Let's Face the Music and Dance

My husband is brilliant. Canning outdoors, using propane and a turkey fryer stand. He literally makes canning cool.

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You know when you're on the dance floor, grooving to a beat, and all of the sudden the song changes tempo, and you don't know what to do? Do you slow down, speed up, keep your own beat, or leave the floor and get a drink? Yes, today was kind of like that.

According to our homeschool charter calendar, today is the first day of school. I am officially the mother of a third grader and a sixth grader. For the first time in our homeschooling history we are all excited about starting a new school year. But the music has certainly changed, and we're trying hard to transition - gracefully - into a new song, without stepping on each other's toes.

There's been a lot of chatter in the mommy blogosphere about family rhythm lately. Well, at least the corner of the blogosphere where I travel. Lots of ideas are floating around about improving, enhancing, and even changing the rhythm of family life. Add this to the ideas floating around in my own head about family rhythm and it's like there's a radio on in every room of the house, all tuned to different stations. It gets so loud I can barely hear the music of my own heart. The music that tells me to take it slow. Move one foot at a time. Follow the lead of my partners. Stop moving and just listen if need be.

We've got big plans for this school year. New textbooks, stacks of blank journals, lists of projects, classes on the calendar, hula hoops for P.E., lots of sharp number two pencil ready to go. We're ready to rock the homeschool dance floor! But as I stood in the kitchen tonight preparing dinner, mentally ticking off the list of things I had hoped to accomplish today, and starting to feel behind - already, on the very first day - I had to do a quick inventory of what we had accomplished:

Math for both kids

Science for Aidan

A book read by Avery

A cake made by Avery

Two new fish in our aquarium

Hula hooping for everyone

Five quarts of canned peaches

A loaf of bread baked

A bag of school supplies purchased

Our library basket refilled

Two duct tape wallets constructed

Dinner on the table

We kept a steady beat today, and we'll keep on dancing tomorrow, but to a different tune: the tune of Happy Birthday. Avery will be eleven. It's a common side effect of sixth grade. Time sure flies when you're busy dancing.