the domestic fringe

I jumped tiger-mom ugly on my kids this week.  Ok, maybe more like house-cat-mom, but much more ferocious than I was in holly jolly December.

Many of you know I made the radical decision to homeschool my children this year.  I say radical, and it is for some.  Others were born to nurture their children through phonics, times tables, and biology.  I was born to put my kids on the bus, pick them up at three in the afternoon and give them milk and cookies; however, I adjusted my thinking and gave myself (heart, body, and peace of mind) to educating my children.

I won’t go into my reasons, I’ve talked about them HERE.

We studied the ancient world, made Egyptian cat statues, created solar systems from flour and water, painted a few chickens, learned about predicate adjectives, and joined a homeschool group for socialization.  Socialization seems to be the buzz when you talk about homeschooling.  If anyone thinks my children need more socialization, you are free and welcome to come take them for a day and socialize till your heart’s content.

Everything moved along smashingly.

Then came January.

I admit, January almost brought me to my knees and made me scream uncle.  I felt a little like when I was seven and my uncle Wayne would half put me in a headlock, half sit on me and make me say something stupid like “I have slug cooties, toxic breath, and glowing freckle orbs all over my face.”

We had enough snow to build an army of icy men and saw the sun maybe twice.   Besides, after Christmas vacation, who wants to get back to school?  Not me.  We pushed through the month like the plows push snow through our street, with slow determination, bribery, and hot cocoa.

I knew we needed a change.

I developed cheetah spots and grew my nails.

No, not really.

I did buy a package of Spanish flash cards and we are learning a new language together.  I’m actually brushing up on the language that almost made me spend five years in a four-year college, but we are having fun with it.  My son wants to learn more than how to say “I went to the store and bought a blue and white sweater.”  He want to say things like “You are fat and smelly.”  I think I’ll dangle insulting phrases like a carrot in front of a donkey just to keep him enthused.

We also started playing more games like Banangrams.  We need some fun to break the monotony of our four walls and three grumpy faces.  Thankfully we accomplished more than necessary in our first two quarters of school, so I don’t feel bad about spending time playing games, reading fun books, and watching episodes of Liberty’s Kids.

I jump Tiger Mom ugly now.

We started an afternoon exercise routine that would make Jillian Michaels pat me on the back and say “Burn those buns Baby!”

Before you applaud my trembling fat, understand, this exercise regimen is for my children, not me.  I am the couch coach, cheerleader, motivator, and sponsor.  They need to dispel their excess energy and playing in the snow is not enough.

Yesterday my daughter pierced my heart with looks that would make a mommy grisly shudder, but today she managed a total of fifty-five sit-ups without once shedding a tear.

I applaud her.

She’s praying for a new mommy right this minute.

It’s a new month of homeschooling, and we will not only find ways to survive this winter’s cabin fever, but we will also attempt to enjoy ourselves.

How do you made it through the winter’s long days?

Are you also jumping Tiger Mom ugly in some area of your children’s lives?