Winter

Winter

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Cleaning The School Room


I have been putting this off for weeks. Today was the
day I decided to finally get to the school room. I had to haul
all of these books out of the closet. So it looked like this.


All of that came out of this little closet. This is just part
of it. I have lots more out in my shed.


Then I had to go through each box, looking for the books
I will be using this year. You would think as many times as
I have done this I would have a better solution but I don't.

This is how it looked when I got everything back in
the little closet. There is a reason I call it the Doom
Closet. The closet slopes to the back because it was wasted
space the builder used instead of walling it over. All of the upstairs
rooms have these little closets as you can see they can hold so much.

I wonder so often how come I quit sewing for 25 years. Today I ran across
my lesson plan book with one of my schedules in it from the school years of 1998-1999. I was teaching all of my children
at home. My students were two,
four, six, eight and eleven, sixteen. So what is that, baby, preschool, first grade, second grade,
sixth grade and my daughter must have been a sophomore in high school.

This is my daily schedule:
5:15-6:45 My quiet time.

5:45-6:45 Breakfast for Ron to prepare, fix lunch for him, start first load of laundry Mon-Fri.

6:45-8:00 Aerobics with Kessie, shower, breakfast for kids.

8:00 -9:00 Get house cleaned, beds made, kitchen cleaned. (That was the kids chores, yes, even the baby at two made his bed. )

9:00 to 12:00 Start Bible (we were doing Genesis that year) Work on Math with Em, Elliot,
Will and Ben. Kessie worked on her own. Language arts and handwriting.

Monday and Wednesday Read aloud break at 10:00 AM Literature, History and Geography

Tuesday Art, Poetry, Music

Thursday- Science

Friday- I took them to a art teacher my poor babies at that time took their naps in car seats.

12:00 - 1:00 lunch

2:00 - 3:00 break for Mom ( I called it Quiet Time.)

3:00- 4:00 We had to come out here because my son was showing a steer at the fair and he
had to work on it everyday. We were living in town.

4:00- 5:00 Dinner ( In those days I cooked 30 meals a month that I took out of the freezer.)

6:00 to 8:00 Dad read aloud, and baths for little ones and then bedtime.

We didn't have a T.V. but we did listen to radio dramas a bunch. My husband was a worship leader at our church and I had a woman's Bible study, meeting in our home every Wednesday night. Not to mention we
had a homeschooling meeting once a month at our house and a once a month science class co-op at our house too.

I am glad I ran across that because I look at that schedule and wonder how I ever did it. I wonder how my poor kids ever put up with me and turned out so nice. I must have been a terror to live with. I think I was so afraid of failing and having people tell me they knew I couldn't do it
that I tried to do it all.
My poor girls are getting the insulting remarks about too many kids like I did and I was one
of those nut jobs that thought she could teach her own kids at home, so I had that to
contend with so I think because of that I had to prove I could do it all. Now it isn't so
bad but when I started home schooling I did it behind drawn drapes and
lived that at any time CPS could knock on my door and take my kids away.

I am so glad it isn't like that anymore. I am also glad I am not that person anymore either.
I bet I was just no fun to be around.
It is nice to look back and see what I did and I am so glad that I am where I am right now.
It was a wonderful time of life and I am so thankful for the gift of serving my family the way I did, but I am having so much fun now. It is a good reminder to me, how hard young mothers work.
No wonder my hair is gray.

~Kim~






13 comments:

Kessie said...

Oh wow, I remember all that. Funny, it didn't seem that busy when we were actually doing it. I know we eventually caved and got a TV around that time period, too. It's funny how everything was rolled together, and I remember individual events, never that they overlapped. Like that day at our house that I found, where the year it snowed, I was keeping the chicken on the side of the house, and going to driver's ed. I don't remember all that stuff together.

Debbie said...

i hate schedules but they are necessary. i am loving this time in my life. i did my thing with the kids and i enjoed every second. but i am also lovin a lil more "me" time!!!

Meg said...

"yes, even the baby at two made his bed." I think the reason we're getting these stupid comments is because people haven't taught their kids chores so they think all kids are terrible. My kids make their beds in the morning too. ;)

Maryann said...

Aren't you glad you kept that schedule. I think it's kind of fun looking back and remembering.

Kim said...

Hello Wonder Woman! Wow, what a schedule. I can't imagine how you did it all. And I can't believe all those boxes it in that closet. :)

camp and cottage living said...

That was a lot of work! Teaching only one child must seem like a breeze now.
You really have good reason to be proud of your accomplishments and the benefits your children have reaped from it!

Patrice said...

I understand BUSY! When you sit and think about how much you do, it makes you tired. lol I think you have done an excellent job as a home school mom. Keep encouraging your girls. There are enough jerks out there that are "free ranging" their children with society raising them. Those people have to put down the larger families and the moms who work hard caring for their families because the couldn't stand looking at themselves- so they say bad things. I'm not cutting the folks who don't home school, just making a statement on the people who make discouraging comments. I know some super families who don't home school.

I wish I had a home school room. My dining room table has always been the school room! It keeps us together.
Have a good Wednesday, my friend!

Empty Nester said...

When I was homeschooling the two younger lovelies, I was busy all the time. No matter what moms do, the daily stuff still has to be taken care of. But I am like you and thankful that I was able to do all I did for the lovelies. I wouldn't change one minute of it!

I Love Pretty Little Things said...

Hello! Last year was the first year in Many that I didn't homeschool. Our youngest, who is a sophomore this year, went to school last fall. I thoroughly enjoyed our homeschool years, but am also thoroughly enjoying him going to school. :) But, those homeschool days are a treasure to me!
I am going to start "Friday Pretties" again in September, if you are interested.
Joyce

Pom Pom said...

Ha ha ha! A gray head is a crown of glory! I look back at old journals and shake my head, too. I wasn't even home schooling! I ask myself, "How did we pack all of that into one day?" See? Your kids are so nice because you delight in them. They have joy centers because of all that hard-working mama love! I bet it was fun looking at all those books again.

Debbie said...

WOW!! How busy you were is right....such a schedule. I occasionally do the same thing. Travel back in time and remember ALL that I did while working my 4 kids. How early my day would start....breafast, pack lunches, car pools, laundry, meal cooking, cleaning, more car pools, practices, games, orthodondists, piano lessons, scouts, church groups, homework, Bible study in my home, and part time job, and on and on it went for years and years....whew...however did I do it all? And when I think you had ALL of this PLUS the job of teaching those kids, WOW!! is all I can say!! haha...Yes, I definitely think that stage of motherhood is made for the young. I CAN'T believe all that went into that closet. When are you starting school? I can't believe summer is almost over....Have a good day! HUGS

Cathy Kennedy said...

I love the photo in your header! We started homeschooling in 1993. At my first daughters graduation, we heard stories of families teaching behind drawn curtains and living in fear government officials would come to the door. We felt privileged by those first families who started the revolution, which gave us the freedom to homeschool without fear. This fall, we begin our last leg of homeschooling. It doesn't seem possible and yet the reality is staring us in the face. My personal thanks to you for sticking with it against the odds!

Check it out…Wayback Wendesdays, Chats On A Farmhouse Porch, What I’m Loving Wednesday

Your friend,
Cathy Kennedy, Children's Author
The Tale of Ole Green Eyes

no spring chicken said...

This post is so inspirational Kim. First the organizing for the new school year, then the reflection on the 'busy' year. I think it's a good idea to look back at where we've been and how far we've come. It helps us to press on with more confidence.

Blessings, Debbie