I made a spontaneous decision last Sunday to take a week off. I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed with responsibilities and discouraged about some things we can't seem to work through, which meant I was also crabby. I always keep a clipboard on the corner of our kitchen counter with a weekly list of things that need to get done, all categorized and checked off as tasks are accomplished. That works well for me, but this is the list I made for last week (including this weekend).
It wasn't organized or prioritized and nothing got marked off, but it was a visual reminder for me of the things I wanted to make time for during our week. We ditched structured academics and alarm clocks, then practiced responsibility through tackling some random household tasks, worked on kindness and respect in our conversations with each other, piled on the couch to read books, cranked music, went on walks, pulled out paint and craft supplies, did science experiments, jumped on the trampoline, built forts, played games, and just lived life.
The result?
No, it wasn't a perfectly dreamy week. Yes, we had conflicts, discipline, and bad moods. However, I think people were happier by the time this picture was taken Friday evening than they had been lately ... and this structure-loving girl is sorta wishing she was an unschooler. That will never happen, but it did make me rethink how we're doing school. Now I'm trying to figure out if there's a way we could do school that would provide some structure and guarantee we do things that matter most to me, but also allow the kids more freedom in their day, me to be more involved, and all of us to do some school together. We'll see. Meanwhile, I'm thankful for the freedom in our schedule to take time to breathe and regroup for a week.
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