Re-evaluating

Well, I have been re-evaluating, prioritizing, redoing our schedule--again! We are still not quite clicking this school year. I'm not sure that it's possible to make Carys click! Actually, Gerren is doing the best, getting his work done in a reasonable amount of time. We've deleted a couple of things from Chase's schedule and swapped her writing program. She still gets bogged down in math, even though I've started taking it at a much slower pace. She also has trouble keeping on task without a taskmaster (that would be me). Landon is never getting done at the scheduled time (3:30), but I'm trying to convince myself that he shouldn't be done by then since he's doing junior-level high school work. It's tough, though, especially when he wants me after 3:00. I'm whipped by then after getting up at 5:45. We're trying another new schedule next week, the fourth since we started in August. I moved all the stuff that requires me or that requires being at home (computer, piano, etc.) up as far as possible in the day. That way, if we have somewhere to go in the afternoon, the kids can take unfinished work (mostly reading) with them.

There are so many things in our schedule that I can't seem to do anything about right now (like the 2-hour round trip drive to church) or Civil Air Patrol on Monday nights.

One of the things I'm trying to streamline and simplify is scrapbooking/journaling. I have wrestled with the idea of digital scrapbooking, wondering if it would save time. I've been resistant mostly because I like the 3-D aspect of my real scrapbooks, and because I have invested too much in scrapbooking materials over the years. I'm also thinking there will be a huge learning curve in the beginning, and I certainly don't have extra time to devote to that. I wish someone would just tell me what to do, and then help me do it! LOL!

As for the journaling, I have tried over the years to keep "journals" for the kids. Now, I am NOT a prolific writer of profound material. I have just tried to keep a record of vacations, memorable events, gifts received, etc. for each child. I'm really pretty bad about actually doing it, and I usually only write 4-6 times a year in each book. I have considered stopping those journals and using this blog as the record book, instead. However, I want to have an actual physical book for them. I really like the idea of something to hold in your hand more than something to read on the computer. I have looked briefly at blurb.com which allows you to make your blog into a book. Landon used this program to make a book of the poems he wrote in school last year. It turned out really nice. I just haven't had the time to research it thoroughly, though.

That is part of my re-evaluating problem. I have several books on homeschooling, too (Homeschool Odyssey-which is supposed to tell you how to homeschool in an hour a day, Fundamentals of Homeschooling--which is supposed to help you homeschool through play, etc.), but I don't have the time to actually read these books to find out how to have more time in my day to read! LOL!

I am feeling slightly more positive today than I have in the past, at least. Stay tuned for further updates in the saga of the overloaded homeschool mom!