Thinking Out of the House

Homeschool on Thursday was just as I dreamed homeschooling would be!

Well, not exactly.

I would have envisioned my house being immaculate, the laundry and ironing caught up, the dishwasher purring with dishes used from the warm and nutritious lunch I had just prepared...

But none of these was true.

I kept looking longingly at the clock. It was a spectacular day; the skies were steel blue and a light breeze blew through our open windows. We still had history and reading to do...and it was only just about lunch time. I knew the boys were antsy too. I could sense it.

There was an audible sigh of relief when I declared that we were breaking for lunch. I cooked some of those really nutritious pizza rolls--you know the kind with no preservatives--and for good measure, I threw some carrots sticks on the plate too, so I would still be eligible for the Mother-of-the-Year award.

While they ate, I gathered our afternoon assignments and some blankets. As soon as they were finished, I broke the news. "We're going to have school outside this afternoon." They looked astonished. But as soon as the news sunk in, that this schedule-keeping-routine-loving momma, really meant it--with no strings attached--the whooping began!

So, we studied the people group of Riffe Berber under the sun of God's classroom! And then for an hour we read aloud from Ginger Pye and laughed ourselves silly. Seth swung from the nearby trees, dug in the dirt, peed in the yard(oops, there's goes that Mother-the-Year, thingy)---and listened too (I think).

At 2:45, we brought all of our stuff back into my immaculate house and I began another especially nutritious meal. Well, not into an immaculate house--in fact, the lunch dishes were still in the sink, laundry to do, and...

But, I don't think my kids will remember that they had pizza rolls for lunch, that I left dishes in the sink or that I had more laundry to do, but it will be a long time before they forget the afternoon we studied outside.