On a Roll

We officially started our third year with OHVA (Ohio Virtual Academy) this Monday (8/26), and I was dreading the worst. It's difficult taking your kids from a brick and mortar school and trying to "re-train" their brains to think outside the social norm box. This year, however, was a great start despite the fact that I was sleep deprived from a teething baby, a toddler with  night terrors and another toddler who thinks my bed is HIS whole bed. Needless to say, our days started off slow and later then I had scheduled. We have breakfast by lunch time, dress afterwards but one of those days I pulled the "Walmart look" and wore my pj's to the store for index cards but hey, at least I wore a bra.

I had such great plans to keep things going this year and to have very little days where we deviated from our schedule, and while it doesn't start out at the times I had wrote down, we still keep it as an outline for things that need to be done. I even made myself a chore list to keep me on target for things that need to be done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Things come up, and we know that, so we are using my schedules as more of an guide then an actual schedule. My kids need to keep that structure, but as a large family we have some chaotic days. I wish all my days were cupcakes and rainbows, but sometimes its more like burnt cupcakes and just rain.

The kids seem happy so far though with the e-schooling and chore sharing. The older kids alternate between rooms to keep things tidy, not spotless all the time, but at least controlled and that makes for a little less stress. My husband has even taken the time to help our youngest who is in kindergarten, with her study lessons. He offered today to help with all her lessons since they were short and it allows him time to get up and stretch is leg (which is recovering from surgery). She told him today that she loves school because its comfy. I just had to laugh, because its the pure and honest truth. We have so much freedom and so much more joy about learning now.

I have a feeling like if we keep up this pace for the rest of the year, that good can only come from it. I thought it was going to be such a challenge teaching three kids in three different grades, all that they needed to know, but so far so good. To celebrate a good smooth first week I have planned a surprise for Saturday. I am throwing my kids (and my husband too, since he helped) a party. I want them to feel the same accomplishment that I feel and to know that I want them to continue to do well and that their work has not gone un-noticed. I'm not expecting miracles, I know there will be bad days, but there will be more good then bad and that makes me happy.