Yesterday was quite the day. I got up in the morning with Ben, we had coffee together and read our Bibles and visited and enjoyed the early morning sunlight. I made my bed, got dressed, and greeted my kiddos as they came upstairs. I was prepared for an awesome day. We'd get our school work done and head outside for the afternoon.
Then the wind kicked up. I mean really kicked up (sustained 40 mph winds with gusts over 50 mph). And suddenly, there was no more sunlight; the sky was heavy with cold, grey clouds. And the kiddos attitudes went right along with the sunlight. Away. Far away. Under some awfully heavy grey clouds.
I decided that we weren't going to let the weather get us down. We'd run to the post office and mail our package to Russia, and when we returned we'd start over. You know, little pep-talk in the car, fresh outlooks on the day. The kids wouldn't fight when we got home, they'd listen to me, we'd get the school work done and still do something fun in the afternoon . . .
Usually they both really like their math, so we started with that. Two hours and a lot of page staring and me saying, "OK, what's the next problem on your page? Say it out loud . . . and write the answer," I went and made lunch. We ate lunch. Maybe writing will go better. So I set them up at the table with their writing papers. And I kept working on this
in the loft, right above them. I told them that they could go for a walk when they were done with their writing, so they should just get to it and get it done. I decided that I wasn't going to get on their case every two minutes. I was just going to focus on my quilt and let them take their sweet time. Except it wasn't sweet. And it was taking way. too. long. But no. Just keep it together, Elizabeth. Maybe a gentle reminder. Don't get worked up. It's not worth it. They aren't wasting my time. They're wasting their own. I'm accomplishing something. Then the doubts set in. It's been so many days since we've done school work, it's hard to get back into the swing. Last week really threw a wrench in things. If they went to school their days would all be the same whether I worked the night before or not. Maybe I should just let them stop and we'll work on it tomorrow. But NO. They need to know that sometimes there are things we just HAVE to do whether we want to or not. No matter how long it takes. So. They can keep at it.
They finally finish the writing papers. So I let them walk down to get the mail.
They brought flags to fly in the wind.
They make me smile. The really do.
Back inside, they worked for another hour to get those pesky maths done. Seriously. (I was only asking that Isaac do one page front and back and that Maddie do two.) I was right there. Short of doing it for them, I don't know what else to do!
They finally finished and then cleaned up the family room downstairs - they did this really well. Then I let them watch a movie.
After supper, we all sat at the table and Ben sipped coffee and observed while I coerced the kids into getting their grammar and phonics done. At the end, I was exhausted. Ben didn't know what to do, either.
Do you homeschool? Or have kids who have homework to do? How do you get them to, help them to, teach them to just sit down and get it done. Not stop and make faces and drum with their pencils and wiggle and squirm and bend the corners of the pages and touch their sibling's stuff, and sing and hum and wiggle and run to the bathroom and want a snack and and and . . .
I mean, I make sure that they are amply fed and that they have breaks to go to the bathroom and get drinks . . . They shouldn't be thirsty or hungry. We mix up their subjects and toss in some time where I read to them. I putter around close by so I can answer questions and stay in it with them. There is always the knowledge that we will go outside or to the library or play games together when the "work" is done . . . I encourage, I praise, I constructively correct. They are proud of their work when they get it done . . . and I am exhausted.
This happens more days than I care to remember. But then there are the days when they just get to it and everything gets done efficiently and we have a lot of fun. Those are the days that keep me going. I'd think they'd want to replicate those days . . .
Oh, help.
And then I find things like this:
{drawing by Isaac}
and I wouldn't trade having them home with me for the world.