Week 8: Flashes

Some days, regardless of the overwhelming turmoil of my life, I see flashes of what our new life can be - and is.

Today we didn't have school because the boys both had fevers last night, so I used it as a day to "catch up" as best I could. Not catching up with the overflowing laundry baskets (that seem to be in their breeding season these days), but catching up with my school planning. I took a long overdue solo lunch break at David's Natural Market with a Powerhouse sandwich (BEST sandwich EVER, I might add), and updated my week's lesson plan. I seem to be constantly tweaking it - and I think that might be the bumper sticker message of homeschooling. To homeschool is to tweak. Find a better subject curriculum. Move things around. Eliminate books/texts that aren't working for the boys. Find a writing method that works with their individual minds. Tweak, tweak, tweak! But I SO enjoy being able to do it. :) This wasn't today's flash, but this was the warm glow that replaces the anxiety panic that I've lived with lately (seems weekly these days) because my lesson plans were out of sync and not really working well and I hadn't had time to sit down with them and work on them. Nice lunch, nice time to breath and the unwinding happened...

My flash happened tonight. Not at Ben's first cello class, although that was nice. After I made it clear to the teacher that I am NOT that "competitive mom" type, we had a great class and I loved watching him relax and learn his first instrument. It also wasn't at the intro 4H meeting at the library afterwards, although the people were lovely and we got some good leads on specific 4H groups the boys will like. It was when we finally got home.

I had been running all day. When we finally got home after the 4H meeting, I was DONE. I wanted yoga pants, snacks and chilling out. But Ben was excited to show his new cello to Danny and George. Since Danny and Ben had a weekend apart (Danny at the Webelo-o-Ree and Ben with boring Mom at home :), they have really been enjoying each other. Not only have they disappeared twice today into the basement to play with Legos and trains, (which hasn't happened in forever), but tonight Danny got out his viola while Ben got out his cello and I sat and listened to my two boys play their viola and cello together. It wasn't Beethoven, but it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. Maybe this would have happened if they were playing instruments at their old school and maybe it has nothing to do with their schooling, but somehow I think it's related. I feel relieved that the music curriculum is taken care, but also totally blessed that I get to hear it all. How did I miss all this before? It's the sweetest music in the world :)