Monday 15 August 2011

Getting things done

Okay, to be completely honest, I felt a little bad about this, but I loved having only one kid with me this morning. Both Colin and Caleb are attending a morning day camp this week, from 9am to 12pm, so it's just me and Benjamin.

I got so much done. I did grocery shopping during the day, which I never, ever, ever do with even two kids, let alone three. But I carried Benjamin in, plopped him into the cart, and zoomed around easy as pie. I also went and bought a new mattress for Caleb, hit a department store for a few miscellaneous items, and swung by the book store with a question about James' e-reader. I got all the grocery items put away, moved over the laundry, and then was still half an hour early to pick up the boys. WOW!

So I am admittedly a little excited for school to begin. It's been five years of always feeling behind, never catching up, always trying to run to the store late at night once James is home. Five years of only getting the bare necessities finished, with an ever-growing to-do wish list that just laughed at me.

Of course, I will miss the boys. They will be gone for 8 hours a day, which is way too long for at most 4 hours of learning. I am still firmly in the camp that I wish I could send the boys to school for mornings only, and then homeschool in the afternoon. I wonder how the teachers would feel if I picked them up at lunch every day? Yeah, not likely. It's too bad they aren't more willing to compromise on things like that. They don't have music classes at school, or art class with a real art teacher, and gym class is never really that productive. Plus, at home, they could also have some religious instruction, creative play, or time to investigate their own interests. I think that would be a perfect set up, now that I'm really thinking it out. 3 hours in the morning for formal math/language/science, and the afternoons for personal interest things. I wonder...

3 comments:

Mom said...

I like your idea of morning formal schooling and then afternoon informal schooling with you. The only thing with what you said was that I always taught science in the afternoon. My science program was always very hands-on and so the afternoon lended itself to that kind of program. My language and math programs were in the morning (language always first) and the math was very hands-on, too. You could always go and pick the boys up in the van right after school and that would cut off some time of them being away from you. One positive of having only one child at home is that hopefully you will get some MUCH needed time for YOU. I have been thinking about the homeschooling thing - I wonder about doing that with the boys once Colin gets to grade four. That seems to be the age/grade when children start to bully and get an attitude. Just some thoughts. Anyway, if you really want to do something like pick the kids up at noon, you could check into the possibility of it, but I might just take the year off and have some time to yourself. :-)

Terri-Ann said...

Oh, this year I'm going to let things go as they are, with Colin in full days and Caleb in only the mornings. Grade 4 (for Colin) is when I was thinking about it, too. I would like to get my B Ed when Colin is in grade 3 and Benjamin is in full day kindergarten, so that I have it as a safety net. Then when Colin is in grade 4, Caleb in grade 2 and Benjamin in SK I'd be ready to go with homeschool. Plus, having the B Ed might make things smoother with the schools if I try to work out something like a half day with them.

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