The Quest to Rekindle the Love of Learning and Teaching

I've been out of sorts lately.  Here we are 4 months into the school year and I don't feel as if we accomplished anything. It's hard to come back after 5 weeks in the East Coast and expect to get back into the swing of things right away let alone accomplish anything in our never ending to do list for school.  But then again, should there really be such a list.  When we started this homeschool journey, the goal was always to enjoy the process, to be lifelong learners and with that comes the promise to make sure that learning is not a long, dreadful process but a beautiful, creative one.  I've always believed that there was a better way than the institutionalized way of brick and mortar schools but here I am, feeling as if every time I push for the worksheets and get bent on finishing this curriculum that I am what I wanted to avoid.  Now, instead of excitement, I hear groans and complaints.  Instead of enthusiasm, I see dread and disinterest.  It's definitely time to think things through and figure out a better way to learn the things we need to learn.