Diary of a Homeschool Dad - Week 31

The end of school's third quarter always coincides with Spring Break, which presents an interesting juxtaposition between knuckling down to do good work and tossing books aside in favor of relaxation and a glorious lack of scheduling.  But we all must finish strong to enjoy the benefits! 

Sunday - Back at church to begin the week, we've really seen a noticeable uptick in attendance.  And this time it was particularly special because my mom joined us for worship.  She is spending some time at our house to be closer to my dad, and that means she got to also spend time at the church where she spent so many years.  Whirly got to pick our lunch spot (which was probably decided because of the word "cheesecake" in the name), so that meant we all got home fat and happy.  I took the younger two girls to Bible Drill in the evening to wrap up the weekend. 

Monday - Birthday time!  Whirly and I took a break during the school day to go pick out a fantasy birthday cake for her family dinner party.  The lady who helped us was so terrific with her, helping her find just the right flavor, design, and size, and then coming up with a birthday message on top.  It turned out perfect!  With grandparents and presents joining in, we all hit the restaurant for the celebration.  Happy 9th!

  



Tuesday - With Mrs. Geographist teaching every day, Whirly and I are back into our usual routine.  I get up just early enough to drive the older two kids to school, then come home to start the day with the littlest princess.  After breakfast I give her a few assignments to handle while I take care of work meetings or requests, after which we start handling the coursework that requires my participation.  By lunchtime she's typically pretty deep into what needs to get done for the day, and twice a week we hit martial arts.  Whirly almost always finishes her work before it's time to get her sisters, except if she takes a nap or has a difficult time on a subject (such as a math worksheet that showed a gap in understanding) that required a bit more clarification.  After school finished up today, Curly had her clarinet lesson and we enjoyed some homemade Taco Tuesday dinner.

Wednesday - Today marked the end of the statewide mask mandate, and the girls' school decided to make them "encouraged but optional".  Obviously nothing changed at our homeschool!  I had spent most of the week trying to finalize everything we needed in advance of closing on our new house, and this was my deadline on choosing a homeowners insurance policy.  Everything has been just a little more expensive than we'd planned, and unfortunately this was no different, but at least I managed to finish up the process.  All four girls had their usual school day, although it's the last week of the quarter so there are more exams involved, and then they finished with a night of church activities.  

Thursday - At martial arts, each month has a discipline focus, and it's common that the instructors will also focus on a certain muscle group to work.  This month is assigned the color red, which stands for "intensity", and they've decided to tone our upper bodies.  Translation: lots of push-ups.  Whirly got noticed for vastly improved form, while I got told not to hurt myself after I was seen grimacing due to sore triceps.  Getting older is fun, right?  All the girls were happy to wrap up the day because their school is closed the day before Spring Break.  Bring on the vacation!


Friday - The kids may have been out but the parents were not.  Mrs. Geo was off to class for one last day while I got cranking on map requests.  Girly had to pack a little earlier than the rest of us as she had a sleepover with some friends from school.  The rest of the crew had to suffer through another experimental dinner by yours truly - chicken breasts breaded with tortilla chips.  Oh well, at least there was Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer for anyone who wanted it.  Finally we packed our bags and got the house ready for a few days of our absence. 

Saturday - Who doesn't love a road trip?  We loaded up the new SUV and picked up Girly on the way out of town (picking up donuts along the way at a store owned by the family who hosted the sleepover) and tried our best to make good time.  We did not.  Repeated traffic jams hindered us every few hours to the point that a trip that typically takes about 10 hours ballooned into more than 14.  You know what, though?  Sitting in traffic with my family (who, by the way, made a point of watching an entire Broadway play dedicated to a Founding Father while on the road) is still better than going to work.  It was late when we arrived but we were all happy to be there. 


Now to start the serious business of having a relaxing vacation! 

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