Don't Call it Homeschool

Sometimes people ask me, "Jamie, what's it like working full time in your fabulous career while homeschooling 4 children all in 1700 square feet?" Just kidding, nobody asks me that, ever, because they don't want to get knifed in the face. Double kidding - I'd never knife anybody. But I might aim for a quick kick in the shins.

First of all, I'm going to shout this from the mountaintops: DON'T CALL IT HOMESCHOOL!!! Homeschooling is a decision that families enter into because they believe it's the best choice for their children and family. They prepare. They plan. They buy material. They enter cooperatives. They choose homeschool. This is, in no way, homeschool.

People, this is a bunch of people just doing the best they can in a crazy-pants situation.

So, lower your expectations. Embrace the sweet moments. Survive the superhard ones. Try to work a fullish day and also keep your children from knifing each other in the face (just kidding again... although there's probably been ample shin-kicking).

Honestly, we're doing ok. We're blessed that, although our desk-to-human ratio is 1:2, our computer-to-human ratio is 1:1. And the teachers at our kids' school have done a really great job putting together online curriculum that keeps the kids engaged until noonish. I'm super grateful to them for keeping our kids busy and connected. And then the afternoon brings chores, projects, activities, and screen time.

We've upped the weekly chore quota, and the construction keeps us occupied as well. Our kids have pitched in on cooking with varying levels of success (it always keeps them engaged. It almost always yields huge messes). We try to get outside every day.  We reward ourselves with ice cream when we keep the house tidyish. We play a lot of Animal Crossing and call it "bonding time" because the game is quasi-cooperative. We play a TON of board games.

My many scrum certifications have finally started paying off with our family Kanban board. This is basically the fruition of all my fondest hopes and dreams - to run my home with sticky notes! One child (purple) has embraced it fully. One husband (green) has sort of started using it (this is a huge win!). One Mom (pink) started doing it just so that purple child didn't feel like she was the only one doing it and has ended up shifting her phone-based to-do list to the board quite happily. But, let's be honest, I'm happy with a checklist in any form.

So, there's my run-down of school-from-home. My recipe for home-based happiness is all about embracing the little wins and the small sweetnesses and then going on a walk for as many meetings as possible.