A Mulligan

We officially started our school year last week. It would be better stated to say we attempted to start our school year last week. Each day was trying, and I was so ready to start that I had not anticipated it.

Monday, Brennan discovered that there is a little more work in first grade than kindergarten. If you had listened to him, you would have thought that I had doubled, no tripled his work load. In reality, I only added a little history, 5 minute spelling (which he didn't complain about that anyway), and a little grammar. Maybe we will drop the grammar, but I want to give it a few more weeks to see if it is the subject or the student that is the issue. I suspect it might be the student. The one who asked me what he had to do in order to get to do kindergarten again.

Tuesday, I was sick. Really, really sick. Like a staph infection that swelled my entire arm. I spent the entire morning and a few hours in the evening at the doctor's office. The rest of the day I was in bed. I didn't even attempt any lessons on this day.

Wednesday we found out a brother's children were in town. We got together that afternoon (so that I would have been on antibiotics for 24 hours before we met). We ended up enjoying the time together, so only a half day Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday were feeble attempts to get back to it. There was so much laziness in the air (including me) that I daresay we accomplished little those two days (about half of what I had planned). Most of this was due to some serious headbutting with a strong willed 5 year old coupled with more complaining from the new first grader. I feel incredibly guilty about this. In fact, Friday, I was seriously considering backing out altogether and enrolling them in school next week. Only for a moment, but for that moment I was really ready to do it!

Now I feel better. We are all rested. The house is clean. We are ready for a do over. Here's hoping that the second time is the charm!