And two weeks later, she blogs again

I'm sure you're as tired of reading my excuses for not updating as I am of typing them, so let's dive right in as if nothing happened, okay?

So, I'm PLANNING again. That means my couch is covered in binders, books, and writing instruments. And for the record, I think that having four pens at one's feet at all times is PERFECTLY LOGICAL and need not be commented on by one's spouse.

The goal is to have the entire quarter planned, written down, and in Homeschool Tracker before we start on Monday. And don't even bring up the possibility that someone could get sick and therefore not school for half a week because there is no room for that thought in my world right now. We have a schedule, and we're sticking to it.

The main point is to have it in Homeschool Tracker. That seems to be the weak link. That way, if we're out and about during school hours, and someone comments that my kids aren't in school, I don't have to sit and wonder if I've updated my log in the last month week or so. The idea of the authorities knocking on my door is a lot less stressful if I can picture myself handing them a printout of all my hours instead of gathering an armful of scraps of paper and saying, "It's all written down in here....somewhere."

It also appears that I dither over phonics programs once per kid. I am now done dithering and am embracing, once again, the Explode the Code/Sonlight I Can Read It books for Samuel. This is the combo that I used to teach Peter and Camellia to read. I don't know WHY I keep thinking I need to re-invent the wheel, but I do. Samuel's reading lessons seem to be going swimmingly, despite the fact that his mother can't seem to make up her mind what to do with him.

If I had a fourth child (which isn't in the plan, I'm just being theoretical, here), would I STILL feel the need to try new phonics programs, or would I just stick with what I know works? Hard to say.