November 19, 2010 5:00 p.m.

We are nearing the end of our academic year.  Chips has six more days of Fifth Grade and we will be done until January.  I have to admit, I am so ready for it to end.

It has been a year of much learning, but it has been long.  We have worked really hard in 2010.  I have spent so much time on academics, leaving very little time for much else.  I do love Calvert, but it has been very time consuming this year.

Anybody who has read my blog for awhile has surely noticed a dearth of posts this year.  It couldn’t be helped.  I have had very little spare time.  But….when I look back over this past year, I am sure of a few things. 

• I am sure that there have been very solid academics accomplished in our home. 
• I am sure that our kids have learned much in our scripture and catechism studies.
• I am sure that they have been diligent in their music practice. 
• I am sure that they (and my husband and I) had a great time traveling out West this year. 

Don’t get me wrong; I am thankful for those things.

But when I look around, I am dismayed at all the other things that have gone undone.  I have often looked around the house in frustration over its state of disarray.   I have noticed the stacks of papers piling up on my desk, begging for a little attention (and/or a circular file).  I have seen the weeds in the yard, many more than I could ever pull.  I have seen the piles of books going unread.  I have seen the emails I have not replied to and the stacks of unfolded laundry.  I have bought ingredients to make meals for a lady with cancer, but it has been two weeks and I haven’t been able to get to it.

At times like this, it is impossible for me to not get on a guilt trip.  I see other mothers who have more children than I do, who homeschool them, and who seem to be always serving at church, so much more than I do.  I see other homeschool mothers who are baking more, crafting more, gardening more, reading more, blogging more, socializing more, and I wonder how they can do it all.  Either I am very, very, very inefficient, or surely they are not doing the academics that I am doing (?)    I do not mean to say this in a prideful way, although it probably sounds like I am.  I am just mystified, I guess.  Either I lack the energy, the brainpower, the computer / technological/ digital prowess, the help of extended family, or something else, because by the time I get done with all my have-tos, I have scant pockets of time left to do anything else.  My actual reading of printed material (not blogs and websites) has consisted of about two books for me this year, some read-alouds for the family (although I admit I haven’t even had much time for these), and reading the Calvert Fifth Grade reading books. 

Which leads me to ask a question.  I don’t know what other Calvert moms are doing about literature, but I find that if I don’t actually read the books that Chips is reading for his lessons, then I cannot fully draw out his thoughts and get proper answers from him for the discussion questions.  The answer key provides answers, but I am not equipped to evaluate the answers he does give unless I have actually read the chapters myself.  Does that make sense?  The same thing for American History.  It isn’t always easy for me to keep up with the reading, either.  I am often still trying to read the chapters of the day after dinner.

Another thing is, I try hard to uphold a high standard, not accepting any written work unless I feel it is up to par.  I have even had to reject two or three compositions this year that I felt were not Fifth Grade work (or a reasonable effort).  This is aside from the work that we send in to the ATS teacher.  If we have an outside activity in the afternoon, like chorus, or violin, then we return just in time for me to prepare dinner, and I don’t wrap up the school day until 7 or 8 in the evening (from checking work, evaluating work, having Chips correct and return the work, and in most cases having to go through a second iteration of this before accepting it and calling it quits for the day).   So, there have been days when I have felt resentful – feeling that I am “doing homework in the evening” like a public school  mom, but without having the benefit of the free time in the early part of the day – because I am teaching then, too.  Just being honest, here. 

So, I know there is a greater need for balance in my life right now.  January brings 3rd and 6th grade, and I don’t know if things will become better, or worse.  I know my younger student will still require a lot of supervision and one on one time.  But what about my 6th grader?  Will he get more independent of me this year?  Here’s hoping.  Any feedback I can get from other Calvert Moms would be most appreciated.

Anyway, six more lessons days.  Six more.  Then we will be free until January 4th.  Hopefully it will be a time of refreshment and recharging, as well as a time to regroup and think about what will work for us in 2011.

December 10, 2009 3:45 p.m.

No, we don't live in Australia.

But we are enjoying our summer break right now. This is our time off from school between grades. Little Son finished Fourth Grade, and Baby Girl is done with First Grade. We can now enjoy four glorious weeks without school!

So we are preparing for Christmas time at our home. This has included decorating the house, inside and outside, wrapping and boxing gifts for shipping to distant family, and decorating a gingerbread house.

The children have been assisting this year in unprecedented ways, packing and addressing gift boxes for shipment, wrapping and writing tags, and decorating the house. Ah, so this is what they mean by Christmas Joy!

And before I forget, Little Son has requested on-the-job training in more substantial home chores, like doing the family laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Who knew? So I have been happily and cheerfully instructing him in these enjoyable tasks.

Here, Little Son can be seen installing lights. And are you wondering about the van seats you see against the wall to his right? Wonder no more. We need to take those out pf the van when preparing the van for camping trips. They have to be stored somewhere dry.
Only us, I'm sure...

No real Christmas tree in this house. This plastic one has served us faithfully for 14 years, thank you very much. Self-Reliant Man sprayed it with "evergreen" spray and I feel quite certain the scent will last for years to come.
Gingerbread house in progress.

The skilled icing crafter at work.

Baby Girl is the candy girl. She was sweet enough to share the spearmint leaves with me, though. What a doll baby!

Icicles were added.

A chimney made out of saltines. Who would've thought?

Look at the proud faces!
There might not be any snow on the ground outside, but it has been a peaceful, pleasant day, indeed!

We put the finishing touches on the room. Here are the pictures.













This is the new table we ordered online. It was shipped by UPS. It is a very sturdy and rugged table, just the correct size for what we are doing.





Here is one of the St*ples D*sktop Appr*ntices. Each one holds the Calvert resources for one child / grade level.







Getting this room finished helped get me out of the homeschooling doldrums. I so enjoy having everything at my fingertips. And homeschooling is no longer taking over the entire house.




The children enjoy the room, and it helps me to compartmentalize my time and attention to doing lessons. I needed this structure to help keep myself disciplined.



I am so thankful to be able to homeschool. What a blessing!

Well, the former playroom (that the children never played in) / toy room / overflow room has now been organized into a school room. I am finally posting some photos.

When you walk into the room, this is what you see, facing the south wall. The wobbly card table has got to go. We are looking for something a bit larger, and more STABLE!



This is the east wall. The easel is serving as our dry erase board for the time being.



The north wall, including the entrance. This photo features the "teacher's" special chair! As well as most of our book collection.

photo temporarily removed


Finally, some brand new shelving and storage cabinets for everything we need for school.....and play. This is the west wall. There is a desk to the left that one child works at while I work with the other child.

photo temporarily removed

We spent some of our "stimulus check" to get the cabinets and shelving. It makes me feel very good to teach in this room now. One thing that is missing is some of those Desk Appr*ntices from St*ples. I want to get two -- one for each child's materials, as soon as they go on sale again.

That's all for tonight. Have a great weekend! Thanks for looking!

I had a good day. At a time in my life when I have been experiencing some burnout, today was a very good day. I have been praying for more help being patient, and finding joy in the small moments. Today it all happened just right. School went longer than normal, and I didn't get as much done with dd as I had hoped, but I relaxed about it and it turned out okay. We went to see our violin teacher, and she was having a good day, too. So there was more patience delivered to our children all around.

I confess that I don't know why I have been feeling the way I have. It has only been on some days, and usually only when doing school. I have been wondering if it has been hormones, because it feels like a mild depression. However, it isn't really so much about "doing school", for I realize that even if we weren't doing school, I would be feeling the same way. But the feeling comes and goes. It is here, as I recently told a friend, that I remember that I am helpless without God's help. I can be very dedicated and disciplined about the things I am passionate about. But I am helpless when I lose the passion about those things I believe I SHOULD feel passionate about. In fact, I have no control over my heart. I cannot keep my heart in the things I want to. Only the Lord can do this for me. I realize how important it is for us all to guard our hearts. It is the loss of heart which causes believers to stumble and fall. We are all walking on the edge of a precipice, and it is the simple loss of heart that can make us go over the edge.

So I am thankful for a day like today, when I feel like I didn't blow it. I remained patient. I heard someone say today that patience is not just being able to wait, but it is how you act while you are waiting. This really struck me. How do I act when I have to wait longer than I feel I should for my child to complete a task? Especially when I believe the cause is not inability, but simple dawdling. How easy is it for mommy to blow her stack over these things?

Another thing that has made me happy is that we have been doing a fair amount of decluttering in our house. A week ago, we painted the master bedroom, and took the opportunity to completely declutter the room. What a relief! Then yesterday, we decluttered our son's room, tossing out two wastebaskets of stuff. This evening, we decluttered the "playroom / overflow / soon to be school" room. Another two wastebaskets of stuff. Wow -- that feels good! And best of all, dh is allowing me to order two tall vertical storage cabinets and some corner shelving to place in that room, and truly tidy things up, so we can finally really use it for school. I am so excited about this! When the project is finished, I will post some pix.

Thank you, Lord, for such a good and satisfying day. Amen.