Ooh! It worked. (I think.)

So, I set a schedule for The Boy. I hate schedules in homeschooling. I figure if it takes an hour, it takes an hour. Who am I to put a limit on creativity? But this required drastic measures.

I gave him some start-up help at 8:30, and he worked on his own for a while. I taught him from 10 to 11, and then he worked on his own until lunch. Naturally, he didn't really finish his work until 2:30, but I didn't have to teach him after lunch. Yay for me! I just kept telling him that at 11, I had to go work with The Girl, and if he kept goofing off, I'd have to come back and teach him at 1:00. So there. ;)

Then he had a classic "extiction burst" during the arsenic hour. He blew up into a huge crying fit around 5:00, which gave him a massive bloody nose. (He knows exactly how to do this to the maximum effect.) I didn't give in. I cleaned him up, put him on the couch to hold his nose, and The Husband put the sheets in the washer. I didn't yell at him or blame him. (BUT I COULD HAVE!) He remade the bed before bedtime, and all was well.

Funny thing, though. After dinner, he asked me if I was angry. I told him that I'm frustrated because he's still having trouble doing his work and keeping his temper, but that I was not mad at him. He seemed happy to hear that. I asked if he were angry, and he said no, only a little sad.

So why am I up at 11:00 again? The Girl wouldn't go to bed tonight. Not going, not staying, no how. I have no idea how she lives on less sleep than I do. It's a mystery. All I know is that she had The Boy up with her until 10:30, and I have to get their tired butts out of bed tomorrow morning and try to teach them grammar. Yay. THAT'll go well...