Since we last talked, in pictures

Hi all.  Homeschooling chugs along and while it still isn't easy, we have settled into a bit of a routine and things feel less chaotic than they did in our first week.  Or maybe I'm just used to the chaos now.  Lol.

There are homeschooling days that are great.  But some (many?) days bring back some old familiar feelings from our homeschool days past.  On those days I feel like I'm at the water pump in the bottom of an early 19th century British ship (can you tell that M and I introduced the girls to Master and Commander lately?)... and the water is rushing in, and I'm endlessly churning the pump, and nobody else in my little family notices that the water is rushing in.  But I can't leave the pump even for a moment to tell them or ask for help, and I'm frantically and desperately shouting orders at them while all the time turning the pump with all my strength, because if I stop for even a second, the ship will sink.

Sounds exhausting, right?  And it's a recipe for guilt.  And questioning one's decisions, and questioning one's parenting ability.

But then I take a moment to look back on the pictures on my phone, and realize that we have had SO many happy, beautiful moments... and a lot of really amazing learning has actually taken place.

Even after the longest of days with many snap-ish and Mom-Ogre moments, I hear stories from M about how things are going in schools right now, and I'm pretty sure we made the right decision.  I hear stories from friends whose children are struggling with being in front of a computer screen nearly six hours a day, or distracted by fans that have to be run and windows that have to be open constantly because the school's HVAC system is not up to standard for the airflow necessary to keep COVID germs away.  I am grateful for the learning my girls are doing with a minimum of stress, in the safe place that is our home.  I'm so thankful that I have the freedom to do this for them right now, however flawed my efforts may be.

I have to cherish the beautiful moments, and remember the giggles, and forget the things I wish I could do better.  This is a reminder to myself as much as an update for you.  :)

I hope that you are surviving this I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it year, and finding things to cherish, as I am.  Peace be with us all!