Homeschool Woes... sort of

Grayson technically isn't supposed to start school until next week, but ever since we started the orientation and went on with a couple of lessons we've just been at it full force already. I'm happy we decided to go ahead and start because the farther we get then when homecoming gets here and post deployment leave gets here I wont be worrying too much about him getting caught up with lessons. He's struggling a little with understanding that even though we are at home, it's still school. He thinks that he should get to play and watch tv, but I guess it will all take time to get use too; I hope anyway. For some reason today it took him nearly 2 hours just to do the math portion when it says should only take an hour, but for him it really should have only taken 30 minutes. The whole time though he was saying he was just ready to go to Miss Kirsten's house. I'm just going to have to stop telling him what we have going on during the day until he does his work. I do believe that this is the best decision Nate and I could have made for while we are out here in 29 Palms. Once we move back to Texas or PCS somewhere else he'll go right back into the public (or private) school system. We definitely won't homeschool forever. I hope he is retaining the information that I'm helping him learn, he seems to be, but all I can do is think about him passing with flying colors and passing the state test in the spring. Time will tell I suppose.

I've tried to come up with some different incentives for Grayson to help him want to get his work finished. I have told him if he can get his work done and understand the information by lunch time or an hour after lunch the rest of the afternoon can be free time. I've also mentioned that maybe we'll do an award incentive. Every Friday I decide if he deserves an award (piece of card stock pre-printed) for the week and if he gets it then he gets a special prize, whether it be a trip to the movies, staying up late, a small toy, McDonalds; something. I have also come up with another plan to set a timer for how long I think the lesson should take and if he can focus and retain the information from the lesson and be finished before the timer goes off (i.e. 1 1/2 hours) he will get to play with his toys or watch tv for 15 mintues before the next lesson. Oh and with Nate possibly being somewhere else in the future he should have better communication (even thought it's gotten better) we told Grayson that unless he gets his work done Daddy's boss wont let him talk to him. Harsh, but Grayson has Nate on such a high pedestal it will probably work. These are all options of course I have no idea which will work and I'm definitely up for ideas if anyone has any!

I had algebra today, and again, I hate it. I'm slowly getting it down but not at the pace I should be I guess. I wish Nate was able to be home because he's a math whiz and I'd just have him do it... umm... I mean help me. ;-) Thank goodness we can use notes on our exams.

We're coming up on the 2 months to go mark soon; praise Jesus! I know it's gone really slow for him, but really time is flying by for me at the moment and I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way thanks to home school and school myself. Which also means I need to keep my butt in gear. I have done decent on my workout schedule did a short one this morning and a full insanity disk tonight. Bound and determined that's what I am!

Tomorrow we meet Grayson's CAVA teacher, I have a ton of questions I want to ask her so I hope I don't bombard her. Maybe I'll just ask a couple and then email the rest! I also am hoping to meet some of the other homeschool parents out there, that will really help out with any struggles I may be having. Then it'll be back to work on Math, Language Arts, History, Art, and Science.