January is the third lap of the homeschool year mile.

It was a long, cruel lap with no distinguishing feature save the fact that it had to be run. Every miler knows, in the way a sailor knows the middle of the ocean, that it is not the first lap but the third that is farthest from the finish line. Races are won or lost here, records broken or forfeited to history, careers made or ended. The third lap was a microcosm, not of life, but of the Bad Times, the times to be gotten through, the no-toys-at- Christmas, sittin'-at-the-bus-station- at-midnight blues times to look back on and try to laugh about or just forget. The third lap was to be endured and endured and endured.

p. 247 Once a Runner by John L. Parker

Tell me, dear homeschool parents. How do YOU get through January?

There is an argument to be made that it’s February that’s the third lap — but February is almost March, which means it’s almost spring. And you can start plants inside. And it’s short. Therefore I maintain that January is the worst, though it’s a close call.