I Can't Stop Reading!

It was 10:41pm. I walked into my living room to find my two oldest children huddled under the lamp in the corner. "Guys, what are you doing up," I wondered. T looked up from Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire just long enough to exclaim, "I can't stop reading!" K, hunched over Dragon Rider, didn't even acknowledge my presence.

I remember the first time I read a book I simply could not put down. The book was White Fang; and, I was twelve. I stayed up all night reading. It was a school night & I had to use a flashlight under the covers until I was sure my daddy was sound asleep. I don't think the kids will be able to fight off the sandman all night; but, it sure looks like they're going to try. I don't have the heart to chase them to bed, not when I remember what it was like to find a truly great book that one simply can't put down. It'll be o.k. to just let them keep reading. I figure they'll crash out by midnight, anyhow.

No Shooting Rockets in the House

The following conversation occurred yesterday afternoon.

Him: Should I do it in the kitchen or bathroom?
Me: Do what?
Him: Test my cold power rocket.
Me: Huh? (Realizing he just said something about firing up a rocket in my house.) What?!
Him: I need to hook my rocket to the CBL force probe & test it. Where should I test it, the kitchen or the bathroom?
Me: (Envisioning a giant hole in my ceiling.) Neither! Have you lost your mind? You will blow a hole in the ceiling & probably kill someone in the process!
Him: It'll be mounted. It won't hit the ceiling unless it breaks lose or (laughs nervously) I forget to secure it or something. I think the kids 'll get a kick out of it.
(I study his face carefully. No sign that he's joking. Yes, he's seriously considering firing off a model rocket in my house!)
Me: You have definitely lost your mind. (Talking fast. Worried that he may already have a contraption set up & ready to go.) Why can't you do it outside? You're not shooting off a rocket in my house. Have you forgotten the kind of luck we have? If you try that you're guaranteed to put a hole in the roof.
Him: It's too cold to do it outside. It has to be above 50 degrees. Don't worry; it'll be o.k. (Famous last words.)
Me: No. If it's too cold then wait til it's warmer. How come it has to be 50 degrees?
Him: (Says something I don't hear because I'm thinking up things to say to convince him not to do it.)
Me: Think real hard about the messes we always get into. You will put a hole in the roof and your rocket will end up somewhere down in the woods stuck in a tree. (The look on his face confirms he's seriously considering it.)
Him: Nah, it won't end up in the woods. (Yes, I noticed he didn't deny the likelihood of a hole in my roof.)
Me: If you make a hole in the ceiling then I get that skylight I wanted. (Lame attempt at humor meant to distract him long enough for me to come up with a plan to stop him.)
Him: So, which would be better; the kitchen or the bathroom? I think the kitchen. There's more room in the kitchen. (Oh God! Not my kitchen.)
Me: (Sputtering.) No shooting rockets off in the house! NO!
Him: You're no fun. (Getting up to leave the room.) I have to go build a stand so I can test my rocket.

For the record, that was my husband I was talking to.

Lame Excuses

I've heard/read alot of homeschoolers wondering why so many parents complain fiercely about public schools then turn around and say they couldn't homeschool because: 1) their kids would drive them crazy, 2) they don't believe they could teach, 3) they couldn't make the commitment, 4) blah, blah, blah. To a homeschooler who has tasted the freedom homeschooling permits and the closeness that develops within families those type of responses seem ridiculous. However, the possibility that those parents are being truthful should be considered.

Perhaps, just maybe, those parents really don't believe in themselves. Maybe they scraped by in public school barely pulling a C average or worse and resultantly have no confidence in their ability to teach their children. Maybe their children would be better served by a public school teacher. Another possibility to consider is the person one is talking to could be one of those people who expertly criticizes everyone they meet yet seems unwilling or unable to do the job themselves. In other words, they're "just b*tching."

Furthermore, it is entirely possible that they actually would feel as if their children are driving them nuts. Maybe, they mean it when those mothers say they would go crazy if they had to stay with their kids all day. Maybe they really don't like who their children are. I can think of several people I simply don't like. After all, they were somebody's children for the first 18 years of their lives. In fact, I know some kids who aren't all that nice. Perhaps, those parents are raising children who aren't nice people. I'm not saying those parents don't love their children; but, they just might be being truthful, perhaps regretfully so, when they say their kids would drive them crazy. I know parents that don't speak to their children. How could they homeschool their kids when they don't even talk to each other? We don't know what goes on in their homes. Maybe their kids are better off getting out of the house five days a week. Maybe the parents are better off as well.

Sure, it's aggravating when someone comes at you with "I don't see how you do it. I couldn't. Blah, blah, blah." It always sounds like some selfish, lame excuse no matter who, friend or stranger, is saying it. Looking back, to those of us who climbed over the proverbial schoolyard fence homeschooling seems like such an easy thing to do; and, I haven't regretted it even on a bad day. But, I remember having those same thoughts as I, somewhat in desperation, mailed off my Letter of Intent. Could I do it? What if they drove me up the wall? It's such a big commitment. What am I giving up to do this? Can I really teach them? They seem like such silly, lame questions two years later. Never-the-less, back then they were burning issues I spent sleepless nights pondering. If I had crossed paths with a homeschooler back then I would have raised those same annoyingly lame questions. They weren't complaints but legitimate issues of utmost importance to me at the time. A little reassurance would have done me much good. The next time one is confronted with lame questions/excuses perhaps it would be best to remember the questioning parent is either telling the truth or may be trying to work through self doubts before committing to homeschooling. Either person deserves a little compassion.

Breakfast with Grandpa

The World's Greatest Grandpa took K, T & me out to breakfast at Golden Corral this morning. I like having breakfast with my father-in-law. He tells great stories and is so funny - one of those people that you can talk to for hours & not get tired of him. He's the kind of person that would tell my kids that it was o.k. to eat ice cream for breakfast, with a side of cookies, and then tell me, their mother, that there was nothing wrong with it. Yes, the kids are certain that he's the best grandpa in the world. The kids were tickled pink to be going out to breakfast with him. They hopped out of bed & got moving this morning. Their manners were excellent. They were so incredibly polite. I was so proud of them. After he dropped us off & left, I asked the kids how come they always behave so good when they're out with him & not always so good with E & me. K replied, "well mom, we like Grandpa."

Adventures in Potty Training

E & I decided it was time to start potty training full force. Surely, any kid that can learn to decode 3 & 4 letter words can certainly figure out how to use the potty. So, we did what we did with the first two kids; we bribed him with M&M's. We started this past Friday & it was working pretty good. Lo & behold, it took him less than 24 hours to figure out how to beat the system. Yesterday evening, he went to the potty & got an M&M. Then he turned around, went right back to the potty, and came asking for another M&M. E checked behind him & there was a small amount in the potty, so we gave him an M&M. He immediately made another trip to the potty, left behind a little bit more and came back to me, holding himself like kids do when they really gotta go, wanting another M&M. He was in some rush to get that M&M and run back to the bathroom. We about fell in the floor laughing when we realized what he was up to. His grandpa calls him "a tiger on wheels." Yep, that about describes him.

Homeschooling With the Flu

It's late. I'm awake because I've slept all day. It turns out that the terrible "cold" we've all got is actually the flu. I feel like crap. E took care of us today. They closed the schools anticipating the "snowstorm" we were supposed to get. It turned out to be about 5 minutes of snow, 5 minutes of sleet, and mostly rain. What a disappointment! Anyway, I was glad he was home. I wasn't sure how I was going to survive another day with a house full of sick kids and myself in the same shape. I really needed the rest.

We've spent the week watching educational programming that had been clogging the DVR. There was no way I was going to sit through hours of mind numbing cartoons. So, the kids learned: that Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War and was shot by John Wilkes Booth; the elements of a short story; Gregor Mendel was a monk who bred pea plants; and a whole bunch of other stuff too numerous to list. It wasn't what I had planned for the week; but, it worked.