Homeschooling, one week later (in snapshots)

Well, we’ve survived one full week of homeshooling now. More than survived, actually. Outside of one morning last week during which Della, then Simon, then Ezra fell victim to the domino effect of the full-on tantrum meltdown, things have been remarkably smooth.

At one point, Ezra chirped, “I love homeschooling, Mama! This is perfect!”

I tell you that because–oh my goodness–those words actually came out of his mouth!!!!! How could I not document it?

But it doesn’t mean that every day sounds like something from the script of Leave it to Beaver around here. (I’m pretty sure the Leave it to Beaver mom never referred to her child as a “dingbat” when he claimed to not know how to do something and didn’t even bother to read the instructions first…ahem).

And, yes, things are hectic, and I’m getting my daily workout in just from how many times I run up and down the stairs as I alternate between feeding twins, changing diapers, helping Della with her letters, and answering questions for the boys.

I’ll talk more about the actual routine of things in another post soon-ish, but for now, I thought I’d just share a few snapshots from our first week back to homeschooling.

I’m not doing anything terribly formal with Della’s “schooling” since she’s only 3, but we do work on letters, numbers, and writing a little bit at a time each day until she gets bored and wants to go trash her room with her sisters.

Clearly she and the twins are quite proficient and would make great rock star groupies (future hotel rooms of America, watch out).

And this is how they look when they emerge from the debris.

Tutu, check. Brother’s soccer socks, check. Owl hat, check. Swimsuit, check. Mama’s swimsuit (worn wrestler-style, natch), check.

Oh, we can’t forget Evy’s obsession with toothbrushes and toothpaste.

(P.S. I had just given the twins baths and had not braided their hair, which is pretty much the only surefire way to keep it from hanging in their eyes like that; they look like poor little neglected orphan children).

And while the boys do this…

…the laundry does this:

Most of the boys’ work happens upstairs in our “big room,” but every now and then, they end up scattered all over the house.

In the kitchen…

Even on the ottoman in the living room…

When the twins are napping (AKA: unavailable for room demolition), Della does a little of this:

(I already talked in another post about the whole tongue-out-for-concentration thing being an inherited trait from their daddy, but I don’t think I’d ever noticed Della doing it particularly until now).

Which produces this:

Which, I honestly think is kind of pretty…except that it only occupied her for 9 whopping minutes4.

Fridays are a bit more laid back than the rest, with the emphasis on a weekly spelling test and art.

Last week, we made pinwheels out of leftover magazines. (If you’re an artsy sort, don’t laugh; it’s not my forte).

And the ABSOLUTE BEST part of homeschooling so far? My boys woke up at 5:30 this morning and made a surprise breakfast of (woefully under-salted) eggs and bacon! Come to think of it, I have no idea what that has to do with homeschooling, but it happened and also needed to be bragged about documented for posterity’s sake (AKA: I need to reread this post when I’m losing my ever-loving mind on a particularly hard day).

I won’t lie and say that I feel all perky and excited most days (um, ever?). I don’t. I have silenced my 6 AM alarm every. single. time it’s begun it’s annoyingly melodic trill this past week. That’s going to have to change. Starting with an earlier bedtime than midnight.

And by 2 PM, all I can think is, ALL CHILDREN IN THEIR ROOMS NOW!!!! At which point, I stumble to my room, ignoring the pile of folded laundry I need to put away, and collapse on my bed for 45 minutes.

Those 45 minutes are what gets me through the second half of the day (that, and lots of Jesus), so when the 3-year-old hollers, “I need to go pooooooootttttyyy!” from her room 19 minutes (i.e. 7 minutes after I fell asleep) into Mama’s 45 minute cone of silence, Mama is…unhappy.

And when Mama ain’t happy…yeah, you know the rest.

Anyhoo, just keeping it real, there, but other than the inherent chaos that results from attempting to do 95 things at once, I have no real complaints.

Homeschooling is exactly what I expected: hard, busy, but totally worth it.

How have your first weeks back to school (homeschooling or otherwise) treated you so far?

Any good stories to tell? I’m all ears!