Discouraged: I Don't Know If I Can Keep Homeschooling

I just found your post because it popped up as a "related post" next to mine on the BlogHer Family page. Glad it did. I don't homeschool but I"m not averse to the idea. I always wondered how moms do it- it seems so difficult- I can see that it is. I wonder how this turned out for you. Either way, I think it is fine- whether you chose to pursue it or to go another route. That's ok. :)

I totally feel your pain!! It can be the most rewarding thing to do and the most difficult!

I'm not a homeschooler but am on a two-month trip with family. I thought it would be a taste to see whether I would like homeschooling. Well, I don't. And I can totally relate to your sentiments. I know two months is nothing compared to years of homeschooling. But the bickering between my 4 and 7 year old sons are killing me. Plus, my 4 year old's tantrums have kicked into high gear on vacation.

So no advice, but hang in there. Sounds like a lot of homeschooling moms go through this. I'm on vacation and miss my me time when they're in school, so I can relate on a small scale.

Hang in there! My mother did, and I can't thank her enough. One day your son will too, keep at it, hang in there, you.can.

I did this today. I screamed, threatened to send them back to public school, then I left to run an errand. My daughters were fighting, and not over Justin LOL this time.
I am reading a book right now on homeschooling, and every homeschooler goes through these trials. Just take a break, a day or two or more, and breath.
You will see this will pass, for a while.
I have been homeschooling only 3 short years, and I get to the point when I have to take a break for a few days so that I can energize my mind and get back to what is important: the reason you decided to homeschool in the first place.
And it can be hard to talk to anyone for support because they might judge you and act like it never happends to them, so the person you pick to share with should be very trusted.

Hugs from me too!

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Sorry, no words of wisdom here - I just like your post. It was honest and informative and as a consumate people wathcher, I felt like I had a little view into what was going on.

I homeschool/unschool a couple of boys, glad to know there are people in my boat!

I'm a rookie homeschooler myself. I have a six year old and a 2 year old and I do agree it's tough. but I also know that WE can do it. This homeschooling thing is partly painful because it's challenging the core of our person to become new and that hurts.

We don't do very well with mornings either. I'm 31 wks pregnant with twins and most of the time I don't want to get out of bed!
This week I learned that I have to let go. I say let go. If you just get one math lesson in per week...breathe you've done alot.
Think about the numerous programs and plays etc etc that take school children out of school for weeks at a time. Think about the busy work they get in school and the christmas, thanksgiving, spring and summer breaks they get in school...They're not recieving constant learning all throught the week either.
Last night we did math around 7pm.....we did arts and crafts at 11:00am.....I'm just working with his nature and learning mine.
I am a very structured person, so this un-structure bothers me at times.
I am also, behind on laundry and cleaning but I've begun to allow my 6year old to clean with me. Before long, he'll be able to do it alone.
Also, the curriculum that I was using for math was draining me...I found a new one and i feel like a new woman...Every curriculum is not for everyone....I see that now.
Be patient with yourself! Even on your worst day, you can give them more than a teacher on a good day!
Take care and know you're not alone!

I homeschooled my kids through high school, and the longer we homeschooled, the less I worried about doing it perfectly. I definitely could have done a better job of planning and record-keeping. But the more I celebrated the freedom homeschooling gave us, the happier we all were.

I did use Montessori education when my kids were young and a mixture of Montessori, unit studies, and traditional subjects as they grew older. Montessori and unit studies really helped my kids keep their love of learning. They’re now 20 and 25 and both have bachelor’s degrees and are always learning new things.

I’d recommend finding some activities right now that will be educational and fun for you and your children. I think the less you try to duplicate school at home, the happier you’ll be. Sending lots of love and (((hugs))).

Sorry for not reading through the 31 responses to your post, so this might just be a repeat.

1. This sounds like my life.

2. I've be a homeschool mom (Oh,my this is now my identity) for 15 years.

3. Yes,this is what everyone was warning you about. Real life gets in the way of school all the time.

4. Your YOU TIME disappears.

5. My greatest fear was that my oldest son would grow up to push a shopping cart and collect tin cans from trash bins. At 20 he's OK, but there have been bumps along the way that have nothing to do with being homeschooled.

6. There will never be enough time, and your house will not be as clean as you'd like.

7. Think about the big picture. Homeschooling can mean many things to many people. Some hold on to a traditional frame work and emulate traditional school. Others toss all this out the window in favor of unschooling. Neither path is perfect. Consistency, no matter your approach, makes a huge difference. A little bit every day is much better than a lot all at once.

Read my Blog: Homeschool Reviews and Resources ( http://homeschool-reviews-and-resources.blogspot.c... )

I don't have an opinion one way or another on homeschool - to each their own. It's great for some and not for others, so no judgment there.

But, if you feel like you are drowning in your life, and are starting and ending your days feeling like you're swamped in suckitude and it's your fault, then why don't you change something? You don't HAVE to homeschool. I assume you have to work, so you can't give that up. And if your marriage needs attention, you probably need to deal with that, so.....

Easy for me to say. I know I would suck as a homeschool mom, so I never even thought about it. But I do know that the (many many many way too many) times that I've felt like the boat of ME was sinking, I've started throwing things overboard to stay afloat.

You don't have to grin (or grit) and bare anything. You can simply change things. If too much is too much, do less.

____________

Alyssa's Endless Musings on Life & Everything Else: AlyssaRoyse.com ( http://www.alyssaroyse.com )

This is my 5th year of homeschooling. You sound like you've got a classic case of burnout. Take a week off from your normal curricula and do fun stuff- field trips, playing educational games, exploring learning websites like iCivics, do a "unit study" on some topic he's interested in, etc.

It's a marathon, not a sprint!

Oh man! I have had one of the worst weeks ever this week! It is so good to hear I am not alone. It's also good to hear from another home schooling mother trying to balance a home-based business and home schooling.

My 8 yo son seems to want to fight doing school work every step of the way. We signed up at a local home school bookstore for classes. This has done wonders for keeping us on track and the kids feel like they are getting the school experience they've been lacking up to now. But where before I'd let it slide when he threw a fit, I now have to make sure he gets the work done. It's been 10 weeks into the program. We have routines in place, but still every morning it is a fight to get the work done. I am not sure how much more I can handle either.

We've tried consequences for not getting work done. We've tried praise and rewards for getting work done. I have no idea what motivates him.

Sorry, no advice to give, but definitely feel your pain. We are in our fourth year. My daughter is a dream to home school. My son, not so much.

Hang in there. I've looked into homeschooling a million times but I've always been too chicken!

BUT I do know from the amazing women who have shared their experience and information with me is that momma said there would be days, (or weeks) like this. I think you can do it. It sounds like you already are :o)

Visit me.  Let's be friends :o)  A life... Less Perfect ( http://alifelessperfectismine.blogspot.com/ )

I've been homeschooling for (it's almost embarrasing) 14 years and with the little surprise that is now 8 years old I've got a long road ahead of me. I too have had those bad days that turn into bad weeks and, on occassion, months. You are SO not alone. I completely understand doing ANYTHING BUT THAT FRICKIN' IMPOSSIBLE LIST!

You are wearing a lot of hats. Slow down, look at what's working and what isn't, ask yourself why it works and what changes need to be made. I read your post that outlined the incredible resources you have available within your family. Use them!

If you'd like outside help from a total stranger who lives a thousand miles away but has been there, done that.... but found success, send me a message. I've got one in college, one in 8th grade, and one in 3rd. I teach classes to Jr. High homeschool students in Geography, Latin, Composition, Literature, Math, and Science. Some of my students have severe learning disabilities. I'd be happy to lend an ear and share what I've learned over the years.

Remember, tomorrow is a fresh, new day with no mistakes in it.... yet.

I believe that I know the feeling you are having very well and it DOES get better. It's called being a new teacher. It is the same whether you educate at home or in the classroom. We all go through it and it comes down to organization and time management, in the end, and the only way you learn what works for you in that respect is through trial and error.

I have been teaching for three years now in a traditional public school. This is the first year that I haven't come home in tears two or three times a week, feeling like a failure. In fact, I haven't come home in tears once yet this year...and it's November! You and I have different environments but face similar challenges. You are trying to balance giving your son the attention he needs, while caring for a toddler AND working. You don't feel that you have found the balance and it consumes your life, right? Although teaching IS my job and I don't have to balance it with another, I encounter the same problems with balance because I have so many students and they are all at very different levels and have individual needs. In a class of 24 seven and eight year olds last year I had 4 with ADHD, (two with behavioural issues associated with it and two without), a student with autism, a student with sensory processing disorder, a student with limited English, and multiple students who are just a little slower to pick up on things who require that individual attention and extra reinforcement. With so many children needing so much of my attention I felt that I was struggling to keep my head above water and stressed that I wasn't giving enough to everyone. I felt like such a failure some days! Every night I came home from work, cried, ate, and started planning for the next day. I planned lessons in every moment of my free time because, as you know, you can spend an hour and a half designing a lesson that takes ten minutes for them to complete. The result was BURN OUT. Work became an all consuming burden even though I loved my students and got into education for all the right reasons. At the end of last year, it hit me that I needed to make drastic changes for my own sanity. What it has come down to is pure organization. I organized my office, my computer files, my filing cabinet...my everything. I designed a routine and a schedule and I am MAKING myself stick to it. I am not naturally good at schedules and organizing but without forcing myself, I do not accomplish what I need to. I am also forcing myself to take time for me. If I HAVE to have everything done by 8pm, I find a way to do it. If I don't have to have it done by then, it takes until 2am. I give myself a deadline for prepping and then I reward myself with down time by heading to a cooking class or yoga. Because I'm taking time for myself, I'm less stressed. Because I'm less stressed, I'm happier at work. Because I'm happier I get excited about my students' discovery and learning. Because I get excited, they get excited and they stay focused and learn more.

My advice for you is make yourself get out of the house for away time, once a day. When your husband is home in the evening, go somewhere for even half an hour. A friends house, a yoga class...anything. You can't work 24 X 7 and be productive. I learned this the hard way. For your son, make his learning "hands-on" as much as possible. If he can make it, touch it, experience it, live it, he will learn more than just reading about it. This means some creative lesson planning for some subjects (it's easier for science) but it's really worth it.
Good luck! I'm rooting for you!

I keep trying to keep the "gap" thing in mind. I am just worried about him being able to get good enough scores to get into college if that is what he wants.

Ugh.

And, I hear you on the 'things I am not strong at'. I am the type that would love to be great at everything, alas...it is so not meant to be!

would LOVE my inbox full of ideas as I SUCK at math.

loraleechoate (at) gmail (dot) com. xo

http://www.blogher.com/blog/she-who

5 is considerably easier than 1.

Eldest is up and out (more or less, lol) 2 teens, 2 primary grade ones.

It's not easy, but it's easiER if you try to incorporate it in your day more. If you're enraged and have to tune them out, do what you have to, but try getting out with them for a walk or something else that involves them.

One of the things to know is... coming later in the birth order isn't all bad, but it's not the SAME as being first. More hand-me-downs, less panic. More sibling supervision, less Mommy & Me. That's okay. And it's true whether you homeschool or not, or whether you have work inside/outside the home or not, or whether you're a blended family or not. If you're expecting a do-over (that 'white rocking chair' picture.) you don't get it. So baby brother doesn't realize he's horribly neglected because you didn't get the cement handprint this time around. He just loves his family, as it is.

As far as the school thing goes, you're working too hard, but everyone does, at first. This too shall pass. If your email isn't full of suggestions for middleschool homeschool math activities involving everything from candybars to Quoits, it could be. ;)

(((HUGS)))

This is our second year HSing, but I was HS graduate myself 20 years ago, so I've been in the HS "culture" for a while.

One thing that I have learned is that I HAVE to lead from my strengths. I tend to try to spend a lot of time improving my weak areas (I'm a project kinda girl!) and then feel really discouraged because I fail miserably! When I "go with the flow" of what I AM good at, my life is much more simple.

Another thing that I have let go of is the idea of a "perfect" homeschool, how things "should be done" and the pursuit of doing it like someone else (those "awesome" HS families out there!) Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to reading their methods, being inspired by their passion and ideas, etc. I'm not against self-improvement! It's just more about taking what others are doing and making it fit into YOUR homw, not trying to make your home fit into someone else's system!

A big mistake I made last year was trying to do school at home, instead of thinking about what worked for my family. This year, we've taken the lead into the scary world of "unschooling" and are all much happier (even though some days it terrifies me - my son might be in your basement too one day ;) LOL)

The very best peice of parenting advice that I ever received was "the fact that you worry about whether you are doing a good job as a parent MAKES you a good parent. Bad parents never wonder because they don't care!" I try to translate that advice into my homeschool too.

Will there be gaps? Will I screw up? YES. There would also be gaps and problems with public school, charter school, even private schools. It's really hard as a HS parent because you CARE SO MUCH. I'd love a good day of ignorant bliss where I don't worry about it, but I guess that would move me toward the bad parent category. I guess for now I'll just agonize and trust that my children will learn more by accident than I could ever teach them on purpose. I just have to try to make that environment happen. It doesn't mean 6 hours at the desk, 20 pages a day of reading, competing in the science fair, blah blah blah. It means nurturing their natural love of learning, presenting things according to their personal learning style while they are younger (then teaching them how to glean from other's TEACHING styles so they can be more successful), allowing them to passionately pursue their own pursuits (while slipping learning in like veggies in muffins!)

Hang in there! You don't suck, at least not all the time. :) Everyone has these days (and now I have a Hannah Montana song stuck in my head to go with your Justin Beiber!)

HUGS,
Noel

Noel Giger chief redesigner [ReDeemed] unique art http://www.noelgiger.blogspot.com http://www.noelgiger.com

First, let me be very honest - this comment is coming from a woman who, just this morning threatened in a very loud voice to drop the children off at the local public school...

Ok, that being said - You have to give yourself a break. Don't let this obviously stressful week be your deciding factor. Maybe homeschooling is for you and maybe it isn't - but this week clearly isn't the time to make that decision. Every week isn't going to be perfect and some are going to downright suck - mine sucked this week, too. Fortunately when things are really bad, I can put it down and pick it back up when we all feel better and calmer.

I hope your day got better and I hope it might help to know that I'm out here rooting for you!

Homeschooling, jewelry designing, adventure seeking, picture taking, gadget loving, blog writing, foodie, up for (almost) anything Mom about town.

http://colormepink.com

I'm struggling with the exercise thing, but I think we have a way to get around that.

I have heard from a lot of people that this is a really frustrating time of year to school kids...which really helps me.

Right now, he's chilling in his room reading a book I gave him for his November reading and I am on my computer ignoring the laundry, dishes and such while the baby naps and taking in some much needed "Veg" time.

Like this handy-dandy-article? It was due on Tuesday.

Whee!

I LOVED THIS LINE: "Life is too serious to be taken seriously."

It's just that his education is a huge deal to me. I'm having a hard time with my ability matching my expectations. But I SWEAR I am trying to chill on that, starting today.

I have a separate room because honestly...the rest of the house is chaos and small and he has a very hard time getting work done/concentrating in it.

Homework was hell for the previous 6 grades of his life. A separate room is a must, really.

Deadlines? You're homeschooling; YOU set the deadlines. In fact, why do you need deadlines at all? Work at your own pace, both of you.

Separate room for homeschooling? Get rid of that joke today. Make it a lesson in geometry and feng shui.

Who says school has to be in the morning? If you and your son are more alert at midnight, do it then.

One of the many delights of homeschooling is that it doesn't have to be done at home. Every trip to the grocery is a lesson in math, planning, reading, science, and whatever you turn it into. Education is all about connections; you and he can have many important lessons just matching wits and playing 6 degrees of separation together. Find songs and poems that help him learn necessary facts. (memes) Go to Steve Spangler Science and sign up for his Experiment of the Week; there's most of your science curriculum right there, for free, and so much fun he'll look forward to it and so will you. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment-of-...

Calm down. I know, that's easy for someone else to say, but seriously, don't take it so seriously. Life is too serious to be taken seriously.

Have him read aloud to you when you need to do other things. Buy him his own cookbook and encourage him to use it. A cookbook is reading, science, math, home ec, etc, all rolled into one. And he gets to eat his homework.

Above all, remember that you and your son love each other, and believe it or not, the day will come when you'll both look back and laugh at this. Honest.

Now, first thing tomorrow, you and your son go into that "classroom" and dismantle it. Find the science, math, reading, etc, in everything you both touch. That's enough for that day. Also remember that your lessons for him are NOT timed. Let him work at his own pace; eventually you'll both learn to dance with that.

"Don't be content with being average. Average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top."

I homeschooled for two years and now we are back schooling again.

FWIW, this week is horrible. Halloween, late nights, homework, classes have all added up to me having a mutual rant with another mom through our car windows this morning in the school parking lot.

So it's not just you.

We stopped hs because my son wanted to go back to school to be with friends. I wanted him to have more exercise. It wasn't an academic thing or a 'I can't do this' thing either. I am totally not stressed by the academic achievement (or not) they gain in school.

So I urge you to take a breath, perhaps give yourselves a few days off (I ate too much candy yesterday and the stuff does a number on my brain so I know why I'm mad) and think about why you homeschooled in the first place.

Whatever you decide is OK, even if it's to school and then bring them home again. We only learn by trying new things.

Alison Golden writes at The Secret Life Of A Warrior Woman ( http://alisongolden.com )

It's one of the most appealing aspects of homeschooling and I love it.

It's my panic that he not fall behind for high school/college that is getting me in a panic.

I need to just chill, I guess. Gah.

I am not good at that in general. (Plus I have the whole "not a mother" thing which is often a barrier.)

A homeschooling support group wouldn't really have to be local. There must be online communities for people just like you have decided to homeschool for similar reasons. Or you could start one, because I know you have so much time for such a thing. ;)

And even if not, you do have an online community who loves you and supports you. I think the fear you have of everything is normal. It's a big, scary change. If it was easy everyone would do it.

Your schedule isn't going to work every day. Neither does mine. I bet the one the teacher in the classroom had didn't either. It's still early. You're still seeking your new normal.

Contributing Editor Karen Ballum also blogs at Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca ).

Trying, but man it's tough. It's also because he has big attention problems...I have to over see what he's doing closely and keep him on track or he wanders off into the clouds after the first few things he looks at.

If he were more independent as a learner I probably wouldn't have pulled him from school.
And that is the whole goal at the end...getting him so that he can learn independently.

We just really need to figure out something that works for both of us so that we enjoy it more, because it feels like the potential for that to happen IS THERE...I just have to find it. :S

Trying, but man it's tough. It's also because he has big attention problems...I have to over see what he's doing closely and keep him on track or he wanders off into the clouds after the first few things he looks at.

If he were more independent as a learner I probably wouldn't have pulled him from school.
And that is the whole goal at the end...getting him so that he can learn independently.

We just really need to figure out something that works for both of us so that we enjoy it more, because it feels like the potential for that to happen IS THERE...I just have to find it. :S

WOW. I applaud and admire you. I am not sure I could have the fortitude to do three. I'm falling apart with one! xo

I am the WORST at routine and schedules. I've found that needing one has REALLY THROWN OFF MY NON-ROUTINE! (Ha ha ha ha ha!)

I feel that when I am doing well supervising his schooling, work is sucking (along with everything else) and when I concentrate on work (which has needed a lot of time recently) then school goes down the tubes.)

I feel like I have way too much me time, so no...I don't have it scheduled, really. Blogging as an exception, of course)

Oh, you have NO idea how I relate to the morning routine thing. It's 11:36 and he JUST sat down to start his work.

And I am not even showered yet.

WHEE.

Not really.

I don't have much of an anything at the moment where I live.

My bff is moving in a month and I am pretty sad about it.

I have weird difficulty being friends with other mothers. The thought of a play date sends me. Call it a weird social disorder, but it's always been tough for me. I am TOTALLY FINE meeting people and becoming chums, but something about developing a friendship based on parenting/kids wigs me out.

I think it's the fear of judgement. I am not the most together, scheduled and orderly thing on the planet. :S

It's a really horrible feeling, isn't it?

And?

DIE, PIGS! DIE!!! ;)

The first sentence of #3 is profound. I'm printing it off and hanging it on the wall. It is so true.

I'm not sure I'm going to be a great teacher, but I want to help my kids become passionate about learning. There really is a difference, isn't there? That's why we are teachers as moms, whether or not we "know" how to teach.

Debi, grinding through life at www.decafdiaries.com ( http://www.decafdiaries.com )
and paying the bills at www.brandnewconcept.com ( http://www.brandnewconcept.com )

Honey, you are doing it wrong. You have broken away from the schools, you no longer need to follow their schedule.
1. If you don't deal well with mornings, don't try to stay on a school time schedule.
2. You do not need to have a whole seperate room for school. Use your kitchen table, the living room sofa, where ever you happen to be.
3. Homeschooling for many of us is more about learning than it is about teaching. Help your child become an independent learner and then have fun learning with him, instead of modeling the school system of force-feeding teacher directed bits of knowledge into your child.
4. Look to your homeschooling friends for suggestions and ideas, but remember this grand adventure is different for each and every one of us - find the system that works for you and ignore anyone who would tell you you are wrong once you are happy and he is learning.

I have been right there with you more times then I can count. Last year I homeschooled my 7th grader, if that wasn't bad enough, I pulled my other 3 kids out of school and this year teach kindergarten, 1st grade AND 2nd grade!!!!
My 2nd grader is literally about to drive me to drink! I've been in tears numerous times, screaming to the top of my lungs a few, and just calling it a day a bunch of times.

Hang in there, take a deep breath, go out to lunch, go to the park and get some air.
It will get better, at least that what I keep saying to myself.

Breathe!

You've got a lot going on. You are going through a lot of big adjustments in life (new work, new schooling, new family situations as a result) & like any big change you are going to have ebbs & flows with how you feel about it. It's OK to feel overwhelmed & it's normal to panic during any big adjustment (I know I did!).

BUT remember to have faith in yourself that you can do this & it does get better!

I know for myself & my family we've all adjusted more into this life & our routine is comfortable. We started in August officially homeschooling. Getting comfortable didn't happen over night & there were growing pains, largely for me. Maybe our current routine & rhythm are not what another homeschooling family would do for themselves but its a routine & rhythm to our day that works for our family as a whole (very important--you need the routine & rhythm to work for you too). I'm able to get my work (gotta pay bills), get things done around the house & everyone's more than on track in their learning. It's comfortable now, but it took a few weeks to get established & settled into.

Also, do you have "quiet time" built into the day? A part of the day where you have down time, the kids can do something that is quiet & not Mom intensive & you get to have the time you need without feeling so overwhelmed that you have to shut down versus getting down time.

Remember that you can adjust the routine& rhythm (it doesn't have to be a rigid schedule) of the day as time goes on you don't have to feel locked in to anything.

I'm sending you lots of cyber-hugs & support in figuring out what is best for you & your family.

beth aka confusedhomemaker

http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/

I don't have any homeschooling words of wisdom for you, Loralee, because I'm not quite there myself yet. I plan to homeschool my two boys starting next year but for now they are in daycare while I try to get my new home-based business started.

But some of my new business woes have me feeling like you. It's very hard to get started with the day because I feel like I need to go in too many directions at once. Not having the pressure of getting to work on time has left our mornings in a funk. Instead of having my alarm go off and getting my boys up at a certain time, getting breakfast and dressing done by a certain time so we can get out the door, we're slowly moving through the routine and losing more time every day. I'm trying to get myself back in a routine. If you tell yourself that your boss (you, your son, whomever) expects you to arrive at a certain time and start work, you can keep yourself on schedule by meeting that goal.

As far as his curriculum versus helping with the baby, from every wonderful post I've read from numerous homeschooling moms, consider that part of his education. Don't let it defeat you! Homeschooling is about so much more than getting through the lessons in the text book. It's about understanding the importance of family, developing responsibilities and growing a child's character. He IS learning when he helps you out. He is. Don't ever negate the importance of those life lessons that will keep him from living in your basement when he's 33. Maybe, just maybe, you'll get in a routine and he will be so wildly successful that he's out the door before he's even 23! ;-)

Hang in there. I'm rooting for you.

Debi

Debi, grinding through life at www.decafdiaries.com ( http://www.decafdiaries.com )
and paying the bills at www.brandnewconcept.com ( http://www.brandnewconcept.com )

I know you have people who are helping you with curriculum and stuff, but do you have a support circle of other people who are/have home-schooled? I'd be very surprised if most home-schoolers didn't feel this at some point.

It's a big change and one that happened very quickly. I think what you are feeling is normal and I totally get it.

Contributing Editor Karen Ballum also blogs at Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca ).

Oh, Loralee.

*hugs*

I wonder if there's some bad funk floating around in the air this week. I have felt like a failure at absolutely everything I have touched... or even freaking thought of... this week.

I don't have the answers for you regarding homeschooling, as I'm watching your series for some guidance for future decisions. But I can tell you that you are not alone. Angry Birds and all.

Contributing Editor Jenna Hatfield (@FireMom ( http://twitter.com/FireMom )) blogs at Stop, Drop and Blog ( http://stopdropandblog.com ) and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land ( http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com ). She is a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.