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| call me |
A local homeschooling mom arranged for our MeetUp group to have a tour at Papa John's. I was on the fence about going for a few reasons. Our recent conversion to mostly organic foods makes most restaurant food off-limits, EM doesn't really like pizza anyway, and the tour started at 10am. In the morning. I do not like activities that start in the morning. That is MY time for lounging around the house and getting a slow start to the day. But I decided I was being silly and made everyone get up and go make pizza.
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| veggie toppings |
Our group consisted of 17 kids and 6 adults. When we arrived, EM realized one of the adults was his Kindergarten teacher. She was there with her grandsons who homeschool. EM had a chance to catch up and tell her how he's doing. One of the grandsons had been in his class for Kindergarten, so it was nice for him to have that reconnection. We had a short tour of the store, learned how the pizza ordering process works, and then the real fun began. Each child got to make their own pizza. JT chose mostly veggie toppings, EM tried some bacon.
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| pizza goes in this side |
The kids all managed to line up, despite jokes I've heard about homeschoolers who don't know how to do that. Everyone was quiet and respectful while the manager explained the process. The kids chatted a bit with each other while they waited their turns to make their lunch. Then everyone sat down at the tables to enjoy the fruit of their labors. Socialization success!
Sometimes I find myself avoiding the local homeschooling activities. It's not necessarily that I don't want to get together with the other families, it's just that I have so many things I want to do and I can't do everything and stay sane. I have to say no fairly often or we'd be running ragged all the time. Some people like that frantic pace in their lives. I'm not one of them. The boys aren't really into that kind of lifestyle either. Maybe when they are older, but I don't really see it happening. We are content to live at a slower pace.
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| finished pizza comes out here |
I think as parents in America we are made to feel inferior if our kids aren't running from one activity to the next all day long. Being out of the school system helps avoid that a little bit because we don't get fliers announcing sports try-outs and other activities sent home in backpacks. But the temptation is still there. When friends ask what sports the boys participate in and I say, "JT is no longer doing any sport and EM will do Upward basketball this year," it might sound like nothing compared to the kid who plays every sport offered through the school and participates in every other league out there. I think it's enough of a sport to send the kids running around the backyard, jumping into the giant pile of leaves they made, or soon, sledding down and hiking back up the hill.
We are perfectly happy with our backyard...
and an occasional pizza party.
3 comments:
I understand how easy it is to get caught up in comparing one child to another. We are not big into sports either (my girls take a weekly gymnastics class and they play for a rec league basketball team). I can't imagine the pace that comes with tournaments, practices and splitting the family up to get kids to different events. That is just not us. This is a perfect time of year to enjoy the slower pace.
I know I already turn into grumpy mom when we have a few too many things planned. If we participated in everything that appeals to us, I'd be a permanent grumpy mom. And no one would be happy then!
Such good time for this post! I am also feeling the pull of out-of-house activities, particularly since we live in a fairly isolated property and are new to the community. At the same time, the idea of simplifying, focusing on getting our lives in order after the move and finding our rhythm seems instinctively much more important to me right now. Still, when I see the home school meetups and the dozens of holiday activities, I feel the familiar pull of not wanting the boys to miss out, although I know I really can't handle any more right now. Good to know I'm not alone. :)
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