Homeschooling: What I'M Learning

 So, we've been working on getting into a groove with homeschooling.  There have been lots of great
things along the way, but a lot of bumps in the road as well.  It's been a very humbling experience for me, highlighting my sin and flaws in ways I never anticipated.  It's required a lot of self-examination and one of the things I've come to realize is that I need to be MUCH more flexible.  These pictures are actually a perfect example of what I'm learning.  I'm not an overly neat person, but a messy house drives...me...insane.  Now that the kids and I are spending so much more time at home due to schooling, messiness makes me even crazier.  I was spinning myself into a frenzy trying to work on schooling and trying to keep my house tidy. The school papers, books, school supplies, art supplies, etc. plus all of the things that Kate gets out to keep herself entertained while Grant and I are working together, plus laundry and meals seemed to create the perfect storm of mess.  I'm learning that I need to relax and focus on what's important.  I learned that I need to spend lots of quality, cheerful, dedicated time with the kids and not panic about the mess in the moment.  So here's what my house looked like one afternoon and instead of feeling flustered and frustrated, I decided it was kind of funny and nothing to panic about.  Here's part of the damage:

I'm learning to focus on what I AM getting done instead of what I'm NOT getting done.  The kids and I had a great day together, got lots of schooling done, and had a fun lunch together.  And what happened when I stopped panicking about the chaos?  I was able to address the mess when Nate got home and it was all in perfect order within an hour...and everyone was smiling by the end of the day instead of feeling frustrated and edgy.