A new year and a new venture

The beginning of the year seems a good time to start a new venture. Writing about our family and home-schooling life, in rural England. I’m not sure if it will be of interest to anyone but me, but I’d like to put some memories down, and I enjoy writing. So, the first full day of term. We generally start back in a staggered way after each holiday…getting back into the routine is best done over a few days! My eldest son, Lanky Dude (all kids have made up internet names, and he’s tall and lanky) didn’t really have this privileged option this time as he’s got maths exams looming. That sounds like he’s dreading them, which he’s not. He likes maths, and a good thing about doing IGCSE’s from home is that one can avoid a lot of the hype. More on exams another time, though. So, he was up and sitting a two hour past paper at 9.00. Rhythm dude, my second son (a drummer) was on the rowing machine before 9.00, and then settled to do his dyslexia English work, before doing maths and chemistry with me. Dancing Toes (first daughter) did some sorting of vegetable pictures into groupings (keen gardener) and then we did some vague keep fit and ball throwing outside. Beautiful clear morning. Then some reading and thank you cards. ​ All this makes it sound a piece of cake…. which it never is….so, the problem this time was Sparkly Eyes , youngest daughter. She was not having any of it…. not the eating breakfast, nor the getting dressed, nor the tidying of the small library that had accumulated on her bed. I could see it was going to be a battle, and the only certainty was that I would somehow have to win! It continued all day, through swimming, through Dancing Toes’ ballet lesson, (consequence was no ballet for Sparkly Eyes), and end of day tidy up. However, by bed time we had repacked her ballet bag, with a new hairbrush which we went out to buy together, have a pasta-in-the -jar plan for this coming week, and ended the day with lots of cuddles. In the midst of all this we also fitted in having the piano tuned, an appt at the surgery, boys’ friend round, food, laundry…. A fairly regular home school day, and I’m ready for sleep!