i remember when Molls was born. Cai was only 7 & it felt like i had 5 very small children.
It felt like a very demanding little season in my life. Physically, emotionally, spiritually - i needed to be on my game constantly - keeping all the plates spinning, all the little ones cared for, all my duties accomplished.
In a way...
i feel like i'm re-entering that season.
Not in the same bleary eyed, "everyone in this house is a little person" way... but in a different sort of "spinning plates" way.
This year, Miss Mollen enters grade 1, so i'll have those same 5 children - all in school. Some of them are older & less dependent than others - but still - i feel like i have 5 school aged children who still need a lot of mama's input. (grades 9, 7, 5, 3 & 1).
Add to that, 2 adorable boys who need some of mama too...
& i realize why i have put off the nitty gritty planning of the year until now. Yes, i had my year planned out in broad strokes a couple months ago - but this week, i put pen to paper & figured out a little road map how i'm hoping to get there...
i made up some goals to be met by the end of September (haven't done that *for real* in awhile). i'm looking forward to seeing how close we can get - if i can continue at that pace, we'll put in an excellent year this year - & if not, i'll modify for October :)
i feel like i'm at the top of a crazy fast water slide - & i'm scootching my bum forward, waiting for the current to catch me & hurl me down, spiraling out of control, splashing water over the edges till i drop in the water at the end - breathless - but blissful.
But right now i'm still at the top.
Scootching.
i decided that i had no idea if what i wrote down was a pipe dream - or if it was something i'd be able to pull off on a daily basis - or at least on an average day, so i organized what Neil called my "dry run".
i told everyone that we were gonna try school in the morning - & everyone needed to be at the table at 8am. Now, obviously there are some things that will be different when we're schooling "for real" - every day - every week... (for example the 2 online courses that will be taken this year that don't begin until September) but i wanted to see if this little routine i mapped out was "do-able".
Turns out it was.
We had a great "trial" day of homeschooling. We usually have little smatterings of starting before we start in earnest: - someone wants to get ahead in their math - books arrive that are too interesting not to crack open - we have cloudy, rainy days & the littles come lookin' for learning... but i feel like i'm ready to pinpoint that day where i say, "we've begun"! & push myself over the edge...
i guess - i'm ready to get wet.
5 comments:
Haven't even ordered the rest of the curriculum yet (I have the Alpha Omega Bible and the Math U See that we got for the summer but he's only done a few pages... I felt guilty "pushing" too much work when it is supposed to be summer holidays!) -- let alone got a desk set up in the living room... people (my parents for one) are pushing for me to send the boy to school -- as he always has ... I am thankful (in a way) that Big John says "The decision has been made and now we just have to 'make it work' --" so guess I'll be doing some "scooching" of my own in the near future!!! I'm not at the top of the water slide yet... think I am still climbing the ladder (and I don't have the rest of the grades to teach -- only one, as small girl is going to conventional Kindergarten!)... Wish me luck! And maybe say a prayer for me too, think I am going to need it!!!
Saskatchewan Cousin
Your water slide video reminded me...we went to Cultus Lake waterpark on the way home from our trip, there they have some slide, fittingly called the freefall screamer or something like that. It's pretty much a 20-30 foot verticle drop. Everyone was telling me "you've got to do this!" I had that exact same feeling the first time I did. Scooching forward on my bumb...slowly...until the moment when gravity comes into effect and that take-your-breath-away thing happens, for a fraction of a second and then the slide is over. I'll find a picture for you :) Although that was probably less like homeschooling than the nice, not too fast slide with a little more variety.
Paige, you are one of the most talented writers I have ever read:) I know I don't actually know you, but I read your blog almost daily, and just love every single post! If you ever felt inspired to write a book (on anything really:) I'd buy it in a heartbeat--your writing is so poetic and inspiring:) And so is your journey as a mom!
hee hee, Lauren - you're sweet to call a post that contains the word, "bum" poetic.
i sure hope i can successfully capture some of these years 'cause they surely are an incredible journey.
Thanks for reading & sharing with me!
Denise - how exciting! i can't wait to hear how your year unfolds. It's gonna be a memorable one!
Emma - i need to see pics :)
oh I think I'm still hesitantly climbing the stairs (like Denise!!)...definitely not scootching yet...sigh...I keep thinking, once we're done unpacking and all settled...and the basement is done (will be by the end of Saturday!) THEN I can wrap my head around ORDERING the rest of my curriculum I need!!! oy...have I mentioned how insanely busy Malachi it? hee hee I have a friend sending me her ergo...so I'm hoping I can wear him and accomplish the rest of the settling part of the move...
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