Training our minds….for what exactly? I wish I had the answer at times. Today is Martin Luther King Day and knowing the bigger picture, I shall shift to a micro focus of my day…something of which is in continual battle with my kids; but I digress; for now shall be about me.

This morning, as the kids awakened to Martin Luther King Day, I was approached by one small Avenson, asking if he could have the day off. My first response was, no. Our day would be cut short anyway because I would be taking them sledding with friends soon after lunch.

While brushing my teeth, my thoughts transpired to popular Homeschool culture. “What a privilege it is to have our children home, to wake up late and do school in our pajamas. “ “What a privilege to wake up at 11 and read all day and once math is done, call it a day!” “What does this truly matter in the long run? We are homeschooling to raise children of character and God fearing individuals.”

I can’t escape these beliefs of culture. Am I a hard-ass within this world? Why don’t I concur with “Kids don’t need grammar until 6th grade?” “Less is more?”
I am already feeling imprisoned by my impounded creativity. My boundaries are well laid with an infant at home. As I type this, I am sitting in my van, with a baby asleep in a seat behind me and three others sledding and screaming with friends down an icy hill.
Listed below – absent from creative fun – is my daughters Monday schedule. After breakfast this morning, she picked her schedule up off the dining table (where it sits on all Monday mornings), put it in her binder and began. All is expected to be completed. I do not follow within the form of others – and wonder if I actually might be in the wrong? Not sure.
LUCY
 8:30 begin school
 Devotion
 Brain Breakfast: choose online geo game or Luminosity (Brain Training exercises) (10 minutes)
 Awalla Words (A Wall of Words)
o Choose from the following – Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire or Vikings and give mom 1-2 sentences to write about on our wall This will be daily.
o Define Elocution in your writing notebook.
 Read Aloud (typically done when Sidney sleeps – but today, Monday, is compromised as we are now sledding) Palace of Laughter
 Science: This is a ‘b’ week, next week, we will do social studies (Vikings), this week, we are working through our Physics Book – we probably will not get to this today, given the schedule and the fact that my daughter just asked for a friend to come over to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon.
 Math: two fold
a. 3 digit division, prime/composite numbers
b. Standardized Test Practice (Math) 3-4 grade
 Handwriting (Cursive)
 Language Arts – Lucy had a fable to proof read today – learning about proper editing markings.
 Poem – Memorize a Jack Preltutsky Poem
 Viking Movie (sledding may have pre empted this) Time Warp Trio – “Viking it –and Liking it” oh wait, school CAN be fun, what was I thinking.
In time slot box “IF TIME WORK” – if Lucy has time left in her day, she has a packet of comprehensive questions to answer from the book she just finished, “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt.
Library – we were going to go to the library today (try to go every Monday), but again, friend will be coming over instead and this is just as important.
Tomorrow, there will be an afternoon art class, on Friday there will be a morning chess club and soon after, a gym class. This Thursday is Book Club day where both will go to separate homes and spend the afternoon with friends.
This is a lot to pack in – especially with a two to three hour window o’ fun. But it is doable and we get through it. I am not sure how our time would be spent if we lived by the creed, “,Do your math and read and – hey, good for you!” My children are happy. They are healthy. They have friends. They seem to like what they are doing and if asked if they would like less work – well, of course they would. But I feel I need to do this for my own sake of doing what I believe is right. Am I cramming it down their throat? I don’t think so. There seems to be plenty of time in the day to manage this. Insight is always welcomed.