Week in Review: Week 3

It was a really good week, full of steady and solid school work from both children, but best of all, as we settled into the routine of lessons every day, they were more and more cheerful about what they had to do...and then came Thursday.

Thursday started innocently enough and then we started running a little behind.  Once again it was lunchtime and we were just finishing the essentials (math and language) and I had sent Molly to her room once and had nearly lost it over her reading lesson.  Then I realized...something was wrong.  Today was the first day all year that we had not started the day with prayer and Bible.  So we started over...but unfortunately the damage was done and everything felt just a bit out of whack.

But I learned something valuable--the week was good up until today, but it was held together by a fragile thread.  I was trying to get way more done in a day than was humanly possible.  I have discovered that I don't like certain curricula that we have until now really enjoyed...it's time to PITCH, even if it did cost me money to buy it.  When my kids' eyes glaze over and they resist me to the point of hairs being removed from either their heads or my own (just kidding of course)...it's time to give it up.  So we are chucking in a couple of things and I now will begin the search to replace them.  I have also FINALLY learned to start with what we love.  When my husband got home late from work today (6:00) and Matty and I were only just finishing his project on Charlemagne (which he has wanted to work on all week)...I realized that there had to be a simpler solution.  Knocking out his current grammar program (which will get replaced later by CC's Essentials) and focusing on the CC memory work, as well as his weekly presentation, will more than round out our studies and will eliminate the fragmented feel of lessons.

I realized that the fragile thread was my weird little "let's play school" Utopian concept of how the week should go.  Somehow when I was a girl and played school, my dolls and playmates were far more cooperative--Until they wanted to be the teacher. The dolls didn't say much and the playmates were terrible teachers.  Don't you get it?  I'm the teacher!  Sit there and do it the way I say and we'll all be happy.

Sorry, Lord...I forgot that you're the one in control and my children are unique creations that don't always fit with what my ideal student should be.  How about if we work on that next week and do what is best for them and not for me?  Just guide me each day and let me know.  I'll have my ears on...amen.