The last couple of weeks have been crazy: buying and selling houses, hubby and I going on a couple's break and starting "proper" home schooling with the kids. Yesterday was the first day as "Mom Teach" and though I was truly dreading it, it was really actually quite fun and much easier than I expected. The day before I was practically beside myself with doubts of how on Earth I was going to home school three very different personalities (when they can't even play Minecraft without literally killing each other at every opportunity), and how I was going to summon up the energy, both mental and physical, when my thyroid is so very unhappy these days. As usual, I over-thunk the whole lot and it was a (slightly intermittent) breeze.
The thing I've been struggling with most recently is that some our marital niggles and half our stresses have been down to the kids being home 24/7; hence the couple's retreat to a
hotel and spa for two nights on the Isle of Wight! When you suddenly have your kids around you ALL. THE. TIME it makes for a slightly less than harmonious home. I know I'm going to sound pretty damn selfish, but for me it's a been a case of - how do I develop a business and website, home school three kids of different abilities, keep up with the washing and housework, keep real food on the table, find some space for my own sanity, maybe partake in a crafty activity that doesn't require small hands interfering, get enough sleep so I can function despite my thyroid problems AND find some time for my hubby and I to curl up on the sofa (or dare I suggest it, get more time in bed for something other than sleeping?!?!)?
I love my kids more than anything on the planet; there's no doubt about that. But I also love my husband as more than the father of my kids and I also love myself enough to want to honour my own path in life. I am also very aware that without looking after myself I cannot look after everyone else; a lesson I learned the hard way. What I'm getting at is that it comes back to what I said in my
last post about over thinking things and loosening up a little. I need to loosen up a little.
So, both yesterday and today I spent
three whole hours with my kids
before I'd done the housework!! This is unheard of for me, which I know is terrible. The thing is I know how quickly and easily things mount up, so I'm forever cleaning the gorram kitchen and picking up dirty socks in favour of spending time with the kids. They in turn have spent far more time on the new (hated) playstation 3 playing Minecraft and Lego Jurassic Park over the summer than I can bear to admit. Obviously I've had more than just housework to deal with; we've had the renovations and then all the house-hunting and fun of putting this place back on the market as well as trying to fit in (insert lines 5-10 of paragraph 2 here). So they have not been partially neglected without good reason.
But the last couple of days really showed me how easy it could be to just let go of the fact that the guys working on the roof might see into my kitchen window and see a mess while I'm out with the kids in the woods. Or that the carpet will still need hoovering when I get back even though I really wanted to do it before we went out. Or that my 7 year old refuses to wear anything other than stained old joggers and looks a bit like a hobo (bless him). It all really doesn't matter. If you're reading this and wondering how on Earth someone could put housework before their kids, all I will say is I blame it on my parents, and I'm working hard to fix it. Truth is I find it hard to spend time with them; I am not one to get down on the ground and play, I am just not comfortable enough with silliness to do that even though I KNOW it's ok. I am a serious person by nature. My husband always moans that I need to grow down a bit, and I am trying to, honestly. It's just not that easy when you have so many things on your plate all the time!
Ooof, sounding a bit therapy-like there! Anyway, moving swiftly on, here are a few photos of what we've been up to!
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| Our first "lesson" - discussing the seasons with emphasis on Autumn |
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| "Sitting nicely" ;-j |
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| Finding seed pods - in this case cleaver burrs |
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| Finding fruits... |
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| ...and rosehips... |
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| ...and fungi |
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| Hugging the old oak tree...honestly that WAS their idea! |
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| Making Hama bead... things... for the upcoming Home Ed Autumn Fair |
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Learning about Autumn animal behaviour
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| And excavating a T. Rex fossil...in our pajamas... Kids are SO random. |
So it's a positive start to home ed in the Johnson household. That's not to say that there haven't been many threats of inflicting
habanero-laced gummy bears on them for less than desirable language or behaviour... but all in all, not bad for beginners :-)
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