This is why we have kids

because, you know, sometimes I do wonder. The thing is, they're smarter than us, wiser in that deep way that hasn't been messed up by life. They just know things that are good to know. Sometimes we know stuff too. You know, "because I'm older than you", "I've lived longer", experience and all that. Heck, sometimes we just are smarter. ;)  However, today my son showed me how wise he is.

Wrestling season has just begun. Both of the boys just started wrestling last year. In the world of wrestling, that still makes them newbies. The season last year finished in the early spring. Then they played baseball. Lots of baseball. Baseball in no way gets you ready for wrestling. Not only are you not practicing wrestling moves, baseball does not get you in shape. Envision Derek Jeter at short stop. He is waiting for the pitcher to pitch. He is waiting for a ball to come near him. Maybe he makes a diving catch. Maybe the inning ends. Then he goes into the dugout and waits some more. Sure they run, throw, catch and do other things that require energy, strength, speed, etc. If they tried to wrestle, most baseball players wouldn't get through the first period in a wrestling match. Even though E and K are just 12 and almost 10, it's no different. Wrestling is hard.

At any rate, they've had a few practices. There is a tournament this week. And I hear the competition is tough. It's a long drive (almost 2 hours). My younger son got his butt kicked, so to speak, at practice last night. They've had colds. It's not cheap to go to a tournament. There will be plenty more this year. They could do a tryout for baseball team they're interested in. They don't need to go (there's 6 days of tryouts and they've been to one). I could go on and on for reasons not to go. Mostly though, I was thinking two things. The baseball tryout sounded good and the weather will be so nice this Sunday. The wrestling tournament is far. And lastly, they're not ready yet this season. We're going to drive a long way for them to get really beaten. At least, I'm thinking my younger son will. The age group there is 4th-6th grade, which works in my older son's favor and against my younger son's favor. Did I mention it's a long drive? Did I mention the competition is hard? Did I say I think he's going to get crushed?

So, K says to me, "Mom, you get better by wrestling better wrestlers. I see this as a chance to get better. To learn. And a good way to get me back into wrestling."

I was humbled.

And here I was thinking about his losing. How do you lose if you're going to learn?

He's already a winner.

First up at Wild Roots boot camp: change up some curriculum.

As a homeschool mom, it's hard not to have our heads turned around by all the sexy, exciting curriculum. Some of them just look so good. You know, the kind of curriculum you'd just like to curl up next to, run your hands over their catalogs, read all their books, do their activities. You just know this is the curriculum you've been waiting for. Where you been all my homeschooling life, you want to ask. What happens sometimes, is if you actually commit to one of these, sometimes it is great. However, sometimes you find out, they don't do their dishes and do leave dirty socks out. They don't even listen well........oh, wait....I was talking about curriculum. So, okay, they aren't always what you want them to be.

Really, this isn't my problem this time. (Of course, I've been there more times than I can count. Hence, the huge pile of stuff I have waiting to be sold.) This time, however, it is more a mental shift in approach. I have been reading The Latin Centered Curriculum. I am thinking I want to have a slightly more classical approach. Perhaps I will shift it slightly this year and more next year. I have been looking at Great Books Academy and Memoria Press.  At first, I wanted to jump in and change it all. That was the answer, but no, I see they are bits and pieces of each I may use. And again, I may make more of a change for next year, but for now these are the changes I am leaning towards:

For my younger ds, whose reading ability is almost there, but not quite:
Memoria Press Classical Phonics
Memoria Press More Storytime Treasures
Memoria Press D'Aulaire's Greek Myths studies

For my older ds:
Literature study from Great Books Academy (I own grade 3 already and quite frankly, I think it's a good place for him to start even though he is in sixth grade.)
Memoria Press literature guides for sixth grade (I may add these in later or alternate with the Great Books guide.)
Writing--I am trying to decide between IEW Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales or Imitation in Writing Aesop's and then their Fairy Tales book.
I have debated  whether I would add anything to history for him, though I don't think he needs more. And really, he is enjoying what he is studying now(modern history.)

I am setting this Saturday as my deadline for all these decisions. I can really dawdle over this kind of stuff, researching, reading, asking questions until  I raise my head up again and realize it's February. Um, no. Not going to happen this time. I am, after all, in boot camp.

So that's it for today. I've actually figured some of this out pretty quickly, for me. I'll let you know when I firm up the decisions.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping me on track!

Homeschool Boot Camp

The Challenge: Pick one area of your homeschool or life that needs work. Make a plan. Commit to it. Work on it over 2-3 weeks and blog about it. Let people you've never met In Real Life hold you accountable. At the same time......share this with the world (or the 2 or 3 people who actually read my blog.)

This is a bit daunting because:
1) The list of things in both my homeschool and my life that need work is huge. It's hard to pick one or even prioritize because there really are so many important changes that need to happen.
and
2) I've been really bad about blogging.
and
3) I'm pretty disorganized, a bit lazy, a procrastinator and well, this is just going to be hard.

But, I've signed up for the Boot Camp and I'm determined to make some changes.

First up, I've made a (huge) list of areas that need work. I'm still in the thinking this over stage. I'm going to write what areas I am leaning towards because otherwise I might stay in the thinking stage longer. (Here is where the public embarrassment....cough...I mean accountability.....comes in. If  I share it here, I'm more likely to move on to the next stage. Which is??

 Talking out loud (would that be typing out loud?) here.......

1) Figure out what the problem is, or in my case which of the many I will address
2) Assess what is contributing to the problem
3) Make a plan based on #2

Some of the changes that I am considering~
           ~starting our school day earlier and being more disciplined (me) about a start time
           ~adapting our schedule (I am thinking of moving to a block schedule. Also (long story) we have
             come  to a point where I generally have the kids do the main portion of their school work at  
             separate times. I would like to have most of the work done  at the same time.)
           ~have checklist/schedule for both boys ready consistently before Monday a.m.
           ~add in regular project time
           ~change some curriculum

Just writing that out was helpful. So, what I see are two main areas. One is the change in curriculum. The other is developing a solid working schedule and I guess I have to add in being consistent and disciplined. Eek. Where do I start?

To be continued.......I will update my progress as I move along.