Real-life glimpse and "scheduling" video

I talk a lot of idealism. I shoot for it. I live in reality.

"One day in 10 is a good homeschooling day."  I heard this when I started homeschooling and believe it...maybe one in 12 for us idealists.

Actually, over the years, my idea of "good" has maybe just changed.  I have seen that my kids can put in the math when they need to and it is enough. I have seen how much they grow from "bad" days full of discussions of "comparative homeschooling technique morality" (or "I don't see why I have to do this!" or "I am so tired of my siblings getting into my stuff!!").

This morning I stepped out of my moment of frustration as I looked at the above table: 10 am and just cleaning up breakfast.  Wait, I told myself. We already went to the gym as a family and watched them not only improve their basketball skills but see them support the little ones, stepping outside of their "peer" and "competitive" mentality to build them up.  I reorganized the girls' clothes drawers and we talked about the joys of organization.  We reminisced about different places we have lived and the relative quantity of clothes we had. We spoke about needing to get rid of the excess to help the poor.

Life's lessons.

I think that every homeschooling home has more lessons happening than they realize.

We watched a few videos and talked about becoming more like Christ while we waited in anticipation for hootenannies (german pancakes) to finish cooking. (They took a lot longer than poor Liliputian (13) hoped they would and she was in tears in the kitchen.)  We watched the films, discussed a bit, ate breakfast with fervor and then did our "closing song and prayer" as people were leaving.

Liliputian and I were able to discuss the hormonal surges that start when a girl is around 13 and how it will affect her her whole life, lucky lady :).  We did this as she did her "mom help" of getting the potatoes cut and put into the pot for dinner. In the meanwhile, Papaya (5) was cutting up carrots and Spooner (3) was unwrapping bouillon cubes and dropping them on the floor and in the soup.  The very tired a little bit sick baby was entertained in his bumbo chair on the counter-top as I stayed right by him so he couldn't lurch off.  Cutting and washing potatoes, supervising dinner prep (I have appointments later to day that make this a must for ease later!).

The older boys are at the gym after picking up a "new" futon couch for an additional bed upstairs. (One less person on the floor!)  Chugger-dude (11) is sitting next to me typing up his journal of the events of yesterday, reminiscing about eating an entire giant burger on his date with his sister and asking me how to spell things. (Organizing thought, learning to spell, reviewing the day...)  Below is one thing he worked on.  For his science "test" he was supposed to have races between boys and girls building card houses (or just time everyone) but ended up just spending a lot of time trying to just build one on his own:

 
I love that we have talked about Thomas Edison this week (or "time machine" cop-out of watching the one on "Daily Motion" from Nest Entertainment).  All these instances of "failure" keep cropping up and we keep plugging away!  My family home evening lesson on Monday was all about not giving up, and that this life is, in fact, a laboratory of time for us to "get it right" after getting it wrong so many times! (Cool video about that here.)

Here is our "wall of books" in the unfinished front room...I needed my books and games!!

Yesterday I did a video about "Scheduling" for youtube for anyone who wants to hear things I have learned over the years that I adopt into our schedule.

Yes. I am aware of how I look.  One of the most humbling experiences of my life doing these videos. Hope they help at least one person!