in pursuit of wild things

I’m not even sure how to evaluate this homeschooling year. Not a clue. At first all I could think of were the stresses of the past year and how so much of “life” interfered with my plans. My husband pointedly reminded me of the many good events of the year. He is right, of course, and I found our role reversal in that moment kinda odd in an amusing way. Usually, he is the unapologetic realist to my ungrounded optimist.

We did not have any last day of school pictures this year nor any interviews to make cute graphics like last year. I had to drop Latin

and our project weeks but that does not trouble me. We did drop the CLE workbooks this year and will not return to “schoolish” methods in the near future. I plan to gather up all of my CLE curriculum and gift the lot to a friend who loves and thrives with the “schoolish method”.

The week before we began our academic year last July my husband went on a couple of job interviews. By the end of the next month he was living in an apartment across the state. Sometimes we stayed with him at the apartment and sometimes we had to meet with realtors, inspectors and movers in our former home. We moved into our new home in October…we’re still getting moved in.

Then I went through that weird antihistamine addiction…I could not keep up with my brain! All these thoughts just raced around in my head. I was full of nervous energy and it seemed like my brain was always awake. And then the hell sent itching when I went off the medication. I itched in places that I’m sure don’t even exist in the human body. Not only did I try to educate my kids under those conditions but I also hunted for and purchased a house. That was crazy. I’m starting to get nervous about the impending ragweed season…

We then took turns suffering though pneumonia…that sucked.

Winter was hard on me personally. I completely lost any sense of religion. I haven’t come out of this shadow yet. I do understand why I am “in this place” now but not sure how to proceed from here. I’m not sure how to fill this sense of loss that I have toward church and my fellow Christians. I do not feel a sense of the sacred like I used

to…churches have lost their holiness. And I think that is the center of my issue. Protestant churches are about the symbolism of Jesus…the sacred “real presence” of God is whitewashed. I just cannot comprehend the “symbolic communion”…why bother with the ritual at all if it is not real? I just feel utterly lost…

In May our daughter became ill. This illness robs her of energy and joy. I hate it. Soon we will have answers and maybe I will be able to help her cope with her health. For now our homeschooling revolves somewhat around how she is feeling. That will have to change but the change can wait until we have a diagnosis. Then I can develop a strategy…once I know the enemy.

Despite all these “life events” we actually had a great school year. The kids learned about moving and adapting to changes. They lost friends and made new friends. They learned about growing up…how to let go and how to explore new places. We learned about hormones and “where babies come from” this year. (I think that was when I started transitioning from wine to bourbon). Sparkles quit crying every time she had to do math. Sparkles started writing fanfiction and she has an audience that wants to read her stories. How cool is that?!? Middle Boy discovered he loves art. Oldest actually worked at a homeschool convention…he was my equal partner on a sales floor. We went on our first road trip together. That was awesome and a big deal for him! We all embraced the read-aloud/Brave Writer/modern Charlotte Mason/unschooling lifestyle together. And we are not looking back! My kids watched me struggle with my faith this year and health issues. They watched me lose friends and learn to set personal boundaries. We all agreed we hate co-ops together! Littlest got kicked out of his homeschool co-op class and I am proud of him for that! Littlest read a book!!!

Does anyone else have a kid kicked out of their homeschool co-op? I’d like to know…

We had a great year but most of the learning and growing that happened this year could not be evaluated by a standardized test…and I’m cool with that.

Tomorrow I leave for a retreat designed for the homeschooling mother. We’ll all be pulled out of our comfort zone a bit, enjoy some pampering and attend a few lectures. Next week I’ll share what we’ll be doing over the next school year.

Yeah, the new dishwasher arrived!!!

cutting desks

sledding fun

telegraph lab

Julius Ceasar the Lego inspecting the new road

fireplace

Oldest at the helm

Littlest raiding the book shelf

Sparkles

our yard is becoming a desert

crawling up tree

Sparkles at sewing class

The Gospel of John

sweetest ride

Sparkles and Daddy

Littlest with preschool teacher

Middle Boy. Sparkles and Littlest in the children’s choir

Sparkles made biscuits this week

Littlest was sleepy this week

monarch

Nile cookie mapping project

Biggest working on his map

Weight loss goal page foe 2015

our reading material for the next thirty five weeks or so…

Sister Gemma is in the front row on the left

movie making

Littlest and host taking a nap

cicadas are everywhere

Bardstown

Intermediate Medieval books and guide form Beautiful Feet Boks

my crew with their favorite books

Charlemagne paper and a peek at the guide

paddle fish

birthday party gang

from family room to kitchen

teaching yoga to Repunzel

Oldest and Littlest

five years

braided loaf

water balloon fight

Oldest and his map work

Happy the capybara

Oldest learning a ballad for medieval history

sewing nook

rain

Boots is jealous for Sparkles attention

limbo