When Less is More (On Brave Writer and Crabby Days)

As I mentioned the other day, we’re in a funk. The kids are post-sick crabby and we cannot dig ourselves out of it. Every morning I think of something new. What if I try this, or do that? What if I’m super goofy? What if we just play games?

(What if I hide in a closet all day long? I kid! I kid!!)

Today, after listening to Julie’s words, I decided to clear the schedule. It was a gorgeous autumn day here in NH. It was sunny, with blue skies and amazing fall foliage. I decided we’d just do Brave Writer.

And so I took the kids to the lake. We packed an actual picnic basket and a poetry book. We chose Poe because Halloween is on the horizon.

Then we spent several wonderful, and empty, hours together.

Yes, we managed to read some Poe, in the sunshine, on the beach.

But more than that, we chatted. We collected snail shells. The kids chased geese. They skipped rocks. They picked up litter. They played soccer with a ball that they found. We watched a bird catch a gigantic fish and carry it the entire length of the lake. (All of this reminded me of another book I read and reread.)

Homeschool today: Lakeside Poetry Teatime (sans-tea today) picnic with Poe. . And if you love #poetryteatime and #bravewriter be sure to head to @thehomeschoolsisters to listen to our latest episode with Julie Bogart!

A photo posted by MyLittlePoppies (@my_little_poppies) on Oct 11, 2016 at 9:38am PDT

You also need to know that, despite those smiles above, it wasn’t perfect. The kids were still crabby. The afternoon was sprinkled with squabbles and meltdowns. One child even told me I was “THE MEANEST MOM EVER!!” (I used cap here because said child was hollering at the time.)

But, like Julie said, it was “less” and it was “more”…

And, truly, the entire time I felt wholly grateful that I am able to homeschool, and that we were able to enjoy a beautiful day together outside (even with the cranky moments).

Here’s a photo. It’s adorable. It was one moment in a pretty crabby day that was worlds better than most crabby days.

And, speaking of Brave Writer… Guess what?!

This week, we hit #1 in the K-12 Education category on iTunes! We are so grateful for you!

Please continue to rate, review, and subscribe to The Homeschool Sisters Podcast. It helps us so much. We’re connecting with our sisters, and we couldn’t be more excited. And thank you to those of you who have been supporting us from the beginning!

Looking for more less-is-more posts?

Here are some posts from the archives:

Crabby days happen. You are not alone.

Here are some posts for those hard days:

Don’t laugh. This family tradition emerged from desperate times. As the Fraggles say, “Dance your cares away!”

Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: How do you stop a bad mood in its tracks? Share here.