And now, on the homeschooling front ...

First, the good news.

The girls and I are having a ball this week reading Nim's Island by Wendy Orr. I know it's a movie, and I haven't seen it yet, but y'all, the book is so much fun. Nim is a girl living on an island alone with her scientist dad, and she's adventurous, responsible and self-reliant enough that her dad goes off on an expedition and leaves her for three days. At least, the plan is three days. But then his trip goes awry and Nim begins corresponding via email with a reclusive famous author, all while missing her dad and having adventures with her anthropomorphic animal friends, and that's as far as we've gotten, but Eliza keeps asking me to keep reading, which is a good sign.

We've also started dipping back into Five in a Row, which has been the source of some amazing picture book finds for us. It's a fountain of ideas for discussion and activity based on great books, some of which are already well-known and award-winning, and others of which deserve to be so. This is a curriculum I'm always recommending to moms of preschoolers and kindergarteners who want to do something a little bit structured with their kiddos without going off the deep end. This week we're having some fun with Warm As Wool.

And I am reading A Tale of Two Cities and liking it much more than I expected. Mr. Dickens, you're quite a wit. 

Now, the bad news.

Y'all, I am suffering from the worst case of planning paralysis I've ever experienced. Normally around this time of year, I'm so done with the "lazy days of summer" to which we are somewhat subject because of the public-schooled neighbors who like to come hang out. Visions of newly sharpened pencils and brand new books and schedules that will probably come unraveled dance in my head. I'm making a long list from the Rainbow Resource catalog and forcing myself to edit because there are so many great options.

But with seemingly everyone gearing up around me and even homeschooling websites publishing delightful ideas for the "first day of school," I just cannot seem to kick myself into gear. I feel like I'm stuck in this pessimistic funk, this crisis of motivation and decisiveness, despite the plethora of advice and ideas at my fingertips.

There's more I could say but it's hard to go into detail without violating my kids' privacy, one in particular. But if you feel inclined to pray for me, please do! Or send a Mental Battery Charger via FedEx with encoded instructions for exactly what we should do in the next few months that will rock our world.

Thanks for listening. Over and out.