We did not have internet over most of the weekend. Which sucked. But, we got some things done around house and yard and I got to relax a bit - much needed.
Our menu for the week -
Monday - Cajun Meatloaf, Steamed broccoli and salad
Tuesday - Chicken & Sausage Skewers, Fire-Roasted corn and sliced tomatoes
Wednesday - Sushi (out to eat for a birthday celebration)
Thursday - Steak, sweet potato fries, salad
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - Mexican Grilled Chicken, chunky guacamole, black beans
Sunday - Pork loin, green beans, cabbage stir fry
I am hoping to have leftovers daily for lunch.
So that being done is good - we were not too good over the last couple of weeks. We did not eat out much, but we certainly did not eat well - which may have contributed to my overall mood.
We also finished off the Half Bath. I don't think I told you all. In our upstairs room above the garage, our college boy stays there, but it did not have a bathroom, so he had to come through the garage, walk outside and then in the house to get to a bathroom. NOT the end of the world, but we have guests A LOT in this house. They also stay in that room. In the middle of the night, they would have to make that same trek.
We decided to put in a 1/2 bath upstairs so they could at least use the restroom at night without trying to make their way through total darkness. We did most of the work, we just hired a plumber to make sure the sewer and pipes were done to code. Now, we just need to texture and paint where the hole was cut in the wall and add a trash can - all done!
Other than that, we mowed, swept out the garage and patio, cleaned up inside, did some laundry. I did work a bit, putting interfacing on 50 tshirts. Then brainstormed what I wanted to have for the fall markets.
Today is the start of the 6 weeks of homeschool. Then we will take an 11 week break. DD will go to a Shakespeare camp with her theater group and then take driving lessons in August. DS has an intense coding camp in July.
Just to touch base on the homeschool issue. All teachers, all homeschool parents, all coaches, all everyone has times of burnout. It just means it is time for a break. I was homeschooling while building a house, living in temporary places without all our things while 2 close family members died (parents and grandparents), another got cancer (parent) also while living through the biggest flood our area has ever seen. It was a tough year and I can have a week of crying and burnout or even more! I just needed to vent a little because I was overwhelmed not just from homeschool - that is only a part of the big picture that is going on.
My husband was just forced to take a promotion where he will have to travel a ton! We are not looking forward to that. So, there is pressure to get things paid off as quickly as possible, while building a business, so that he can retire and we can work together - yes, in the sewing world - lots of things are going on with that right now. It is a pipe dream, but when this promotion came up, it got us thinking hard about it.
Anyway, I am just saying, putting the kids in public would cause many issues and solve a couple, but ultimately it is like putting a bandaid on a broken bone. There is a problem, but homeschool is just 1 part of it. Our problem will take a little bit of work and time to get it manageable.
I will try to limit my down times then, especially when I have not been around in a while. Here is hoping I stay healthy for a while! No more flu!
one husband......four kids......debt......sewing...... saving......cooking......yoga......sweet......chaos......life......
You have had a lot happen! When I did craft shows, there was a woman who had pillows and quilts and stuff. She did the thing where the image on a pillow or quilt square is stuffed where it stands out...just the duck or bird or whatever gets stuffing. I was talking to them and the husband said he did all the hunting birds and other "manly" images. He was a fire chief in a little town in TN. He was bored one night and complaining to his wife. She told him to help her. He did and loved it, so they doubled their inventory with him helping.
ReplyDeleteOther husbands quit jobs to help wives with things in their booths and mail order. They did not sew, just all the other stuff involved in a full-time business.
From a former homeschooler to another: Hang in there. You know what your kids need better than anybody else. If it were me, (and it was) I would still keep their workload the same, but I would be much more casual about grading/checking. One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you know full well if your child has mastered a concept or not...there is no need to correct every single math problem of every single exercise, or every single Latin translation. In fact, you can have THEM do this, and make corrections on their own, coming to you for further clarification. As far as more in-depth projects, you also know what sort of effort they have put into the research papers, as you were the one who took them to the library. Maybe spot check for content and proper citations. I know the public school proponents are probably clutching their pearls, but if you don't think this goes on in the public schools, you're crazy. In fact, here, the math is by and large online in the middle school, because, well, I don't care what their reason is, I think it's because the teachers are a lazy bunch of drones, but hey, what do I know?
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