Flow

Last week, we officially started school. Home school, that is. Two weeks ago the public schools around here started, and I thought that once I saw the busses around our neighborhood, saw the swarm of cars dropping off and picking up at the designated times at the elementary school, that I'd feel, at best, weird.

But it wasn't. And it isn't. We're just doing a little schooling. But it's fun and easy and fits right in with the flow of living. Sometimes the brothers bug us, but it's cool. We take care of what we have to do, and then continue on. Hannah seems to be blossoming since we've started some concrete lesson time. She's so excited to read a three letter word, she can barely contain herself. And I can barely contain my joy at getting to do it all with her. I don't feel like I want her out of my hair, at least not most of the time. And for that there's "Quiet Time."

The other day at the park, I watched her playing with her friends, imagining stuff up and acting it out, getting into little spats, and then making up, creating cozy houses out of grass and dirt, and my heart was full. She's got great friends. Friends whose parent's I KNOW and TRUST. Parent's that are MY friends too. I know who she sits by everyday. Me. And her brothers. And more often than you'd think, her homeschool buddies! Her church pals! Her grandparents! Her godmother! It made me think of this book I've been reading.

It probably won't be super duper fantastic fun every day, day in and day out. I know that. But it's the right thing for us right now. It's do-able and fulfilling. It's kind of exciting!

So here's what life with two wee ones, and homeschool kindergartener on a day we stay home looks like:

Wake up.

Make beds.

Tidy up.

Get dressed.

Pray.

Eat breakfast.

Clean up after ourselves.

Chores. (Like watering the garden, laundry, etc.)

Play. (Outside, mostly.)

Lesson Time. Phonics, Bible, Math, Lesson book* activities.

Snack.

Play.

Read books.

Prepare lunch.

Pray.

Eat lunch.

Read more books.

Nap for little ones.

Quiet time for Mom and Hannah (Could be time to play with stuff that she likes to do without her brother interrupting, could be a video I approve of, could be drawing. I just need about an hour of not getting any one anything to drink to stay sane.)

Snack.

More book reading.

Craft or Activity (like a phonics game).

Play.

Chores before daddy comes home.

Prepare Dinner. Sometimes the kids help. Sometimes I make them go outside so I don't go bonkers while slicing onions.

Then once dad gets home, its a whole different routine.

*Her Lesson book is just a sketch pad to contain all her lessons. So far it has some re-told-in-her-words Bible stories, illustrations, as well as some number and word writing practice. Some crafts are glued in as well, like a leaf she found on our walk (the walk I lost my phone on - now I will really always remember that day) and she just took some construction paper and placed it over the leaf and colored over it with crayon to get the leaf print. I think it will be fun to see her progress over time, and to be able too look at her lessons for reference and for fun. I remember in high school my most favorite teacher taught my US History Class. He had us all use a notebook for all our lessons and had us illustrate them, and even color them. It really aided in remembering the material, and made the class a pleasure instead of a drag. I even still have them and recently looked over them fondly! Hannah is a pretty artistic person, and has always loved to draw. I'd like for her to practice and pursue drawing as one of her life-skills and hobbies. She has said she would like to be an author and illustrator one day, that is if she doesn't become a ballerina/librarian.

So, Natasha asked me why I considered homeschooling in the first place, and maybe some of the above explains it. But I really don't feel like I should have to "let go" of my 5 year old. I really don't care if my kids are a little geeky. In fact, I'd prefer it. I myself hated school. I cried every end of the summer. I felt sick every recess. I hid things from my parents. I became peer dependent. Jason had troubled teen years. I want my kids to stay innocent as long as possible, and I'm not sure that that is a priority for a lot of parents. I'm not going to let my kid dress like a stripper in training, and I really don't want to have that fight with my little girl. I think all the testing is stupid. I think all the homework for little kids is even stupider. So I'm going to keep my kids close and make no apologies for it. I don't think kids need school to be well-socialized, well-rounded, functional, happy people. Being Orthodox, I like that we can go to a Liturgy during the week if we want to, or if there is a special feast that day. Lets face it, the world is getting yucky. Being a Christian with traditional views is becoming increasingly unpopular. The word "bigot" keeps coming up an awful lot. Are there good schools? Sure. Are there wonderful teachers? Of course! But there are a lot of crappy schools, and for every superb teacher I had growing up, there were about five stinkers. With everything, there is no guarantee on children. I don't know what kind of people my kids will be when they all grow up. I pray for them a lot. But I want to rest assured that I gave it my all, that I questioned the status quo, and made a firm decision to do the best thing for my family. Like so many things I have discovered in recent years, we can do better than what is considered "normal." God help me.