I Stumbled On This...

I was surfing around on the internet, using Pinterest to take me from place to place and, somehow, unfortunately, I stumbled on a post called "10 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Day Run Smoothly" from a blog called The Homeschool Classroom.  The author's name is Roan.

Why do I say unfortunately? 
Well, let's look at the ten ways to make your homeschool day run smoothly that are mentioned in the blog post:

1.  Wake up before your children. 

2.  Have a supper plan each day. 

3.  Create a routine. 

4.  Tidy your school area each day. 

5.  Tell your children the “Plan for the Day”.

6.  Avoid answering the telephone.

7.  Stay offline during school hours.

8.  Have your children’s schoolwork planned. 

9.  Serve snacks daily. 

10.  Smile.  

And now let me tell you why this blog post is unpleasant for me to read:

1. I generally wake up after my son. He wakes up at about the same time as my husband. John John usually gets online even before he eats breakfast. 
   I'm certain that this is incredibly unhealthy for him and I would prefer that you NOT comment on this... 
   Now that we are down here in Australia, he tends to call friends back home at this time and spends time talking with them and playing games together with them. (sometimes even Hide and Seek!)
2. LOL  I often don't know what is for dinner when I walk into the kitchen to make dinner.
3. Routine? The truth is, John John does do far better with a routine; I'm sure he would benefit from one.
4. We often have to go looking for our books each and every time we need them.
5. Oh GEEZ! Again?!  John John asks me, almost every single night, "What are we doing tomorrow, Mom?" 
   Sadly, my usual answer is "I don't know."
   I'm pretty sure John would thrive in Roan's house...
   Addendum: I just asked him about this and he said "NO, this doesn't bother me, why should it?"
6. If someone calls, we are excited to hear from them!
7. We use our computer for lessons much of the time, so this one doesn't work for us either...
8. I do plan lessons for both John John and Elizabeth, but I'll bet my plans have no similarities to Roan's plans. I have a lesson book for each child and write their daily lessons for them.  ...when I do it.
9. Snacks? Yes, I often do provide a snack. It's lunch they have to get themselves! 
   And:
10. Smile? Oh yes, I do!

So, I confess that I am not organized. I make efforts, but it's just not me. I further confess that John John prefers structure and organization and I can't offer him much of that. And I won't pretend that that isn't an issue for him...

But Roan is completely right:  

A happy, loving attitude will make every school day flow more smoothly!

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If you enjoyed this post you might try this one:  Barely Out of Tuesday