We have been busily unpacking boxes and taking  a weekend trip to Holland (photos soon to follow!), but in the meantime, I thought this was an interesting read from HSLDA.  I find this to be true, often. Even though my high schoolers seem like well-rounded, nice kids who are doing well, with strangers there is often an element of suspicion or negativity when they find out we homeschool. It IS a 'head scratcher'.

The Washington Times	May 19, 2008

Washington Times Op-ed—Acceptance Grows but Myths Persist

by J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

A friend of mine and I were discussing labels and how we as homeschoolers like to label ourselves and others, to try to fit other homeschoolers neatly into some sort of definition whereby which we know how to handle them and their ideas.

Hmmm....we've homeschooled since 1995 (or '94? can't remember). It's hard to fit all we've done for school under the umbrella of some sort of label.  As we just moved here, I went to a homeschool meeting the other night, my first one in this area. It's the end of the school year for most of us, but I definitely wanted to connect with the local christian homeschooling community and I was very glad I went. I came away with several things though.

First was---Gosh. I am old.  :) 

But seriously....it was humorous to me to sit and listen to moms debating about which history curriculum they ought to use with their 6 year olds. (I could answer that easily--doesn't matter. I promise you when they're 10 or 12 and you ask them about it, they WILL have forgotten it!)

Ok, that aside..I had several moms who, on realizing I had kids in high school, wanted to hear what curriculum we have used for this or that subject over the years.

It's a difficult question to answer (and I still stand by my mostly tongue-in-cheek  thought after using the local ps independent study for 2 semesters for my oldest ball-playing son, that legos and library books will get you where you need to be by 9th grade). 

But my answer: it's depended on the year. Depended on the type of learners I was dealing with and their ages, whether we just had a new baby, just relocated, where we lived and the types of activities available or how tired I was in any given school year.  (Sounds really flaky when I go back and reread that, but it's the truth!) Some years we've used really 'formal' curriculum, some have been more hands-on and unit-y. Just depends. And when you respond that way, you can see the interest wane and their eyes wander as they drift away to someone who will just give them answers, by golly.

Not to sound like I'm being too hard on the younger homeschool moms. Just a reminder that if one is to stay the course, homeschooling-wise, there is a certain amount of flexibility you will have to have. (assuming you are homeschooling through high school)  I promise you, I've seen folks fizzle and burn out by trying to hold to too rigid a schedule or specific type of curriculum. On the other hand, I've seen the same from folks who were too loosey-goosey with no structure. We are more of the 'flow of the day' or 'rhythm of the home' type folks. There are better writers than I who have addressed this. Here's another. Good encouragement there.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God....

At the risk of sounding cynical, I decided to write about some thoughts gelling of late. I've noticed some online discussions about  homeschooling 'styles'--some nice and some, well.... just plum not nice.  I am constantly amazed at the number of resources there are for us homeschoolers these days. There is a great sharing of ideas and is truly an incredible age we live in.  It's wonderful to glean and learn from others' experiences. But with all this abundance comes the risk of comparison and discontent.

But I have to say--keep your eyes on your own work. As soon as encouraging turns into comparing, or lively discussion morphs into something uglier --that whole 'my way is the best way, and therefore YOUR way is wrong', I have to say enough.

Waaaay back when I was growing up in school, I had a bad habit of looking at my 'neighbor's' papers. Not to copy, mind you. Just to see where I was compared to where they were on a test. To see if my drawing was like their drawing. What my handwriting looked like compared to their handwriting. If I should be worried because I wasn't working as fast as they were. I can't tell you how many times I heard a teacher say 'keep your eyes on your own work!'

I think many of us homeschool moms need that reminder.  My life is not your life. Your kids aren't my kids. I can't presume to be the voice of God for you, nor should you expect me to be and vice versa. Sometimes (always?) it's best to turn off the computer, to pray with and talk to our husbands and see what THEIR vision for our children and our homeschool is. They have an objectivity about it that we may lack. To remind ourselves that  someone who is lauded as a homeschool guru or expert may just not be what they're cracked up to be in the online world. That we don't always get the whole picture.

That, sometimes, the greatest good we can do for ourselves and our families, is not to look up one more curriculum, one more idea or unit study, or one more homeschool blog. But to simply put one foot in front of the other and face up to another day.  Many times we know the right thing to do. We would just rather procrastinate, read about it, talk about it, vs actually doing the thing.

And here's another example why, written by my 9 year old after being instructed in her English book to 'write a thank you note to your  teacher for helping you'. It goes:

Dear Mrs. M__________ (me, her mom, too cute!)

Thank you for always teaching me. And thank you for helping me, and loving me. Your hair always looks great. Your clothes are pretty and your earrings are beautiful.

Sincerely,

Anna

Definitely written by a girl--I love it!

What is that old Barney song? "You can have an adventure in a faraway land.....blahblahblah tuba in a marching band somethingsomething deep blue sea..... if you learn to borrow books at the library!"

I believe I've done an entry on the library before. We were all kind of 'eh' this morning, so off to the library we went. I'm always rejuvenated by books, the sight of stacks and shelves of books....ahhhhh....When my older two were littles and it seemed like I was always nursing, pregnant, or needing a nap, a big part of our schooling time was this: The 3 R's, and then we'd pick a book or two from the nonfiction or literature section of the children's section of the library to go through each week or two.  We'd leave with books on subjects as varied as insects, fairytales, the Pony Express, Christopher Columbus. An old classic movie thrown in. Sound disorganized? We would do an organized unit study once in awhile, but it seems the bulk of our learning came through reading together or alone. I recall we did a lot of Lego and playdoh playing as well.  

I love the simplicity that can be found in homeschooling. And sometimes I need the reminder that my youngest one deserves that relaxed, unhurried time just as much as my oldest did when he was that age.

Here's a wonderful quote and thought of the day for you that I got from this lovely blog:

If you wanted to gather up all tender memories, all lights and shadows of the heart, all banquetings and reunions, all filial, fraternal, paternal, conjugal affections, and had only four letters with which to spell out the height and depth and length, and breadth and magnitude and eternity of meaning, you would write it all out with these four capital letters: H-O-M-E.

Because I am a Christian, it very definitely influences how I homeschool. In fact, it is a very big part of why we made the decision to homeschool and our desire to bring our children up in the Lord. Somewhere along the way of many many years of homeschooling, my little pea brain can also start to correlate that Christian=should be homeschooling for other families. Hmmm.......That one equals the other and if another family is not homeschooling, they are somehow not quite 'there yet' as Christians.

Don't get me wrong...I love homeschooling and believe wholeheartedly it's what God has led our family to do. It is such a big part of our lifestyle that I can't imagine life differently. But to somehow take what has been a blessing for us and then make it a requirement for fellow Christians? Something is off balance there.

I have friends with lovely children who have always been in school. I know women who would dearly love to be home with their children, but are unable to for various reasons--husbands that don't support that ideal or circumstances that dictate otherwise. My heart goes out to them. I know God has a 'best plan' for families, and I do believe homeschooling can be a big part of that.

But, dear Lord, please let me never forget to remember Colossians 3:12:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Even though I'm having surgery this coming week (see below) and will be sidelined a bit in coming days,  we decided to get our feet wet last week with slooowly getting back into some semblance of a routine. Which means new chore charts, looking at new books, remembering how to go to bed/get up at decent times. Here is my new favorite resource, Notebooking Nook.  There are free homeschool forms (like chore charts!), as well as many others that are worth buying. We are using the 'Mammal' and 'Viking' pages and I'll tell you, my kids, even my 14 yr old, are excited about 'school'! I figure them working on their projects over the weekend was a good sign.

We also attempted to explode a volcano--it didn't work nearly as well as the directions promised.

If anyone has any tips on how to get a good fountain of 'lava' out of these dratted kits, do let me know! Oh well...it was fun!

We rounded out our first week with a day off with Dad--going to Bridgeport (a river area near here) to catch tadpoles and swim.

Other activities of this week:

baking peach tarts...

.... my sweet second son making me salads, long walks and bike rides, The Sound of Music movie and popcorn, and I call that a good week.

Even though I am the mother of a 10th grade, soon to be licensed driver!

How many decisions have I made based on fear? Thankfully, homeschooling is not one of them. There have been times I've doubted our decision (more on that in a minute).

I play the piano. I grew up playing and taking lessons, even gave lessons as a young adult. But one thing about it plagued me for years--a great fear of playing in front of people. That fear paralyzed me. I was able to sing in choir, sing solos, but somehow it was different being on the piano. So much more potential for error, for humiliation. After we got married, I substitute played a few times in church only with much coaxing. And it was always the same, I would be literally ill to my stomach beforehand.

That changed last year. We had recently moved to this base. The regular pianist had just quit, and I was helping out some on Sundays(reluctantly) and the other pianist went on vacation. There was a terrible tragedy and a little 3 year-old-boy lost his life. They needed music for the service. Would I do it? Of course. I didn't even have to think about it. It suddenly wasn't about me and my fears any longer. It was an offering I could give the grieving parents. It was terrible. Something changed after that. I knew what I should have known all along...my ability to play and my love of music was something I could 'offer up' each week to the Lord. Perfect or imperfect. That wasn't the issue. My willingness was. "He who calls us is faithful". I had ignored his calling yet He still chose to use me. Wow.

The interesting thing about all this is that next week I am having a second surgery to remove a tumor (benign) from where? My right hand. I was told today that some of the nerve problems I've been experiencing may never go away and may in fact get worse after they are in there poking around again. I may never play the same. My reaction---I am so thrilled that I finally obeyed God's voice and put myself 'out there' when I did. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

When we began homeschooling, we were quite quite sure of our decision. Years went by, we moved a lot with the military, I had difficult--very difficult pregnancies. With my 4th child, I was on bedrest several months and had several complications. It was a hard time. Well meaning friends and neighbors asked why we didn't put the other kids aged 6,4, and 2 in school. We were certain God had led us to homeschooling, so we got through it. More years passed, and we went overseas. Military bases overseas are little USAs. Not being part of the school system definitely takes you out of a big part of base life. This was my first time of doubting. My son was entering 6th grade. He was smart and bright. I, however,  was TIRED, weary from moving. What I should've done was take a big break, regroup and let us all catch our breath. Instead, I fretted, worried, and cried at night thinking he deserved better than a tired old mommy. What he deserved was some young, energetic teacher with lesson plans and colorful bulletin boards! I even had thoughts of walking to the big new multimillion dollar school up the street and enrolling him. He'd be any teacher's dream! Why not?

Thankfully, I heard a sermon during that time that hit me between the eyes.(it's not lost on me that God frequently has to hit me over the head to get my attention) The bottom line was 'DON'T MAKE FEAR BASED DECISIONS'. I loved this line and I'm not sure where it originates "Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light". What a relief! I figured until God showed my husband or I differently, we would press on with homeschooling. We knew this was what He had shown us to do, and we knew if we persevered, we would see the fruit in our children.

Over the next few months, families leaving that new school started trickling into our base homeschool group.Things weren't so peachy keen at that new school on the hill. Things were not what they seemed. There were immoral fads that would make your toes curl if I told you, lazy teachers and all the other regular peer issues.

All this to say, as we start this new school year? Press on. Hold fast to what God has shown you, and most of all, be willing to put yourself where God has you without fear.

In the words of Steve Lambert, one of my all time favorite homeschool speakers:

"Enjoy the journey."

"Homeschooling is a marathon...not a race."

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and next week promises to be busy with some family visiting. I think we have most everything in place for school. Lest my last post sounded toooo jaded, let me say I do truly look forward to us getting back into some semblance of a 'schedule' and regular school time. I am more of a checklist kind of gal though, vs a strict schedule.

I think this is the least amount of money I've spent on school in many many years. Math is covered since I've got every level of Saxon published, I think! Like one online friend noted, this is my 4th year teaching the 4th grade (to different children, LOL!) and I pretty much have everything I need for her. Oh, I had to buy her a new Language Arts student book. The only really 'new' thing I've added this year to our curriculum is the Beautiful Feet guides for history. We love literature based history, and I thought it might be a nice framework to guide our notebooking and reading time. We are doing the U.S. guides this year.

Some 'notes to self' for the coming year:

• Stay flexible--pray a LOT
• Remember to reach out to those around us, vs. becoming hermits
• Avoid getting too busy with outside activities--and DONT answer the phone during school hours, unless it's my wonderful hubby
• Try to keep a balance between my reponsibilities at home, church and what comes along with dh's position in the military
• Take time for things I enjoy....music, scrapbooking, reading, biking, walking....
• Remember I only have these children for a season--this will be over quicker than I know it, so it's ok to have an 'ice cream appreciation day' once in awhile instead of bookwork!

I'm starting a new club! Want to join??

I've read several entries by other moms who are in somewhat the same state I am as we face a new school year. Just a feeling that can only be described as completely underwhelming.  Been there-done that-got the tshirt AND could write the curriculum. We've seen it all and possibly tried it all. Our goals have changed from what they were when we first started--right now as we get close to (or maybe already have) launching children from the nest, we realize that anything we 'missed' scholastically speaking, they can make up later. That raising good kids who love God, are good citizens, are fairly literate and who have a good work ethic would be the ultimate 'success' story.  When young homeschool moms at our support group meetings dissect curriculum and tout the latest and greatest, we smile, sit back quietly and sip our coffee and (try to) bite our tongues.

I think the only qualifications to be in my new club will be that:

 1) you agree that coffee and chocolate could quite possibly cure all the world's ills if only people would give them a chance (yes, yes,I know that has absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling)

and

2) that you too have wondered if perhaps Dilbert or Calvin and Hobbes could count as 'vocabulary' study

 After re-reading the above...I realize I might be this club by myself. I'm sure the rest of you are WAY more responsible than that! 

If nothing else, check this to get a little lift with some 'homeschool humor'.  Then, you might just be ready to do some lesson planning!

Many young homeschoolers won't recognize the name, Raymond Moore, which is unfortunate. He and his wife Dorothy were pioneers of the modern day homeschooling movement, homeschoolers before homeschooling was 'cool'. Dr. Moore passed away this past weekend. (Dorothy died several years ago) He is a presence who will be sorely missed.

I had the privilege of being introduced to their books, Better Late Than Early and  Home Grown Kids  early in my mothering days. While I have definitely not been perfect at applying the principles I believe in, they rang true with me then and after nearly 16 years of mothering, still do. Their thoughts gave me something to aspire to:

• Delaying 'formal' schooling doesn't = procrastination.
• Being attuned to your child's needs does not make them self centered.
• Give them have a childhood full of love, play and family.
• When you do introduce schooling, keep a good balance between bookwork, real life activities like cooking, sewing, singing, manual labor and free time.
• Read to your children a lot.
• Respect them.

It works. Trust your mothering instincts!

I was going to give a list of must-reads for new homeschooling mommies, and the Moores would be at the head of it. Some other voices who carry on the same "Moore message" would be Steve and Jane Lambert, the Five in a Row people. Read anything they've written and definitely check out their website. Their message is 'enjoy the journey' and 'homeschooling is a marathon, not a race'. Their literature based curriculum is really good too.

A couple  more....some of my regular summer reading usually includes re-reading something by this woman, Diana Waring  Her book  Beyond Survival literally changed my life when I first read it. It's the first resource I lend to any mom who tells me she is harried and 'can't do it all'. I also love Reaping the Harvest and Things We'd Wish We'd Known. She is funny and inspiring!

Last one....I have gotten the Timberdoodle catalog for years. They have a great website with recommendations for all ages.

The overarching theme for all of the above is, relax. This isn't complicated. It is not easy, but it IS simple. Enjoy your time homeschooling with your children and don't waste time and energy searching for 'perfect curriculum' (pssst.....I'll tell you a secret. There isn't one!). In the words of Steve Lambert, enjoy the journey!

I am glad I started homeschooling a very long time ago, when there were so few curriculum choices.  These days, when there are so many official looking companies/authors/teachers Out to Make a Buck, and to make you feel inadequate while doing it, it can be difficult to sort through it all. The pressure must be immense for moms just starting out. I am on several homeschool email lists and I frequently see notes like this come through:

"Hi, I am _________. I have 3 children, aged 5 and 3/4 years, 3, and 6 months.  For math we are using Singapore Math and Saxon and are supplementing with the "Key To" books. For our history curriculum we are finishing up our study of the Ancients and are heading into our 2nd year of a 4 year chronological history cycle. For Language arts, we are studying Latin and Greek with A Beka grammar thrown in for 'fun'. We use the Kingfisher/Usborne/DK books for science, with which we practice our notetaking and outlining skills."

I only  wish I were kidding.

To these ambitious homeschooling mommies, I want to say:

Relax. Take a breath. Life is too short.

These "play-doh years" will pass much more quickly than you ever thought possible.

All the curriculum that you are agonizing over now--well, I hate to break it to you, but when your kids are 12, 14, 16, they will not remember it. Trust me... when you say, "don't you remember the Ptolemies? We studied those in 1st grade, for goodness' sake!", you will most likely get a blank stare in return. It's over their heads at this age!

What they need is you.

Time with you, fun playing games, living life as a family. Fingerpainting, running around outside and breathing in lots of fresh air.

So what would I recommend as an alternative for new homeschooling moms?

Take walks-- rain or shine.

Take the time to study that worm, caterpillar or flower they find so very interesting at this age.

Read together. A LOT. Read picture books and classics, anything that interests them.

Cook together, sing together, do errands together. Let them help you in the kitchen or as you go about your daily chores.

Play silly games.

Laugh.

If it makes you feel better, go ahead and throw in a few math and phonics worksheets. Better yet, help them write a letter to Grandma, telling how much fun they are having in 'school'.

My next post:  what authors/books I do recommend for new homeschoolers. Stay tuned!

As my husband has extended family in Germany, this bit of news is especially troubling to me. (where is the media coverage?)  15-year-old Melissa Busekros was removed from her home several months ago because her parents committed the crime of.......get this.....homeschooling her. (she is now back home) This case has resulted in a legal battle which ended up with Germany essentially banning all homeschooling. There are other German families that have had to go into hiding and be separated, all because they believe in their right to homeschool their own children.

According to HSLDA,  "The European Court of Human Rights’ decision upholding Germany’s move to ban homeschooling, used this concern to rule against the right of parents to homeschool their children."

The 'concern' was that homeschoolers are a 'parallel society', ie not integrating into what is considered socially acceptable. (schools)

Again from HSLDA,

 " For a number of cultural reasons, the average German doesn’t understand the notion of homeschooling. Many German officials fear that active support of homeschooling will result in parallel societies, such as Islamic fundamentalism, that would endanger their country's safety and stability.

In the United States, we understand that homeschooling supports pluralism (a term which essentially means that people of different races, religions, and views should live together with mutual respect and as equal citizens), that individuals have a natural right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and that the protection of this right is an important function of free and democratic governments."

Let us pray for our fellow homeschoolers in Germany, and especially for the Busekros family. You can visit the HSLDA webpage to see what else you can do.

Ever feel like you're 'just a mom'? It's good to have encouragement for those days when the dishes are piled high, kids are whiney and you don't feel like you've gotten ANY school done all week. One source that has encouraged me for years has been the folks at Timberdoodle company. I found them early on in our homeschooling journey, and I'm sure glad I did. Take this month's free newsletter, for instance, and I quote...(they are talking about 'extreme' sports and 'challenging your body')

"...there is the desire to challenge your body, to make it do what seems impossible to do. But we kid ourselves here. What is harder to do, walk through deserts, rain forests and snow-bound trails, or repeatedly get out of our easy chairs to redirect an errant child? If you want to test your body, dare it to get up cheerfully every 2 hours with your newborn, keep pace with your toddler, roller-skate with your preteen and swim laps with your teen. This challenge transforms what appeared to be a strictly physical test into a more vital test of the heart."

A message we need to hear, and I truly appreciate the consistent encouragement I've received from them over the years. We need to hear this family-centered message in a world where we are told to 'take care of yourself!'

Good stuff.

So back to this Thinking Blogger award.....

I was going to tag several people who have widely read blogs --they really do make me 'think' and help me to be a better wife, mother and person. Of course, they've already been nominated... that's what I get for being so slow.

If you are "tagged" and choose to accept, here's what you do:

. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’  with a link to the post that you wrote

 For what it's worth, here are a few I check on a regular basis

Diane is a real life friend I met while we were stationed together in Guam--they are now in Alabama, with us in California. Wahhh....I miss them.  She's got quite the life story. She and Greg came to the Lord as adults, and have an incredible testimony. The neatest thing about Diane--via blog or real life, is how much she loves her family. It just oozes through.  Love ya, girl!

Diane Simmler---hmmm.....are we seeing a trend here with first names... I found her 'cuz our dhs were deployed at the same time. I love how transparent her writing is, and she's not afraid to let us see the 'real' her. Yet always with the godly reminder to "Do the Next Thing"

If you haven't read TC's blog yet, go. She will make you laugh out loud, guaranteed. I keep TC on my bloglines and check her writings at least weekly. When you read a sentence like "Now, Cheryl was about as coordinated as a one-legged emu with vertigo" in an entry, you KNOW it's going to be good! I'm just waiting for her book to come out!

I love JenIg's writing style. I think I first read her writings as editorials in TOS. Not afraid to say the hard stuff, but with a sense of humor.

I found The Imperfect Homeschooler recently and am still exploring her archives. Good stuff there! (You know there's gotta be with that title! )

So there you go!

Sandy at FallingLikeRain posted an entry about what she can't homeschool without, and it looked like fun. Here are my 2cents (some of them very similar to hers--great minds!!)

I'm glad I don't have to homeschool without my...

1) Bible

2) Free Bible curriculum from Calvary Chapel--we have used this a couple of years running now and keep Bible notebooks.  I look at the website ahead of time and print out pages for the week. We simply read the Bible passage, color or fill them out....and voila! Bible lesson. If I try to skip this, my youngest reminds me. :)

3) Globe and wall world map. We refer to these nearly daily.  Also a book of outline maps I got cheap at a teacher supply store.

4) Saxon math--you either love it or hate it. I love it (for most of my kids) It hasn't worked for everyone at every level, but we've successfully used all levels through Advanced Mathematics...which leads me to #5..

5) Teaching Textbooks math. This was a lifesaver for the child who just didn't 'get it' with Saxon. Watch a lesson on DVD, do the problem set. Go back and watch the solutions for any missed problems. It's a beautiful thing!!

6) Scads and scads of 'real books'-- nature books, colorful science books, historical fiction, biographies...we own many and check out many from the library.

7) Learning Language Arts Through Literature--we haven't used this exclusively for language arts, but it's definitely been a mainstay, lo, these many years.

8) My computer and printer. I honestly don't know how we'd function without them. When we're in the middle of a move and have no cpu access, it ain't pretty is all I can say.

9) Art supplies--I'm with Sandy on this one....Prismacolor pencils are used daily here.

10) Music--piano, guitar. We love playing it as well as listening to it. One of the neatest things about homeschooling is the hours we've been able to invest in music.

I'd love to see what others come up with!! Let me know if you make a list, too!

In California, that is!  Our roses are blooming already here at the new house, and smell heavenly. I couldn't resist cutting a few for our table. We have also spent much time observing the hummingbirds in the 'bottle brush bush'. They are attracted to the bright red flowers. I have loved watching hummingbirds since I was a little girl visiting my grandmother. She always had several feeders going and they would flock to them.

 I tried hard to pin one down for a photo, but durned if they don't like to move around! Look hard, and you can see one on the middle right hand side, right above a flower--it's smaller than the flower. (I need a better camera!!) The funny thing about hummingbirds is that they are pretty feisty, jabbering and chirping at each other, even fighting! I told the kids they remind me of them at certain moments. The girls and I have enjoyed the beginning of an indepth study of Africa this week. I realized in all the years we've homeschooled, we've never really done an 'Africa study'  other than ancient Egypt(don't yell, Kim!) Here they are, showing off a plate of 'banana fritters' that we made after studying Nigeria. We're using ideas from Galloping the Globe, and Trail Guide to World Geography as well as tons and tons of library books. Fun stuff!  Next week we get into some heavy duty dissecting for the boys' high school biology course. I have this feeling it won't be quite as fun.

I remember hearing this phrase so often when we started homeschooling: "All you need to successfully homeschool is a math book and a library card".

There is so much truth to that! 12 years later, I know that good books are foundational to a real education. Which explains why we now have 7 bookshelves groaning under the weight of all our favorite books. This is a typical scene at breakfast:

As I've been unpacking books the past weeks, I have once again come across some of my old favorites and have displayed them in a place of prominence. They are books I read when I first became a mother, and contemplated what I should do once my first baby was born. Continue working? Work parttime? Stay home completely? Many of these books helped shape my thinking and gave me encouragement which was sorely lacking from most of my contemporaries at the time. They are very special to me. Books like Mary Pride's The Way Home, Brenda Hunter's Home by Choice, Susan Schaeffer MacCauley's For the Children's Sake, and Home Grown Kids by the Moores. These books were pivotal in my shift from career mom to stay-at-home homeschooling mom. I don't want my children to ever think we just happened to fall into this lifestyle by accident, it was most definitely a conscious choice fraught with fears and doubts. Perhaps I'll add some of these books to their required reading list for high school.

Looking for a good read? Check out a this great post by FallingLikeRain. After nearly 12 years of homeschooling, I still find myself going through these cycles from time to time. Thanks for the reminder!

I don't seem to often get time and collect my thoughts, much less jot them down. It's comforting to know that Laura Ingalls Wilder was well into her 60s by the time she wrote her famous books! I'm so busy just living life with my family that I have fallen very 'behind' on the kids' scrapbooks. I know the day will come when I have HOURS to fill so I'm not feeling too guilty about it right now.

There's a book I've meant to blog about since last summer. I don't spend much time these days reading homeschooling books as there simply aren't enough hours in the day, but I read a great find from the library by Vickie Farris called A Mom Just Like You

When I first looked at the cover I thought hmph, sure you're a mom just like me. ;) Wife of HSLDA lawyer, mom of 10, oh yes... our lives resemble each other! Not much in common other than homeschooling. I went ahead and picked it up, however. She truly is a mom just like most of the homeschool moms I know in real life. She sleeps in when she's been up late the night before, uses paper plates when convenient,has sports-playing kids, likes taking long walks......hey, that IS like me! How refreshing to read a book by someone who doesn't start off their day with 5 a.m. devotionals! (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it always leaves this non-morning person feeling extremely guilty)

If you'd like some encouragement during these months of winter doldrums, I can recommend this book.