We started our school year on Tuesday after taking a six week break for summer. You should know that this is my 9th year homeschooling and we have rarely taken a summer break. I prefer to schedule our school year following a year-round schedule because we tend to run out of things to do and then we all get on each other's nerves. At least with school activities, everyone stays pretty well occupied. But last school year, I struggled a bit with motivation on my part. We finished strong, but I was tired, and really needing a break this year so we wrapped up in mid-June and looked forward to six weeks of school-free fun. We took a trip to Smoky Mountains National Park in late June, visited family in Florida for the 4th of July, attended a homeschool conference in late July (in person!), and visited more family. The rest of the time was sweet time spent on my back porch and playing lots of badminton with the kids -- our summer activity of choice.
I'm usually bursting at the seam to get back into school routine, but I must admit, this year I was sort of dreading it. I didn't think I'd recovered from last year -- six weeks just didn't seem long enough! Surprisingly, as we progressed through our day on Tuesday, it felt so good. Both the children and I were motivated and feeling really good about being back in school routine, reading and studying new things, and just being together once again. Even though we're always together, school time is really bonding time with my children. I know, that sounds so strange, but that's how it's always been for us. We enjoy great books, have wonderful conversations, laugh and have a sweet time together. It felt super good to connect with each other over subjects we love to study together. Back in the saddle again!