Three Months In - How and What We're Doing

Wow, has it REALLY been three months? It seems now like we're old hats at this in some ways, and still struggling in others.

We've had a lot of inconsistencies in our days, so we're having a hard time getting into a routine. I'm trying to remedy that by letting everyone in my life - friends, family members, and doctors - know that until 2:00 in the afternoon, we are just not available. This has helped some, but we've also had a struggle with bedtime routines.

My DREAM routine (for the kids) goes like this:

7:30-8:30 Wake up, have breakfast, get ready for the day, morning chores, and bible time.
8:30-9:30 Free time
9:30-12:00 All screens (TV/Computer/Etc) OFF - school time
(school time consists of the kids choosing their activities off the school shelf to do - they can choose whatever activity they like and spend as long as they want doing it)
12:00-1:00 Lunch Time, After Lunch Pick Up
1:00-2:00 Quiet/Free Time (what Mr. J calls "recess")

BUT things haven't really gone that way. It's been more like THIS:

Kids wake up anywhere between 9-10
The get up, lounge around in their PJ's, eat breakfast, watch TV, play video games, etc.
By 12 I just realized what time it was and invite the kids to do some sort of activity with me, which usually gets shot down in favor of Minecraft or The Sims.
Either that or we get a phone call from someone offering to take us or asking us to take them someplace.
Not to mention the fact that the kids are getting out of a sleep routine.
Some days they're not getting to sleep until close to MIDNIGHT.

Yeah . . .

So our days have been mostly filled with unschooling! And believe it or not, it's working quite well for us. Mr. J plays a lot of Minecraft. I actually have no problem with this - playing Minecraft has helped him learn spacial concepts, geometry, reading, typing, computer skills, problem solving . . . The list could go on and on. So I am a HUGE advocate for Minecraft!

He is also really into weather and tornadoes right now. He watches a lot of videos on tornadoes online, and really enjoys watching videos on tornado mods for Minecraft. I just purchased a connector for us to make a tornado with soda bottles, a "pet tornado" and a book about tornadoes for us to read together. He is really excited about these additions to our school shelf!

Miss E is into art, The Sims, crochet, cooking, and the Winx Club (she likes other fairies, but Winx is her biggest love right now). She takes art lessons from my mom, and I've been getting her Winx graphic novels (really big comic books!) to read. She's also played a LOT of Sims - the great thing about Sims is that with it being a life-simulation, she has learned a lot about money and home management, and even about responsibility (if you don't go to work, you lose your job. If you don't take care of your children, CPS comes and gets them!). She is learning to crochet, and I've just taught her how to do a single crochet stitch. Next on the list is the half double crochet, then the double crochet. Her love of cooking is huge as well. She loves making scrambled eggs, and quiche. She's also working on writing her own recipes.

Recently our math curriculum - Math U See - came in. The kids absolutely love it so far. We've only had a couple of lessons, but they are excited about it. Miss E especially - she's wanting to learn Algebra, but knows that she needs to know other stuff before she can get there.

So is it everything that I dreamed? No. It's not, I have to admit that. But every single day I see something else that cements my decision to homeschool my children. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision. And even out of routine and without a set curriculum, my kids are learning EVERY SINGLE DAY. They're reading, they're doing math, they're doing science, and a lot of times they don't even realize it. So no, it's not anywhere CLOSE to what I'd dreamed. But it's GOOD. And that's good enough for  me.