Homeschooling or Something Like It

Question: How has teaching Parker at home this year been going?

Answer: Great!---as long as you don't mind Toaster Strudel in your bathtub.

Pros:

• The IDVA (Idaho Virtual Academy) curriculum is far superior to that taught in public school. I have taught in public school, and there is no contest on this one.
• Going to school in your pajamas. Parker is most definitely not a morning person. I love, love, love not fighting him all morning to get up, get dressed, brush his teeth, etc.
• No homework! Yet our whole family is way more involved in Parker's education. Tonight Parker and Chris dissected a fish together, identifying all of its body parts. (Chris took one for the team and took the day off work to catch said fish.)
• I love learning alongside Parker. Parker and I were having a conversation about Dante and Botticelli. "How do you know all this?" Chris asked, amazed. Ha! I may have never saved anything on a flash drive in my entire life, but I know a little something about third grade history.
• I know exactly how Parker's doing in school.
• Parker is speaking German. Granted he mostly goes around the house saying, "And what is that? That is dirt." But I'm hoping he branches out eventually.
• Parker is happier.

Cons:

• My house is messy. Really messy. Teaching takes a lot of time. So much time that I'm not getting my house cleaned top to bottom each week. Which is why I gave Parker the day off last Friday and cleaned my house. During this cleaning I discovered something in the kids' bathtub. That something was a Toaster Strudel. As I have yet to multi-task breakfast and baths, I'm unsure of how that Toaster Strudel made its way up the stairs and into the tub.
• Parker teasing his siblings all day.
• Me yelling at Parker all day to stop teasing his siblings.
• My time spent calling my sisters and mom, blogging, napping, lying around reading books, and making brownies has (sadly) greatly diminished.

Question: Now that you've written a post about this will you stop talking non-stop about IDVA when I call you on the phone or come visit you?

Answer: No guarantees. Though I'm trying to be less obsessive and find other things to talk about. (Apologies to Brigette, Jenna, Aleisha, and anyone else that I have talked about IDVA for more than an hour straight.)