School Is Almost Out - Just Wait Until Next Year

We've almost made it through the school year. There are three graduations coming up, as Taz leaves 8th grade and middle school behind to start high school. Boo graduates from kindergarten, and JJ has preschool grad day this Thursday.

I'm pretty burnt out with the end-of-year activities, not to mention the three plus hours of driving I did every weekday for the entire year. The getting to and from school is so time consuming, I have to ask myself, "Is it worth it?"

I think there is a better way for us to manage our lives. Therefore, I am making a huge change. I am going to home school the two youngest next year. We will do this through a program with one of the public schools, and the kids will still go to school for a couple of classes a week. The curriculum is provided and goes along with state requirements, and the kids take all of the state tests, and do other tests to make sure we can assess their grade level. We will go to at least one field trip a month. Every two weeks we meet with our teacher and turn in all of our logs and assignments.

I am excited and nervous about homeschooling. I am excited about being in control of the schedule. I'm ecstatic about not driving as much. Also, I like that I can focus on my children's learning in a way that school can't. For example, I know that Boo is advanced in reading and math, yet behind in writing, so I can adjust to strengths and weaknesses. Also, if I want to add typing, Spanish, music, or tennis to the agenda, I can.

My areas of concern are around scheduling. When will I have time to clean, do laundry, and make dinner? Will I ever have a moment to myself again? Will I be able to keep the kids focused? Will my husband interrupt, and want us to run errands? Will I try to take on too much?

To get through my anxieties about it, here is my new long mantra. Keep it simple. Throw away clutter. Get the teen to babysit once in a while. Turn off the phone during school hours. Make learning fun.