Agendas

Ok...so homeschooling is like breaking in new shoes.  When they're up on a shelf and surrounded by other pretty shoes looking so shiny and comfy, you think nothing could be better, right?  You get them home and try them out, walking around the house and thinking about all of the outfits you can wear them with.  You put them back in the box and make sure they are well taken care of.  After a couple of days you notice that they are a little tighter than you thought, but you buck up because they're you're new shoes, yes?  After three days you notice the blister welling up on your foot, and you pull your big-girl panties up because you invested a lot in those shoes.  Finally, after four days, you are crying because of the pain and throwing them against the closet door because-well
dang it all!  Like I said, homeschooling is a lot like breaking in new shoes. 

Our first week, we were doing really well.  We were up early, chores were done, ya-da...ya-da.  After two weeks, my 7 yo starts avoiding work to play.  After three weeks, she's saying math is yucky and can she just get on the computer?  After a month, she's crying, I'm crying - even the fish is crying (because we are too stressed to remember to feed it).  This is all because I am screaming at her to finish any one assignment that doesn't involve me sitting right next to her and using my endless supply of accents and funny voices.  So...I started making agendas.  Every day the girls get a list of everything they have to do (by subject).  They have boxes that they have to check off as they go.  If my 7 yo finishes it, she gets a sticker on her chart which will later be redeemed for a leotard for her doll. Yes, they make those.  Totally worth it though because I'm not losing my &*(^, and little miss likes the possibility of getting something extrinsic out of it.  Now, you may be asking, "What does the 10 yo get?"  The answer is nothing.  It's probably wrong, but I make it up to her with eggplant parmesan once a month.  She's totally cool with that.