| When our kids were in high school, we cut WAY | | | | Most of the time, though, they just "did their own |
| back during December. We did only the very | | | | thing." I kept them away from computer games |
| CORE subjects, doing just the things that needed | | | | and the TV, so they entertained themselves in |
| to be done in order to make progress during the | | | | ways that didn't make them brain dead. I found |
| year. That meant we worked on math and | | | | out later that "doing your own thing" meant you |
| foreign language every day. They loved reading, | | | | were actually learning something too! They were |
| so that continued every day. Nothing I could do | | | | reading, playing educational games, working on real |
| would make them stop reading their beloved | | | | projects. It was all learning, it just wasn't all book |
| books. It was fun for them. | | | | learning. |
| The entire month of December we did school for | | | | Think of December as a good time for them to |
| perhaps three to four hours a day. Like a "half | | | | work on their electives. Service projects or |
| day" in public school, we crammed in all the core | | | | Occupational Education (teens could even get a |
| subjects into the morning, and took the rest of | | | | seasonal job, perhaps.) Or you could do what I |
| the day off. Math, foreign language, some science, | | | | did, and just let them do something that didn't |
| so we wouldn't lose our place in the book, journal | | | | include TV and video games. |
| writing, and their reading. After that, they helped | | | | Christmas was a stressful time for me. Perhaps |
| with holiday things. They wrote Christmas cards, | | | | because I had boys, but it seemed like |
| composed a Christmas letter, went shopping, | | | | EVERYTHING was my job - it was very |
| budgeted and bought gifts, helped with decorating. | | | | overwhelming. Taking it a bit easy can save your |
| They made home made gifts and crafts, and | | | | sanity. Nothing good will happen if mom goes |
| delivered presents with us. | | | | insane, you know! |