My Twice Baked Potato

During last year’s December to January transition, we were struggling. The New Year was supposed to be filled with hope and optimism and we were worried.

The tears and anxiety started just two days into the break but increased dramatically four days before the return to school. It was clear that the status quo couldn’t continue.

We knew it. We just didn’t know what to do.

This year, the Monday after the holidays were wrapped up, the first day of reality, was completely different.

It’s hard to put a worried child to sleep and it’s even worse when that child wakes and realizes that all the talking and all the promises, didn’t change his situation.

I’ve learned a lot about my son since taking him out of his school. The biggest thing…we should have done it sooner. I guess I felt that we needed to exhaust all possibilities, but in actuality…it was just exhausting.

I was so thankful this year on the last Sunday of vacation, that we didn’t spend it in tears.

People might be surprised that even homeschoolers have an adjustment period after an extended vacation. We read every day and usually watched some sort of educational videos, but math and science took a back seat.

This week, we are back to our math and science everyday and regaining stamina for the more challenging and sometimes less desirable activities.

I knew vacation had gone on long enough when my TBP asked me why I was “getting fancified” at the sight of my jeans instead of sweats.

Our first day back was more productive than I expected, but moved slower than I wanted. We accomplished chores, reading, computer animation, math, and a Planet Earth movie about life in the desert. Once the late afternoon came, we watched a BrainPop video about Tolkien after enjoying The Hobbit movie about Smaug.

I hope that the rest of the week will be increasingly productive; however, I know that there’s typical ebbs and flows with my TBP and homeschooling.

How successful was your re-entry to your normal?