I mentioned last week that we’re trying to add in some life skills homeschooling around here. It’s adding an interesting dimension to our already busy days. Mondays we have riding lessons, Tuesdays the Ladybug has piano lessons, so the boys and I have cooking, and Wednesday we have church and bible clubs.
Then, of course, Thursday is catch-up-on-chaos-control and the Ladybug gets to cook, and Friday is family movie night.
The boys and I always make some sweets to be dessert in lunches the rest of the week. We’ve done cupcakes, a chocolate-chocolate-chip cake, cookies, and this week we’re doing brownies.
Not from scratch. Don’t make me laugh.
I’m trying to grow a passion for being home. Trying to make home where we want to be, not just where we end up. Trying to make our memories of home memories of being home–and I don’t mean just sitting around here watching TV. And I’m trying to build the idea of “working” together in a new direction. A more recreational direction.
And mostly it’s working out. Sometimes I don’t even know how.
But I do know that they all look forward to horseback riding lessons (and now they know how to turn 360 degrees in the saddle while the horse is walking without falling off). And the boys love baking night and whispering about their secret ingredient. And the Ladybug has learned how to put pans in and out of the hot oven (or maybe I’ve learned to let go and let her put pans in the hot oven) and makes a mean French Onion soup.
I don’t feel like we’ve gotten a routine down yet since school started again, but we’re getting there. And my house chores are definitely getting back on track. I find myself excited to do menu planning again because I want to include my little cooks in the outline. I find myself motivated to keep the kitchen cleaning caught up so we don’t have to waste time when we get home in the evenings. And I find myself looking forward to Tuesdays, smack in the middle of our busiest days.
And they’re starting to go to bed tired more often! This is tougher than it sounds with the Cowboy. He throws a fit at bedtime almost every night. It’s exhausting for us–but it seems to be that he’s not tired. I thought at first that he was over-tired, but that theory never proved out. But the last couple Mondays and Tuesdays he’s gone down without a peep.
Now if only I could get a grasp on the laundry!
How do you find time to fit it all in and still spend time as a family?
