Flexibility is a Stretch For Me.

So here in the Midwest it is still hot and I wish it would just be fall-ish already.  

Please?

We are in our third week of homeschooling.  We're already so far behind it's just pathetic.  On everything...school, laundry, stove wiping, dishes.  Just behind. 

I read this book over the summer called Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight-Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years by Heidi St. John.  

I would highly recommend it!  I needed an attitude adjustment regarding homeschooling and it was so helpful.  It really helped me to start seeing what I had been calling failures as just tests for trying something. I am now realizing that if it wasn't working I can change and tweak.  I don't have to stay with something just because that's what I have written down or have the supplies for or had in my brain that that was what had to happen.  I can change!  How liberating that feels!!!!!

Anyway, so with that in mind this whole behind in everything would have freaked me out last year.  I know, because I was behind last year pretty much from day one and I freaked out.  By the end of the school year I was basically curled up in a little ball, rocking to myself because I felt so defeated. 

But not this year.  And oh, how good that feels. 

Let me give you an example...

During our first week of school our printer decided it would no longer print unless we put ink into it.  The ink had been ordered and so we were waiting and waiting and waiting... needless to say the ink didn't come in time and there were tons of sheets i needed printed for some projects so we could get them done.  But they didn't get done.  Then we were supposed to go to two parks on two different days during that first week of school so we could journal what we found in nature.  The first park was missed because I felt sick the night we were all supposed to go and the next park we missed because it was pouring down rain. 

So last year I would have had a fit that we were behind.  I would have gotten the ink in week three of school, printed everything out I needed for those missing assignments from week one and then I would of had them sit on top of my desk to taunt me for the rest of the school year.  They would have said something like "look at us, you can't even get us done and we're from the first week of school.  How lame you are." or something like that. 

And last year I would have dragged my kids to both parks on Saturday, not where it would be cool and fun but more like I would be yelling at them and trying to make sure they were getting the most out of the educational trips we were on. 

But this year...I didn't. And I haven't.  And I won't.  

I skipped the unprinted assignments.  It will be okay. 

And we didn't go on those park excursions but we're going to a nature center tomorrow so we'll have fun.  Besides that, we went to a nature talk last week where I was reminded that Calvin hates journaling or drawing or anything.  I'm working on that with him but if it turns out he just isn't wired to enjoy that then I should probably stop trying to shove it down his throat. 

So there you have it.  I've become flexible. 

Somewhat. 

We took a field trip last week (week 2) and we're still trying to get caught up from that. 

Just kidding. 

Sort of. 

I'm a work in progress, folks.  What can I say?