September 19
Still tired from yesterday.
“Yesterday” started Sunday. Sunday pm I finished sewing the fabric pouches for my Nature Notebook class at Monday Fun (our co-op). I completed the lesson plan, made my little cave girl costume for my Cultures Through Time (a look at what cultures throughout the past found to be beautiful), and loaded everything necessary into a laundry basket. I made 5 lunches and got the clothes laid out for the next morning.
It’s not my nature to set so much stuff out ahead of time. But it’s even more not my nature to enjoy hectic mornings that require getting a lot done before leaving early. Lo and behold I chose the lesser of two evils ;-).
Monday morning came; porridge for breakfast. Dressed, got everyone loaded up, and started the hour and half drive into Maryville. Passed a still-living-but-writhing porcupine….how can one stop to help a porcupine that’s been hit? Poor thing. I’m getting so that I really enjoy this ride though. It sounds long but it’s smooth and gives me time to think. We listened to a sermon tape and a radio show and it’s a pretty straight shot.
My Nature Notebook class went very, very well! Middle schoolers are a tough crowd and give LITTLE response! But judging that I a: had to actually MAKE them stop so they could leave, b: they offered to do homework during the week, and c: nearly all of them thanked me as they left, tells me that it was a sucess.
During our first hour there, Firstborn is taking Latin, Sunshine is taking an American Girls history class that is focusing on Molly and the World War 2 era, W is taking Hands-On Math, and Phat Baby is in the nursery.
We broke for lunch after that. What is it about PB & J type packed lunches that completely don’t satisfy and always leave me feeling hungry, no matter how much I ate?
I’m so glad I ended up with a “down hour” in between lunch and my next class. I’d planned to be cleaning up from a fund-raiser that has yet to materialize, so the time gives me a chance to make sure everyone got to their classes (Firstborn to Marine Biology, Sunshine to Art, and W to Super Bible Heroes), and nurse Phat Baby who is usually going down for a nap at that hour. I’ll have time to take him into nursery calmly, which makes for an easier drop off, and get into costume for my Culture class. I met two new moms in that interval too; one was a new homeschooler, very excited to be at her first day of classes with her first “learner”. 
The following hour has Sunshine in Reader’s Theater/Drama, W in Hands-On History, Phat Baby in said nursery, and Firstborn in my own class due to my paperwork and organization SNAFU. Sign ups and moving all happened at the same time so it’s little wonder I got a few things mixed up!
My Culture class went okay. Not as great as the Nature Notebook class. This is a series of lessons that is going to benefit from the semester’s run, from some real-time tweaking and adjusting. I didn’t plan enough material and ran out of things to say; having another adult in there as a “helper” was a huge distraction, though she was kind and only meant well. The kids really got into it, much more responsive than the other class was, again offering to do their own created homework. I thought I found myself talking too much, “preaching” too much, and wanted to back off and let the material speak for itself more. That will come with better planning I think. This week we covered the hunter/gatherers, tent people that came before and after the flood, early cities, and into Egypt. I read the story of Ruth and contrasted the growing appreciation for outward displays of beauty with her inner character and loyalty. Next week we’ll head into Greece, Rome, and New Testament times.
Home for the drive again, with an approaching storm and cold front. It’s going to be a whole 10 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. As soon as we got home the kids washed up and unloaded the car, then headed across the street for tutoring. I sat down to Oprah and a cheeseburger, ready to attack anyone or anything that got between me and food. I was totally drained of any energy!
Oprah highlighted her road trip over the summer with Gayle. Good, mindless fodder.
I made carrot soup and the kids came home. They’d worked primarily on math skills; Firstborn needs a lot more work on division. They really enjoyed their time over there and came home running and laughing in pouring rain.
Dh had planned an evening of school but no one had the steam for it by then. The kids gave him a “massage-a-thon”, had bowls of soup, and headed to bed. Dh and I watched The Pianist with a big bowl of popcorn and crashed.
This morning is bright and cool. I’ve done my yoga, made waffles with cream cheese and jam, seen dh out the door, and made the hobbits an after-breakfast snack. Yawn. It’s time for a second cup and some laundry duty. A calm day of quiet after a great, hectic first day back.
