I think I might actually like this!

Well, it's been a while since my last post- but usually that's a good thing. I've been busy settling into this whole home school thing and figuring out what works best for our schedule.

I've also been letting go of the whole idea of what school is supposed to look like, and forging my own path. For the most part, things have been pretty laid back since my last post. Monster mommy doesn't show up near as often and things seem more relaxed (or maybe it's just me?).

Figuring out curriculum is proving to be a bit of a challenge- although it has led to some good brain-storming about why we're home schooling in the first place. Since I'm new to home schooling, I thought that getting an 'idiot-proof' step-by-step type curriculum would make things easier. In some ways it is- but in other ways, it's just plain boring. Especially for my grade 3 child. As well, they come with a 'mini-bible lesson'- but it is just that, mini! And really, one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to home school was to deal with my kids' character issues- which isn't happening right now (at least not to the extent/speed I'd hoped for).

I suppose that I could just keep using the same curriculum and come up with my own bible stuff- but I think I might have come across a character unit study program that I want to try. A new friend used it last year with her son and he loved it! So, hopefully I can get my hands on a copy to check it out before buying it to see how much prep work it will take. But I'm thinking that some prep work might equal a more prepared teacher and a better/more interesting lesson....

Did I mention that I'm really enjoying this more relaxed/laid-back lifestyle that we're in now? And, probably even more amazing is that the house isn't looking any/much worse for wear- if anything, we're working harder on it so that there aren't as many distractions while we're doing our home school work!

One thing that I'm looking forward to is the end of the year. It might seem a bit presumptuous to say that when we're not even finished with September, but it isn't really what it seems.

What I want is the ability to say that I have a year of experience under my belt- I'm not new at this and hoping that I'll make it through. I will have made it through a year already if it's June. I will have not only survived but (hopefully) I will have succeeded/thrived. My children and I will be better because of it, and hopefully they'll have an increased love of learning (in addition to actually having learned stuff this year!).

I feel like I'm rambling right now- I haven't been sleeping all that well due to really weird dreams, but at least I'm getting a decent amount of sleep overall. I've discovered that sleep is important to proper functioning ;-) And so speaking of which, I really should try to get to bed sooner rather than later... so for another day.... good night!