I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone

There is nothing better than waking up to a sun-filled room, especially if you haven't seen the sun in a very long time.  It fills me with optimism and energy!  What seemed impossible yesterday has suddenly become exciting to me, and I am ready for the challenge.

Back story . . .

Yesterday was gross.  The wind and rain dampened our spirits here at Shenanigans Inc., and we spent the day roaring our terrible roars and gnashing our terrible teeth.  It was miserable!  No one had anything nice to say to one another, and I spent the entire day breaking up fights, sending children to their room, and threatening to ship them off to the highest bidder on eBay.  Yes, I think it is fair to say that this was definitely not my best parenting day!  

Amidst all this fury, I began to panic.  How am I ever going to home school this bunch of ruffians? 

He is so adorable even when he driving me crazy!

 

All I could envision was the tantrums, the fighting, the refusals to cooperate, and the threats I would have to make to keep them in line.  In exasperation, I confided to Mr. Level-Headed that this will never work!  In typical Mr. Level-Headed fashion, he laughed it off and told me I was cute.  This usually works to turn my mood around because I am slightly vain and, once he alludes to my overwhelming cuteness, I can not help but smile and agree, but this was not going to work today.  No!  Did he not understand the pain and anguish I had put myself through the entire day?  Did he not understand the severity of the mistake I was about to make?  Did he not realize just how many of my past attempts to incorporate a summer enrichment program for the kids had failed?  Ugh!  So, after supper, I headed out to my garden, where I am not mocked and where the silence of my surroundings brings some much-needed tranquility to my tormented soul.  To my astonishment, my garden was heavy laden with an abundant crop.  It was amazing!

Harvesting this bounteous crop calmed my fears and helped me to think clearly.  Sure, I had attempted gardening in the past only to fail miserably, but not this time.  This time I was committed.  This time I planned, prepared, and worked hard.  This time I succeeded just like I am going to succeed with home school. 

With a resurgence of confidence, I headed to the basement and began to put our school together.  Although the curriculum has not come in yet, I poured through my boxes of teaching supplies as well as some other teaching tools, like math manipulatives, I had collected earlier on for my doomed enrichment programs, and was able to come up with this:

Not a bad start!
Sorry about the sun's glare, but this is how I envision it will look
each morning we start class. 

Math and reading manipulatives.  Plus two bins for the boys
to keep their books in. 

Setting up my basement classroom was so reminiscent of past Augusts, when I would go in to the school and set up for the new school year,except this time I did not have that aching pain in the pit of my stomach.  I was not worried about how my family would manage without me and how another intense school year with a distracted mom would affect them because this time around, we would be together in our own home.  It felt so right!  I am getting back to what I love to do, and I am getting to share it with my boys.  When Mr. Level-Headed came down to see my progress, I hugged him and told him this is going to be the best year ever! And, as usual, he laughed and told me I was cute.  Except this time, I had to agree!

tee hee!

Oh, and did you hear the awesome news?  I won a customized necklace and earring set from the amazing Darling Dilemma!   You can read all about my fantabulous prize here.  I am so excited!!!