Transitions and Fairy Houses

Man, it's hard to get kids to listen. Our kids have been out of sorts for a few weeks, and so have been really difficult behaviorally.  I'm noticing that I have to tell them multiple times to do things, they are fighting more, and just being outright defiant a lot of the time.

In all, it can be exhausting, and some days I feel like I'm getting nowhere with them. I analyze myself, our schedule, the weather... anything that I think I may be able to change to get different results with them. Some things work, some things don't, and there I am back at the beginning. Just hoping and praying that I'm doing all I can do to help them grow and learn. Perfection is not what I expect, just progress. And sometimes, just the status quo.

It's the end of the school year this week, and that will help a lot, I think.  The kids are tired of school, and let's face it, so am I. There are some things I'm looking forward to happening this summer, and frankly, I'd like to get to it. Then, my wife has had some changes with her job this week that will affect her schedule (and by extension, ours).  It's kind of a transition time, and I'm just hoping to get through the week fairly unscathed.

Meanwhile, the end of the school year also brings some different feelings... I don't know about you other homeschool parents, but I feel a lot of pressure to make sure the kids learned everything they should this year. I mean, it's all on me, I feel. And what happens if they go to regular school and they don't know something they should? My wife tells me that we have covered everything we should have (she does the curriculum research), but I'm sort of like my second-born, the skeptic. I tend to imagine the worst most of the time.

But... life isn't just bad and struggling. For example, last night, the girls designed fairy houses outside, played in the sprinkler, and for the most part, got along really well and had a blast. Here are some moments:

Ahh, summer.  It's coming, and it's almost here!  We live in the North, so I know this may seem a little late to my Southern friends, but that's just how it goes.  We're all itching to be free of school year constraints and embrace watermelon and visits to the lake and sparklers.