curriculum stresses me out, so there

I love being neat and organized.

I adore cute and clutter free school rooms.  The kind (I will have someday!  I’m thinking in the year two thousand and HEAVEN!? ) with charming finger-painted poster laced walls and word wall boarders (that totally shout out that two year old kid is going to Harvard someday!). 

I long to be confident and whipped into shape.

But…

somehow the process of getting from here 

(curriculum choices for next year still up in the air; last year’s school work still not filed away; laundry a mile high because I’ve wasted the past two weeks frozen in front of the computer trying to get my act together; and I’m not sure how much longer my family can survive on cereal and toast)

to there

(confident that my little Einsteins have a whole year’s worth of perfectly suited for them curriculum ready to fill their shiny & bright & perfectly organized workboxes;  last year’s school work neatly portfolio-ed with every pertinent thing carefully placed so that it’s readily available at a finger tip’s notice; the laundry room is not only empty but even the undies are ironed; and not only is my family eating dinner around the table nightly but the kids are cooking it and we’re having who can quote the Gettysburg Address offs to boot! ) 

totally overwhelms me.  Stresses me out!  Like, for real! 

See, I’m the mom who just positively freezes when it comes to picking out a curriculum.  Good grief…I can’t even shop at BJs because there are too many choices!  And there the only thing on the line is – dinner.    

I’m the mom who fills her virtual shopping cart with curriculum choices for next year.  But never checks out.  Or at least not until the very last minute.  And then fights the urge to call and cancel the order immediately after.  Because…well…maybe I want my kid to go to Harvard too?!  And I just know I should have gone with that other program!  And now he’s totally going to community college instead.   

I’m the mom who has a panic attack at the idea of anything involving paint.  Fingered or otherwise!  Because my life is full enough without an extra mess to clean!  You have seen my mile high laundry pile, right?!  No?  Just follow Trevy’s I-must-touch-everything fingerprints and you’ll find it.  And it totally won’t offend me if you put the next load in.     

I’m the mom who hopes to God that her child doesn’t ask her a difficult question in front of other people.  And for the sake of all that is Holy…if you must…it had better not have anything to do with numbers!  My palms are sweating just thinking about it.  And it’s not because I’m not clever.  I have a college degree.  But let’s face it, a full Life has a way of cramming out the academics!  Especially when one is sitting on the bleachers surrounded by other parents who are all trying to figure out why exactly you do keep your kids at home!  That’s a great time to play the “have you seen the size of Trevy’s brain surgery scar” card!    

Yep.  I’m just a regular mom.  Making it through each day by the skin of His Grace and a dab of humor. 

And in spite of all the areas I need improvement (and trust me, the list goes ooooooooon) I love my kids fiercely.  My desire is for them to be successful…not just academically…but wholly.  From the inside out.  Ya know.  That has to mean something.  Something.  With that in mind…and with no further ado…I present you my curriculum choices for the school year of 2011-2012.   

**********

Math

5th Grader – Saxon 5/4 (and possibly creeping into 6/5)

1st Grader – Abeka

English

5th Grader – ACE

1st Grader – Abeka

History

5th Grader – ACE

1st Grader – Abeka

** you’re seeing the pattern here right **

Spelling/Poetry

5th Grader – ACE

1st Grader – Abeka

Science

5th Grader – Apologia’s Exploring Astronomy

1st Grader – Abeka (and possibly joining for Astronomy)

Geography

5th Grader – Map Skills (his ACE history also covers geography)

1st Grader – Abeka

Fine Arts

5th Grader – Piano & SANS art classes as available

1st Grader – the same

PE

5th Grader – Fallball & Basketball

1st Grader – Soccer if I can convince her, Swimming maybe…but quite possibly the Wii

Health

Both – Apologia’s Exploring Anatomy & My Body

Worldview

Both – Character Sketches

And that’s how we’re planning to roll this year…

(and for the record…I feel MUCH better with that all off my imperfect chest)

To see what other’s are up to visit the Let’s Talk Curriculum linky over at Training Children Up for Christ.   

…danielle