22 October 2007

rainy monday~

What's a Mom to do?

Monday is our "new song homeschool focus day." All the little guys, except Haven, of course, go off to Myr's house, and Anna and Caleb get free run of the house for a good part of the day. We focus on whatever New Song "parent intensive" work that needs to be completed, they do their regular "home" school work, and general jobs around here, but other than that they're allowed to have fun doing whatever "big kid" stuff they want. This has been a new thing around here this year and has been quite sweet really as it has given the big kids a break from being, well...the big kids, and has solidified their relationship even more. They have great fun together.

So anyway....8:30 is job time, and it still amazes me (you'd think I'd learn by now) how children disappear every day around 8:25. Suddenly, everyone is best friends and playing at something conveniently out of ear shot from Mom (who would really rather curl up with a good book while the baby is sleeping) :o) So, today, with piles of things I'd like to accomplish, school and home related, it is now 9:30, and Anna, Caleb, and Ethan are playing in the rain. They planted my flowers for me too!







So, back to my original question....

What's a Mom to do? Isn't this why I homeschool? Culture and Biblical discipleship aside, family relationship is much more valuble to me than scheduling. Is it necessary for Caleb, who is only 7, to practice his times tables and division? Is Naya Nuki (the book Anna is currently reading) and fractions more pressing than mud puddles and sticks and swings and, lest we forget, the all important factor of any problem can be overcome and worked out amicably by ourselves or Mom will realize we're not here...?

Real life learning, two brothers and a sister, six acres, trees, a pond, sticks, a custom built by Dad swingset, a basement full of tools and scrap wood....I wonder what they're doing at the little school down the road? Probably not playing in the rain :o)

2 comments:

Rachel Wilson said...

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rachel Wilson said...

ok so katie has been having some really bad headaches. They have been very severe and coming quite often. Her pediatrician recommended a CT to be safe. It was all clear. The chief dr. said she really thinks they are stress(tension) headaches. Steven and I had already figured that out b/c she gets one every Sunday bfeore time to go back to school.

"How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about arithmetic, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness." ~GK Chesterton

2012 November

2012 November