We've been busy, for sure - my pool of anecdotes and observations should be plenty deep - but I don't have anything particularly wise or pithy for today. So today - just a general update on life.
The move - we're mostly settled in. I haven't hung all the pictures, and there are some boxes in the garage that are left to be unpacked, but for the most part, we have everything we need where we need it. When we first moved in, the idea of having a clean slate appealed to me, and I researched numerous house cleaning schedules, combining a few that would seem to work best for me. And indeed, in the first couple of weeks, when we really weren't doing much school, if any, I ruled those schedules and maintained a clean and lovely smelling house. Ahh. But alas, I knew it was too good to be true. When classes and sports leagues started back up, and then we really got school going - well, it's been a different story. I've yet to find a cleaning schedule that takes into account the war zone that is the result of a good day of school. They're always so peaceful - "Every day, make the beds, put in a load of laundry, and maintain of rotation of household chores to keep your house spotless." There isn't a single one that helps a beleaguered mother figure out how to KEEP the beds made, or how fast to "clean the kitchen appliances" so that they stay clean for anything length of time before perpetually hungry kids pull out more food, spill more crumbs, and leave more fingerprints. There isn't one that magically keeps other rooms in check while she assists children with schoolwork. Rather, she will emerge into one - or all - of those other rooms after a grueling Algebra lesson and cry in dismay, "What in the world happened here?!" There's no handy checklist to handle housekeeping and homeschooling.
And speaking of school - my ever present dilemma and, ironically, joy, is that I love to organize and list, but I also love to let learning happen organically and independently. Also, not all of my children respond well to lists and schedules. In addition, sometimes it feels like we're not here enough to schedule anything. (This is where I add the somewhat cliched truth that "homeschooling" is a bit of a misnomer, as we spend so much time away from home, that I find myself tucking bits of education into pockets of time during commutes to all these different activities, or during the activities themselves...or hoping that somehow, sometime, we'll be able to get to certain subjects in the not-to-distant future, because they're just not happening now). I tend to swing between the poles of over planning every single detail (and then finding myself in a constant state of failure) and planning nothing and going with whatever comes (freeing, and often the same amount of learning happens as in the former situation, but things DO tend to fall through the cracks). Where's the balance? I'll get back to you when I find out.
What kinds of activities are we up to, you ask? You didn't, but here goes - Church and Bible quizzing, of course. And thank goodness, or what would the kids do for socialization? Except for karate also. And dance. Also gymnastics. Baseball several times a week helps, too. Well, there IS co-op each week as well. And science class for Drew. Also a writer's group for Aimee. Sheltered kids, I tell you. But we do our best to get them out into the sunlight now and then.
Thankfully, there IS still time just to be together as a family, and we even enjoy it still, at that. The boys have been spending lots of time playing chess, which sometimes leads to near-blows, but often is fun - and worthwhile, I guess.
Confession - I can't play, and it has made me feel even more lame that the only other person in the house who doesn't know how is the four year-old - and her brothers have been trying to teach her, so I imagine that situation will change soon. So I checked out some books from the library, and I'm going to try to remedy this apparent shortcoming on my part. In my free time.
We have also been spending each of the past few evenings sitting around our new firepit.
There's something calming and bonding about a fire in the evenings. We don't want to waste it, so we just sit and enjoy each other's company. Another confession, though - the kids don't really "just sit" unless there are marshmallows. But Dave and I do! And somehow it's a little easier to tune out the arguments and the bickering, or the loud fun and boisterous play, when we're sitting around the fire.
My scheduled lunch hour is almost up. Onward ho to my neatly scheduled afternoon - which schedule, of course, will probably be dismantled in expert fashion by these kids who insist on being...well, kids. Anyway, it's lovely to pretend that everything is going to go according to plan. And it will be lovely when I get ready for bed and contemplate how my schedule may have been for naught, but life and learning happened in great and beautiful (and loud and messy) ways anyway.
