Thanks

My post last week was both a rant and a cry for help. Thanks to those that came to my aid and to those that just listened. I've taken some of the advice I've been given and while great, tremendous leaps haven't been made I think I've at least chilled out a little bit.

One suggestion I had was to set up things for the little ones to do while the older ones do school. Being able to strap Max in a highchair has its benefits. I've decided to take a weeks worth of daycare (something I was seriously considering for at least Max and possibly Emmy) and invest it in age appropriate things that are only available for play at the table, during school time.

I picked up a few wooden puzzles, color wonder markers, play dough and a magna doodle to rotate out as he gets bored. So far he's getting bored easily but at least he can't go dunk his own head in the toilet while he waits for a new thing to occupy him.

Another thing I've done is to move my laptop into the dining room where the kids do school in the mornings so I'm not distracted working on other things away from them. Being able to only accomplish the minimal school requirements makes it boring even for me. I want to get into more science and art activities but by the end I'm so worn out I don't even want to think about it. I'm going to look for more hands-on activities for their core subjects. I've already found a website (that's free to boot! http://www.spellingcity.com/) to add into their Language Arts.

I think we all get into ruts from time to time. It's crazy to think I've been homeschooling for almost five years now. Back when I first started this journey I marveled at those that had as many years experience as I do now, and it's funny to think there are times when I'm still just as lost and bewildered at the process.