Me: "Hey! Let's (fill-in-the-blank) today."

Boy 2.0: "No. I don't want to."

Thus starts another homeschool day. Or, at least it used to. Lately, I've adopted the strategy of "stealth" homeschooling.

Boy 2.0--like his father--is a night owl. He falls asleep each night listening to a book on CD. His mornings are spent in bed, waking slowly while he fiddles away on his iPod.

To combat homeschool lethargy, I've been starting homeschool without him. Every morning at 10AM, I set up the computer in the dining room and start playing CDs, DVDs, whatever is on the day's agenda. I turn the volume up so that he can hear it in his bedroom.

The result? He's drawn into school each morning, gently and on his own terms. He lays in bed, listens, and then comes out to watch what's on the screen. After he emerges, I move on to reading to him from books or engaging him in conversation about what we've been listening to.

We've covered a heck of a lot of learning this way. And, we're all the happier for it.

I'd call that a homeschooling success!