Just for the record, I'm going to make a confession. I'm full of big ideas but not so great on the follow through.
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The garden is dug....will I plant it? Very unlikely.
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Bought a big ol package of curriculum (at least twice now). Did we complete it? Huh-unh!
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One time I got the great idea to send a package of stuff to some missionaries in our church. All fired up, I was! But it took too long and I lost interest. I managed to get it shipped off but not without thinking I'd never do that again.
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Some of you have even been privy to my short lived ideas. (Think Spunky Chicks Book Club?)
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And unfortunately this lovely tendency comes out in EVERY area of my life. (Mom, I know you're probably reading this in total agreement and I'd just like to say that I'm glad you haven't figured out how to comment yet. I'm sure you've got bazillions of stories that I prefer to keep in the closet.)
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One of the biggest areas hit is in our home school. I get great ideas every year and end up biting off more than I can chew.
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Wouldn't it be great to know Latin?
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How 'bout we build a life size replica of the Eiffel Tower out of marshmallows?
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Hey, let's do a complete chronological history of America with a giant sized time line strung up through the whole house!
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But this week I decided enough was enough. We NEED to finish our math books. I'm sorry to say that I've been dragging my 4th and 5th grader through the same stinkin' math book for at least 18 months.
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Yep, that's not a typo. 18 MONTHS, my friends.
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So I sat down with a calender and mapped out the rest of the book so I could set the goal of when we could finally move on. The kids watched with utter amazement as they realized that we could actually be finished by mid-June. And I think that must have given them a glimmer of hope.
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This morning I woke up to cheers of, "Let's do Math, Mom!"
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My first response was, "Aww, do we have to?" But I soon found out they had a plan. They decided they weren't going to wait another 3 weeks. They wanted to be done NOW! They hit the books hard and, with smiles folks, they tackled their math books with a hunger. They managed to wipe out all but the last two Review exercises before they'd had enough. But they will be done by Friday.
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Is that applause I hear?
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It goes to the kids, guys, not to me!
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9 comments:
Tell your kids I am clapping for them. I have started to show the kids where they need to be in a subject and then ask them to think up a timeline.
BTW, what math curriculum do you use? WE have used Singapore for 2 years, but it isn't always a good match for my daughter, who will be in grade 6 next year.
We use Singapore and I love it. But I think we'll probablly switch to math-u-see soon. I've heard that 5a and 5b get pretty tough.
Wow!! That is impressive. I can't begin to imagine my 4th grader CHOOSING to go above and beyond in math!
Can you use that super inspiration on them to get your garden done, too? Maybe by tomorrow they'll have it all planted AND harvested!
Wow! I am doing a happy dance for you and your kids! That is so awesome!! We've managed to get a few months behind in math too and have been slogging away at it so that we can start fresh in the fall. Tell your kids they inspired me with new hope. :-)
Fabulous! Great job, kids!
Can I just say that it is so refreshing to read this post and know that I am not the ONLY one who struggles with sticktoitiveness and following-things-through to completion. Full of great ideas, but no will to actually accomplish them! You totally described me in this post!
Hey, at least you have stuck with the same math book that whole time, unlike me who switches every so often, like when I child gets stuck and i figure it must be the book and they need a new one. Isn't it funny when they get the idea and just go for it. Today my kids were playing with sticks. Well, not just playing with them, but making fishing poles out of them, with reel and hook and everything. I must take a picture of it. Oh, and the boy pee pee thing, what a hoot.
Susan
Yep, I struggle with that whole great-ideas-but-no-follow-thru thing also. Here's a comment I once read (by some sort of professional organizer, no less) about people like us: "The creative mind has many more ideas than the physical body could possibly carry out." See, it's because we're creative! Maybe people who follow thru on everything are really just, you know, boring. They follow thru on things because they don't have anything else to think about. *Sigh* This is supposed to make me feel better about my lack of follow-thru, but it doesn't.
I got SOME of my garden planted-- does that count? Helped my kids with theirs too. Now we'll see if we actually remember to water...
I am the same way TOTALLY...I love ideas...I love them...I just wish I could follow through with them...I have brilliant ideas...I am also an organized person trapped in a disorganized body!!! I call myself a wanna be! :)
I could have written this post! I am a great starter, terrible finisher. I have 3, yes 3 unfinished Sonlight curriculum's, you'd think I'd learn after the first one. BTW 5a and 5b do get tough.... smarter than Karlie tough... EW, did I just admit that?
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