It has to go up from here...

So..it has been an interesting week!  I had meticulously planned out our homeschool day, even to the point of making each child his or her own daily to-do list.  Everything was off to a great start.

 We sat in our "classroom" and started to work on our portfolios.  The kids each have a 3 ring binder that will showcase bits and pieces of the work they have accomplished this year.  On the first day of school, I had them fill out a questionnaire (which I got here) and asked them to decorate the cover.

Even Ellie got in on the fun!

 They all sat nicely and got their first project done.  Phew!  This homeschooling thing is not going to be so bad, I thought.

 Then I sat down to do our individual lessons:  one-on-one time for math and reading.  I started with Nicholas, because he is the biggest morning person and tends to poop out earlier.  He is just starting to read, so every word takes a lot of concentration. 

 

After about 2 or 3 minutes of work, BOOM BOOM BOOM came from overhead.  Debris showered from the ceiling above.  (Did I mention that we are having our kitchen renovated?)

 

 I tried to rally through the noise, hoping it would stop soon...but, alas, it was not to be.  So we took it outside, for science.  I read to them on the front porch about rock formation;  about the differences between Igneous and Sedimentary rocks.  Then we went on a rock hunt, to see what we could find in our yard.

 The kids practiced their skills of observation.

 And recorded their findings in their science journals. All in all, it went okay.  I did not complete what I had planned, but at least I was flexible (and did not have a complete meltdown, as I have been known to do when things don't go my way).  I gave myself a gold star for that.

Unfortunately, the next day got worse.  As we were trying to get school going again, things started to smell really bad.  Yes, smell.  The staining and application of polyurathane on the floor above not only reeked, but gave us headaches.  We had to get out.

Long story short, we spent the remained of the week at a Staybridge Suites.  I tried to homeschool there -- we actually got a little bit done -- but it was far from ideal.

The best thing about homeschooling, is that we can just adjust.  I reworked our 34-week schedule back one week and we will start over again.  Deep breath in, deep breath out.