Busy Days

The school year has begun, even for homeschoolers, and we're off to the races. I set up a schedule for the little ones for academics and we're doing a good job of sticking with it so far. The Eldest is taking her college courses so I consider myself pretty much done as far as directly teaching her goes. I'm still driving her around quite a bit which takes huge chunks of time out of my days, however. I'm leading/advising two Girl Scout troops, one for The Eldest and one for The Middle Child. I've helped at two Girl Scout round ups (recruitment drives) this week, too. The round ups are a tradition; I think I've helped at almost every round up since The Eldest joined Girl Scouts, oh, 12 years or so ago. I enjoy helping at round ups, seeing all of the new girls and their parents, telling them about the fun we have in Girl Scouts, and working with other troop leaders, but I sure could have skipped it this time since I've been sick. Blech.

It's like I have this half cold that's sticking around twice as long as a regular cold. It's not as miserable as a full blown cold but I still feel lousy. Lots of sneezing, coughing, and fibro-like fatigue. I'd think it was allergies but it's contagious; The Youngest, aka The Wild Child, got it too but recovered more quickly. Now DH seems to have it; ha! He didn't think I was really sick and didn't understand how freakin' miserable I was, but NOW he gets it.

But life goes on, cold or no cold. Our summer routine is no more and we are adjusting to our new schedule. The little ones are surprising me with how they are handling their academics! I fully expected The Middle Child to sail through her work every day but she's been resistant, at least for the first few days. The Wild Child was super cooperative at first, which blew my mind, but he started fighting me again the last few days. He has a tendency to be lazy about things other people want him to do so I am trying to improve his work ethic. He is praised not for his smarts (he's very bright) but for working hard. I talk to him all the time about how our family is a team and he needs to do his part. Sometimes I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall, but then I'll see some progress, some glimmer of improvement in his behavior, and that gives me hope! I guess that's something that holds true for all parents- we hang on for those little glimmers of proof that we're doing our jobs well.