Keeping it real
My children were discussing their futures over dinner this evening. We finally were able to eat around 9:30. I had cooked crock-pot pork chops, and typical of my cooking, they weren’t that good.
Several of my kids were talking about how they wanted to be famous on TV, be pro athletes, go to the Olympics, blah, blah. I think it’s great they have big dreams, but the reality is that happens for only a small fraction of people in this world. So, I explained this to them, and we talked about how important it is that they have a quality education to help them maneuver their future reality. I mean it’s great if you want to practice an activity or sport for hours a week, but you’d better be balancing that with academics. It is what it is, so it’s a must to have a firm foundation in your back pocket.
Tomorrow, I’m driving to NC with the bottom 3 kids for a family wedding. My husband and oldest son are staying home to prep for yet another soccer tourney and Boy Scouts Camp. I learned just recently that the scouts have no electricity and are camping in the woods all week. There are no cabins. I know I’m clueless with all of this, but I was a little amazed that they’re spending the entire week in this fashion. Sooooooo glad it’s my husband going and not me!
Off to pack some more. We checked out movies from the library today for the kids to watch on the drive. Having peace and quiet will help me to stay sane. After we return, I plan to get back into the schoolroom to start spinning up:)
Planning all of the time
Another day of studies here at home. So many interruptions today while teaching.. everything from the phone ringing to the UPS guy to a leak in the basement which led to the water service guy appearing and the list goes on. Comes with the territory but challenging to your rhythm none the less. I walk in circles all day long going from child to child since they all need my attention.
Tonight, I had dinner with a fellow homeschooling mom and another mom in the engineering trade to discuss what opportunities and experiences we could create for our kids and possibly other homeschooling families. Excited to see what might develop from our meeting of the minds:) What a different world this engineering mom leads compared to my daily life. I am a little jealous of her professional environment. I miss being called “Dr. Dozier” at times, keeping up on the latest in medical education, and taking care of patients. That part was really special for me. Nevertheless, here I am spending a great deal of my time now in my home. I wear yoga pants, old t-shirts, dirty house shoes, and zippered jackets every day. I call it my uniform because it’s the same outfit every day. My hair may or may not get combed. There is no make-up worn. The fashion police would arrest me in a heartbeat. That’s what I need! I need to be on one of those make-over shows so that I can get some new outfits! Reality TV, here I come…
Sauteed some peppers and chicken for dinner-don’t you know that I burned them.
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Our family watched the movie, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” tonight in honor of the 71st anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I try to do things like watching a memorable movie or reading a good book when we encounter historical dates, figures, or events.
Well, I’m off to try to rest again. I’m still not being a very good patient.
The constant racing thoughts in my mind
I get the question sometimes, “How’s homeschooling going?”. I kind of mumble and shake my head to myself before I answer because there are too many words to answer that in the shortened form that the person is looking for.
This is an abbreviated example of what I think about daily:
Did I start the coffee pot, is there anything in history or special about today that we should talk about, my gosh these toilets are disgusting, now when can I clean the house, did the kids make their beds, let me quickly check email and weather, can I get to the gym today, what time is the tutor coming, should we go back to fencing, are there squash courts within driving distance, what can we do to improve co-op, I need to get the kids’ hair cut, what’s going on in the world, I need to have them tested, wow I almost forgot his birthday, I wonder what my girlfriends are doing, I haven’t talked to them in a while, what should we be involved in next year, should we host a foreign exchange student, what do I need to cover in math today for each kid, oh I need to drill more math facts and do a better job, I wonder how many homeschoolers were accepted into the top schools this year, am I reading enough books to the kids, my hernia hurts but I’ll just ignore it because I don’t have time to address that, I hope I’m never pregnant again, reading to them is so important, Is my nose getting bigger oh my gosh I think it is great something else to deal with in middle age, what project can I do for history to make it come alive or do I even have the time to do that today, I need to cover more Latin and vocabulary with them, I wonder if I’ll run my own business one day, I wonder if my girlfriend from med school can quickly ablate my uterus so that I don’t have periods anymore, I need a date night with my husband, did they get a break, I didn’t work on my “Dr. Joy” books again, I should discuss the topic of sex more with my oldest, he needs to go do his spelling online, is my teaching effective, they need to win some national awards, I’m stressed that I’m not relaxed enough, we need to pick out a science project for the fair, did I cover all of their memory work today, I’m not doing enough, I didn’t spend enough time talking to my hubby today, wow the office is a mess, did I order plane tickets, we need to winterize the pool, I wish I knew how to sew, great it’s dinner and I haven’t planned a thing to eat, I wish I really knew where their true interests lie so that I could get them down those paths, I need to send a birthday present, is the contractor coming today and is he going to be sawing and hammering while I’m teaching, I need to brush my teeth, there are mountains of laundry, I need more time, I’m not doing enough, I’m not teaching my kids enough of the Bible, what are the activities today, are the uniforms clean, where are the uniforms, I need to learn more history, I need to learn the game of chess better, I need to learn French, did they each read enough today, I’m behind in our schedule, what are we eating for lunch, they need close friends, where can we travel, what am I missing for them, how am I going to do this, his handwriting needs improvement, should I change math programs, I need to teach composition better, are we maximizing our time in the car, must get some more books on tape, what family-friendly history movies are there for us to watch, need to lesson plan for tomorrow, and this is the kicker…
I didn’t have my quiet time with the Lord today-ugh..
It’s midnight, and I still need a Batman room
Day filled with fractions, Peter the Great, spelling rules, analogies, similes, and classic literature.
I had one of those teaching moments where I realized that I had not done a good job on teaching object and subject pronouns-saw one upset fourth grader working on his lesson, so I stopped what I was doing, and we went over it again until he had the rules memorized.
That was followed with French lessons, filling the pool, dance class, dinner, babysitter, mini-church studying the book of James, and riding the bike. I’m not really sure if I ate lunch or dinner today, just some snacks here and there..
Now I need to paint a Batman room, study history, and attempt my French lesson from Rosetta Stone before I can go to sleep.
Is homeschooling causing my age spots?
So, I’m in my forties now, and apparently there’s a switch in your body that gets pushed when you enter this decade. The button reads, “Everything will fall once activated”. I mean, I’m seeing age spots, growths that are who knows what, eyelids catching when I turn my eyes a certain way, and pores that seem to be the size of craters on the moon. My daughter told me the other day that I have holes in my skin. I gasped..
So, I broke down and called a dermatologist today to have my skin evaluated for these lovely middle-age changes. Am I vain? Why, of course! Here’s the skinny for me. I’m more productive when I feel better about myself (at least that’s what I’m going to tell my husband so that he’ll give me his blessing to buy some magical cream or something:)
Can homeschooling be causing all of these changes? Well, the lack of sleep probably doesn’t help along with the stress, but I’ll just have to live with the changes. Maybe my kids will concoct some fountain of youth cream while they’re in their home studies. Wouldn’t we make a fortune?
Ivy League Homeschooling 