Some days I'm just spinning my wheels, but then some days...

-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
There are times that my day feels like this. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round that just spins faster and faster until I feel queasy in the pit of my stomach. Then, there are days, like today, when I slow down and enjoy this homeschooling journey. Today I slowed down enough to have a nice chat with Noah about why he loves the game Spore so much. I told him that I thought he really enjoys the creative aspect of it and that I think he got his crave for creativity from his mommy. I can so understand the need to have that creative outlet. We (Noah and I) are wired that way. Creative expression, for us, is akin to breathing. Without the proper outlet we feel stifled, stilted, settled, a little too much so. It was so nice for both of us to realize how much alike we are. We had mutual understanding today…priceless. The opportunity for our little chat is just one of the myriad of reasons I love homeschooling. Would I have been able to have that chat with him, had he been away at school all day? Maybe. We may have had this chat in the afternoon after he got home from school. Weekends may have provided another opportunity. But, I love the fact that I have so much time to REALLY get to know him, to figure him out, to explore his personality with him, beside him. It’s days like today that I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. Another wonderful moment happened later this afternoon when we were working on some art projects. We have been reading The Giraffe that Walked to Paris and so we were creating some paper giraffes. Caitlyn selected a jointed giraffe and Noah selected a different one. Noah usually complains about too much coloring or cutting (I know it is difficult for him), and at one point he was getting frustrated and wanted to crumple it up. About that time Caitlyn offered him a, “Noah you are doing a great job,” and he kept going. Another time Caitlyn became weary of coloring in ALL the spots (giraffes have lots of spots, you know) and she wanted to give up and Noah said, “Caitlyn that looks REALLY good, you’re doing such a good job”. What a proud moment as the mother of these two blessings. Now, don’t get me wrong, they have their moments of bickering; but OH the joy I felt today witnessing this loving exchange between the two of them. I mean any peer could have offered the same encouragement to them; but for it to have come from his/her sibling…priceless. Just to know that my kids and I are given these opportunities daily to learn and to love one another makes me feel so blessed by the whole homeschooling process.