Well, I've managed to get thru our first week of school. The stress over dropping kids off and picking kids up has taken it's toll, though, and I'm wondering if the 6 hours of peace is worth it. I'm constantly watching the clock, and worrying over whether I'll get to S's school before he's in tears again. I've become an angry, agressive driver in the span of 5 days....I can't do that many adrenaline rushes each day without losing my mind (which was already on its way toward mush before school started).
Pretty much at 2:15 my day is over. That's when I start making the rounds to the schools. B and I are done with school and lunch by 12:30-ish, so that leaves an hour and a half for errands and such. After picking everyone up, I'm home just in time to get supper ready, then hubby is home. The days fly by, that's for sure.
On the homeschool front, so far the only dud we've had is phonics/spelling. We're using Horizons, but I don't like all the writing and busywork, and the reader is BORING, with outdated sentence structure and topics. I will give it another week, then decide if it's time to try something else.
All the girls and S are adjusting to their new learning environments as well. Other than the suffocating humidity and buildings with no air conditioning, the younger two are enjoying school. G decided to go out for the 8th grade cheering squad, which makes me just a *wee* bit nervous, and S is meeting new friends and getting invited over for play dates already....which also makes me just a *wee* bit nervous.
Ya know, having lots 'o kids is stressful regardless of the kind of schooling they receive. With homeschooling, a parent can certainly control the environment easier, but then an environment of lots 'o kids all day everyday is stressful. With away schooling, the parent buys a bit of respite from the chaos, but it doesn't go away forever...it simply compounds over the day so that it hits all at once between mid-afternoon and bedtime.
Still trying to recite my mantra...still having difficulty.
Having kids is hard. stressful. work. But I'm challenging myself to see the silver linings moment by moment. I'm going to learn, even if it kills me, to savor the time I'm given whether it's spent waiting in a line of cars at school, sounding out words with a young reader, shopping for the plumpest green pepper at the grocery. These are all divine acts, moments infused with possibilities to make the world a better place. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
And I'm learning how to make a darn good batch of lemonade every day.
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