Well, we have started school.

It’s not going well. Today is Day Two, and I’ve threatened my boys with public school enrollment already.

Part of the problem is third trimester hormones. Excuses, excuses.

Most of the problem is my desire for my children to be safe around deep water, hence swimming lessons, hence a morning rush to get to the pool instead of sitting down for lessons. Then school is pushed to afternoon when I’m trying to get Pete to take a nap, and I’m tired and cranky and want to nap too.

Sometimes I’m not too bright.

The lessons are a good thing. A month ago, I had no confidence in any of my children around water over 4 feet deep. Family trips to the pool were in jeopardy out of concern for safety. But Fritz has turned into quite a good swimmer, and Billy is doing well too. There are only 6 more classes in this session, and I know that I will have two fewer children to stress about.

And, actually, perhaps the bad timing of the lessons was an important lesson for me. I arranged for piano lessons for the kids on Tuesdays during the day (beginning after swimming is over). That’s fine. My curriculum allows for one day of little to no work just for stuff like that. But the ladies at the chapel have been raving over the faith sharing group that meets on Thursday mornings. I want to go, but I knew it would be a stretch to be out of the house two mornings a week. No worries, the ladies said, we have a homeschool room. Oh, temptation! But my kids are too little for effective time in a homeschool room. They still need one-on-one lesson time with me – all of them. And I just don’t want to do it in the afternoon.

Now I know, thanks to swimming, how difficult it is when we don’t begin the day with school. Now I know just how grumpy I am in the afternoons, and I’m sure it won’t be any better when I have a newborn keeping me up at night.

We’ll get through this week and next. Swimming will end, and we can focus on school. I’ll stop yelling at the kids, and we’ll do our own faith formation in our own catechism class. The students and families here at this military school have been promised THE BEST YEAR OF THEIR LIVES with one caveat: realistic expectations and good priorities. Keep it simple, don’t over-extend your commitments, and enjoy life.

Okay, got it.