Homeschool-itis....

Is there such a thing as "Homeschool-itis"?  It's kind of like senior-itis, but for homeschoolers!  The weather is nice (well... it's supposed to be), we are bored of doing the same curriculum everyday, and are ready for summer to come and play outside, go to the beach, go swimming in the backyard, have fun at the park, go to the zoo, picnic, go camping, etc... The summer fun list seems endless!

I have to be honest this year, probably due to the super cold winter, our homeschool-itis is at an all time high!  I am having the hardest time getting back into the swing of things!  My punky wants nothing to do with school, it's like pulling teeth (literally for her) to get her to do anything!  And once we decide to do something it takes about 10 minutes too long because we are both being pokey and just don't want to do anymore work!  Anyone else feel the same way that I do?

So a couple weeks ago I started something new that has helped!  You know those packs of paper lists that you can hang on your fridge? I started to actually USE those!  They are now my kids check-lists!  It is the perfect size for what they need to get done for the day!  So in the morning I just write out what they MUST get done today and then at the very end, I ask "All finished?" And if they are then they get 20 minutes of screen time... iPhone, iPad, computer...supervised of course and with a timer going!  But for my kids who ask constantly to play on any of those things, I figured this was a great compromise!  Finish what is expected and then you will get rewarded.  And every year more things will be added to their responsibilities.  But for now I am just hoping this will help get us through the rest of the school year!

I've also noticed with "homeschool-itis"... complaining, arguing, and just poor attitudes are never far behind.  My hubby and I have instilled the Consequences Chart again and I have faithfully kept up with it. Our Consequences Chart is something that my hubby and I did earlier and then stopped.  So we ended up having a family meeting and getting the kids input on it.  The kids decided that we would give a warning, 1 reminder, and then if we had to ask a third time for them to do whatever it was then they would have to move their magent to whatever consequence was next.  We have about 7 color coded consequences on the chart... we start with a time out and get "worse" as they move down the chart.  The first few days that we implemented this, the kiddos had a tough time, but now they know that if we ask them to move a magnet that they made a poor choice, and they immediately regret their decision.  Now, I must say that not everything get the grace before magnet moving.  Things like physically hurting someone else is an immediate consequence.  I'm hoping that the longer we are able to do this the kids attitudes and behaviors will improve.

So, What are some ideas that you have that help get through "homeschool-itis" and the attitudes that the kids show?  I'm always looking for different ways of doing things!