I know!

Yes! I want this! I admire your ability to teach so much! I would love the planning, but die in the doing, lol. Thank you for this - it's so true. Actually yes! It's supposed to start raining this evening and turn to snow during the night. We'll see! Thank you. I love hearing about your new job, but I know it has not been easy!!! I keep hearing that..... Bookie, thank you. (And about the last few years - that's not totally true and you certainly had a lot of help. Ahem.) But I love the snake analogy. I am a dry and scaly reptile! It fits!! lol. Seriously, it's a helpful thought. You guys are the best!

I would love this. But I don't think I can bring back my music skills from the dead and make them useful enough for anything.

Cooking! Yay for you! I can relate to that somewhat. Some aspects of homeschooling feel natural to me. Definitely relate to having struggles and burnout at times. That's so cool! I think the bolded is a big part of my problem right now. I feel like there are a number of people in my life (not all of them, thankfully) who want more engagement from me than I can manage and I don't know what to do about that. Yes - mine is eating bread! We'll make a great team! Wrong sportsball. That's great! You are naturally amazing! Now, what are we going to do about your back? (Toe-tapping emo) This is what I'm good at! Yes! That's fantastic! This might be where I'm headed, but I'm still fighting the idea, lol. That's important too! Thanks for all the replies to my question! I'm so encouraged by the many different answers. It's encouraging to me that many of you have things that come easily. It's also encouraging to remember that some things are good enough and important enough to do the hard work when it comes. I feel like there's a road block for me every direction I go - whether it's because of my personality type, introversion, perhaps highly sensitive, or maybe even undiagnosed, mild, spectrum characteristics - there's always something that's irritating to me (Ha! maybe it's middle-age, lol!). I was a good student. I was good at reading, paying attention, taking notes and remembering things, ordering things logically, etc. I'm not a natural teacher. I'm not good at any "doing" things - science, cooking, making. My social skills are not great - I always figure things out later after a conversation has been over for many hours. When kids were babies and toddlers, I used to think I parented well - I was learning so much! It was hard, but good. I believed in what I was doing and the way I was doing it even though I knew it wasn't perfect. Many years and many compromises later, I'm like a broken down fence, just making sure the herd doesn't escape until they're old enough to do so properly. I want to do something meaningful. Something meaningful to me that doesn't involve serving and engaging with others. But I don't want it to feel like an uphill climb everyday. Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Thanks for sharing your answers!

All assignments whether independent or not are put in an Excel spreadsheet - days across the top and subjects down the left hand side, usually prepared on the weekend for the coming week. The week fits on one page and the student is given one week's worth at a time. Typically I keep a copy as well so that we may both have one to work off of.

Random question you may ignore if you like: (🤣) Is there anything you do in your life now or anything you're engaged in (whether it's a responsibility or a hobby or work or whatever) that is such a natural fit for you that it is easy and effortless and you feel little or no resistance to beginning it or seeing it through to the end? If not, is there anything which comes close?

Vienna Boys Choir! Wow! Maybe you can crash it? 😱

I saw that once - maybe a link from the highschool board. That's so awesome! Good job!!! I'm outta likes too! 😩 CHOCOLATE!! Yay for your dd and great pictures!! 😂

Btw, I hate to mention this, but I don't think you have all your ducks in a row..... 🤣

Wait! It's a secret code, isn't it!!!???!!!

Ahem! Great minds and all that.... 😊

I think it would be as opposite of secular as you could get, imho. Also Christian, but I wonder if Wes Callihan's stuff would be better? Or maybe Adam Andrews online literature discussions (once a month, 2 hours)? (Fwiw, I *think* Omnibus is supposed to a literature credit, history credit, and Bible credit if you do both primary and secondary.)

Yes, I was thinking of the book Mindset also. And I feel like I definitely tend towards a "fixed" mindset as described in the book and recognized her description of an environment of praise when it didn't feel like I had done very much to accomplish the thing I was being praised for. It usually seemed to me that things came easily to me or that I was just doing what I was supposed to do, so what was all the fuss? In the end, I think it led to "imposter syndrome." But still so important for our kids to know we think well of them - and I think they tend to take so many things as disapproval even if they aren't meant to be - especially in the teen years. Praising effort, praising character, etc is one way to help both things as once. I do think I can work harder on how I come across to them - perhaps too much judgment at times.

It's brewing right now!

Oooooh, I love the parenting thoughts! Except mine would be "I like you and am glad you are here with me..... except stop talking to me so much..." 🤣