my disappointment, or choose to take what I've dealt myself (yes, I am my worst enemy when it comes to keeping on a schedule) and make the best of things.

One thing that really helps when I have one of "those" days, is to sit back at the end of the day and consider what we did accomplish - even if it wasn't "on schedule".  We recently started a Bible study in the poetry/wisdom books.  Even though I was tempted to put this aside when we got a late start, I remembered that God has brought several messages to me through His word and His people about keeping the main thing, the main thing - so we started our day with our Bible study as planned. 

By just taking a few minutes and a little workbook from Walmart, we did a quick oral review of the continents, oceans and directions.  We've been reading Bob and Arty Missionary Adventures, so we read another chapter and reviewed some of the geographical locations we have "visited" in the book.  Noah did a bit of seat work (reading comprehension and his math), Zack and I went over his math orally so I could make sure he was understanding things.  I also got him started thinking about a writer he would like to do a short paper about -- he chose the creator of Mario (not exactly the kind of writer I had in mind, but I've decided to be flexible).  He has been doing a short unit on J.R.R. Tolkien as part of his English curriculum, Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings, and the author suggests doing a report on an author they enjoy reading.  I guess in this case, my son at least enjoys playing what this author creates .  I know, I know, Charlotte Mason would be cringing and saying, "Twaddle!" -- but with my writing-resistant son, I'll take a report on Shigeru Miyamoto.

We took a trip to the grocery, came home and read a few chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe -- I had planned for us to start reading this LAST week, so I'm glad we got going today.  I want to finish it before we watch the movie in theaters in December.

Let's see, it seemed the kids kind of floated around the rest of the day.  They would like to find some things to sell on ebay, so they did a bit of research into what toys are hot this year so they can keep their eyes open for good deals.  I've been amazed at how much money a kid can earn, if they learn to spot a bargain!  Of course, we still have our whole evening ahead of us - Zack needs to practice his drums, Noah will probably spend some time messing around on our keyboard, and we'll play a couple of board games.

As I look at things from this perspective - it seems we accomplished quite a bit after all!  Reading, language arts, geography, Bible, literature, research, life skills, math and more.  Of course, the best part of our day was just being together.

I hope this little blog has been an encouragement to others who have "those days".  It is easy to read these blogs or go to support group meetings, hear about all of the wonderful things other families are accomplishing, and get discouraged thinking you are the only one who can't seem to get it together.  Oh, my friend, that is just not true!  We all have rough days or just times when things don't go as we'd like in our schooling - take heart, this journey is a marathon, not a sprint!  The God who called you is faithful to lead you and your family in the way you should go!

Blessings,

Cindy