Fiendish Friday: the ideal

I tried to explain it to my husband, and he gets it just enough to nod and say wow. But I think this is probably true for anyone who home schools their kids. When I first decided to pull my son from public school and I this whole IDEA in my head about what home schooling would look like. It never happens that way. Ever. It’s the impossible ideal. Except every once in a while, usually when I am at my most frustrated, it happens. So here is my real life example of the ideal day of home school. The normal is in parenthesis.

Wake up, kiddo is playing mine craft. Big hug. Drink a cup of coffee.  (Kiddo complains he is bored and wants to be entertained, wants waffles, a play date and new legos before I even get a cup down from the cupboard.)

We do our work book work. It goes brilliantly. No arguing, no complaining, no tears. (Arguing, complaining, tears.)

We do yoga together. (He interrupts yoga 19 times despite me checking that he has everything he needs before I start.)

Kiddo does his vision therapy.

Kiddo takes a shower while I write grocery list and clean out pantry.

I shower.

We meet up with friends at a local library to see the Washington State Old Time Fiddlers group perform. We sing carols. Kiddo cheerfully eats one of the snacks I have in my bag. (It’s never the right snack.)

We get books. He lets me pick several for him. (If it’s not Lego then no way.)

We go grocery shopping. Kiddo is helpful. Pushes cart. (runs into my ankle 3 times before I take the cart away, complains the whole time.)

He helps put the groceries away. (demands he needs food now before he perishes.)

We eat a nice meal and he eats the vegetables. (Do I even need to tell you how this normally goes?)

We lay down together and read a book I picked out, Frindle. This leads to an amazing talk about changing the world and how you can change the world you live in to make it a better place even if you can’t start a scholarship fund. (!!!!!!)

We put together a puzzle, happily. (Kiddo gets frustrated and spews but he wanted to do that part. this is stupid, he’s done.)

We clean two bathrooms, he actually cleans. (??!!??)

We fold laundry, he actually folds and puts it away. (ok this happens normally but usually with a lot of stomping and complaining which was absent today.)

We sit down to watch Worst Cooks and he cuddles nicely. (wiggle, wiggle, head butt mom, complain the dog is squishing him.)

I make dinner and he eats it and says it was yummy mom, thanks. (this is gross, I don’t like this, can I have a quesadilla?)

Tomorrow will be twice as bad to make up for it. LOL. But at least I have this day to remember.