Hello Friends! Hope your week is going well! Did anyone play any really good April Fool's tricks on you? (Or vice-versa?)

This week I would like to reintroduce you to my friend Jodi Renae. She was my guest columnist a while back. (I looked for that post, and it is eluding me. If anyone can find it I will send that person a surprise!)

But back to Jodi.  Just recently she sent a great post that I immediately snatched from my inbox to share with you.

Enjoy!

It used to really worry me being the soul teacher of my children. I worried that I wasn't doing enough or wasn't wise enough to teach them everything they needed. I have come to know that I don't know a lot about everything but I know how to learn anything if I need to. In our home I like to say we have become "RESEARCH SPECIALISTS!"

I will be the first to admit that I wasn't to thrilled about the dissection of animals on my table but that made me feel safer than having CHEMICALS in the KITCHEN.

Life surely is different as a homeschool mom and sometimes very busy but, most days, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Our children have a lot of fun and I get to learn new things all the time too.

What really amazes me is all the opportunities they are exposed to and how much they really are learning by being a part of a family all day long.

Science and history, for me, were quite boring in school but the curriculum we use makes it a lot of fun for the children. I thoroughly enjoy Science. The experiments they do are a lot fun and you know boys and their toys (little sisters too!)

Our daughter may not be as into science as her brothers but her enjoyment of literature is far above anything I got from school (which says nothing) and I must say words are wonderful. Oh, to have such knowledge of words to be able write books like that!

Our daughter would like to live on the RANCH and be with horses all day. She is quite funny how it truly doesn't bother her to brush horses, ride horses, smell horses, and scoop out horse stalls all day but she whines and needs help to clean her bedroom.

What I love most about home education is that each child gets to fully develop his or her own passion and not get lumped into a group of 30 children doing the same thing. The children also get exposed to many different passions by encouraging their siblings.

None of our children are driven into the same area of expertise. One loves his ART and Photography, one is a MATH wizard, one is into Ornithology and can describe in detail any raptor around, One is a Literature goo roo (is that a word?), one is creating something to eat in the kitchen all the time.

Right now, as I type this, I have a mess being made in my kitchen as the younger ones are learning to read a recipe and make some egg concoction. Yes, mom will have to eat it.

As their mom it amazes me how they are all individuals and have completely different passions. It will be fun to watch them leave the nest, spread their wings, and see where they go.

May we, as mothers and teachers of their souls, not get discouraged, not compare with others, and be willing to set our children free to fly. May our children not get discouraged, but encouraged, to be all they were created to be, do all they were created to do, with all that GOD has gifted them.

To GOD be the GLORY!!

A mom with a heart to HOME EDUCATE!!

Jodi

 Wasn't that wonderful? I hope these words of encouragement and wisdom will be a balm to your soul today.

Nancy

P.S. Be sure to stop by my "other" blog! You are always welcome there 

Who is she?  She is many different people.

  Let us see:

She is a mom with many children.

She is a mom with only one child. 

 She is teaching her children at home because she had a bad experience at the local school. 

She never even put her kids into a "school." 

 Sometime she and her husband had a conviction about who has the right to teach their kids.

She is a mom who is a military mom.  Her husband is serving in Iraq.  Its hard, but she knows it is the right thing to do. 

She is a former teacher.  She knows what goes on in the classroom. 

She doesn't have any credentials; she's "just a mom."

Her child has a "special need." 

She is a second generation homeschooler!

She is a sports mom.

She is a book worm mom.

She is a single mom.

She has a blended family.

Whoever she is, her life is different than yours.  And different than mine too.  We are ALL very unique.

We have different situations, goals, dreams and methods.

Are we the same?  Nope.  But we can find common ground.

We can still build one another up and encourage each other.

Ahh.  Homeschooling Mom, you know who you are. 

The LORD knows you by name.  He will give you peace in  your decisions, just follow Him.

Moms, enjoy your kids this week! 

And go hug a fellow homeschooling Mom.  It will bless you both!

Blessings,

Nancy

Oh, where is the sunshine?  I know that it is somewhere out there.  It is between the sleet and the snow and the wind...in a brief window of time that we always manage to miss.  I am dying to get outdoors and enjoy it!  The cozy house has closed in around me.  I'm getting tired of the smell of pine logs crackling at the hearth.  I'd toss my favorite books in the trash heap for a walk in the sunshine, by a pond, hearing the ducks calling one another...

It's not as elusive as all that!  Get up, get out of bed you sleepy heads...Spring is almost here!  The tulips are peaking up out of the grey earth.  The day lillies are poking through also.  The song of the robin that keeps us up all night is beginning again.  Oh, I never thought I would be so thankful that the aspen trees outside my window are dying, leaving no place for the noisy critters to roost and call and twirple all night long.  Sigh.  Such are the sounds and thoughts of Spring!

I'm getting anxious to grab the sketch pads, pencils, binoc's and magnifying glass.  I want to spot those birds, see the trees budding, feel the crisp breeze and get too much sunshine on my face.  I want to watch my kids run on the grass. I want to notice how long the boys legs are getting!  I want to see them hop from rock to rock...and fall into the creek and get their tennies wet.

I want to throw a ball with them, and hopefully catch it.  I want to see them climb the tallest tree and I don't want to get nervous watching them.  I want to see them sprout wings and fly.

Oh, cabin fever.  It's not a bad thing.  It's just a way to show that we have become infected.  We are stuck indoors trying to learn in a box.  Trying hard to live in a box.  We weren't meant to be stuck in here!  We need to kick this thing wide open and find the cure. 

Outdoors, sunshine, laughter and fresh air.  Take a double dose of those and then do it again tomorrow morning!

Homeschooling Is Life!

Nancy

In the Masterpiece Theater version of "Pollyanna" there is a wonderful discourse between the young niece and her "cold" Aunt Polly, about the planned schedule she intends for the little girl to follow:

"Tomorrow you shall commence a routine," she begins.  "Your day will commence with reading aloud to me for one hour after breakfast, followed by rigid monitored private study.  After lunch, sewing wtih me, cookery instruction with Nancy, then an orderly walk.  Then music, tidying, supper, then bed."

Pollyanna interjects "When do I just live?"

"What?" replies Aunt Polly.

"I know I will be breathing, but thats not living."

"You will be allowed brief intervals in which to play..." her Aunt replies.

As a homeschooling Mom, am I scheduling my childrens day so closely that there isn't any time for purely living?  I believe that most of our true education happens as we live our lives.  Not through forced scheduling and frantic activity.  Education does happen during those times but not the kind I want to see happen in my kids lives.

What about those "divine interruptions" that happen to us?  Some of those are the best learning experiences ever!  And teachable moments?  Let us not schedule so tightly that we don't have time to really learn!

Natural learning, based on the readiness and delight of the child, is true unschooling, and home education at its best.

I think I will just be a "Pollyanna" about it anyway!

I'm so glad we homeschool,

Nancy

When I was little, whenever I was clumsy there was inevitably someone nearby who said "Hey Grace! Where'd ya go to charm school?"

"Grace" had a negative connotation to it; definitely not graceful.   Many years later, I found out that my given name, "Nancy" was a version of the name "Anne" meaning can you guess?  Grace!

Even later than that I found out that Grace was something that comes from God.  He loves us so much, but doesn't expect us to perform for Him with perfection.  He just wants our hearts.  He loves us no matter what!

We can apply God's Grace to our lives in many ways, and we NEED to do that.  Next to Salvation, I think that Grace is first runner up.  However, "works" sometimes wheedles its way in there and muddies things up. 

A dear friend and veteran homeschooling Mom with a ton of wisdom wrote a great entry on Grace in the Homeschool.   Go read what Kim has to say on the subject.  You will be glad you did!

Have a GRACE filled homeschooling day, ok?

Blessings,

Nancy

p.s.  I will be ending a contest this week on my blog, be sure to comment to win a free issue of the Girlhood Home Companion, ok?

Greetings!

Hope you are all having a great week!  I love writing on here in the middle of the week.  It makes me stop and reflect, and that is always a good thing, Martha!

My kids have been taking a leather working class.  Take a look at this: 

We splurged and bought some leather craft kits for our kids.  BUT we didn't have any idea how to do the craft, even though the instructions were included.  Now, these were a bit pricey, and we didn't want the kids to just tear into them and ruin stuff (that has been known to happen) so we didn't let them touch them. 

That is, until we got them to a good class.

We can't tell you how excited the kids are about learning this stuff!  And the instructor is so kind and patient.  But the point to all this is that they had to start at square one.  Nobody had any prior knowledge of the properties of leather, how to work it, how to get a pattern on it etc.  So they had to start line upon line, and add precept upon precept.

You can't just grab the tools and start poking around, or you will ruin a perfectly good rounder of leather!  You have to begin right, and even if you make a boo-boo or two, you can still end well!

That is the way it is with many things in life.  We are chomping at the bit, so to speak, and don't want to take the time to do the proper steps to get somewhere.  We want instant gratification in all things.  We want fast this and fast that.  It is up to us to teach our children that good things come to those who wait.  Patience is a virtue. 

So how does that translate to what this column is "supposed to" be about?  Unschooling---how on earth could that be anything but haphazard and disjointed?  Well, that is where I become the myth-buster here and tell you about it.  Our brand of unschooling really has a much more concise moniker; we will call it "delight directed" studies.  There really IS a rhyme and a reason, because we choose God's rhymes and His reasons over our own.

We do, however, make mistakes a long the way.  But you have heard the adage "when life give you lemons, make lemonade."  That's the way it is.  All things work for our good....even the mistakes.  Actually, I think MOSTLY the mistakes.  That is what makes us stronger, more resilient!

We can't see the eternal, only the temporary.  Today may seem temporary, but what we do with it lasts forever.  I might never see what my children become, but that doesn't mean that we aren't laying a foundation, line by line, brick by brick, stone by stone.    Sometimes we have to shore up the foundations, and even make repairs along the way.  But that is the way life is.

I think we have counted the cost before we started building.  The cost IS great, but the cost of not trusting the outcome to the Master Builder is even greater!

So the next time you feel a little discouraged, or unsure of how to proceed; ask the Master Teacher.  He will show you.  He has given you everything you need, already.  He will show you how to use what He has given, at the appointed time. 

We must have patience with our children and also with ourselves.  With all those things in place, can you imagine the thing of beauty that will come forth?

Isn't homeschooling exciting?

Until next week,

Nancy

p.s. stop over at Homeschooling Is Life!   There is a surprise over there today.

Everyone has their own ideas about unschooling.  That isn't a bad thing at all!  We are all different, and we must always remember that. 

I thought it might be a fun "exercise" to just jot down some of my ideas and principles that we adhere to in our little non-school educational adventure.  Here goes:

A.  Answers.  We might not know them all, but we can sure try our best to find them! 

B.  Believe in your God-given talents and abilities. 

C.  Curiousity.  Kids are curious!  Allow them to explore what interests them.

D.  Delight-directed.  Direction.  Remember that you are the parent, you are the disciplinarian, and your kids are being discipled by you!  Keep the proper perspective as you direct them. (And be delighted along the way!)

E.  Encyclopedias.  A set of these is absolutely necessary.  Kid LOVE to look things up in the old set, once they discover how neat they are!

F.  Faith.  Have faith that the Lord will guide you in raising/teaching your kids.

G.  Giving.  Homeschooling is about learning to give.  Parents give time to their kids, kids learn to give to their siblings, families learn to give to others. 

H.  Housework, not homework.  Working with your kids on home up-keep and maintenance is a life skill lesson that will just keep on giving......everyone needs to know these things!  Homekeeping is also a ministry not only to your kids, but to your Husband who is of utmost importance!

I.  Interest led learning.  Grab the bull by the horns as soon as they show an interest!  Help them find out all they can about what they take a shine to.

J.  Jesus!  His words are the foundation of our lives, hence, our education follows suit.

K.  Kitchen.  So much time is spent learning in the kitchen.  Cooking, measuring, baking, sharing, experimenting.  Then there is washing, cleaning, canning......families love and learn in the kitchen!

L.  Life.  We believe that learning happens all the time.  Life is our homeschool.

M.  Messes!  My philosophy of messes?  They are inevitable since we are here living, loving and learning.  (We have to learn to live in the mess, love being here and also learn how to deal with it too. :)

N.  Notebooking.  One of our most "schoolish" ways of learning is filling notebooks with our treasures gleaned online, from magazines, from our own hands.  A great learning tool.

O.  On-line.  There are SO many fabulous resources online that we have found.  Printables, charts, friends, etc!

P.  Priorities.  There are so many things vying for our attention.  Choose the most important, the best, not just the convenient and the good.  Patience.  We don't always know what we should do.  Pray and have Patience that the answer will come.

Q.   Questions.  I have never heard more questions than those that pop out of my 9 year old's mouth!  Questions  keep Mom and Dad very busy.  (Refer back to letter "A")

R.   Reasons.  Always keep a reminder of the reasons you are homeschooling where you can see it!  Make a family mission statement, and have the kids memorize it with you.  It will help in times of insecurity.

S.  Study.  Kids need time and space to study to their hearts content. 

T.  Time.  I have learned that time passes much too quickly to be wasted on worry, trivial things and temporal issues.  Invest your time wisely, and if you haven't, the Lord will help you redeem it!

U.  Understanding.  There are many things we Mom's need to learn, and one is understanding.  It might take a while before we understand who our children are, what their needs are and what their capabilities are.  We must be patient while we learn it.....with ourselves, and with our children!

V.   Vision.  It is important to have a vision for the future and work toward that goal.  But more importantly it is important that the vision is the one the Lord would have for us.

W.   Wonderful!!  Even in the midst of trials, remember that it is a wonderful gift to be able to have children, and to live with them and learn right along with them. 

X.   This is always a hard letter.  :)  I think that "X" is for crossing off all the negative memories and ideas of the public school system and moving on in a new and better direction for me and for my kids.

Y.   Yes!  I want to be a "YES"  Mom.  Not a "No" Mom.  Yes, you my try that experiment, Yes it would be a great day to go for a hike, Yes you may bake a cake all by yourself.....YES!  You can DO it!

Z.   Zealous.  I want to be zealous for life, for learning, for the Lord and for my family.  And I want it to rub off on them.  I want to be contagiously zealous!

Well, there you have it.  Just a quick fun little A-Z excursion into the inner workings of this brain of mine.  Why don't you take a moment or two to think of some of your own?  Try jotting some down for yourself.  Brainstorm with your kids, or your husband.

Once you start thinking about it, you will be surprised at how you really feel about your homeschooling/unschooling mindset. It will freshen your perspective!

Enjoy!

Nancy~a Mom of four, wife of 1, owner of a dog and cat and various other furry critters.....lover of flowers, taker of pictures, writer of many words, working out my faith and salvation each day with fear, trembling and gratitude to the Lord.

Stop by my other blog and say hello!

Hi Friends,

The following is a re-blog of one from last year about this time.  :)  I know you will enjoy it!

So much going on here and the kids are on a roll with so much baking and creating and learning that I am finding it very hard to catch up on my blogging! Since it is a Valentine Week, and that means it's time to get sentimental and gushy (or mushy, as my kids say,)  I do want to share something from my past with you!

  I grew up in a small town and went to school, K-12 with a group of kids that remained pretty much the same for most of those years.  I think there was a core of about 15 kids or so,  and we got to know each other pretty well as far as school mates go.

Every year in elementary school we had parties to celebrate each holiday that came our way.  I think we did the same thing every time too; read a story, do a craft, have a party of some sort.  One family in particular had a Mom who was an amazing cookie baker (among other things) and every holiday she would send a batch of her wonderful frosted sugar cookies with her daughter to class for us. 

These weren't your ordinary cookies.  These cookies were delicious, soft, melt-in-your-mouth tasty, and the frosting on the cake--I mean, cookie was the fact that she frosted them with equally wonderful frosting and each was decorated with each of our names!  She had a shape for each holiday and the Valentine's day cookies were huge lovely hearts!  She always packed them in a shirt box, with waxed paper between the layers of cookies so they wouldn't get smashed.  These cookies were bigger than your hand, and they were just perfect!

I was lamenting them several years ago and so you know what I did?  I called her up and asked her for her recipe!  She seemed surprised to hear from me and thought it was funny that I wanted her cookie recipe.  But she put her finger right on it (I am pretty sure she had it committed to memory) and we had a lovely visit. 

So she shared her recipe with me and I am posting it here for you.  I have no idea where the original recipe is from.  She called them "Crisp Sugar Cookies" but when you frost them, they become very soft and like I said, they melt in your mouth.  The secret to their wonderful flavor is the vanilla and lemon extract.  :)

Mrs. Roger’s Sugar Cookies

(Crisp Sugar Cookies)

 

½ C. Sugar

1 C. Shortening

(cream together, then add:)

2 eggs

3 TBSP Evaporated Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

½ tsp Lemon Extract

(mix well then add to:)

3 C. Flour

½ tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

 

Make the cookie dough and chill for a little while, roll out and cut out shapes,

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or so, 'till slightly brown on edges.  Cool and frost.

 

Frosting:

 

½  tsp Lemon Extract

1 tsp Vanilla

Add to regular frosting recipe,

(powdered sugar, butter and milk.)

Whip 'till fluffy, add coloring if you want to and VIOLA!

 

 

You know, just as this precious Mom wrote our names on cookies, the Lord himself has written your name on His heart!  Is your name written is His book too?

Nancy

Homeschooling Is Life!

© Nancy K. Baetz 2007-08 

 Revelation 21:23-27 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for stopping by!

Another day has passed quickly here and I just want to reflect a bit on what we have done.  Today we had to get up really early for a couple of dentist appointments.  (Boring!)  But the funny thing is that my kids LOVE our Dentist!  They even make gifts and cards for several of the people who work there.  You see, in the last year they have had a lot of work done on their teeth, and have become very well acquainted with these people.  The assistants have compliemented my kids on their ability to be calm and sit well for the treatment.  That is cool, don't you think?  They told me that they have many kids who come in and cry, manipulate and are "all over the place" while they are trying to work on their teeth.  I can't say that my kids good behavior is a direct result of homeschooling but it sure makes me happy to hear it!

Lets see, next we had to pick up some "Mapp Gas" for Daddy, since he was fixing our faucet in the bathroom.  The kids got to help him and so they did some real hands-on learning today.  They had to cut a hole in the drywall to get to the plumbing, and well, I didn't stick around but pretty much everyone else had a hand in the repair.  Yeah!  No more leaky faucet.

One of my kids has been very interested in herbs lately, and has started making homemade essential oils.  This is pretty neat too.  She wants to grow her own and learn how to process them and learn all the healing properties.  She is reading everything she can get her hands on, and has already picked out seeds which we will be planting in our "indoor greenhouse" soon. 

The kids have made Valentine decorations and cards this week, and have made "treasure rocks" which you make out of a flower/coffee ground dough, then put a treasure inside and bake them.  Can't wait to see how well those are received by their friends!

We are getting ready to do a drivers permit test soon~ my oldest.  Oh, how I long for the country for a better place to teach her how to drive! 

I guess this doesn't sound like the most exciting time, but then again, you know my motto:  Homeschooling Is Life!

Nancy

Please stop over at my regular blog for a CONTEST!!!  I am featuring my friend Heather from the Patchwork Heart, and she and I both are giving away a treat for a lucky person who comments.

Oh, I am sure you have heard that joke about the blonde who wondered what happened to the sun after it went down, and then one morning it dawned on her...

Sorry!  I'm kinda blonde, and have three blonde kids so I have a license to tell blonde jokes, ok?

All that silliness just to talk about our day.  What do we DO all day?  What kind of schedule do we have?  I know this has come up before, but new homeschool mom's keep asking this question.  So, let me tell you about today for instance.

Today I got up and took one of my daughters (little Red) to the store with me.  We had been gone a week or more on family business so we were out of everything edible.  Our dear friend who is a grocery clerk asked us over and over why my daughter wasn't in school today and I said it was because of a parent-teacher conference.  That is what I call it when I talk to myself.  :)  Anyway, little Red and I planned out a few meals and got some yummy healthy snacks and even some NEW veggies to try.  (Brussel Sprouts!)

When we got home we had a pow-wow with the rest of the gang and I told everyone my plan for the day.  We still had Christmas decor to take down from outside, and so we worked on that, cleaned the front yard and were THRILLED when it was all done.

Next on the agenda was to read this to the kids:  What Not To Read by Cindy Rushton.  We love to read, and we have always been very careful about what to allow our children to read.  But it gets REALLY hard to preview everything, so some things have slipped past my best judgment. 

My kids are all old enough now to have their own discernment on things, and this article helped them to see God's view of what we should or should not read.  I highly recommend it!   Our discussion turned into a wonderful time of looking up definitions, scripture verses and talking about some of the books we have read lately.  We now will be asking ourselves; "will this book undermine our values, or undergird us?"

That ended up taking the better portion of a couple of hours up and after that we all went our own ways for a little while to do things like cooking, reading, writing, playing, etc,  Then Daddy came home, we had dinner and some family time.  Now I am working on this and have enjoyed reading some blogs tonight!

One other thing I want to mention is Robin Sampson had a great post this week highlighting some "typical" days of various homeschool families.  No two alike.  Enjoy the variety of lives you will read about!  Go read some great stuff over at the Heart of Wisdom blog.

So what will we do tomorrow?  I guess I will have to wait and see.  I sure something will dawn on me!

Blessings!

Nancy

Come visit me over at Homeschooling Is Life!

The Bible tells us that faith is the evidence of things unseen.  I thought that fit with what was on my mind lately;  is our unschooling producing any fruit?  What is fruit, and how do I get it in my homeschooling/unschooling endeavor? 
 
We all produce fruit of some kind. I got to thinking about it.  First, the seeds must be planted.  That is what all homeschoolers are doing, whether it is well planned out seed, or accidental seed.  Then we have to consider the soil, the nourishment and environment.  All these variables factor in the fruit to be produced. 
 
The organic farm that we have worked on has a program where people pay am amount to the farmer so he can buy good seed, pay for water if needed, and get everything planned out for a good harvest.  What he can't do, is foresee the weather.  So the shareholders in essence, are betting on the famer.  With homeschooling, we have "fruit" in mind when we raise our children. 
 
 We can't see the storms ahead, we hope we get all the weeds pulled before they overtake the "crop" we are growing, but we do have control over the climate, the watering and nourishment of our children.  We  do also have control over the training.  And the pruning.  Kids grow like weeds, but they also can learn to bend in a certain direction and grow strong and sure. 
 
A farmer doesn't always see the fruit of what he has planted.  Neither does a parent.  But we have to trust that the "master" gardener, has put these little sprouts into our hands for us to train in His ways.  Then  whether storms come, or drought,  or the weeds of the world seem to want to obliterate our seedlings, we can trust that the fruit will come; even if we don't see it right now. 
 
Homeschooling, parenting, life; in these nobody knows the outcome except God.  We can't see the future and we have to trust that He knows what is best.  He is working on our behalf at all times, even when it seems like we are up to our ears in mud and thorns.
 
Psalm 1
 
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinner, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither;  And whatever he does shall prosper."
 
 
Nancy
 
Be sure to stop by and visit me on my other blog!
 
www.homeschoolblogger.com/byhisgraceincolorado

Isn't that an oxymoron??

Hi friends!  We have had lots of questions over the years about our method (or non-method) of homeschooling.  "What grade are your kids in?"  "How do you know what to teach them?"  "What curriculum do you use?"  Etc.

Well, this is something that we work out as we go.  Are we organized?  No, not as much as I would like.  Do we do grades?  No, just try to build on what we already know, and keep learning.  Do we use curriculum?  Life is our curriculum.

I got the "Homeschool Minute" today and I loved it!  What an encouragement.  Did you read it?  Be sure to sign up for it.  Go here to subscribe to it and other great newsletters from TOS.

I loved what Ruth Beechick had to say: 

"The full spectrum of organization ranges from having a sharpened pencil to having a full year teaching plan. Since I cannot comment on all that, I will narrow my remarks to just one facet of curriculum.

You may have a curriculum that is organized by the day or by the week or, more flexibly, by the unit. Of course a curriculum writer chooses some kind of organization and fits into it. You would do the same if you wrote a curriculum. But that does not mean that every student using it can follow or should follow the suggested schedule. When something has to bend, it should be the curriculum and not the child.

With curriculum in print, people tend to think it is their job to stick with it. Getting behind or speeding ahead or skipping seems unorganized. Or deciding that you could switch to something better-how unorganized is that?

My message is: learning seldom is neatly organized in real life-only in books. Accept that fact and save a lot of frustration.

--Ruth

 Thank you so much Ruth B!

Please don't get me wrong; I am apt to question my own motives and madness at times.  BUT in retrospect, those times of questioning come less and less as we become more and more blessed as the results of our homeschooling efforts become evident.  You just have to look for the right evidence!

  Doubts will come; but the problem is when we focus on the doubts.  We need to focus on the positive things we see happening, work on the things we see that need adjusting AND listen to the wise counsel of encouragers such as Ruth Beechick!  I italicized some of her words that really jumped out at me.  Go back and read them again!

We love resources, but they are tools.  We use them, we don't let them use us!  We struggle with organization, but we might just be a bit too hard on ourselves.  Each of my children are different, have differing needs and abilities.  They have unique bents.  We are all a piece of work in progress, I like to say.

Embrace your uniqueness today, and if by cracky, you are an organized unschooler, more power to you!

Blessings!

Nancy

Be sure to stop by my blogs:  Homeschooling is Life! and  Chiaroscuro, my photography blog.

Greetings Friends!  January is zipping by!  Don't tell me it's the 10th already!

I took a little break last week.  Hope they don't dock my pay!  :)  I hope we can get back into talking about unschooling here on the porch.  January seems to be a time of reflection for some of us homeschoolers.  Here at home we get so caught up in Fall and the whole holiday syndrome that by January 1st we are very ready to step back and take a look at our progress, or seeming "lack" of it.

Well, are you getting caught up in that right now?  Watch out, it's a trap!  First off, remember that just because it is the "New Year" doesn't mean that anything has really changed, has it?  Sure, the date you write on your checks.....but you are the same family, doing probably pretty much the same things. 

 I think all the talk of resolutions and stuff gets us a bit off balance. 

 Don't be dismayed.  You are doing GREAT!!!

Please, please, PLEASE stop comparing yourselves to other homeschoolers.  Just keep your head up, keep doing what you KNOW is right and if you don't know....ask!  Confide in your husband, confide in your heavenly Father.  You three make quite a team, ya know? 

Now, I want to tell you that there are some pretty eloquent writers out there in homeschool blog land, and I want to tell you a great one who will lift you right up out of your slump, and that is Robin Sampson!  She posted a heavenly blog this week called "Coffee With God."   It had quotes from one of my favorite missionary biographies; George Mueller.  And in this blog she admonishes us to get up earlier, and spend time with God! 

Spending time with Him doesn't just mean giving Him our wish list, or our gripe list.....although He will listen to whatever it is you have to say.  Get to know Him through reading His word, then enjoy His company!  You will go away refreshed, filled and with STRENGTH to face the day.  Believe me, I know.  And I know I am not alone in needing this strength. 

 Homeschooling takes a lot of fortitude, no matter HOW you go about it.  And we can't just do it on our own.  We lose it, we blow it, we fail over and over and it gets to be a vicious cycle.  Get yourself out of the cycle, ok?  Get into the cycle of getting up early and spending time with THE SOURCE.  :)

I have found that once I get back to what I know is right, and yes, sometimes I get off track and start believing the lies of the enemy, but once I get back to the Lord's track for our homeschooling I can see the truth.  I recognize those things that become obscured when we get mired down in falsehood.  I hope and pray that the days of jumping the track are gone.......and it's full steam ahead with the Lord at the helm.

Are you ready to let Him have His way in your homeschooling and life today? Are you dying because you have no strength?  You know where to find it.

Nancy

How are you all doing?  Are you in the middle of the Christmas frenzy, wondering what in the world you are doing?  Are you freaking out because you don't have all your baking, shopping, wrapping, packaging, mailing, writing, cleaning, schooling and whatever else done yet?

Maybe you need to stop and think about this.  Why do we do this every year?  I know at least one person who had all their shopping done by October 1st, but she is the exception to the rule.  I recently met a mom who does the "five days of Christmas."  Now that is a great idea!  Sure, Advent is wonderful, and a unique way to bring Christ into Christmas. 

 After all, isn't that what its all about?

But what about all the other trappings that get thrown into the mix here, the commercialism, the expectations, the frustrations, the craziness; what about those things?  How do they fit in to Christmas? 

 Should we be doing all this stuff? 

 We don't have a lot of peace in the midst of this muddle.  We sure hear a lot about it though, don't we?  "Peace on Earth" is on cards, in songs, yet the Bible says that Jesus himself said He didn't come to bring Peace, but to bring a sword.   (Matthew 10, verse 34) It is a long chapter, but you need to read the whole thing.  A dear friend of mine brought it to my attention this week and it had been awhile since I had read it. 

 It shocked me! 

 

This year, we still have many of the usual "trappings" like a tree, lights, decorations etc., but I am hoping we can get ourselves out of this trap we have gotten ourselves so used to being in.  I don't enjoy the stress, the expectations, the extra burdens I put on myself during this season.  I do enjoy my kids, my friends and the extra focus on the Lord.  But why this month?  Why a certain day?  Why not every day? 

After all, Jesus said that "today is the day of salvation."

My dear friends, I do hope that this holiday is a time of reflecting, and of course anything that brings us nearer to the heart of God is a good thing.  Yet there are many things that are taking us away from His heart and if you feel turmoil in your life right now take a step back and survey what is going on around you.  The Lord is not about confusion.  He is about giving us a soundness in our minds.  If there is something mixed up in your mind about this Christmas, renew your mind in Him!

I have found that we have had to "unschool Christmas" this year.  We are talking about why we do what we do.  How important is tradition?  What makes it good?  Is all of it necessary?  What can we do differently this year?  What can we do better?  How can we know God's heart each and every day? 

 By seeking Him first.  Not the tree, the gifts, the treats.  Just seek Him. 

I read this "remake" of the "Night Before Christmas" a long time ago.  I just found it online and thought I would share it with you.  Every year I wonder if this is going to be the last year before the return of the Lord.  I do believe He is going to come back someday, and from the way things are looking it could be soon!  But we don't know the day or hour.  We just have to live like it could happen any time, but be prepared to be here for awhile doing what we are called to do; seeking Him, loving our families, loving our enemies, praying, praising, trusting Him. 

 I hope this speaks to your heart, and that you will realize how much you need to know the Lord. 

 

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came'

written by Unknown Author

 

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "it's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

 

If you need prayer or encouragement, please leave me a comment.  Blessings Dear Friend,

Nancy

Curious about The Old Schoolhouse

Magazine but not quite ready to commit to a subscription without seeing it first? Check it out for FREE! We're so certain you'll love our publication that we'll gladly send a FREE sample to anyone new to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - we even cover the shipping!

... Click here for more information ...