waiting for someday

Do you ever find yourself longing for "someday"?

As a young(er) mom of four babies under the age of six, I often looked at the piles of toys and books and dishes and laundry and thought, "when... then... if..." At one point in my life I was searching and waiting. Waiting for something big to happen. For God to write out words in the clouds revealing to me what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, for some grand calling. "When these kids grow up, then..." I wondered what my "spiritual gifts" were. I wondered what my ministry was. I looked at all the other moms and how they served over there and did this and worked on that and felt like I was doing nothing worth while.

"When these kids grow up, then..."

Paul and Silas didn't seem to have that attitude. They were wrongfully arrested, falsely accused, beaten with metal rods tied in a bundle, and thrown into the deepest part of the prison where their legs were spread as far as they could go and their ankles put in stocks. And there they waited. For what? A trial? More beatings? Death?

I don't know what these men prayed for at midnight. If we know Paul, we can guess he was praying that God's word would not be bound, that the door to be wide open for gospel! They certainly were singing hymns of praise. And you know what? The prisoners were listening.

And when God moved, did they take off running? No, they stayed right were they were. They were instrumental in saving not only the physical life of the jailer but also his spiritual life. They spoke the word of the Lord to him! They told his family about Jesus. They baptized him.

I can get so caught up in my circumstances. Like I'm in a holding cell, waiting for my "real ministry" to begin. I overlook the ministry of my "right here and now." I get myself over-committed because I push aside my babies, looking over the tops of their heads, trying to catch a glimpse through the crowd of what I perceive to be a better ministry  "out there."

What would if have been like if Paul and Silas thought the same of the other prisoners? What if they saved their songs and prayers for when they were released?

God has placed me in a country where I am free to teach my babies at home. Free, without fear of reprisal, to teach them about how He made everything, and how He made them, about our sin and His grace, about the absolutes found in His word. God has placed in my home four babies that are sinners and need to hear His story of redemption everyday--24/7! I get to mentor them and disciple them every single moment. It's not about "when... then... if." It's about here. It's about now. It's about this man and these kids and the people at the grocery and the doctor's office and the gas station and sitting in the church pew next to me, and wherever else God sends us.

Look at your current season in life as an opportunity. Work now to create a vision for the ministry of the home that God has entrusted to YOU.

Start with your husband. What needs of his are you setting aside until "when... then... if..."? Are you committed to praying for him? Do you have a spirit of "singing hymns of praise" while you do your chores, make dinner, care for the kids, fold his socks? What does he desire that you can take the initiative to do without him asking? What's the one thing he dreads doing that you could do for him? How can you make his mornings run smoothly and his evenings more peaceful?

Then look at your kiddos. Are you looking over them to other ministries outside the home. Are you gazing longingly at "someday"? Do you pray and sing hymns in their presence? Do you speak the word of God to them? Do you take them with you in ministry opportunities? Do you save your best for someone else, some other time, a different place?

God has given me a grand calling. What bigger words of confirmation of my ministry do I need than a positive pregnancy test? Seriously, words in the clouds would be fun. But isn't it enough that God, the creator of the universe, saw fit to put these kids in my care? Truth is, all that He has given, my "right here and now," is enough. I don't need to wait on a better calling!

evening routine*

It's no secret that a mom with multiple kids has a hard time getting out of the house in the morning. And those of us that homeschool might be particularly challenged by gathering up the gang (brushed, washed and dressed, no less) for morning appointments, co-op classes, and even church on Sunday.

There are those days that didn't start out well and are spinning out of control. Or the days you get unexpected phone calls, or the baby won't nap, or the sink started leaking and now everything's off.

And then there are days I'm just lost. I have about a million to-do items running through my head at any given moment. Some important and note-worthy, some just white noise that don't pass the "so what?" test. You know, just like the news ticker at the bottom of the screen on your favorite news channel. Constantly scrolling.

Add four kids in and out of the room, asking for help with dictation, wanting you to grade their math, arguing over who gets the pink skirt, and another looking for his left shoe, and I'm spinning in circles, wondering what to do next and what was I doing in the first place? 

These are the days lists and routines keep me sane and focused. The most important are the morning and evening routines. The morning routine is what starts the day right. As the morning goes, the rest of the day goes. But if something is off that morning or the day spirals out of control, it's the evening routine that saves my sanity and the next day!

When I have one of those days the goal for the day shifts and my main question becomes: 

What do I have to do today to make tomorrow morning run smoothly?

Seriously, I like all my days to be predictable and easy going. But they're not. I don't want to say that I give up on the day, but putting aside the current crazy and focusing on the next morning relieves that I-have-to-do-it-all-right-now-or-I'm-a-failure feeling. I may not be able to save today, so I focus on making tomorrow a better one.

These are some of the questions I would ask myself on just such a day:

1. What's for dinner tonight?
2. Do I have clean clothes to wear in the morning? Find them and set them out, including shoes! If they're dirty, put them in the wash now.
3. What is on the calendar for tomorrow? Do I know where my purse and keys are? 
4. Do the kids have appropriate clothing to wear including both the left and right shoes... of a matching set? Find them and set them out (older kids can do this for themselves).
5. Do I have all my materials ready for the next day? If I'm going to the library, find the books and put them by the door. Church? Bag up the Bibles and notebooks, stock the diaper bag, set them by the door. Going to the grocery? Do a quick clean out of the fridge, plan the menu, and make the list. You get the picture. Get it all ready now so tomorrow you're not scrambling and your morning runs smoothly.
6. After dinner, do the dishes. Waking up in the morning to a sink full of dishes is a bummer! Don't let that happen. Then prep the kitchen for breakfast. Set the timer on the coffee pot, set out bowls, spoons and cereal options for the kids. Pack lunch for hubby, put it in the fridge.
7. Set the timer on the washer to finish running just before you wake up. It'll be ready to switch to the dryer and you can start the next load at breakfast. I love having a head start on the laundry, even before I get up! (If you don't have a timer, fill the washer with soap and clothing so it's ready to start and can run first thing while you're getting dressed.)
8. Everyone go to bed at a decent time. Take the time to tuck the kids in and read them a book, give them kisses and hugs, and pray over them (even the older kids love this). Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day!

On more predictable type of day, my typical evening routine looks like this:

• Dinner (clean up as you go)
• Prep for breakfast
• Shine the sink
• What's for dinner tomorrow (defrost meat?)
• Where's the laundry (switch and load, set timer)
• Check the calendar
• Set out clothes and shoes 
• Get ready for the next day (set out items needed for outings, if any, make sure school books are in their place and can be found, etc.)
• Hot spot (declutter one area that gathers all that stuff throughout the day) 

 *My ideas on routines and the evening routine are inspired by Flylady and her book "Sink Reflections." This series of posts chronicles my efforts to get back to routines, cleaning zones, and other specifics of the flylady system that I have used in the past.

the organized homeschool

Each of my kids gets a daily "what I did today" sheet in their school planner. This is where I communicate to them what they need to accomplish each day and where they record it. On Friday they get out their notebooks and show their Daddy just what they were up to all week. Day by day.

Now I used to plan their studies down to the pages of each book they were to read for all four kids, 12 weeks at a time. That was exhausting! It took me a week of doing nothing but planning. And what happened when we got behind? Because we did. It was hard to climb out of the guilt and get back "on schedule."  


Then it happened: I saw that my detailed schedule was taking the love right out of the learning. Not where I wanted to be.

Planning and record keeping looks so different now. 

We use a literature-based method of educating based on the writings of Charlotte Mason, a British education from the 1800's. We plan the books they are to cover for the year and just start reading--about as much as a child can comfortably narrate to me in a sitting. Sometimes they beg for more and we have the time so I keep reading. Sometimes there is an illness or we're reading a particularly difficult book and only a few paragraphs are covered at a time.

The key is to keep reading from the book everyday until it's finished. 

When we're done, we cross it off the list and pick up the next book.

It's really that simple.

Periodically I evaluate our progress and we push ahead or slow down depending on the need. We sometimes take bunny trails and insert other books as an interest develops. But we work the list until it's complete. That's it.

You can read more about my planning a school year and how we keep records here.

Reforamtion Day

I've been reading about what happened on October 31 in 1517 and found some good links to share...

What is Reformation Day All About? (Good overview)

The History of the Reformation: How Christ Restored the Gospel to His Church
(This reads like a narrative and might be good to read to the kids)

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences by Dr. Martin Luther (1517) (The 95 Thesis in translation)

Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor (sermon by John Piper)

Reformation Day Resources

I love this short description about Luther's choice to become a monk... God is the God of restoration and reformation! and our mistakes and bad choices are not beyond His sovereignty or out of reach of His providence...

In 1502 at the age of 19 he [Luther] received his Bachelors degree, ranking, impressively, 30th of 57 in his class. In January, 1505 he received his Master of Arts at Erfurt and ranked second among 17 candidates. That summer the providential Damascus-like experience happened. On July 2, on the way home from law school, he was caught in a thunderstorm and hurled to the ground by lightening. He cried out, "Help me, St. Anne; I will become a monk." He feared for his soul and did not know how to find safety in the gospel. So he took the next best thing, the monastery.

Fifteen days later, to his father's dismay, he kept his vow. On July 17, 1505 he knocked at the gate of the Augustinian Hermits in Erfurt and asked the prior to accept him into the order. Later he said this choice was a flagrant sin--"not worth a farthing" because it was made against his father and out of fear. Then he added, "But how much good the merciful Lord has allowed to come of it!" We see this kind of merciful providence over and over again in the history of the church, and it should protect us from the paralyzing effects of bad decisions in our past. God is not hindered in his sovereign designs from leading us, as he did Luther, out of blunders into fruitful lives of joy.

Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor by John Piper

grow not weary

Wow, I totally ditched you in February for week three of my brilliant idea. Do you want excuses? Not really?

I did have something planned to share--I'll eventually post it once I get my mind around it. Parenting and homeschooling is a sanctifying work. God is ever-changing me. Sometimes refining by straightening a photo or adding a potted plant. Sometimes doing a complete, down to the studs remodel. Sometimes the only solution is a bulldozer.

So. Here we are. April's end. I should be thinking about planning next year. Truth is, I'm always planning next year. I guess technically I'll have students in grades 2, 4, 6 and 8--although for a homeschooler those lines blur and you kinda forget that they exist and you just start to see your kids as themselves. They excel in one area and need focused attention in another. So when you ask, don't be surprised by the blank stare until I remember how I'm supposed to answer.

Next year I'm putting everyone on the same history rotation. We'll have the core readings and then everyone will have their own independent readings in that same time period. I'll give each child some choices in this area and let them follow their interests.

Science will be by Apologia. General Science for my oldest and Astronomy for everyone else. We'll be in our homeschool co-op for labs each week which will be a nice addition.

Literature will go much the same. I'll probably introduce formal grammar for my thirteen-year-old.

I'll plan more consistent dictation with my eleven-year-old. I'll probably help her make her own book of centuries too.

Things will be much the same for my nine-year-old. She will probably take on more of her own reading and maybe dabble in written narrations (but it's still early for that so I'll just start suggesting and encouraging and see what she does with it). May I'll add some dictations since she's been asking for them all year.

My six-year-old (who will be seven by then) may graduate from Handwriting without Tears and start his own copywork book. I hope will be an independent reader by then. I'll still read the bulk of his history, science, and literature to him and ask for narrations.

So that's the plan for 2012/2013. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Well, there are still book selections and purchases. A book of centuries and dictation notebook to be printed and assembled. A grammar program to research and review. And assessments and notification paperwork for the district. And since it looks like I may be actually teaching the General Science co-op, there are a years worth of lesson plans and my own reading to do as well! But other than that...

grow not weary, week two of challenges: child training and discipline

These last days of winter I tend to get a little stir crazy and things can get tough. So I set out to post some challenges to help us get through the tough days and into the bright, warm days of spring, that we grow not weary in our work of schooling and raising kids, running a home, and all the other things we juggle throughout the week.

Last week the challenge was to "sow to the spirit"--to commit/recommit to personal study of God's word, incorporating prayer, journaling and memorization.

This week I focus our attention on training and disciplining the kids. When we set out to educate our children, we need to have their attention. Math can get really hard with a kid who is cronically disobedient. Take some time to examine why you feel stressed and exasperated. Could it be that you don't have the attention of your children? We're not perfect, but we can encourage each other to keep growing, keep loving, and to strive for consistency with our kids.

I enoucrage you to get some books, take a long look at what the Bible says about training and disciplining your children and the example Scripture sets before us, and then take some time to get this right.

Our standard in our home is for our children to obey "right away, all the way, and with a happy heart." And I have to work really hard to not repeat myself and be consistent.

If you need to, take a week off from formal studies and do nothing but work on first-time obedience. It is worth your time to reset the standard at your house if you need to. Your study time will become more peaceful and productive when expectations are clear and order is restored.

Some resources I found helpful:

Don't Make Me Count to Three 
Shepherding a Child's Heart 
Getting Your House in Order
Multi-Generational Promise
Child Training

grow not weary--challenge no. 1: Sow to the Spirit

And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

This verse from Galations 6 is a familiar one. If you're like me, maybe you take this verse and read it as a "if I keep doing good stuff, God will give me the good stuff I'm working toward" promise.

Something like this: if we pour the good stuff into our kids—completing the entire math curriculum before June, asking the kids to pick up their shoes one more time, giving them the best books for literature study, carting them around to piano and dance and soccer, training our children to be respectful and kind, teaching a wiggly boy to read—we'll get good kids.

And we get tired of pouring.

Let us not forget the verses before this one:

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked,

for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh

will from the flesh reap corruption,

but the one who sows to the Spirit

will from the Spirit reap eternal life"

(Galations 6:7, 8).

Ladies, I grow weary and tired when I depend on the strength of my flesh to muscle good things into being. And when I think about it, the things I can manage on my own strength aren't even the things I desire. I want the big promises and huge dreams that only a big God can do.

So, this week's challenge is to SOW to the SPIRIT.

Do we stop doing all those good deeds that God has commanded us to do? Not at all. We need to be faithful in running one more load of laundry, teaching one more lesson of fractions, and cooking one more family dinner with a toddler on the hip and a zealous nine-year-old helper by our side. But we need to [re]commit to living by the Lord's strength, and not our own. We need to sow less from our flesh, and more to the Spirit.

Thus says the Lord,

“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

and makes flesh his strength,

and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

For he will be like a bush in the desert

and will not see when prosperity comes,

but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,

a land of salt without inhabitant… (Jeremiah 17)

This is what I want you to do. Take this week and [re]commit yourself to the study of God's Word. Look at your daily routine, make a plan, and set aside a time where you can apply yourself in study, meditation and memorization. Where your flesh is weak, give that over to God. Confess it to Him. Ask Him to give you the desire to study His word faithfully. And then set those feet to running the race and trust your big, big, God to be faithful to His promises.

...Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Psalm 1 tells us that that tree—the one with green leaves, that yeilds fruit, and whoes roots reach deep down to the stream—the delight of that tree is in the Law of the Lord and he meditates on it day and night. I want to be that kind of tree for my family.

This week, [re]commit to yielding fruit by the strength of the Lord, not your own flesh; be faithful to the daily study of God's word.

grow not weary--three weeks of homeschooling challenges

This is about the time of year where I feel like crawling out of my skin from boredom and weariness. It's the I-Just-Can't-Manage-One-More-Day-Of-Routine kinda feeling. Spare energy. Wall-bouncing. Antsiness. Winter-blahs. The distracted, diverted, discontent days of late winter, one more good month stretching out ahead, and then the long rainy days of April. Need I go on?

I need a good dose of encouragement right about now and a change of pace. How about you?

So I have three challenges, for me and you both. I'll parcel them out over the next three weeks. And we'll get through this together. Promise.

tee pees and fire starting

 

While I've been painting, all nice and warm in the study, the kids made a tee pee out back. Now Steve is teaching them alternative methods to starting a fire. They want to sleep in there tonight . . .  should I remind them that it is WINTER?! Not to mention it looks a little crowded for sleeping, but I guess in a survival situation it could possibly keep one out of the elements. Should I tell you that is why they were building it? Wonder what kind of "survival situation" they are anticipating?

good for her self-esteem, bad for my waistline

One of my girls struggles with not being the oldest. I might as well just tell you, it's my second. She looks at her older sister and is sometimes just plain angry that she isn't the oldest and she asks, "What am I good at." Her sis just seems to be good at everything, because, well, she's had two years more practice. But this isn't an answer that my girl in question is willing to accept.

Well, let me tell you. She found something she is good at. Baking. And she can't get enough of it. Over the last two weeks she has made peanut butter banana bread, cinnamon banana bread, banana bread with a chocolate glaze, chocolate banana bread, black forest cake, and this lovely double-layer vanilla cake with a lemon custard filling. The cool thing is she had learned to improvise and made variations--something that I am not bold enough to do. She learned this from her Grandma who is brave enough to let them experiment in the kitchen and knows something of baking without a recipe. (What?! You can do that?)

I've gotten pretty good at resisting the temptation of all these goodies in the house with me. All. Day. Long. But her daddy had to sit her down and tell her she needs to find an additional outlet for her baking bug. Anyone want some cake?

one secret to peace for large (or not-so-large) families

((So, those of you with large families can stop giggling cause I just called our modest family of six "large" but if you don't already know this trick, you'll thank me--after the laughter subsides.))

I wish I could say I thought of this one myself. But I did not. This is one of the other tips I learned from my perusal of the Thomas Jefferson Education books by Oliver DeMille. It's called "the kid of the day." (You can read about the "You, not them" principle here.)

You know all those little tiffs and whines when it's time to run an errand and everyone wants to go with you. How do you choose? Or, who gets to pick what to listen to in the car, or who gets to sit in the front seat, or who gets to help mom make dinner, or who gets the first piece of cake, or who gets to hold the flashlight for dad, or who gets to go pick up the pizza and eat a free ice cream cone in the lobby while waiting for the order (seriously, this really happens, folks). Or... or... or... it never ends.

Well, unless you have a "kid of the day." 

We established a rotation and I write the child's name on the calendar so it is clearly established and there is no confusion. Who's the kid of the day? Well it must be because the calendar says so. It takes mom and dad choosing one child over the other out of the equation. So where there is a choice to be made the fussing and hurt feelings are gone for good. "Who's the kid of the day?" is the question of the moment. They know that it is not their turn today, but it will be some other day and who knows what cool thing will come up on their day. They are content to go on their way and be patient for their turn.

This also ensures that mom or dad is getting one-on-one time with each child in some type of reliable rotation. They love this because they get mom/dad's ear exclusively to themselves to say whatever they need to say. And we can give our undivided attention to that child.

We also take this opportunity to pray specifically for that child during our family Bible study at breakfast, thanking God for the blessing that they are, praying for their future spouse, and begging the heart of God to draw them to Himself.

In the past, I have had the "kid of the day" be my helper when it's time to clean up after dinner. It becomes a good training opportunity as I can focus teaching that one child the skills for the job. This is done in a fun and light-hearted way. And because of this, my older girls can clean up a kitchen single-handedly when needed. What a blessing that can be!

When it comes to running errands, the kid of the day could lose the privilege for any number of reasons: their chores aren't done, they didn't finish their studies, or they didn't get dressed that morning (yes, this happens too). In our house the privilege does not trickle down to the next kid--we found to do so can be the source of hurt feelings and resentment.

So have fun chuckling if you really have a big family and you're thinking, "Well, duh." Or have fun with your "kid of the day" and marvel at what a blessing they are!

my no-more-planning-every-single-page homeschooling--what?!

Earlier this month I eluded to some new strategies we are using in our schooling.

We use the literature-based, Charlotte Mason approach in our home. In the past I made detailed weekly schedules for each child mapping out the books they were to read, the day they were to read the book, and the number of pages they were to read. Seriously. Every single book, every single page, every single day, for every single child.

Exhausting!

And then there was the re-figuring everything when (not if) we got off schedule. 

We became slaves to those pieces of paper. And if we got "behind" because one child needed extra time on a math concept, or another child developed a passion for a particular book and read more than scheduled in one subject and read less in another, or someone got sick, than I felt terrible.

Last month I got this crazy idea from a Charlotte Mason seminar I took. What if--now stick with me here, this is groundbreaking--what if I didn't plan the schedule out beforehand to mark off the tasks as they were completed? What if I only recorded what we actually did?!


My husband laughed at me when I shared this idea with him.You may be laughing too (especially if you are a seasoned homeschooler) or you may be horrified. It's hard to tell from here. So, mock (or scoff) if you must, but it's working!!!


My new method....


1. I pick the books for the year which might look something like the list below, depending on the age and proficiency of the child. I often give the child choices between several books in a particular area. You would decide for your family how many books in which subjects.

Literature
3 literature books
Pilgrim's Progress
1 Shakespeare play (read aloud as a family)
1 poetry anthology (read aloud as a family)


History
A core history book for the time period selected (read aloud as a family)
2-3 additional history book

Three biographies

Science/Natural History
A core science book (we use apologia)
A literature-based science book (Burgess books, Jim Herriot's books, etc.)


Math
A math curriculum, we use Math-U-See 

2. I make a master list of the books and chapters I expect to be covered in one year. This is the first page of Makenna's book list. As the items are completed I mark them off the list. The kids read from 3-4 different history books so I have the chapters listed in chronological order so we know from which book to read next.

3. I put the books on their personal school shelf (which you can see here).

4. I give the older child a blank planning sheet for the week with the subjects I expect them to cover in the first column and a column for each day of the week. This is a snapshot of a few days for my six-year-old, I fill his out as we work together.

5. After we study the Bible as a family at breakfast, we all do math, each child covering the next lesson in his/her book. I write down what they actually did on the planning sheet (the older children can do this themselves).

6. Next, each child tends to their personal reading, choosing from a selection for each subject everyday. It gets recorded on the planning sheet. If it looks like a child is moving too slowly through a book I investigate to determine why. Are they being slack in their work? Is the book too challenging? Maybe we need to read it together for awhile. Maybe they need some encouragement to push themselves. And we adjust as needed.

It's so simple. I have in mind a sufficient number of books of acceptable quality for each child to cover for a year. I put them on the shelf. We read through one per subject each day. They narrate. We record what we cover. We periodically re-evaluate our progress and adjust as needed.

For Charlie, my 6-year-old I walk him through all of this. When it's time to read history, we stand at his shelf and I let him pick the history book or the biography. His choice. We pick up the book where we left off. We read as much as we like, being careful not to stretch him past his full attention. It is my goal to stop at a point where he is left wanting to read more. He tells me about what we read (narration). I write down what we read and mark the books off his master list as we finish them. Sometimes I record his narrations and add them to the planner. That's it.

For the books we read aloud as a family I put them on a shelf in the kitchen and we read through them at dinner (it used to be lunch until we went back to second shift). I just choose the one we feel like reading from that day, picking up where we left off, and record the pages we read when we are finished. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

No more "getting behind". No more feeling like a failure because we didn't check off all our boxes for the day. No more extended planning days every 4-6 weeks! No more re-planning when things don't go according to the schedule.

Simple. Relaxed. Efficient. Effective. Love it!

new*

There is all manner of newness at our house . . .

. . . the learning to live without Mom, to be expected kind of new . . .

. . . and second shift. Which is really a return to something old. We're second shifters and we're happy here. We know that makes us weird, but so does any number of other things! I say, welcome back to seconds!

. . . and a (slightly) new way of schooling. Homeschooling is about flexibility and determination and frequently reinventing things. I'll have to write another post to fully explain. But it's a good thing!

. . . and my motto for a new year: post tenebras lux.

. . . and finally, a new venture. Steve and I bought a domain name, created a matching email address, and are stepping out of our comfort zone. We are dreaming big dreams but taking small steps. More on that to come as things progress.

*Thoughts on new: Sometimes it's the "other than the former" kind of new. Sometimes it's the "bring back the old" kind of new. But none of it is the "new under the sun" kind of new. That's the kind of new only God does. He's the only one who does something totally new. He is the only author of "newness of life" (Romans 6).

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ,  he is  a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

when all else fails, go to the zoo

OK so it was a little cold but I just had that antsy feeling and needed to just get out and have fun with the kids. So we went to the zoo. Oh, the wonders of Homeschooling!

Our zoo style is to select one or two areas and hang out there for an extended period of time. And then make some hit and run stops to a few additional animals along the way. We quickly hit the flamingos and the manatees (the divers were cleaning the rock along the edges of the tank which was more interesting than the animal that day). And we camped out at the aquarium with sketch pads and pastels. It was fairly warm when we left so we hit the polar bears. There was an attendant there and the kids peppered her with questions and we followed her to check out the brown bears. They are in an intermediate stage before full hibernation and were sleeping right next to the glass. We stayed long enough to watch them get up, yawn and stretch. They are enormous and amazing creatures.

my history studies

My friend and I, recognizing our deficiency in the discipline of history, and looking ahead to growing children that we will be responsible for their history education, have decided not to panic but instead to get serious about our own studies. Thus we have begun a course of study using Vision Forum's History of the World Mega pack. Mega doesn't really do it justice. It's 10 DVD lectures and 40 CD lectures--3000 minutes--and one study guide. This will form the spine for the kid's history when they hit the upper years. I don't really know how to arrange a course of study out to it (how much time to allocate for each topic and what additional reading to incorporate and how long will it take to complete, writing assignments, etc.), so I figured what better way to figure it out than to go through it myself. This study makes up one leg of my "you not them" methodology.

covered bridges

We live within 6 miles of 4 historic covered bridges. One of them makes the walking entrance to a 2-mile path into a little town. We have yet to make it to the end of the path, let alone back again, but it is our goal. The little ones tire out at about a mile in. We have work to do!

One of the things I like to do for our nature walks is to return to the same place often as the seasons progress. This is a path I'd like to make a familiar one. Mature trees line the path and on either side is farm land (beans or corn, take your pick), and charming farms dot the distant horizon.

my own studies or "you, not them"

Over a year ago I read two books by Oliver DeMille on the method of schooling he calls a Thomas Jefferson Education. I have not fulling embraced the method but I learned a few things that I have implemented in our home. The most significant is the "You, not them" principle. 

The idea is simple. You cannot give what you do not have and, most importantly, you need to set the example for your children. You need to design your own studies and then get to work. I'll say it again because its so simple I'm tempted to neglect it and so hard for my lazy ears to hear:

YOU need to study. I need to study. WE need to study.

Your children need to see you doing what you want them to do. They need to see your passion and excitement over learning history and reading good literature. They need to see you learn a new skill, starting from the beginning and working until you master it. They need to witness you wrestle with a difficult subject and hear you discussing new books. They need to hear you and your husband argue over the significance (or lack of) Conrad's Heart of Darkness (you know, just as a random example that has no connection to real events). They need to hear you stumble over the pronunciation and meaning of new and difficult words and witness as they become a part of your daily lexicon. They need to SEE in YOU that education is a way of life that doesn't stop when you get a job and have secured enough leisure time for yourself you can move on to the fun stuff.

This doesn't mean go to college and get a degree. It could. But it's deeper and more fundamental than that. It's grassroots. It starts with who you are and begins at the kitchen table; at the library pouring over book after book and passing them back and forth to your friends; in conversations with people in your community that have expertice in a skill you'd like to learn; or hearing stories from a family member who has a special passion for a subject that your own education left you deficient.

For me it was hard to know where to start. I choose to focus on history, doctrine/theology, and my old-love, literatue. For me the three mingle together and weave one great big web that has no limit to how far it stretches, its center being the Bible. And I'm not in it to acquire a certain amount of head knowledge, but to be changed by it. I'll give more details later on the specifics of how I attempt to incorporate my own studies into an already busy life. It's tricky but so worth the effort (even the feeble efforts that mine are)!

starry night

This fall the kids are taking art classes. I love how basic drawing skills are being taught alongside artist study. The kid's versions of van Gogh's Starry Night below in chalk pastel . . .

baby snapping turtle and other creatures

The kids found many creatures this summer and fall. It is their custom to make it a home and study it until it either dies or is ready to be released. We look them up in our Handbook of Nature study. They learn about what it eats and where it likes to live and they make it a home. Some of them will sketch it and record the details of its stay in their nature journal.

This summer/fall we have entertained a katydid named Frank. A wasp named Mr. Krumm (that lived in our window until it made its way into the house and needed to be exterminated). A stink bug and a butterfly with a crinkled wing and a frog. A bee named Bumble that was captured after it stung Charlie. And the lastest, a snapping turtle named Darby. Darby is scheduled to be moved to the river after the beans are harvested.

I took a picture of Kenna's nature journal but she did not approve it for posting. A nature journal can be very intimate and private. It is the child's own work. I do not review them. I do not require that they even use them.  I do not correct them. But I marvel in how wonderful they are when they do choose to use them. I provide each child with one and opportunities to write and sketch in them. I also attempt to keep my own (to which I have added nothing this year). A mother's own interest, excitement and example goes a long way in motivating her children.

teaching my children to teach

I have been sick this week and mad at myself for being so. I finally have some drive to get to some unfinished projects around the house and I get hit with a nice little cold. Nothing gets done.

So I think.

Seeing that I'm sick the older kids have done the teaching with my littles. It comes naturally because they see me do it everyday. They only need a bit of guidance and a word from mom from time to time.

Once again, the lessons I planned are not the lessons He had for us this week. I will rest and not rush after the planned work. God will provide its appointed time.

I have posted this before. It is worth repeating:

Do Not Rush. Trust. And Keep a Quiet Heart.

I think I find most help in trying to look on all the interruptions and hindrances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over ones' work. Then one can feel that perhaps one's true work--one's work for God--consists in doing some trifling haphazard thing that has been thrown into one's day. It is not a waste of time, as one is tempted to think, it is the most important part of the work of the day--the part one can best offer to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush after the planned work; trust that the time to finish it will be given sometime, and keep a quiet heart about it.

--Annie Keary, 1825-1879