Alternately Titled: Upon My Going Flippin’ Crazy
The month of August is like one long and drawn-out Sunday night. So much to do…so little summer! Here in Minnesota, we are trying to drain the season to its dregs while—simultaneously—cleaning the classroom and buying supplies and making last-minute tweaks to the curriculum. It is an odd and sometimes uncomfortable dichotomy—a coexistence, as it were, of Carpe Diem and Be Prepared.
A spontaneous mom married to a scouting dad.
Somehow we must make it work.
Actually, my husband has been really helpful in helping me keep my wits together. In truth, I am not at all ready to go back to school, as much as my schultüte-loving daughters would like me to be. Back-to-School means having two boys in school—a 9th grader and a 7th grader—and I’m not exactly sure how I will handle this. Yes, I will weep; yes, I have wept. Such is the lot of a clingy, emotional, homeschooling mother.
“Mom,” my almost-14-year-old says, which is his way of asking me to stop, just stop.
“Mom.”
Back-to-School also means coming to terms with the chaos that’s my classroom. It is hard for me to plan the new school year when I haven’t even finished everything that we began last year. Do we plow through the old stuff or do we start anew? Does it matter? Yes, it does.
(In my heart, I am an unschooler. On paper, though, we follow Seton.)
So if I’ve been quiet over here on this blog—and certainly I have been—it’s because I’m not quite sure how I am these days. Heck, I’m not quite sure who I am! And it’s okay and it will be okay because I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.
Well, not all things.
Man can I relate to this post, Margaret! I am speechless because you've put my thoughts on your blog! Thanks! God help us!
Yes, you have put my thoughts there too.
I went with new.
Forget the old.
OK, except for my first grader's math, we will finish it from last year.
Love the flip into the water, very impressive!!!!
We know some people who go to Cedar Lake, would love to go sometime, but don't think my husband would ever….
I think you're brave. I wouldn't even conceive of attempting to jump off a diving board in that fashion!
Having a 9th grader will certainly be another step toward I-don't-know-what. Part of me wants to believe it will be easier (they're more mature, older, able to handle more responsibility), but part of me says it'll be harder (literally with the school-work!). Yikes, we only have four more years before they move on to that 'other' step!
Enjoy the last dregs of summer, Margaret. We sure are … it's why I refuse to start schooling till after Labor Day.
Hey, Margaret, I just made up something new for our 13th year of homeschooling :
http://northerncffamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/raining-responsibilities.html
Looking forward to it!!
August = one long Sunday night.
This sums it up PERFECTLY.
I need more Sunday morning.
And Friday night, to be honest.
Well, enjoy the cooler weather today! Now where did I put that stapler?
Faith has asked, for at least five days in a row, if it's almost Schultüte time.
PS I plan to enjoy that first day of my son's high school (13 days just in case you are not counting). Faith and I are going to go have a girl lunch. Except, wait, she'll be recovering from surgery. Well, we'll have a girl day all day. Yea! Put a dress on George and have girl day at your house.
PSS Great flip, but lose the nose-holding. You're such a girl.
(I am most contrary — be a girl, don't be a girl. Sheesh)
You know what's funny, Barbara? I didn't even know that I'd been holding my nose until I saw the video! "Really?" I asked. "I plugged my nose?"
That would explain the back-flop. 😉
Wow – I'm impressed!
Yes, too much Sunday night, and not enough Saturday, going on here as well.
Don't know how you do it – I schooled 'em all the way thru. (Well, except the oldest daughter. We relented and allowed her to attend 11th grade… and then she begged us to let her stay home her senior year, so of course we did!)
I am in the throes of reorganizing the school room/ dining room. So glad I took a break… back to the grind now. Uff-da!
Blessings~
I've had lots of the same feelings here too.
Enjoy the last days of summer. Enjoy the new school year too.
You know it's almost Schultüte time when the blogs get a bit quieter; as we instructors/mommas are combing through curriculums and lesson planning :-).
Yep, I'm there with yah! I've spent the better part of the last few weeks working it all out for a 9th grader, 5th grader, 2nd grader and kinder in tow. The school room has gone through disaster to clean, to disaster to clean several times LOL.
In fact, I just posted the plans for the 9th grader. I'm excited but there is a tug of hesitation…..ugh it's going to be a busy year.
BTW, I agree with Jamie…start fresh, 'forget the old'.
Great flip too 🙂
glad to see you poke your head in here…even if it's just to share exactly what most of us are feeling too…it's nice to know i'm not alone!! (in my thoughts on figuring things out: me, the homeschooling, etc)i agree with jamie: forget the old!! which is hard when it means buying a bunch of new stuff you probably won't finish this year either!!!
in this 12th year for me i thought somehow i would have things figured out. sa always changing. new curriculum. new methods. new ideas. thankfully, a few things do NOT change: my LORD. and my faith in HIM.because in the end this messy life (mine) and the confusingly feeble attempts i make at homeschooling is something just between us(our Lord and the homeschool mama) and in the end things usually work themselves out for the greater good!
i have total faith in you! margaret! besides how could someone who is so awesome at backflips be afraid of anything!!!
you wouldn't catch me out there for nothin'!!! i am a sissy girl! (sorry, barb)
Hi there!
Yes, I'm nodding along with everything you wrote, but I am putting my fingers in my ears and saying, "La, la, la!" until everyone quits talking about school! Gah!
Anyway, I would TOTALLY HOLD MY NOSE when jumping into any lake and I personally would not care what people thought about it! You did it naturally, good for you!
I have not been keeping up with you, and I am sorry if you already mentioned this, but you look amazing! (In good shape and with a bit of a tan, too) And I love the swimsuit you have on in the video! Way to go, Mom!