Mr. B left at 4am this morning. He's travelling for work today. I heard him getting ready to go, so I made him a coffee for the road and went back to bed.

5am rolled around and I still wasn't asleep so I gave up and got going with my day. The last load of laundry is drying. Dishes are done. Cinnamon buns are rising.


I'm here at the computer with a coffee considering our home school year that is coming to a close.

For a couple of weeks now, we've only been doing an hour or so of work a day. On paper, I'd planned to be done at the end of May, giving us a nice, long break. As the nicer weather hit, we have been spending a bit more time outside and on individual pursuits. Time has been spent preparing for the end of our French lessons. I've been pulling paper from binders and sorting and filing as we finish up with various books and resources.

I've been anticipating our summer break. After being very academic for the first time in our homeschooling career, I feel as though I have some time to spend on projects that are important to me. I'm looking forward to organizing our next homeschooling year. I feel like I've been given permission to spend time on these things. In the past, I've felt as though I was robbing the kids of my time and being selfish. Perhaps there is something to be said for this Being Organized thing after all.

This week the kids and I will be finishing up. We will only need to do an hour or two in the mornings. Friday will be our last day. Neither The Boy or The Girl were keen on just wrapping everything up in one day. I even offered to spend Saturday doing the rest of their school work with them!

I think I will plan a special dinner to mark the our finishing. When I was young, I was given a 'passing gift' at the end of the school year. I remember the one I was really excited about: a Cabbage Patch Preemie doll. I still have her. The only other passing gift I recall is a chair. Mom got a little chair to go with my bedroom vanity at a garage sale, painted it and voila, passing gift. I wasn't impressed. But I still have the chair. I want my kids to feel proud of themselves for their efforts and accomplishments this year. I think that will be best accomplished with a bit of dedicated family time.

Cinnamon Buns are in the oven. I'm off to tackle the rest of my day.