First Day of School........will they remember?

Every year, we start school. There is always a first day. This Monday, we begin our tenth year of homeschooling and, as always, I wonder if the boys will remember what to do. We have been practicing a bit the last few weeks to get them ready. Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and start school. Will this be the year they "get" it? I can only pray. Every morning we go through the same routine....and every morning they wake up as if they have no clue what to do.

This summer we have been talking to other homeschoolers who say their girls do their work all on their own. They read their books and do their work. I admit, I am jealous. ~smile~ I can't imagine what it would be like to have boys who did their work on their own! I have to sit in the room after we've gone over the lesson to be sure they keep working. Oh My! Put on a load of laundry? That few minutes and the classroom situation goes down hill. Spit balls fly and touching begins. I hear the cries, "He looked at me! He's looking at my work!" I say, "You are in different grade levels and classes, so it doesn't matter if he looks at your work! Stop touching your brother!"

Non-homeschoolers usually wonder what we homeschooling moms do, sometimes surprised that our houses are not perfectly clean. One would assume since we are home, the house would be in perfect shape. Oh! That couldn't be further from the truth! While it is clean, it is far from perfect because I have to be on top of the kids all day long. Any noise I make is a distraction.....so no vacuuming, no TV or radio...... and listening to my iPod? Oh, pul-lease...... I get a question at least twice a minute, so that doesn't work. Now you know why I never know what is going on in the news! (I am always the last to know) Summer is a wonderful season and my house is ALWAYS neater than during the school year.

I can usually be found sitting in the classroom during school hours. Sometimes bored as I stare at the boys while they work. At least I can check email! A quiet task that doesn't distract the kids. A friend of mine tells me she sits at the kitchen table with her kids all day long--if she leaves, they fight. It makes me feel good to know that I am not alone! If you have the same issues, you are not alone! If you have boys and they do their work on their own, please tell me how you do it! I'd love to know!