It's spring, and you know what that means...

This is traditionally the time of year when I start getting antsy and thinking about other ways to homeschool. Why do I do that??? At least it has become a predictable pattern, and if I can just keep myself in check for the next month or so, this will pass with little damage to our bank account, LOL! (Note to self: do not go here or here and start browsing around). Homeschooling has given me so much, not the least of which has been an opportunity for introspection on some of my own unique challenges - the most glaring being that I find it nearly impossible to stick to something long enough to finish it. I hope this is strictly a personal shortcoming, and not a genetic trait which I may have passed onto my children.

There has been some talk in my local homeschool group recently about the possibility of starting up some kind of co-op. This had me thinking back to our year-long Africa study with our friends back in CA. I found the link to my write up about it on my old website http://dolphinvalleyacademy.tripod.com/id3.html I've been looking back longingly, but I think that time away from the experience is what makes my heart grow fonder. While the kids absolutely had a blast with it, the amount of time the parent puts into it makes it pretty exhausting. I learned a LOT while doing the research for each of the topics we studied, but I don't know if I have it in me to plan something again in that much depth for a single year. That's definitely an area where a traditional classroom teacher is set - you can plan a year out, and then be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor as you reuse it again, year after year.

N. and I went to the play "Little Women" yesterday afternoon. This play was based on Alcott's life growing up with her sisters, and her early career. They had a pretty small cast made up almost entirely of teens, and they were quite talented. N. really enjoyed it, and was so involved in the storyline that she cried after Beth died. Afterwards she was telling me how great the actors were - that they were so good you forgot they were just acting. We haven't read the story "Little Women", so I think we'll be doing that soon. Today N. took an audition basics class to learn about what to expect at an audition, and how to prepare, should she decide to pursue this any further. ;P

Hubby and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary on Saturday. Well, "celebrated" isn't really accurate, since we had so much going on that day that we didn't get to do anything special just for us. We hosted an egg hunt with my sister and my nephew, and then the kids had a bday party to go to that night. B. enjoyed a bike ride while we were gone. Well, "enjoyed" isn't particularly accurate, since he crashed and burned, bending his chain crank (? - I'm sure I have this part name incorrect, LOL) at a 90 degree angle. He scraped himself off the ground and found a rock to hammer it back into a more rideable shape, and finished his ride back to the car. I love that - just picked a rock off the ground and repaired his bike. Did I mention that I bought him a book called the "Outdoor Book for Adventurous Boys of all ages"? Sounded like it would be right up his alley.