Re-Arranging

Families are a bit like recipes. Every time you change the ingredients, you alter the outcome. In December my family added a new ingredient - our little Colby Rigs (aka...Mr. Riggs...Big Rig...Rigsy) - and we're still adjusting to the changes.

One of the most profound areas this has affected us is with homeschool. No one would argue that it was a big ambitious to begin homeschooling for the first time while pregnant/nursing/sleep deprived. My hey, this ain't my first rodeo, so I figured I'd give it a try. And in all honesty, things have worked out very well. London is reading well above grade level. He has a solid understanding of numbers and has begun basic Math. Considering that he's a left-brained, left-handed, first-born child being taught by a right-brained, right-handed, second-born mother, I'd say things are going along tremendously!

The difficulty has come in that he's got three little brothers who are underfoot. I don't want to send them the message that I'm too busy for them, but neither do I want to constantly be distracted while I teach. So, over the course of the year we've tried various teaching times.

We started out right after breakfast at the kitchen table. That went over like a turd in a punch bowl because Marshall and Parker (Rigsy wasn't born yet) were very awake and very energetic. We had to re-arrange.

Next came teaching during late morning when Marshall went down for a nap. I'd teach in the living with London and Parker (who usually colored or worked puzzles). This worked like a charm until Marshall stopped taking his morning nap. We had to re-arrange again. But...

...I went into labor and had a baby and we decided to shelve school for a few weeks until mommy could figure out which way was up. While we were trying to get adjusted to the new recipe that is the Lawhon family, we schooled any time we could: during lunch, during assorted nap times, at night when the three youngest went to bed. Locations changed as well: the living room, London's bedroom, my bedroom, the kitchen, the trampoline, you name it.

But we have finally settled into a system that works for us during this season of life. We school in the early afternoon when the two littles nap. (That may seem obvious to some of you, but that time had been reserved for my writing up until the baby started sleeping through the night and I got more rest). Sometimes Parker joins us, and sometimes I put his four-year-old self down for a nap, depending on how tired he is and how much attitude he's giving me.

Here's the point: life is a constant shuffle. We all have to re-arrange our prioritites. And for the those of us who homeschool, we are constantly having to shift, change, blend, and adapt. Truth be told, it is exhausting. But I've also seen countless benefits: my son can learn in almost any environment. It doesn't have to quiet or calm. We can be outside, inside, or upside down (literally) and he can focus. For a boy, that's HUGE!

And I see benefits in myself as well. I've always been a pretty relaxed person, but I'm learning to go with the flow even more. On our harder days I remember the teaching goals for this year: build character, give him a solid foundation for reading and a love of books, and give him a solid understanding of numbers and their values. Art happens naturally: Play Doh, bubbles, drawing, etc. Science occurs in the kitchen when they help me cook.

We're moving forward. We're learning. And we love each other a bit more every day. When I'm honest with myself, I realize that this is what life is all about.