Monday Rhythm

Our weekends tend to be very busy. On Saturday, I went from ballet, toGeorge Mason to get Michael, back to ballet, to the craft store, the sports store, the yarn store, back to ballet, home and then to football. Michael took Christian to a homeschooled teen event that night.
Sunday was even busier, if that's possible.

We spent hours outside at soccer.When my children reach the end of the weekend, they are happy but they are tired. Monday is always tough, particularly since, by Monday, my husband's been gone three or four days.There's weariness all around.

So this week, I decided to stop trying to make Monday very academic. After beginning with prayer and reciting our September poem, we spent the morning making fairy houses for our seasons table. The nice thing about spending weekends out at soccer is that usually we're in parklike settings. Lots of collecting can happen there. So, the children brought their rocks and their acorns to the scene. A craft on Monday morning engages their hands before their heads are quite awake. By the end of our crafting time, they were more into the indoor rhythm.

Then, we had lunch. After lunch, we dedicated about an hour and a half to geography work. We all worked together after that to put the house in order. By 5 or so, it was time to drive to ballet, and soccer and football again. The little ones listened to books in the van while I dropped off and picked up. Have I mentioned how much I dislike driving? How about how much I dislike being out of my house in the late afternoon? I read somewhere that most Waldorf enthusiasts are not at all fond of books on tape. Frankly, they are the only thing making that time bearable. At least we're sharing stories. (Of course Waldorf enthusiasts wouldn't be much for ballet and competitive soccer either, but that's another post entirely.) After nine o'clock, I collapse into bed on Mondays.

But I awoke this morning, pulled the blinds to let in the rising sun, and saw how lovely Monday's work looked in the golden light. And I decided that the new Monday rhythm is a fine one, indeed.