Why Do We Have To Go To School?

Every morning for my kids is a struggle. Hunter and Isabella are resistant to go to their new school. Isabella worries that her classmates secretly don’t fully accept her, even though she is extremely happy with her teacher and the school itself. Hunter says he is waiting until we move back to our old neighbourhood. I asked him if he had made any new friends and he said, “I don’t need any. I already have friends across town”. When I told him that it was good to have friends in his class and close-by, he just shrugged. Hunter is having a really hard time with the move. Hey parents- any suggestions to ease the transition? My kids keep asking why they have to go to school anyway, which is a good question. I have a lot of reasons on why they should, including interacting with other adults that aren’t mom and dad and respecting authority, but one of my new neighbours home-schools and has a bunch of reasons why kids don’t necessarily need public school. I think both are valid and I have even considered home-schooling in the past…albeit very briefly. My neighbour just started home-schooling her daughter a couple of years ago and they are liking it so far. I am sure they zoom through the curriculum. However, I have come to the conclusion that, barring any massive changes to my kid’s personalities and my nature, home-schooling isn’t for us. I think my kids get a lot out of the public school system and that is where they should stay. I  do think home-schooling is very interesting and a great choice for many families. Do you home school or do your kids attend school? I would love to hear your reasons for either decision!

I am on Day Two of trying to be Supermom….I give myself a week before I run out of energy and my kids are shoving Goldfish Crackers in to their mouths from the box again….just kidding! I hope….I’m not really good at long-term plans. But today, energy still on full, I made a simple Superfood Crackers recipe from my Deliciously Ella cookbook. The entire house smells delicious! The crackers are basically finely grated carrots, or carrot pulp from a juicer, and a whole bunch of yummy seeds. The kids may find them too grainy, but maybe I can call them savoury granola bars instead of crackers and they will accept all the seeds inside. I am going to tackle a healthy blueberry muffin recipe that is refined-sugar free tomorrow. I am a stay-at-home writer…the least I can do is plan a bit of my day around baking. I am able to do it easily right now because I have let my exercise routine slide. I haven’t made time for exercise at all! I think it is partly that our basement is a disaster and all of our weights are down there…so I don’t want to be there working out. I can’t relax down there. I really need to go through the stuff down there and pare it down, then figure out how to store it out of the way. Josh and I have had debates on whether the work “table” made out of old, cheaply made doors is useful down there. I say it is a space taker and Josh says it is the perfect place to tuck the boxes away. He has a point. The boxes would take up that room anyway….but I almost feel like we could stack them more efficiently if that bench wasn’t there. I agree with Josh and I am willing to make it work if he can show me how… but I am secretly still hating that “table” down there since it is quite big and not very well constructed. We will see! I just want it to be a more organized space since I am down there constantly to do laundry and will workout down there.

Our cat, Kali, is not having any trouble with the move. She is quite content. Here, in a safe space where she is queen cat, she can curl up wherever she likes and have our full attention when she “talks” to us. I think she loves that the space is smaller because she can find us more easily when she wants company. Giving up Thorin was the best decision I ever made. It was a hard one, but the lady that took him gave us frequent updates and he has been a prince since living there. She calls him “my boy” and loves him like a furry son. He gets to be the only cat, has access to a balcony and has a person that can give him the attention he needs without the disruption of noise from kids. It’s perfect. A lot of Kali’s neurotic behaviour went when Thorin left, which proves that they weren’t good companions and that most cats want to be the only cat in the house- they’re not pack animals at heart. Kali spends a lot of time lounging on the couch that we bought at ReStore for a steal of a price (love that couch so much) and follows me around the house while I do chores. Kali-cat sleeping on our used couch find.

 

Our house is shaping up, and I found my camera!, so pictures soon. I surprised myself by picking a lot of soft pink, grays and a variety of blues with the occasional pop of red in some rooms. But, most of our house is pink, gray and blue, which I didn’t do on purpose as I decorated each room as a separate space, without thinking of the other rooms. Only our bedroom has some of my favourite colour, purple, since it’s a very grown up shade of purple, with a gray accent wall. (Or is pink my favourite colour now…I kept picking it for the house, so maybe it is, subconsciously).  I can’t wait to show you what we have done to our formally basic beige house.

With luck, Hunter and Isabella will have a great school day as Hunter starts ballet tonight. Isabella is debating on whether to join Girl Guides! We are busy trying to become more involved in the neighbourhood and nearby activities, too. It is a whirlwind of action and things to do every day!

 

Until I write next time, sink your teeth into:

Why I Am Suddenly So Concerned with Giving My Kids Healthy Breakfasts.

5 Ways I Fight Anxiety & Depression

Astronauts and Angels

 

 

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