Oh, I am so ready for this "school year" to be over. But onwards they forge. Ariana finished her math book yesterday, and certain ones are also done with science. And certain other ones are about a week away from being done with their maths.
Blah blah blah.
And when I went into the girls' room this morning to help locate a lost pair of glasses, I realized what a pit/disaster zone it has become. So, do I task them with getting their room clean, or do I prioritize school work? Or both? I just don't know.
What I do know is that, as I've promised myself for the last three years or so, next year I'll be more organized. Yeah, right. And I'll also suddenly hate cookies and crave vegetables and effortlessly lose 40 pounds. Yeah, that's happening.
Sarcasm?
Yeah, methinks.
So what can I do? How can I be just a bit more organized with keeping tabs on lesson schedules.
One year I ordered Manager's of Their Homes and promptly broke out in a rash just from looking at the stuff. So don't be commenting in my comment box that I should try that. BTDT, moved on.
What else could I do? Get a big blank calendar and write in some weekly goals? Hmmmm, I sort of tried that at the beginning of this past year. Well, what I did, actually, was write out for each kid, week by week, what they needed to accomplish ad where they needed to be at. All lovely and theoretical and I spent about sixty dollars in printer ink on that failed effort. Did it help us? Not at all.
Meanwhile I sit here and type, in my pajamas at 8:39 in the morning. In my defense, my husband is hogging the bathroom right now because he does not know what an early morning looks like. And I have this routine...you see. I'm all about routines. My routine: I get up, make coffee, check e-mail, check facebook, tear myself away to pour the freshly brewed coffee, plunk myself back in front of the computer and keep on checking facebook. There are, after all, videos to watch that people post. (They are my friends. I must honor them.) There are comments to be left, etc. If I'm really lucky, I'll get pinged for some chatting with someone or other. That's important, too.
Meanwhile, my kids are getting themselves breakfast. This morning alone there has been one altercation, one major furniture move-around to locate lost glasses (had to take a quick computer break to deal with that), and a massive Costco sized cereal spill. Meanwhile I blog about it and the husband is not out of the shower yet.
So around 9 am I'll go take a shower, and then we'll do morning prayers and people will start their school work. Honestly. I think that three girls ought to be able to clean an 18'x18' room in fifteen minutues or so, don't you? As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Except at our house. It ought to go: Many hands compete for bandwidth and work does not get done efficiently at all, and when it does it's mostly by me.
So, instead of dealing with the currently messy reality, I like to fantasize about how much more organized I'll be next year. How I'll have a firm start date and stopping date, and how I won't take too many spur of the moment trips to the zoo and how I won't make all the major feast days AND holy week AND bright week school holidays. All in the name of getting school done by mid May.
Yeah, that's the ticket. I'll suddenly wake up and be completely different. And 40 pounds thinner. That's the dream, ain't it?
Blah blah blah.
And when I went into the girls' room this morning to help locate a lost pair of glasses, I realized what a pit/disaster zone it has become. So, do I task them with getting their room clean, or do I prioritize school work? Or both? I just don't know.
What I do know is that, as I've promised myself for the last three years or so, next year I'll be more organized. Yeah, right. And I'll also suddenly hate cookies and crave vegetables and effortlessly lose 40 pounds. Yeah, that's happening.
Sarcasm?
Yeah, methinks.
So what can I do? How can I be just a bit more organized with keeping tabs on lesson schedules.
One year I ordered Manager's of Their Homes and promptly broke out in a rash just from looking at the stuff. So don't be commenting in my comment box that I should try that. BTDT, moved on.
What else could I do? Get a big blank calendar and write in some weekly goals? Hmmmm, I sort of tried that at the beginning of this past year. Well, what I did, actually, was write out for each kid, week by week, what they needed to accomplish ad where they needed to be at. All lovely and theoretical and I spent about sixty dollars in printer ink on that failed effort. Did it help us? Not at all.
Meanwhile I sit here and type, in my pajamas at 8:39 in the morning. In my defense, my husband is hogging the bathroom right now because he does not know what an early morning looks like. And I have this routine...you see. I'm all about routines. My routine: I get up, make coffee, check e-mail, check facebook, tear myself away to pour the freshly brewed coffee, plunk myself back in front of the computer and keep on checking facebook. There are, after all, videos to watch that people post. (They are my friends. I must honor them.) There are comments to be left, etc. If I'm really lucky, I'll get pinged for some chatting with someone or other. That's important, too.
Meanwhile, my kids are getting themselves breakfast. This morning alone there has been one altercation, one major furniture move-around to locate lost glasses (had to take a quick computer break to deal with that), and a massive Costco sized cereal spill. Meanwhile I blog about it and the husband is not out of the shower yet.
So around 9 am I'll go take a shower, and then we'll do morning prayers and people will start their school work. Honestly. I think that three girls ought to be able to clean an 18'x18' room in fifteen minutues or so, don't you? As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Except at our house. It ought to go: Many hands compete for bandwidth and work does not get done efficiently at all, and when it does it's mostly by me.
So, instead of dealing with the currently messy reality, I like to fantasize about how much more organized I'll be next year. How I'll have a firm start date and stopping date, and how I won't take too many spur of the moment trips to the zoo and how I won't make all the major feast days AND holy week AND bright week school holidays. All in the name of getting school done by mid May.
Yeah, that's the ticket. I'll suddenly wake up and be completely different. And 40 pounds thinner. That's the dream, ain't it?
Comments
I am in the same boat. Or chair. Well, metaphorically speaking. Cause if we were in the same room there might be less blogging and more coffee and talking. lol So funny, I JUST told my kids that "many hands" saying yesterday. And your version fits my house better too. Sheesh! AND I bought the book. I have the 3x5 cards. The dividers... well, My box has actual dust on the lid. I see my problem is not getting the plan. It is DOING the plan. But I need to plan that better. lol
When we homeschooled I tried doing a schedule for a while. The kids came to HATE it. Needless to say we NEVER kept to a schedule well. But in our own funky way we did get the schooling done...eventually.
I have come to the realization at our family is different-and that I should come to accept that fact. We'll never be the family with the picture perfect kids, house or parents.
There are days when the beds don't get made-days when the child with emotional issues has a public meltdown and I don't deal with it well-the days when the child who is mentally challenged does something inappropriate for the 100th time-days when I chuck the idea of a healthy dinner and we eat PB and J.
And most days...don't drop in for a visit...call first...we NEED that extra clean up time, (if you know what I mean.) Actually, call a couple days ahead!
I can identify with you, Alana! But remember through it all...Lord Have Mercy!
Schedules, methods, tips, guilt -- nothing sticks.
Something's got to, right???
hugs and prayers! you've got a lot going on, ya know...
I'm not organized at all, and I have no idea how I'd handle homeschool or even just four seperate kids' schedules. Right now the only things working for me are a small planner that I can throw into my purse or prop up (spiral bound) for reference over my kitchen desk, AND a small spiral bound notebook that I just use for writing notes, lists, meal plans (when and if that happens) reminders, etc. It's sort of become my "brain", and I like it.