Is It Naptime Yet

…Really we began school in July because I was on a long hiatus. Really long, like 6 months of no “schooling”. Of course my girls still learned and we still did things. The co-op was still taking place, we’d go to Science Saturday, then there was the play, and for the record I stopped schooling before the play because of various reasons, but was not able to start again till July, for various reasons. Now we have more of a plan, Jon and I discuss weekly what’s going on, and I’m mentally able to handle it, most days. I have a schedule I’m sticking to for schooling every day and Lilah is coming to terms with what is expected of her for school. My patience is still low some days, but we’re trying to work together in a more harmonious manner.

Since I haven’t watched a lot of TV lately, Netflix instant play is awesome with our Wii, I don’t see a lot of the commercials, but I know there is one commercial that use to play. It’s a Staple’s one where you hear “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” playing in the background and the father is going back and forth gleefully in the isles and then they show the kids, the two teenagers, who are sad and somewhat shocked at their fathers embarrassing behavior. It’s about how wonderful it is to have the kids back in school. I haven’t said this to many, but that commercial really annoys me. I know it’s just an exaggeration, but I feel it shows that families don’t have harmonious relationships, and parents are really happy to pawn their children off to other people for 6 hours a day. I know that’s not true for all, and I am exaggerating feelings, but I feel it perpetuates the thought that parents don’t want to spend time with their children and are happy to be free of them for most of the day. Really I wouldn’t mind being free of my children some days, but I’ve chosen to homeschool so being with them is just a part of it.

The first comment out of most people’s mouths when I tell them we homeschool is they don’t have the patience. The thought of spending everyday, day in and day out is tiresome, and then you have to teach your children on top of that. It’s exhausting and for 6 months I didn’t have the patience to homeschool, but as OMSH wrote for Pioneer Woman’s homeschooling blog, parents, just as teachers, have days where they don’t have patience. (It really is a good read, so please read it if you can. My off days just lasted for a really long time.)

For those 6 months I didn’t homeschool because the thought of it drove me up the wall. Even now, it is somewhat daunting, but I’m doing it and for the most part enjoying it.

For 6 months I just let go of any expectations I held of what I should be doing with my girls and did whatever the heck we wanted. Right now their days are filled with lots of playing, some TV, some formal schooling, and a little bit of house chores.

Really, I love spending and having my girls with me each and every day. Overall I get a long really well with them, which is not something every parent has. There are days where I really want to get away or I wish I could be like other moms and not have kids with me all day so we could do things alone, but I have my girls and friends know we’re a packaged deal. Jon also lets me have time to myself, in fact, I begin a choir class this week at CSN. I’m taking it so I can work on my singing ability, but it’s also a weekly getaway from my girls.

I’m hoping to get better at this school thing and I’m happy my girls have the patience to put up with this mama/ mentor.

School has begun, but learning never ceases.