Homeschooing- well sort of....

For a while now I've been struggling with my need to sew and make things. I LOVE to create, but while I've been creating my children have either been watching t.v. or tearing the house apart. Before you ask I've tried sewing at nap time, and after the kids go to bed. When the kids get up or my bedtime arrives I struggle to leave a project that I know won't take much longer to finish. Also with Maddy starting school I've been able to see a few areas where I could have prepared her better. So with those things in mind I dove into a sort of haphazard version of schooling my younger kids this week. I know they are only 2 and 3 so it's more like supervised activities than real lessons, but it's an improvement from what life has been like lately.

I used some "busy bag" ideas from here.
I used the free printable available over at confessions of a homeschooler. She has a great set free printables with directions!
Are you wondering how are week is going? I'm exhausted at night, but that really isn't anything new. The kids are thriving! They love the sense of accomplishment. I've been hanging their work on the fridge so they can show Daddy and Sissy when they get home. The pom-pom ball activity entertained Annie for half-an-hour. Do you know how amazing it was to sit and drink my coffee this morning while Annie pushed pom-pom ball's into a Tupperware container and Max practiced writing. They were having fun, and the house was quiet and clean! After that we worked on counting and I had them work together. Let me just preface this by saying that my children haven't understood that they are on the same team for the last 3 months. I'm constantly reminding them that life isn't a competition. They worked together without grabbing, arguing, or fighting! They even did a puzzle together afterwards! I'm not saying, my children are perfect, but I am saying I've seen a definite difference! As a Mom I'm seeing the benefits of sitting still and working hands-on with my children! I've been....allowing my children too much free reign instead of practicing good parenting over the summer. So hopefully this is the start of something wonderful.
I do plan to continue sewing. I just have to figure out where it fits into the schedule. I'm guessing it'll be in the evenings when I'd rather be vegging in front of the t.v. (My feelings on that are another post for sure). So for tonight I'm going to look through a few books I checked out from the library (another GREAT resource) and sleep peacefully knowing I'm doing my best to train my children up in the way they should go :)