I'm ready to be done

[Haiku]

I was fine in February, but March has been hard. I'm just ready to be done. I hate reading the logic book and doing the lessons with dd. I'm bored with history. I just want algebra to be done.

 

We school year-round, four weeks on and one week off, so it's not like I haven't had regular breaks. I'm just tired of a boring routine.

 

The kids are fine. They have all their fun outside activities, and they don't mind doing school. I have fun things I do, too, but it's just the daily grind that's getting to me. Clean the house, cook the meals, run the errands, do the laundry, school the kids, rinse and repeat. Ugh.

 

Comments, ideas, suggestions?

Edited March 25, 2016 by TaraTheLiberator

[freesia]

No advice. I am, too. And we're on break. That means more housework! Next week we are back at it . I wish we could tss everything and go rogue for a month. But BC of online classes and small history and science groups we're in (and usually love) we can't .

Maybe we'll drop grammar for awhile. . .

[Guest]

When that happens, I:

Turn every subject into a craft - painting math problems, Language Arts (literally) and so on.

Take school outside and make DS apply everything he's learned in math to build something, in history to recreate an event in the yard, in science to find something-anything-to look at under the microscope...

Read a new non-fiction book and pretend I'm doing something more important than what it feels like.

[Miss Mousie]

I'm ready, too.

 

I've been wanting to post for several weeks now asking whether I'm the only one for whom "February" stretches from January to March.  We've been on break this week and DS hasn't been home; I accomplished next to nothing, and do not feel the slightest bit refreshed to get back to it next week.

 

DS's attitude has hit new depths lately, and that certainly hasn't helped.  Trying so hard not to fight with him, and then getting sucked in anyway, takes SO much energy....

 

And then there's algebra.

 

Stick a fork in me.  I'm done.

 

Except - I can't be, not yet.

 

Where did I put those bootstraps?

[Another Lynn]

Stop cooking and cleaning?  :hat:  j/k

 

:grouphug:

 

Is there anything mundane or nearly done you could drop and replace with something more interesting or short-termed?

[mama25angels]

I am with you.  I have no advice, but it's good to know i'm in good company.

[OlgaLA]

More than done here. So done, I am ready to send both of them to the nearest public school. At least, right now.

 

Last week I announced Friday field trip day, and took them to a botanic garden. It was lovely. I think I'll do it again on Monday.

Edited March 25, 2016 by OlgaLA

[almondbutterandjelly]

Yeah, I'm getting there.  Recently, I decided that it is time to really start wrapping things up for the school year (I'm hoping to call it done in April), and so I made brutal cuts.  We dropped Vocabulary.  We dropped the hated health book and started reading The Body Book for Girls 2.  We are using a more fun history book and it's going to be done in another 3 weeks or so.  We watch a lot of Horrible Histories videos.  I told my husband he can stop science any time he feels like it at this point.  We dropped a couple others things that now escape me.  

 

You know what really helped me?  Somebody posted a transcript that was sorted by Subject rather than school year and had almost no dates on it.  It was so freeing to realize that I can school how I've always schooled even though it's high school.  I just got to get things done in 4 years.  I can do that.  I don't have to freak out that we're a bit behind in Algebra or French because we switched textbooks.  We'll get it done.

[HS Mom in NC]

I would suggest taking a full summer off (2-3 months.)   That's long enough to get tired of being on vacation and wanting some structure and regular schooling back in your day.  I've done homeschool year round.  I've done follow the local ps school year.  They each have their pros and cons.  Maybe it's time to try a long break and see if that helps.

[Slache]

Go camping.

[Sahamamama]

I was fine in February, but March has been hard. I'm just ready to be done. I hate reading the logic book and doing the lessons with dd. I'm bored with history. I just want algebra to be done.

 

We school year-round, four weeks on and one week off, so it's not like I haven't had regular breaks. I'm just tired of a boring routine.

 

The kids are fine. They have all their fun outside activities, and they don't mind doing school. I have fun things I do, too, but it's just the daily grind that's getting to me. Clean the house, cook the meals, run the errands, do the laundry, school the kids, rinse and repeat. Ugh.

 

Comments, ideas, suggestions?

 

Right around now, every year, is when I start slashing at my Grand Teacher Plan with a big red pen. It's done when I say it's done. Unless it's Math, in which case we keep on keepin' on....

 

This year, though, I am surprised at how much Wind of Determination is still left in my sails. Perhaps that whole month off, back in November, lounging around the crystal blue pool in Southern California had some advantages. Even though I had to spend the month living with my mother-in-law. :scared:

 

:blink:  On second thought... no.

 

Well, whatever the reason, we're doing great this year (compared to most) for it being the end of March! Hang in there a little while longer, and perhaps give yourselves permission to take a longer break this summer. Let go of everything that doesn't have to be done, and get your second wind before high school!

[Garga]

I've long thought that homeschool curriculae should be sold in 1/2 year increments. When you get bored with your algebra curric, you can finish it up for the first half of the year and then move on to a different curric for the 2nd half of the year.

 

Ok, that wouldn't really work in real life, but I wish it did. We get so tired of the same subjects and same books and are ready for something new this time of year. I always wish we could ditch everything we're using and use something entirely different until the end of the year.

[Sahamamama]

It's just the daily grind that's getting to me. Clean the house, cook the meals, run the errands, do the laundry, school the kids, rinse and repeat. Ugh.

 

Comments, ideas, suggestions?

 

I did have one more thought: No wonder you are burned out!

 

Get those big kids doing the housework! Seriously, they are middle schoolers, and probably perfectly capable of doing their own laundry, much of their own cleaning, some of the meals, and many other chores. I would actually drop everything (except math) and work for a while on just this -- working as a team to accomplish the daily tasks that must be done.

 

Trash round-up (gathering it from around the house)

Taking out the trash

 

Laundry round-up

Laundry (assign each kid a day? alternate chore lists every several weeks?)

 

Grocery shopping

Bringing in and stocking/putting away groceries

 

Meal planning & prep

Meal clean-up & kitchen clean-up

Wiping down the kitchen for the night

 

Doing a "pick up" throughout the house before beginning a new part of the routine (at transitions)

Keeping their own bedrooms neat & clean

Keeping their belongings where they belong! ;)

 

Dusting furniture

Dusting electronics

 

Vacuuming carpets

Vacuuming stairs

Sweeping & mopping floors

 

Stocking TP, tissues, napkins, paper towels, soaps, etc.

Cleaning bathroom sinks & mirrors

Cleaning toilets (my 9 year olds do this, and everything else on this entire list, with varying degrees of supervision, so your big kids probably can, too)

Cleaning tubs & showers

 

Pet care

Yard work

 

Also, when you run your errands, it may be time to begin sending the kids in to purchase simple things, like a few groceries from a store that they know well. Have the basic rules in place, but let them spread their wings a bit. That way, you can sit in the car while they begin to manage some monitored independence. YMMV, but at 12, 13, 14 they may be ready and capable to help you in this manner.

 

Not trying to tell you what to do, but you sound like you're getting burned out. Hang in there, and get your teens to help!

Edited March 26, 2016 by Sahamamama

[mamiof5]

Any way you could take a day off?massage, lunch, just go away for a day, do something fun for yourself. And totally agree on the cleaning, hope kids are helping you a lot

[laundrycrisis]

I am also ready. I used Calvert's ATS for the first time this year for DS1. It's been good for him,but I've been pushing him uphill since September. It takes all my time to keep him going. I have so many of my own projects I want to do as soon as he's finished. He's working on the last test ! As soon as both kids finish their programs, I'm calling it summer and gearing down to part time school.

[PeterPan]

Join the Y?  Take a class for yourself?  

[lmrich]

I think you need a longer break. Take a few weeks off this summer. You need real time to recharge. I know what I do on my one week breaks so it wouldn't suprise me is you are the same - deep clean something, take care of dr. appointments, shop for necessary stuff like shoes with the kids (I do not like shopping), prepare meals for the family, have family over to visit, or go visit family, and plan  until the next break. If you do the same, you are not taking of yourself. You need at least two weeks off at a time if you want to school year round. Could you school for 6 - 8 weeks and take 2 weeks off? AND spend part of that time doing something to recharge?

[Haiku]

hope kids are helping you a lot

 

They do. In fact, they do much more around the house than I see many people mentioning that their kids do. My kids each cook dinner at least once, and sometime twice, a week. They do their own laundry, they are almost solely responsible for our (nine) pets, my son mows the lawn, my daughter does all the baking, etc.

 

Part of the problem is that I am not a fantastic housekeeper. I get overwhelmed by how much there is to do. It never stops. Part of it is that we are home so much, busy, that things get cluttered and neglected very quickly. Part of it is how I always feel after hockey season winds down: flogged. We are so incredibly busy during hockey that everything falls behind. Even though the kids do their own laundry, there are 4-5 extra loads a week just of hockey laundry; there are all the towels and sheets; there is the laundry for my husband and me; there is the constant making of meal plans and running to the store for things I forgot or ran out of; there is the kitchen falling apart because we cook dinner at 3:30 so we can rush out to hockey practice at five, and then when we get home at 9 we are too tired to clean up. At least hockey is over for now; just spring recreational hockey, which is one night a week for an hour, and Learn to Play, one night a week for an hour, which my husband runs and for which the children are student coaches. But soon we have tryouts for next year, and then summer conditioning and track start ... ai yai yai! There is no off-season in hockey.

 

I have considered changing our school schedule. I have considered going with more formal programs (for example, just buying the Holt homeschool package for some subjects) rather than trying to piece things together. I have considered unschooling (which might work for my dd but not for my son). I have considered a summer break, but in 2013 I spent a month volunteering overseas, and we had a 10-week break that summer as the kids had camps after I got back and then we just needed some time to be together; trying to get back to school after 10 weeks off was difficult and unfun.

 

I think that part of the problem is that I have too much work for my dd. She is working on 8 different things: math, Latin, science, history, writing, logic, literature, and grammar. It feels like we are rushing from thing to thing, trying to cram it all in, which I don't like and never wanted. Next year she will have 6 1/2 credits, but one is a summer class, one is phys ed (hockey), which won't require extra of her, and one is a semester class we are planning to stretch all year, so she will only have to work on it twice a week. Cutting down to five core classes will be easier, I think.

 

I find myself staying in bed later and later every morning, dreading getting up and getting going.

 

I'm not depressed or anything. I'm just bored with the school routine.

 

History will be done in a few weeks. That will make things somewhat easier.

 

I could just scrap the rest of writing for the year (for dd). She writes a lot and is a good writer, and I feel like, at this point, we are just slogging through the book to say we got it done. It's a good book, and she doesn't dislike it, I just hate looking at the clock and seeing that we still have an hour of work left but that it's time to start dinner.

 

I think we'll revamp logic so that we only do it one day a week, in one big session. It's gotten so I avoid doing it, I hate it so much. DD loved Art of Argument, but The Argument Builder is super religious and not nearly as interesting as AoA. DD wants to finish it because she started it, but neither of us enjoy it.

 

We probably just need to spend some time outside. The last few weeks have been hard. All three of us have had colds that have hung on, and last week dd had surgery on her mouth and couldn't really go out to do anything. The dog had to be rushed to the emergency vet, and rock hit the windshield and cracked it in half. This coming week dh and I are taking a four-day vacation and the kids will be with my dad, so that should help. Then we have only week more week of school until our break. I'll make an effort to schedule nothing during the break so we can just hang out and have fun.

 

Thanks for all the advice and commiseration. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

[HS Mom in NC]

Are your kids NOT helping with the cooking, cleaning and laundry!?!? I assumed you meant your were tired of getting chore charts done and supervising all that stuff that your kids are helping with.  What's going on?

EDITED: We posted at the same time.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[HS Mom in NC]

They do. In fact, they do much more around the house than I see many people mentioning that their kids do. My kids each cook dinner at least once, and sometime twice, a week. They do their own laundry, they are almost solely responsible for our (nine) pets, my son mows the lawn, my daughter does all the baking, etc.

 

I would switch to paperplates and everyone would help with meal prep and clean up. I'd make sure every single chore in the house was divided up fairly evenly between mom and kids (dad needs some too but I assume he's working full time so it would have to be a shorter list than everyone else has) and on a monthly rotation.  I would have a scheduled chore time each day that took into consideration what scheduled activities were going on each day.

 

Part of the problem is that I am not a fantastic housekeeper. I get overwhelmed by how much there is to do. It never stops. Part of it is that we are home so much, busy, that things get cluttered and neglected very quickly.

 

I would schedule (or plug into my routine) several clean ups into my day to deal with this.  Morning clean up, after lunch clean up and evening clean up. I'd schedule them like I would schedule phonics and math; it would be a very high priority.

 

 

Part of it is how I always feel after hockey season winds down: flogged. We are so incredibly busy during hockey that everything falls behind. Even though the kids do their own laundry, there are 4-5 extra loads a week just of hockey laundry; there are all the towels and sheets;

 

Part of skid doing their own laundry is doing their own sheets and washing their uniforms.  You wanna play?  You take care of all your sports stuff yourself. You don't want to take of your uniform?  Then you can't play.

 

there is the laundry for my husband and me; there is the constant making of meal plans

 

Are you saving and reusing your meal plans and the grocery lists that go with them? It saves time and energy.

 

and running to the store for things I forgot or ran out of; there is the kitchen falling apart because we cook dinner at 3:30 so we can rush out to hockey practice at five, and then when we get home at 9 we are too tired to clean up. At least hockey is over for now; just spring recreational hockey, which is one night a week for an hour, and Learn to Play, one night a week for an hour, which my husband runs and for which the children are student coaches. But soon we have tryouts for next year, and then summer conditioning and track start ... ai yai yai! There is no off-season in hockey.

 

 

I know this isn't going to be a popular response, but I would cut hockey out of my life if it required more than a couple of nights a week and practices were less than hours total, including drive time.  No one should sacrifice their quality of life over a sport, instrument, hobby, school, etc. Sorry. 

 

I have considered changing our school schedule. I have considered going with more formal programs (for example, just buying the Holt homeschool package for some subjects) rather than trying to piece things together. I have considered unschooling (which might work for my dd but not for my son). I have considered a summer break, but in 2013 I spent a month volunteering overseas,

 

It doesn't sound to me like a month volunteering overseas is something that fits with your current phase of life. Maybe when you're an empty nester it will be a better fit.

 

and we had a 10-week break that summer as the kids had camps

 

If your kids are at something scheduled, I don't really consider that a break.

 

after I got back and then we just needed some time to be together; trying to get back to school after 10 weeks off was difficult and unfun.

 

Time just to be together is a vacation.  When you're adding school to that time or you're adding structured scheduled activities to that time, you're not really on vacation.

 

I think that part of the problem is that I have too much work for my dd. She is working on 8 different things: math, Latin, science, history, writing, logic, literature, and grammar. It feels like we are rushing from thing to thing, trying to cram it all in, which I don't like and never wanted.

 

What did you want?

 

Next year she will have 6 1/2 credits, but one is a summer class, one is phys ed (hockey), which won't require extra of her, and one is a semester class we are planning to stretch all year, so she will only have to work on it twice a week. Cutting down to five core classes will be easier, I think.

 

Then cut what you have to cut.

 

I find myself staying in bed later and later every morning, dreading getting up and getting going.

 

I'm not depressed or anything. I'm just bored with the school routine.

 

History will be done in a few weeks. That will make things somewhat easier.

 

I could just scrap the rest of writing for the year (for dd). She writes a lot and is a good writer, and I feel like, at this point, we are just slogging through the book to say we got it done. It's a good book, and she doesn't dislike it, I just hate looking at the clock and seeing that we still have an hour of work left but that it's time to start dinner.

 

Can you integrate some subjects so she writing is about her science, literature or history?  Kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

I think we'll revamp logic so that we only do it one day a week, in one big session. It's gotten so I avoid doing it, I hate it so much. DD loved Art of Argument, but The Argument Builder is super religious and not nearly as interesting as AoA. DD wants to finish it because she started it, but neither of us enjoy it.

 

If it's not meaningful, high quality and meeting a specific educational goal, not only does it not make sense to continue, it's counter productive.  While it's important to learn follow through, continuing just because you started doesn't make sense.  It seems compulsive to continue in this situation.

 

We probably just need to spend some time outside.

 

Most of us do.

 

The last few weeks have been hard. All three of us have had colds that have hung on, and last week dd had surgery on her mouth and couldn't really go out to do anything. The dog had to be rushed to the emergency vet, and rock hit the windshield and cracked it in half. This coming week dh and I are taking a four-day vacation and the kids will be with my dad, so that should help. Then we have only week more week of school until our break. I'll make an effort to schedule nothing during the break so we can just hang out and have fun.

 

Sounds good.  Maybe something leisurely and outdoorsy with only activities that recharge the participants.

 

Thanks for all the advice and commiseration. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

 

I'm betting every single homeschooling family has been through their own version of this a few times.  It's too bad there aren't workshops about it at conventions and descriptions of it on blogs so homeschoolers know to watch for it and have some idea of how to recover from it before it happens.   

 

 

 

[PeterPan]

In reading your list, I had a few thoughts.  One, try crockpots or only simplified meals during the weak.  For instance, bake chicken breasts (1 pan) and eat on salad (1 cutting board, 1 knife).  My dd cooks a lot of our meals, and she just uses TONS of dishes.  Me, I go simple.  So that would be one thing to try, crockpot or super streamlined meals.  Sometimes I'll make a pot of something (split pea soup, chili, whatever) and it just is the go to.  You can also do frozen things that you just lay on a tray and bake.  There are some really nice fish products like that if you happen to eat fish.  We eat fish Tues, Thurs, and Sat, so that's always simple for me.  I just put some fish on a tray and bake to go with salads or green beans.

 

I think there's just an amount you have to sacrifice and accept when you do lots of sports.  You're not going to be able to do it ALL.  So you do sports and the house doesn't get as much attention.  However they got the happy memory of the sports.

 

Now for an unrealistic suggestion.  Can you get a bigger washer or a 2nd washer?  Might help your laundry situation.  New washers have double the capacity basically of the old ones and they're faster.

[Haiku]

 

 

Part of skid doing their own laundry is doing their own sheets and washing their uniforms.  You wanna play?  You take care of all your sports stuff yourself. You don't want to take of your uniform?  Then you can't play.

 

My kids do wash their hockey laundry some of the time, but sometimes it makes more sense for me to throw it in. It just depends on what our schedule is like.

 

I know this isn't going to be a popular response, but I would cut hockey out of my life if it required more than a couple of nights a week and practices were less than hours total, including drive time.  No one should sacrifice their quality of life over a sport, instrument, hobby, school, etc.

 

Hockey is a huge part of our family life. We all play (although I am taking a break right now due to injury), and although some people don't see spending time on sports as "family time," we do. It is something we all love, and we all enjoy playing and watching one another play. Plus, my dd plans to be an official with the NWHL, and my son plans to play junior hockey and move into the minor leagues (and he is good enough to do this, and he is building the right connections to make it possible), so, imo, discontinuing hockey or moving them back to house (recreational) hockey would be similar to saying "Science is taking too much time, so we're just going to stop doing it, even though you plan to be a STEM major." I understand what you are saying, but, for our family, playing hockey contributes to quality of life in a big way; it just makes getting boring household stuff done harder to do. I'm not going to sacrifice something we love to make more time for something boring and mundane, kwim?

 

 

 

I think there's just an amount you have to sacrifice and accept when you do lots of sports.  You're not going to be able to do it ALL.  So you do sports and the house doesn't get as much attention.  However they got the happy memory of the sports.

 

Yeah, I'm not good at half-measures. I tend to want to have it all. But you are right. I look at my house and I see a mess, but then I go to my friends' houses and, while I do see a mess, I don't think of it as a mess. I see it as a normal part of having a happy, busy family. It's like a negative double standard. But I do need to accept that we are creating memories, not an immaculate house and a well-oiled home process.

 

[Soror]

Right around now, every year, is when I start slashing at my Grand Teacher Plan with a big red pen. It's done when I say it's done. Unless it's Math, in which case we keep on keepin' on....

 

This year, though, I am surprised at how much Wind of Determination is still left in my sails. 

That is usually me :) We are doing better this year too, not quite to where I'd like to be but we've got more spunk than usual. I start us back in July when it is blistering hot as I know that we run out of steam. I purposely planned to take it easy during the holidays and it helped immensely with feeling refreshed starting the new year. We are going to take off 4-6 wks this summer, 2wks we are doing a road trip vacation and I need extra time to get all caught off with appointments, the house and relaxing. Taking off 3 months is way too much and a couple of weeks is hardly enough to really get relaxed. So, my vote for Tara is drop everything possible and take at least 2 wks off when it is done(preferably 4).

[Haiku]

So, my vote for Tara is drop everything possible and take at least 2 wks off when it is done(preferably 4).

 

That sounds lovely. I'm trying to envision what dropping everything possible would look like. I'm a box-checker. I'm trying to imagine what I would prioritize as not necessary because, to me, it's all necessary, which is why I originally scheduled it. I realize that this may not be a realistic way to assess things. ;)

 

 

 

What did you want?

 

That's a very good question. I wanted a rigorous homeschool day that didn't last forever. I wanted to have fewer subjects but go deeper in them. But I think I got caught up in the idea that we have to do it all somehow.

[BlsdMama]

I give you official permission to NOT do it all. ;)

 

 

My first thought was,"How's the weather and have you been spending time outside?"

 

I have found the older I get the more I NEED to be outside. It isn't a depression thing. It's a feel good thing. I need to feel good and one of the biggest helps is some kind of physical activity outside.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Most of this year I was dragging @$$.  Things are starting to pick up finally. 

 

 

[mamiof5]

They do. In fact, they do much more around the house than I see many people mentioning that their kids do. My kids each cook dinner at least once, and sometime twice, a week. They do their own laundry, they are almost solely responsible for our (nine) pets, my son mows the lawn, my daughter does all the baking, etc.

 

Part of the problem is that I am not a fantastic housekeeper. I get overwhelmed by how much there is to do. It never stops. Part of it is that we are home so much, busy, that things get cluttered and neglected very quickly. Part of it is how I always feel after hockey season winds down: flogged. We are so incredibly busy during hockey that everything falls behind. Even though the kids do their own laundry, there are 4-5 extra loads a week just of hockey laundry; there are all the towels and sheets; there is the laundry for my husband and me; there is the constant making of meal plans and running to the store for things I forgot or ran out of; there is the kitchen falling apart because we cook dinner at 3:30 so we can rush out to hockey practice at five, and then when we get home at 9 we are too tired to clean up. At least hockey is over for now; just spring recreational hockey, which is one night a week for an hour, and Learn to Play, one night a week for an hour, which my husband runs and for which the children are student coaches. But soon we have tryouts for next year, and then summer conditioning and track start ... ai yai yai! There is no off-season in hockey.

 

I have considered changing our school schedule. I have considered going with more formal programs (for example, just buying the Holt homeschool package for some subjects) rather than trying to piece things together. I have considered unschooling (which might work for my dd but not for my son). I have considered a summer break, but in 2013 I spent a month volunteering overseas, and we had a 10-week break that summer as the kids had camps after I got back and then we just needed some time to be together; trying to get back to school after 10 weeks off was difficult and unfun.

 

I think that part of the problem is that I have too much work for my dd. She is working on 8 different things: math, Latin, science, history, writing, logic, literature, and grammar. It feels like we are rushing from thing to thing, trying to cram it all in, which I don't like and never wanted. Next year she will have 6 1/2 credits, but one is a summer class, one is phys ed (hockey), which won't require extra of her, and one is a semester class we are planning to stretch all year, so she will only have to work on it twice a week. Cutting down to five core classes will be easier, I think.

 

I find myself staying in bed later and later every morning, dreading getting up and getting going.

 

I'm not depressed or anything. I'm just bored with the school routine.

 

History will be done in a few weeks. That will make things somewhat easier.

 

I could just scrap the rest of writing for the year (for dd). She writes a lot and is a good writer, and I feel like, at this point, we are just slogging through the book to say we got it done. It's a good book, and she doesn't dislike it, I just hate looking at the clock and seeing that we still have an hour of work left but that it's time to start dinner.

 

I think we'll revamp logic so that we only do it one day a week, in one big session. It's gotten so I avoid doing it, I hate it so much. DD loved Art of Argument, but The Argument Builder is super religious and not nearly as interesting as AoA. DD wants to finish it because she started it, but neither of us enjoy it.

 

We probably just need to spend some time outside. The last few weeks have been hard. All three of us have had colds that have hung on, and last week dd had surgery on her mouth and couldn't really go out to do anything. The dog had to be rushed to the emergency vet, and rock hit the windshield and cracked it in half. This coming week dh and I are taking a four-day vacation and the kids will be with my dad, so that should help. Then we have only week more week of school until our break. I'll make an effort to schedule nothing during the break so we can just hang out and have fun.

 

Thanks for all the advice and commiseration. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

Oh my!!! I totally, absolutely hear you!! In fact, ours start swim on Monday and I am dreading it. Only for 5 weeks, but it'll be so busy. Glad you are all feeling better, and so glad you are going on vacation with dh!!! Yes, it should help. So glad kids help you so much, otherwise you wouldn't be able to do it all. Hope you can take time to just slow down a bit and decompress. Do you use a crockpot? I recently put together a bunch of frozen meals that are ready to be tossed in the crockpot, relying on those to make my life a little easier the next five weeks. Prepping meals ahead of time really helps during busy times, maybe something that would help you during extra busy hockey season. Have a wonderful Easter! And PLEASE, try to decompress and enjoy your vacation!!

[eternalsummer]

Yes, you definitely can't do it all :)

 

I have noticed that with homeschooling (and with littles running around) there is just a lot more mess and a lot more housework than other people have.  I am also not a very good housekeeper, and my oldest is only 10 (the 7 year old helps, but I put forth more energy convincing him to help than he actually contributes at this point).  The 10 year old cleans the kitchen, does the dishes, does half the laundry, and vacuums.  I am looking forward to the days when more of the kids are older and less of them are messy toddlers :)

 

 

I would also take a vacation  - don't even go anywhere, just assign yourself a 2 week period where no one is responsible for the doing of anything except eating and picking up after themselves, and try to get outside every day or go to local fun things.  You might even spend some of the money you would have spent travelling on good quality take-out food and a maid service for a week instead. (this is my ideal vacation, hah!)

[ScoutTN]

No advice, just commiseration. I am in a similar place.  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

[LMD]

Yep.

 

And all the answers about schedules make me feel worse. I can do a perfect on paper schedule. I can't follow one to save my life. I'm hoping that when I no longer have an unpredictable baby/toddler that I'll be better at it, but my deep fear is that I won't...

We just had a week off after 7 weeks on. I am trying to get myself psyched to start again tomorrow.

[...................]

Can you take a few days off and do something spring-y?

[JadeOrchidSong]

That sounds lovely. I'm trying to envision what dropping everything possible would look like. I'm a box-checker. I'm trying to imagine what I would prioritize as not necessary because, to me, it's all necessary, which is why I originally scheduled it. I realize that this may not be a realistic way to assess things. ;)

 

 

That's a very good question. I wanted a rigorous homeschool day that didn't last forever. I wanted to have fewer subjects but go deeper in them. But I think I got caught up in the idea that we have to do it all somehow.

What writing book are dc using?

[Haiku]

What writing book are dc using?

 

My son is using WriteShop. We cannot stop that; we just started a few months ago, and as he has dyslexia and some processing issues, writing is something where we need to keep going steadily. Neither of us has an issue with WriteShop. He likes to grumble about it, but both of us are pleased to see his writing improving.

 

My daughter is using Writing in English by William Henry Maxwell. It's an excellent book. It just feels like we have been using that and School Composition (its precursor) forever and are ready to move on. But I like to finish things.  :closedeyes: We probably don't need to, because she does a ton of writing for pleasure and writes for some of her other subjects and is getting ready to begin her year-ending research paper for history. I think we have about 20 lessons of Writing in English left. I could probably drop it for the rest of the year. Just thinking about that makes my palms sweat.  :crying:

[Sahamamama]

I think that part of the problem is that I have too much work for my dd. She is working on 8 different things: math, Latin, science, history, writing, logic, literature, and grammar. It feels like we are rushing from thing to thing, trying to cram it all in, which I don't like and never wanted. Next year she will have 6 1/2 credits, but one is a summer class, one is phys ed (hockey), which won't require extra of her, and one is a semester class we are planning to stretch all year, so she will only have to work on it twice a week. Cutting down to five core classes will be easier, I think.

 

[snip]

 

History will be done in a few weeks. That will make things somewhat easier.

 

I could just scrap the rest of writing for the year (for dd). She writes a lot and is a good writer, and I feel like, at this point, we are just slogging through the book to say we got it done. It's a good book, and she doesn't dislike it, I just hate looking at the clock and seeing that we still have an hour of work left but that it's time to start dinner.

 

I think we'll revamp logic so that we only do it one day a week, in one big session. It's gotten so I avoid doing it, I hate it so much. DD loved Art of Argument, but The Argument Builder is super religious and not nearly as interesting as AoA. DD wants to finish it because she started it, but neither of us enjoy it.

 

We probably just need to spend some time outside. The last few weeks have been hard. All three of us have had colds that have hung on, and last week dd had surgery on her mouth and couldn't really go out to do anything. The dog had to be rushed to the emergency vet, and rock hit the windshield and cracked it in half. This coming week dh and I are taking a four-day vacation and the kids will be with my dad, so that should help. Then we have only week more week of school until our break. I'll make an effort to schedule nothing during the break so we can just hang out and have fun.

 

Sometimes, when we are slogging through the remainder of our work at the end of the school year, I stop working on every single thing and just pick two subjects -- one to continue at the normal pace and one to plow through until it is finished. It helps me to get motivated to keep going, to get up and get "at it," if that makes sense. I wonder if you could do something like this?

 

Math + History (until you feel you can declare it "done")

Math + Literature (until you say it's "done")

Math + Grammar (until grammar is done)

Math + Latin (until Latin is done)

Math + Science + outdoor time

Math + Logic (or not)

Math + Composition (or just pick up where you left off next year?)

 

HTH. :grouphug:

[Another Lynn]

Sometimes, when we are slogging through the remainder of our work at the end of the school year, I stop working on every single thing and just pick two subjects -- one to continue at the normal pace and one to plow through until it is finished. It helps me to get motivated to keep going, to get up and get "at it," if that makes sense. I wonder if you could do something like this?

 

Math + History (until you feel you can declare it "done")

Math + Literature (until you say it's "done")

Math + Grammar (until grammar is done)

Math + Latin (until Latin is done)

Math + Science + outdoor time

Math + Logic (or not)

Math + Composition (or just pick up where you left off next year?)

 

HTH. :grouphug:

 

Sort of like the Dave Ramsey method of homeschooling (or paying off bills), but in reverse.  Sort of.  :hat:   I like it! 

 

[FO4UR]

Other ideas:

 

Take Fridays off.  Or Mondays.  Give yourself 3 day weekends for a while.

 

I thought the advice to stop cooking and cleaning was actually amazingly awesome.  For a month, at least, serve food that is super simple.  Make your own sandwich.  Grill burgers.  Pack up random junk and put it in totes to clear the space.  Go through one tote per weekend this summer...or assign that work to kids.

 

Sleep more.  Eat more raw fruits & veggies. Drink more water. 

[Critterfixer]

Where is the finish line? If you are close to the finish line, sometimes you just have to buckle down, grit your teeth against the pain and run for it.

If the finish line is far away, you probably ought to slow down and walk for a while. Even if you school year round, it pays to have finish lines. So where is yours? You do need a summer vacation, of sorts when you hit your finish line. And during that time, you are not to catch up on housekeeping, spend your entire time taking people from one place to the other, and you are not to be in charge of entertaining anybody else! Instead, you are to schedule activities that help you to relax, to recharge, and to replace the energy you lose in having an intense life. Lots of folks have an intense life and they love it, but intensity must be matched by enough fuel for that kind of pace. You have a high intensity life, and it sounds as if you manage that very well most of the time. But I don't think your last break was a satisfactory one if you had a lot going on during that time that was not relaxing or rejuvenating. 

[katilac]

I think you've gotten some good ideas you can try to mix things up a bit. 

 

However, I also think it can be helpful to acknowledge that sometimes . . . life is a grind. Sometimes we're "ready to be done" when done isn't a choice. I have been ready to be done with paying jobs before it was possible to quit. I have been ready to be done with homeschooling before it was possible to quit.

 

Sometimes you just can't stop the daily grind without a bit of time and planning. Sometimes you just power through the grind because it's getting you to where you want to be, or because it's really what you want, you're just in a slump. 

 

Good luck shaking up the things that need shaking, and persisting with the things that need persistence. I like the idea of a longer break.  2-3 months is way too long for me, but 3-4 weeks is a lot longer than one week at a time. A weekend away with dh in a nice hotel might do all kinds of good as well! 

[Haiku]

Where is the finish line? If you are close to the finish line, sometimes you just have to buckle down, grit your teeth against the pain and run for it.

 

Our school year runs from the Monday after July 4th (or that Tuesday, if July 4th is a Monday) until the end of the second week of June. We do take the last two weeks of June off. So my "finish line" is currently June 17th. That's when I would like to have all subjects wrapped up for the year. I think that we will finish with some things sooner than that, but some are just ongoing, do-the-next-thing types.

 

The kids will be attending camps both weeks that we're off school. It's not always like that, but that's how it worked out this year. They have several camps that they go to each summer, and this year two of them just happened to line up with our break.

[Critterfixer]

 

Our school year runs from the Monday after July 4th (or that Tuesday, if July 4th is a Monday) until the end of the second week of June. We do take the last two weeks of June off. So my "finish line" is currently June 17th. That's when I would like to have all subjects wrapped up for the year. I think that we will finish with some things sooner than that, but some are just ongoing, do-the-next-thing types.

 

I'd say sprint the next two weeks and take a week off. My schedule isn't nearly as hectic as yours, and I need a week off that qualifies as rest every eight weeks minimum. I take one off every six, so if life turns into a madhouse, I'm at least going to get a decent week off every twelve. If I was really aggressive, I'd be taking off every four, but life usually doesn't throw me too many surprise parties, so most of the time, I can spend about two days of the break catching up or doing planning, and then spend about three days relaxing. (As a point of reference, during that same time frame, I am taking at least three weeks off, and have tentative plans for a week off in late April, should I need it. I'm pretty well rested, but I signed up for Camp NaNo in April, and that's likely to take it out of me!)

 

You just have to book your recharge time. You can't run wide open and not feel beat at least half of the time. And if your planning process, or your life in general requires a good bit of creativity, it's even more important to create a place and time for restocking that resource. No input, output gets very tough to come up with!

[kathy_overman]

I'm ready, too.

 

I've been wanting to post for several weeks now asking whether I'm the only one for whom "February" stretches from January to March.  We've been on break this week and DS hasn't been home; I accomplished next to nothing, and do not feel the slightest bit refreshed to get back to it next week.

 

DS's attitude has hit new depths lately, and that certainly hasn't helped.  Trying so hard not to fight with him, and then getting sucked in anyway, takes SO much energy....

 

And then there's algebra.

 

Stick a fork in me.  I'm done.

 

Except - I can't be, not yet.

 

Where did I put those bootstraps?

 

I could have posted these exact words!

 

Including, the algebra struggles.  He doesn't read the instructions, and then yells because he does not understand the steps!  Well Duh! 

 

It always helps to know I am not alone in this daily grind.

[HS Mom in NC]

 I'm trying to imagine what I would prioritize as not necessary because, to me, it's all necessary, which is why I originally scheduled it. I realize that this may not be a realistic way to assess things. ;)

 

 

 

Not only is it not realistic, it's potentially destructive in some situations.  It's like being a hoarder.  Hoarders keep everything because they can't discern the difference between actual needs and wants. Needs have a higher value than wants. They see everything as equally valuable. Obviously you're not at that stage, but hoarders and even some detail oriented people have a very hard time zooming out to the big picture so they get bogged down in every little detail and they value details so much that they can't prioritize them.

 

Box checkers can have the same problem.  They're so focused on box checking that they don't always ask themselves if the thing listed next to the box is worth it.  All the checks in the boxes have equal value, so they seem unable to leave a box unchecked when the thing next to the box isn't very valuable. That's compulsive and it can become oppressive in some situations.

 

If you're having these problems to a significant degree and you're not fixing them in your head then homeschooling and life aren't going to change for the better. You need to be able to look through a curriculum and decide which assignments are the most important and drop the less important ones when circumstances call for it even if it makes your palms sweat, your chest get tight, your head spin and your stomach nauseated. You won't die.  Your children won't be condemned to a life of ignorance and poverty. You won't be bad PR for the homeschooling community.  You won't be a failure as a homeschooling mom. 

 

Curriculum is written for the masses.  The curriculum writers are appealing to as wide a range of people as possible.  If your child needs every single assignment in there as assigned to master the subject, then by all means do it according to the curriculum in a way that maintains a balanced life.   If your child needs less than every assignment in the curriculum to master the subject then drop what's unnecessary and move on in a way that maintains a balanced life. 

 

The people who equate (consciously or unconsciously) volume with rigor are dead wrong.  Sadly, they're the norm.  You can be rigorous (high standards and high quality content taught thoroughly) without so much volume that your family is oppressed. 

 

Before you decide to ditch housework entirely for a month,  ask yourself if you have people in your household who do well in a messy or dirty environment.  Of the 5 in my household, 3 are very negatively  affected by messy and dirty, 1 is slightly bothered by it and 1 doesn't care much at all.  Even household chores have to be prioritized and the lesser stuff let go when circumstances call for it, but not everyone is liberated not keeping up with the house at all for weeks at a time. If everyone is OK with letting all of that go, then seriously consider it and plan in the time required to catch up later if not, then bathrooms, kitchen and a communal room should be priorities.

[JessReplanted]

No suggestions here, but I'm ready to be done too. :svengo:

[Haiku]

You won't die.  Your children won't be condemned to a life of ignorance and poverty. You won't be bad PR for the homeschooling community.  You won't be a failure as a homeschooling mom. 

 

*La la la, I can't hear you!*  

 

:lol:

 

No, seriously, there is a lot of wisdom in your post. Things are not quite as dire as perhaps they have come across. For example, a few months ago, I went through dd's writing schedule, which was already a pick-and-chose of the available lessons, and pared it down even more. Of the last quarter of the book, I had only assigned about half the work, and then I cut it down to about 2/3 of that.

 

I don't feel the need to check all the boxes of all the curricula. I just feel the need to check the boxes of the plan I made for using the curricula, because last February (like, a year ago), when I went through all the curricula and made the schedules, I only scheduled (what is to me) the best of the best.

 

I don't think I'm obsessive or compulsive. Maybe I am. But maybe I'm not. But then again ... I'll have to think about it.  :D

 

I don't plan to ditch the housework. The kids don't care, but dh and I like it to be reasonably tidy. We're not living in squalor or anything. Its more like I wish I had time to vacuum every day, but in reality I do it every three days. The laundry (which does get washed and folded regularly) tends to live in the laundry baskets and not the drawers. The dining room table is less a dining table and more a catch-all. The state of the house is not horrendous. Just not quite as neat as I'd like.

 

I talked to dd about ditching the last 1/3 of The Argument Builder. She said no, she likes what it is teaching just not how it's teaching it, but since she's so far in she wants to finish. We decided to do it all one day a week. She decided to do quit taking Cornell notes on her history reading and just do the reading. We may or may not do the last chapter of her algebra book. It's covered again near the beginning of her algebra II book. We're probably going to quit the writing book and just focus on curricular writing. I told her about The Latin-Centered Curriculum and asked what she thought of that. Her exact words: "You could probably become very educated with that. It probably covers everything you need." I asked whether she'd like to try it: "Nope. I have too many other things I want to study in high school."

 

I went over several possible schedule changes with my kids yesterday. I proposed having longer shifts of school but taking longer breaks. I proposed a traditional school year. I proposed shorter periods of school with even more frequent breaks (SWB suggests three weeks on, one week off year-round). I proposed becoming homeschool dropouts and just sitting on our butts from now until they turn 18. In the end they decided to keep things as they are now (four on, one off). They said they like it that way. I asked them whether they are feeling burned out. DS the comedian said, "I'd be happier if we never did school and I could just text my friends all day." DD said, "I'm tired of some things, but overall I'm fine with what we're doing." So I guess it's just me who's feeling antsy.

 

Today we quit school at lunch time and I dropped the kids off to play with their friends. Then I ran seven errands to get ready for our trip on Wednesday, and now I feel more on top of things. The washer died this morning, but I'm not going to worry about that until after we get back from our trip. The kids can wash their clothes at my dad's.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments and sympathy and empathy! I do feel better, and I do realize that I can loosen up somewhat on what we're doing and it won't be the end of the world as we know it.

 

The people who equate (consciously or unconsciously) volume with rigor are dead wrong.  

 

This is my favorite. 

Edited March 28, 2016 by TaraTheLiberator

[Sahamamama]

Box checkers can have the same problem.  They're so focused on box checking that they don't always ask themselves if the thing listed next to the box is worth it.  All the checks in the boxes have equal value, so they seem unable to leave a box unchecked when the thing next to the box isn't very valuable. That's compulsive and it can become oppressive in some situations.

 

If you're having these problems to a significant degree and you're not fixing them in your head then homeschooling and life aren't going to change for the better. You need to be able to look through a curriculum and decide which assignments are the most important and drop the less important ones when circumstances call for it even if it makes your palms sweat, your chest get tight, your head spin and your stomach nauseated. You won't die.  Your children won't be condemned to a life of ignorance and poverty. You won't be bad PR for the homeschooling community.  You won't be a failure as a homeschooling mom.

 

:iagree: My name is Sahamamama, and I am a box-checker. I have been a box-checker all my life. It's been six minutes since I last checked a box. :lol: But I agree with HMAZ's assessment, and I have learned over the years to get out that BIG RED PEN. You have to put your health, your home, your people, and your long-term stamina ahead of the plan, the boxes, the curriculum.

 

I don't feel the need to check all the boxes of all the curricula. I just feel the need to check the boxes of the plan I made for using the curricula, because last February (like, a year ago), when I went through all the curricula and made the schedules, I only scheduled (what is to me) the best of the best.

 

Yeah, this is me. I don't have to check all the boxes of the curriculum, but MY plan and MY choices are so near-and-dear to me, and putting that plan together all those months ago was like GIVING BIRTH, so how can we not do every assignment that I assigned to us? :laugh:

 

Well, I'll tell you how. I have learned that I plan too much. I seriously always plan too much, and now I know this about myself. I even told the girls at the beginning of this school year, "Obviously, we're not going to finish it all, but let's just dig in and do what we do at a reasonable pace, and if we get to two-thirds of the whole, but finish all the math, that will be a good, solid year." We are nearly there, and I can tell you, that the two-thirds target was just perfect. We'll roll the other third into next year, add the next level of math, add other things, and call it a new school year plan.

 

I blame my mother. When we were kids, and she was having, say, four people for a meal, she would cook enough for 85. She would cook and clean for days, to have four people over for a few hours, so from her I learned the Art of Overkill. ;)

[Reefgazer]

Can you cut school down to 1/2 day just for the rest of this year - English, math, foreign language?

 

Edited March 28, 2016 by reefgazer

[JadeOrchidSong]

My son is using WriteShop. We cannot stop that; we just started a few months ago, and as he has dyslexia and some processing issues, writing is something where we need to keep going steadily. Neither of us has an issue with WriteShop. He likes to grumble about it, but both of us are pleased to see his writing improving.

 

My daughter is using Writing in English by William Henry Maxwell. It's an excellent book. It just feels like we have been using that and School Composition (its precursor) forever and are ready to move on. But I like to finish things. :closedeyes: We probably don't need to, because she does a ton of writing for pleasure and writes for some of her other subjects and is getting ready to begin her year-ending research paper for history. I think we have about 20 lessons of Writing in English left. I could probably drop it for the rest of the year. Just thinking about that makes my palms sweat. :crying:

Since you are the one that inspired me to try School Composition and Writing in English, I wonder what you can say about these two vintage books now. I asked me ds11 to look at School Composition a year ago. He was not interested. However, I still would like to try it on him. He has done IEW Student Writing Intensive A and is now finishing up IEW Continuation Course Level B. He has been writing one 5-paragraph essay every two weeks. However, I really want him to write solid paragraphs and be able to make transitions from paragraph to paragraph well. He will be a 6th grader. So do you think he should use Writing in English or School Composition? How long does each take? Thanks!

[Haiku]

Based on what you say, I think WIE would be a better fit for him. SC focuses on constructing good paragraphs; WIE focuses on the polish and style of those paragraphs (and essays). I think it does an excellent job of that. I still love the books; my readiness to be done says nothing about their quality.

[Haiku]

Oh, and as far as how long they take: each could easily be accomplished in one school year. We have taken closer to 1.5 years per book, but that is because we only work on it 2-3 days a week. We use Igniting Your Writing on Fridays for a fun diversion that we all do together.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Thank you, Tara!

I will try to convince him to use it. He is very picky. I tried WWS 1 with him for a week and he gave up. His older brother did WWS1 very well. I really hope to use WIE.