One of those weeks

I've debated posting about this, but in the interest of being honest and open and real, I'm going to just lay this out here.

This week was no fun.

Ok, it was a little fun. For about one day. Otherwise, no fun was had in our little homeschool.

Should I tell you about the fun first? Or make you suffer through the week first? :)

You win. Fun first.

This week we continued our weather unit and learned about wind. The highlight of the week was our "What's in the wind?" experiment. First, I had the boys predict what they would find in the wind. Jerimiah and Anthony both predicted dirt, dust, pine needles and grass clippings. (Our complex's lawn care service was visiting.)

 Second, take a paper plate and punch some holes in it. Then, thread yarn through the holes to make a hanger for your plate. Smear the plate all over with petroleum jelly. You don't have to turn your plate upside down. The other side of this plate was red and white checks, which were not conducive to investigating tiny specks in the wind. 

 Hang your plate from a tree that allows the plate to catch the breeze. Then watch your plate carefully (or at least check on it) so that your wind experiment doesn't become a grass experiment.

Finally, check out what is in the wind. The boys were pretty spot-on with their guesses. 

Okay, people. Fun's over. 

Much of the week was spent in a battle between Mom and boys. Who won? I'm not really sure. All week, Anthony and I struggled with him staying focused on his activities. His focus lacked focus. My patience lacked patience. Jerimiah, of course, took advantage and pushed the limits as well. Sass mouth reigned supreme. We took Thursday off in an attempt to get our minds (and hearts!!!) right.

Friday went better, but was still not overly fantastic. It is what it is. Friday included the thoughts, "Why am I doing this? What am I doing wrong? Why am I fighting so hard? Is it even worth it?" 

And so, ladies and gents, it came to this: I know why I am doing this. I want my kids to be with me. I want them to see their dad, despite his non-traditional schedule. I want to know what my kids are learning at school. I want God to be the focus of our school. I want to allow them to learn at their own pace, following the interests and strengths God has given them. So we press on.