Spring Fever

Spring is planning time for the next year, homeschool conventions are looming (where I can purchase what we need and save the shipping) and last year I left it too late and spent way too many summer days working school stuff. I'm on a mission this year to get it all done *before* the sun makes its brief appearance.

This time a much more philosophical review as to why we are "home learners" (as the gov't calls us) than the desperate lists I make during the hard middle months of the year to motivate myself. This my chance to create the perfect year!  How tantalizing is that?! I can completely re-think every subject for every kid. This is my opportunity to re-make our daily existence bound by... only what I can imagine.

So here I sit surrounded by catalogues, blogs, forums, dozens of notes scratched on dozens of scrappy pieces of paper (inspiration strikes at the oddest times - have to make do with the writing materials at hand), reading, praying, trying to catch a glimpse of the perfect life before I have to commit my school budget to my decisions later this week.

It's fun mostly, although the pressure of it all gets to me a bit. It's important to me to really spend the time to think through what is best for each child, what is economical, what will actually get done (I'm getting more realistic as the years go by!), what we can all do together, what is better for someone else to teach.  Of course I can only make my best educated guess at some of these and inevitably I'm going to choose a few bombs (also a step toward realism for me!) but looking back I can see some really wonderful things that have come about due to my attention in this area so I'm encouraged! One thing I enjoy the most about this is really getting to know my children as I spend this time with each one in mind. What a total blessing to be able to do this.

So, this is spring fever in my world. By next week it will largely be over and I'll spend the remaining rainy days till summer planning out the year with the materials I've decided on and start moving on to things like my yard, painting some rooms, organizing stuff, some exercise - which will no doubt make me long for days of looking at glossy catalogues filled with science kits and new books and the promise of perfection :)