A Case of the Mondays

It was Monday today. And boy, could I tell!  For some reason, Monday's are just difficult.  Maybe it's because we don't have school on the weekend, and my girls just think they are supposed to play My Little Pony all day. Whatever the reason, we had a serious case of the Mondays today!

Our morning started off with a fit from Princess.  She cried for a half an hour because I had made a new busy bag for Banana Bear, but I haven't had time to make a new one for her yet.  Throughout the morning she would let out this small whimper, "I want a new busy bag." 

At one point this morning, Banana Bear read the word "dad" then burst into tears because she missed her daddy.  We spent a good deal of time calming down, comforting, and discussing that daddy would be home in the evening.  Eventually, we got back on track...for a little bit at least!

After lunch the meltdowns returned.  Princess did not want to cut her paper.  And apparently, she thought this an appropriate thing to do with it.

Since Princess is a preschooler, I do not require that she finishes a set amount of school work each day.  At her age, learning should be through play.  She and I did however discuss the appropriate thing to do with a worksheet or project that she doesn't want to do. 

While Banana Bear was working to make a baby animal book, she declared the project was too hard.  She refused to work it. 

What was I to do?  The task was appropriate for her, but she was having a case of the Mondays.  We all get them, so what did Banana Bear and I do?

We sat down and prayed together. We first asked God to give me some grace and patience.  (I was in dire need of both of those things!)  We asked God to help her improve her attitude. We asked Him to help her learn, even when a task seems hard. 

And God listened.  He granted me the grace and patience I desperately needed.  Banana Bear pulled through and finished her task.  She even found it wasn't as hard as she was making it.

Banana Bear finishing her project.

As soon as our afternoon seemed to be getting back on track, I could hear little whimpers coming from upstairs.  Lil' Man decided that a forty-five minute nap was enough for the day! Graciously, he woke up all smiles, and we made it through to the end of our school day!

By God's grace, we made it through our homeschool day.  And even though it was a difficult one, I'm so glad that I get to be at home with my children, helping them to learn and grow!