Last minute last week I decided to attend a homeschooling conference in Kansas City, MO.  I must admit a lot of my reasoning behind attending was the opportunity to see my friend Sarah.  But, I also love conventions.  I love how you leave them recharged and refocused.

I am currently at this homeschooling convention and thoroughly enjoying it.  One speaker that I would like to share with you is Todd Wilson from Familyman Ministires.  Most of his energy is focused on the homeschooling dad, but he has a lot to say to the women as well.  I would highly encourage you to check out his material and if you are ever afforded the opportunity to hear him speak, GO!

Another thing that has thrilled my soul about this particular conference is that all of the speakers I have heard have been encouraging families to keep the Lord as the focus and not be distracted by academics.  AMEN!

Tomorrow is my final day here and then I head home to my family (I'm missing them).  Then it will time to put into practice all I've gleaned from the sessions here!

I know I am a bit late here, but as I was plodding through emails, I found this link from The Urban Homemaker (Marilyn Moll).  It comes from The Teaching Home. 

 5 Day Easter Unit Study

Since I am late in finding this, we won't be attempting to do all the activities mentioned, but many of them are well worth the time.  I must say this is the best Holy Week unit study I've seen this year!

One thing we did today that the children loved was acting out a passage of Scripture.  I have been reading through John and thought it would be fun to do the section in John 10 about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  This was a subject that all the children could understand and participate in.

Blake was the Good Shepherd and the wolf, Megan was the "hireling" and the "other sheep", Melia and Keian (the toddlers) were the sheep, mama is the narrator.  We are working on it to present at a celebration we will be attending on Sunday with several other families we are in Boy Scouts with.

Speaking of that Resurrection Sunday celebration...this is the first time we have not spent Easter with family.  I was skeptical at first about doing this, but as it pans out we will be celebrating with family over the weekend and then coming back home for church and this particular celebration on Sunday.  I think it will be a wonderful time of fellowship, something my family has felt lacking for quite some time.

Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Can you believe it is April already?!  That means homeschool conference season is just around the corner! 

I thought I'd share a bit about where we are headed curriculum-wise as we turn the corner into the next school year.  There are a lot of links within this post, so feel free to take a gander at them.  You can also take a look at what we are currently doing by going to the sidebar under the heading Heritage Arrows Homeschool and clicking on the links there.

Next year, (which will start sometime between June and September since we homeschool year round.) I'll have a Kindergartner, 3rd grader, and a 6th grader. 

To prep my new schooler, I'll be doing the Rod & Staff ABC Series.  I did it with my firstborn and was quite pleased with it.  Not intensive by any means, but definitely fun learning.  I'll also be doing 100 Easy Lessons.  This will be the first time I've used it w/ a non-reader.  I know that sounds crazy, but I used it w/ my oldest two children after they could read to reinforce phonics.  We only lasted about 30 lessons before I realized they really didn't need it.  Isn't that about like a homeschool mom...force something down my child's throat that he or she already knows simply because it's part of the almighty scope and sequence!  ACK!  Eventually, I will ease into Horizons Kindergarten math.  I am a big fan of Horizons for the early grades.  I'll also do Leading Little Ones to God with her, her younger brother, and her older sister.  And then she'll join us for tidbits of history and science and art..more on that in a moment.

My 3rd grader just began Rod & Staff Grammar and is loving it!  It is very independent and that is right up her alley.  She is finishing up her Horizons 2nd grade math and will move from there to Saxon 54 (yes, it is an easy transition).  She'll be finished with A Reason for Handwriting C soon and that will end handwriting for her.  She'll have enough every day stuff to keep her handwriting in fine form.

My oldest child is finishing up Saxon 76.  I think we'll be going to Saxon 1/2 unless he breezes through the pre-test for Teaching Textbooks Algebra.  Eventually, that is where I would like for him to end up, but I think he needs the pre-algebra first.  He is also going to finish Shurley English 4 sometime this summer and move to Shurley English 6.  According to Veritas Press, this is an acceptable jump.  (We use a lot of the guidelines set forth in Veritas Press, especially for our oldest.  It has proved to be a great resource!)  Our oldest will continue with Phonetic Zoo from IEW.  This program has taken our poor speller of a son and turned him into a very good speller and all with very little help from me.  It is totally audio and he corrects his own papers.  I am quite impressed.  Well worth the high price tag in my opinion.  He also doing a lot of logic puzzles and lateral thinking puzzles.  If you've never tried any of these, I'd highly recommend them!  We do them for fun as a family.  Beware, though...they can be terrible frustrating and terribly addictive!

Now, for Science...  We've tried a lot of things and just haven't been real satisfied with any of them.  However, I borrowed an Apologia Elementary Science book from another homeschooling mom and the kids and I were quite pleased with it.  Everything tied back to the Bible and our Creator.  The chapters were fun and captivating.  I'm excited to delve into our own copy!

We will be continuing Discoveries in Art.  It was a pricey program suggested by Veritas Press, but the children have enjoyed it and really learned a lot.  It came with all its own art supplies which was nice for a busy homeschool mom.  It has not been hard at all to make those supplies last for 2 children, so I am pleased about that!  

For History, we are finishing up The History of US by Joy Hakim and will start over in time with Tapestry of Grace some time this summer.  Eventually, I'd like to own all 4 volumes of TOG, but currently, I only own the first 2 years.  My son misses TOG, so we'll haul it back out this year and hopefully, mama will stay on top of the game with it! ;)

I'm also hoping to add a worldview curriculum for my oldest child.  I feel he needs to be challenged.  We are currently reading Hurlbut's Story of the Bible  (you can actually read this online for free!  It is an awesome chronological version that keeps even little ones engaged!) and he reads the corresponding section in Victor's Journey Through the Bible.  This has given him a great basis of knowledge, but he is a thinking and needs more.  We are looking into what Summit Ministries has to offer.  This kid is going to be one serious warrior for Christ!  We just need to work on equipping him!

So, there you have it...a whirlwind tour of what's in store for us for next year!  Feel free to do your own tour on your blog and link from here in the comments section!

Tuesday night I attended my local homeschooling support group meeting.  I attend a rather unconventional homeschool support group called Visionary Christian Home Educators.  The group is comprised of moms of all ages coming together for the purpose of exhorting one another in the Word of God in order to catch a "vision" for homeschooling for God's glory.

The mom who leads the group put together a "course" on homeschooling with a vision.  A lesson is provided each month that guides us along the path of discerning what the Lord would have for our homeschool experience.  This course is not for the faint of heart!

I come home from VCHE with my brain on overload and my heart on fire.  I never fail to be refreshed and challenged by these monthly meetings.  Tuesday night was no exception.

Something I gleaned from that meeting I wanted to share here.  It is something that weighed heavy on my heart from the moment I heard the words.  It is something that made me really examine myself and my day; how my time is spent, how I interact with my children, how I interact with my God.

These are the words that cut me to the quick:
"Can your children tell that their right relationship with the Lord is important?"

Do my children know that everything I teach, every disciplinary action I take, every moment I spend is done to the glory of our Lord and Savior?  Do they know that it is more important to learn the ways of God than to learn their times tables?  Do they know that my heart is more burdened that they obey the Lord's commandments than that they act "just so" in public?  As Denise Sproul says in her book, Tending Your Garden, "our goal is to raise godly seed, not well-ordered heathen."

In addition to this, do my children see me obeying the Lord?  Do they hear me speak of the Lord?  Do they know that He is real in my life?  Do they know that He is not just a "part" of my life, but that He IS my life?

In short, DO THEY SEE GOD?

Every single day, in every single thing...DO THEY SEE GOD?

I have to intentionally disciple (the name of Tuesday's session by the way) my children.  They will no doubtedly be discipled by my actions and words, but what will they be discipled in?  Will they learn to hurry through life flitting from one menial task to another?  Will they think life here on earth is only about getting the grunge work out of the way so we can have fun?  Will they think the world is all about them and what they can get out of it?  Am I discipling them in the ways of the Lord or in the ways of the world?  Am I leading them down the narrow path or the wide path?  DO THEY SEE GOD? 

I need to examine my actions and see if they line up with my words...my children are doing just this every moment of every day.  My children are watching me and one day they will be able to fully reason and realize if Mommy is a hypocrite.  Children are very forgiving, but there will come a day when they will know for certain if Mommy is talking out both sides of her mouth.  They will not be able to ignore if Mommy is saying one thing and doing another.  And if I am saying one thing and doing another, why?  Is it because my day isn't ordered properly?  Is it because I am too afraid of what others may think of me?  Is it because I have gotten too comfortable?

My children cannot possibly see God in my life if I am not constantly looking toward my Lord.  Like Moses on the mount, my countenance should reflect my Savior.  And it has nothing to do with forcing myself to spend time in the Word so I can be a better parent.  I should hunger and thirst for God for my own soul's sake.  If I am following after my Lord, desiring more, wanting to know Him more, then my children cannot help but see Him.  I should be so saturated with His Word that I am dripping gospel.  What is in my heart will be on my lips. (Mt 12:34)

I am hungry...I am thirsty...I am hanging on His words.  Lord, fill me and let them see You!

Life was simple when I didn't know but one homeschooling curriculum existed.  I somehow received a single solitary homeschooling catalog in those early days and ordered everything from there.  Ignorance is bliss.

Now, I now "better."  There are a million and one curriculums out there and I own half of them and want to try the other half. 

I am a homeschooling curriculum website/catalog junkie.  I will spend long hours perusing page after page of my latest homeschool curriculum temptation.  For a moment in time I am lured in, believing my current fancy is the perfect solution, the magic bullet, the be-all-end-all of homeschooling curriculums.  But, the longer I am there, the lesser becomes the luster, and eventually I move on to find another curriculum fix elsewhere.

And apparently, I am not alone.

Many homeschooling moms are just like me; searching for something that does not exist.  But, why do I search?  Am I convinced that somewhere out there a curriculum was written that perfectly meshes with my worldview, my philosophy on education, my teaching style, AND my children's learning styles?  Yeah right.  The only way that is going to happen is if I write the curriculum myself, and who has time for that?  I'm way too busy staring at homeschooling websites.

Maybe I am falling into the influence of my peers.  I can thank my public education for that.  I want to do what Susie Homeschool-Mom down the street does because they always look like they are having fun, or her kids got into med school, or she seems to have it all together. 

However, as I sit here thinking "out loud" about my quest, the words "striving after the wind" come to mind.  I took a moment to jump over to a Bible site I use to look up verses and came across Ecclesiastes 1.  The entire chapter would be a beneficial read, but let me just give you a few verses that jumped out at me:

All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecc 1:8,9

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.  I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.  What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Ecc 1:14, 15

My search isn't anything new.  Granted, King Solomon was not searching for the perfect homeschooling curriculum, but he was searching for wisdom.  Essentially, that is what I am doing.  And I do feel "afflicted".  Pefection does not exist.  All curriculums will be slightly "crooked" and "lacking".  I am wasting my time chasing after this wind.  I need to stop this vain pursuit.

But how?  I really don't have an answer to that at this point.  What I do know is that the only way to seek wisdom is to seek the Lord.  So, that is what I will be committing my heart to doing as I try to plan out the end of this year and on into the following year.  May the Lord guide my steps and yours.

When I began writing for public consumption many years ago, I asked the Lord what He would have me write.  I realized that I can only successfully write what I know.   I do my best writing about the things I am going through and what the Lord is teaching me through those things.  I made it a policy to write candidly and prayerfully about my life and let the reader glean from it what the Lord would have them glean from it..

In fact, it was this approach that lead me to write "The Me Time Myth".  That article was about me.  It was my life spread wide-open for all to see my inconsistancies and bad habits.  The reader could take the journey with me as I went from seeking self to finding contentment in my role as wife and mother.  I didn't pretend to be someone I was not.  I was just honest and real.

Since the publication of the article in The Old Schoolhouse, I got into my head that I had to somehow be a bit better than the real me.  People were going to read that article, come to the blog, and find a whishy-washy homeschool mom who was anything but the motivational superwoman they were expecting.  Instead of writing about my struggles and my successes and the Lord's teachings, I started coming up with subjects on my own and unfortunately, found myself "pretending" I was more of an expert than I actually was. 

When we homeschooling moms go to conferences and workshops, we sit under the teaching of men and women who are deemed "experts" in some area.   What we forget is that they are human beings too.  They are not nearly as perfect as we believe them to be because we are only seeing a fraction of them.  Not that any of the speakers actually believe themselves to be perfect, but we as their audience want them to be perfect.  We want to believe that someone out there has it all right and that if we follow their formula or work extra hard or find just the right curriculum, we too, will "arrive".

So, when I found myself  in a similar position as the teachers at the workshops, I felt I had to reinvent myself, lest anyone find out I wasn't perfect.  Rather than be real and honest, I decided I must offer something "more".  I was afraid if I didn't sound like I had it all together I would terribly disappoint a whole bunch of people. 

So, it is with shame and humbleness, I ask for forgiveness from those of you who read this blog.  I have known in my heart for quite some time that the reason the Lord seems to use the other blog for His glory so much more than He uses this one is because the other blog has remained a story of His working in my life.  It is the real me, flaws and all, with the Lord shining through.  Here, I pretended to have it all together, which is a big fat lie.  I can't sugar-coat it and make it prettier than it is.  The truth in this case is just plain ugly.  I was trying to be someone I am not rather than let the Lord work through my imperfections.  I can do all things through Christ...I can do nothing apart from Him.

So, a fresh start is needed.  I still want this blog to be about my homeschooing journey; however, it will no longer be what I think the reader expects from someone who has written some article in some national magazine.  It's just going to be me...the REAL me...the imperfect, constantly-changing-curriculum, falls-asleep-while-reading-out-loud, never-gets-it-all-done, desperately-leaning-on-the-Lord me.

So, you'll please excuse me while I throw out these filthy rags.

I hadn't intended to take a break.  It just happened.  Thanksgiving Break quietly turned into December Break which became New Baby Break, and next thing I knew 2 months had passed by with very little schoolwork getting accomplished. 

Since I refuse to parent, nor homeschool, by guilt, I knew we would eventually redeem our time.  After all, isn't that Why I Homeschool Year Round?  However, I was not prepared for the amazing difference that came from taking this break.

It was most noticeable in my newly turned 8 year old daughter.  In November, her handwriting had been mediocre.  Suddenly, it was well-formed and beautiful.  Prior to our break, she had found grammar to be utterly aggravating.  Today, she beamed as she finished yet another lesson in record time.  She was better able to concentrate and she has begun to produce outstanding work.  All this from a 2 month break that should have caused a setback.

Oftentimes, we homeschool moms find ourselves in a period of time that forces us to take a break we never intended to take.  Perhaps we must spend our hours packing to move our household.  Maybe it is a pregnancy that has us holding down the couch.  Or it could be a sick child who needs round the clock care.  Whatever it may be, no matter how big or how small, you can almost guarantee a forced break will come to you at some point in your homeschooling career. 

In fact, you may be there now wondering how you will ever catch up or if you will ever catch up.  You feel guilty, but you also feel helpless.  You consider sending the children away to school because you are just sure they will never recover from this lapse in their studies.  You feel like a failure.

But, you aren't.

Many homeschoolers cling to the verses in Deuteronomy that command parents to diligently teach their children the Lord's words and ways. (see Deut. 6)  Yet somehow when they find themselves in a position where they cannot teach what the institutionalized schools teach they forget all about these verses, or they unconsciously twist them to suggest parents should be more concerned with teaching their children the world's ways and what the world deems important. 

During those times when we are forced to take a break, we still have the power to teach the Lord's ways to our children.  In fact, breaks may be much more conducive to this sort of teaching simply because academics no longer stand in the way. 

In addition to this, you may find yourself, as I was, pleasantly surprised by your children's academic progress following a break.  Perhaps she needed a couple of months maturity on her to appreciate her grammar lessons.  Maybe all those letters she wrote to friends and family during our break created a more controlled and lovely handwriting.  Whatever the true reason for her progress was, the break was the vehicle for bringing about this marvelous change.  

So, rather than seeing a break as an obstacle or a guilt-trip, consider it a blessing, a chance to focus on character, an opportunity to allow for a bit of growth and maturity in you and your children.  Enjoy the break and come back to the academics (when you can) a refreshed and renewed mama!

Several months back I read of a homeschooling mama who took a couple of hours every Sunday evening at a local coffee shop to plan her week.  This concept sounded like something that would be ever so helpful, but alas, where would I find the time to sit at a coffee shop and organize my life? 

You are probably thinking the same thing.  There just are not enough hours in the day for me to take time out to leave the house, let alone by myself!  But what if I stayed home?  What if I asked my husband to sit with the children and watch a movie downstairs while I stayed upstairs at the dining room table planning the coming week?  Couldn't that work just as well as sitting at a coffee shop?  In fact, for me, it would work even better since I am forever running to the homeschooling closet to see what resources I might need.

So, I asked my dear husband to do just that this past Sunday.  He herded all the cats downstairs to watch a Western (not my favorite anyway!) and I gathered up a mountain of books, some notebook paper, and a cup of coffee (so I could pretend I was at a coffee shop!) 

Another thing I gleaned from this woman's weekly planning session was that she also planned other things like what to blog about, people to call, items to buy, things to do.  So, I decided to make 5 separate divisions for my plans:  Meals, School, Homekeeping, Activities, Miscellaneous. 

Next, I took a piece of scratch paper and I wrote down every single thing I wanted to accomplish this coming week.  I wrote down people I needed to email, I wrote down websites I needed to visit, I wrote down all I wanted to accomplish school-wise, I wrote down places we had to be and people who were coming to visit.  Both front and back of the page were covered in frantic scribbles.  It was wonderful to see my week pouring out in front of me.  I felt as though I might manage to remember all my to do's, I might manage to get a full day of school accomplished, I might even manage to scrapbook a bit!

Then, I transferred everything to their correct section.  Lest you think I had some fancy scheduling template, let me reassure you, my pages were notebook paper--nothing fancy there! 

On the Meals page I wrote out only a couple of days worth of meals since life is rather unpredictable here.  I'll fill in the rest as I go.  For School, I wrote down all the things I would like to accomplish each day.  I also added to this section books I'd like to buy, books I'd like to sell, and projects I've been meaning to have the children work on.  On the Homekeeping page, I wrote down our daily cleaning routine and added things to be decluttered and reorganized.  On the Activities page I wrote a day by day listing of any places we had to be or things we would be doing.  The Miscellaneous page I left for those to-do's that didn't fit anywhere else.  This included things to blog about, thank yous to write, people to call, etc.

This morning, I opened the notebook I had put these pages in and laid it out on the counter where I could readily reference it throughout the day.  I could also add to it or subtract from it as needed.  It worked wonderfully!  I felt better prepared than I have in months..maybe even  years!  And you know what, that little cup of coffee and my dining room table worked just swell!  I'm looking forward to enjoying this time again next week!

In the 6 years I've been homeschooling and the 3 different areas of the state I have homeschooled in, I have found that no two homeschooling groups are alike.  However, each one I have been a part of has served a purpose in my life and the lives of my children at that particular time. 

If you are in a large city, your choices may be so numerous you find yourself overwhelmed.  Likewise, you may be in such a rural area that your choices are limited at best and quite possibly non-existant.

So, what's a homeschool mom to do when it comes to discerning which homeschool group is right for her and her family or if she decides to venture out and start one of her own?

First of all, pray about it.  Specifically, pray as to how God would have you order your homeschooling life.  Ask Him to reveal to you what is truly important THIS homeschooling year and during this SEASON.  When we first moved here, I prayed for guidance and direction.  What specifically did God have in store for us?  While He did not reveal all that would happen to us in the year that followed (the death of a child and the impending birth of another, a job promotion for my husband and several freelance writing opportunities for myself), I did find that the path He was clearly leading us to was one that involved a VISION.  I knew the Lord wanted me in a serious homeschool group that was less about academics and more about a long-term goal.  Isn't it wonderful the Lord knows exactly what is in store for you and knows exactly what you need when!

Secondly, you need to ask yourself some serious (and tough) questions pertaining to what kind of group the Lord would have you be a part of. 

• Are you looking for support for yourself?  Does that mean regular Mom's Only nights or does it mean something more along the lines of mentoring?  Will you be edified during these times and come back refreshed or will you need more "support" than these groups can offer.  Are you suffering from Me-Time mania?

• Are you looking for a playgroup atmosphere for your children?  If so, is it truly a healthy atmosphere or will you find yourself buying into the whole "socialism" thing that seems so prevalent these days in order to stick with a playgroup that is eating into your time and not offering positive influences?

• Are you looking for a group that offers classes/tutoring, etc?  Are you unable to teach certain subjects?  Are they truly important?  Are you feeling inadequate and need to deal with that feeling?

• Are you looking for all of these rolled up into one group?  If so, how much time are you willing to commit to these outside-the-home activities?  How can you refrain from spending all day every day away from home in order to be involved in every single activity the group offers?  Do you know the art of saying, "NO"?

Next, I would encourage you to take these questions and your thoughts about these questions (and others) to your husband.  I suggest bringing them to your husband at this stage in the game rather than earlier because oftentimes we as homeschool moms unintentionally clutter our lives and thoughts.  If we work toward clearing some of that clutter ahead of time and then presenting our thoughts to our husbands, he won't have to wade through all that clutter to get to the meat of the matter.  Spare the guy...he has enough to worry about. 

When you go to your husband, be prepared for him to suggest a completely different direction.  Be open to his leading.  Men are often very good at seeing the big picture while we women dwell on the little things that make up the big picture.  Remember, he is the head of your household and may have definite ideas about the direction he would like for the family to head.  The two of you can brainstorm from there.  A common goal is a wonderful thing.  Make sure you and your husband share a common goal in homeschooling...they are his children too!

NOW, research your options.  It is very difficult to change gears when you already have your heart set on a certain thing.  Narrow your homeschooling vision and THEN look for a homeschooling group that works to further this vision.  Does the type of homeschooling group you believe the Lord would have you be a part of not exist?  Consider the possibility that He is leading you to start a group that serves that purpose.  That is exactly how the homeschooling group I am a part of started.  One woman who caught a vision, prayed about it, brainstormed with her husband about it and eventually compiled an awesome amount of material to share with other moms.  I come away from each monthly meeting refreshed and rejuvenated!

One quick word of caution...do not lock yourself into a particular group until you have been a few times and are sure this is where the Lord would have you.  No group should require immediate upfront committment.  You should "try before you buy."

The older I get and the older my children get, the more I find myself thinking about how I perceived the world when I was their age.  My oldest child is a 10 year old 5th grader, and I can clearly remember much of what I felt and thought as a 5th grader.  In many ways, it does not seem all that long ago.

As I continue down this meandering thought path, I begin to age my children and consider how I viewed my parents and my peers and the events of my life as I went from middle school to high school to college.  And then, suddenly, I am petrified!

What will my children remember of me? 

They are getting old enough to begin forming their own opinions of who their mama is.  They will soon be able to put words to their feelings.  Granted, their opinions will be immature at best, but children do have an uncanny knack for spotting hypocrisy a mile away. 

A year or two ago, I did an online Bible/book study on Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell.  As I thumbed back through this book recently, I found in the margins where I had scrawled, "I want my children to remember me as a gentle mother."

That thought brings tears to my eyes.  Have I gained any ground in my quest to be gentle toward my children?  Do they see how hard I try?  Do the gentle tones outweigh the irritated ones?  Will they say I was gentle?

Emily's death 8 months ago drastically changed our family.  I felt I owed it to her and God to parent my remaining children with love and gentleness beyond measure.  While working through the emotions of losing a child has not exactly lent itself to being gentle, I am able to look from this side of things back to the mother I was over a year ago and see that who I was and who I am are very different...a good different...a growing different.


In fact, I can look a year beyond that and see a different mama.  I can look all the way back to the mama of one little boy age 18 months.  That mama was stressed and tired.  She cried herself to sleep many nights because of how she had treated her son during the course of the day.  She did not want the Lord to bless her with any more children because she didn't feel she was any good at parenting the one He had already blessed her with.

But the Lord grew her up.  Little by little, piece by piece, moment by moment.  She's not perfect by any means as she stands here 9 years and almost 5 children later, but she's closer to being that gentle mama she hopes her children remember her being.

The Basics

Part 3 of Homeschooling Daughters 

So, where do we begin with the teaching of our daughters?  Same place we should start with our sons...the basics.  But, what are the basics?  What the basics are will depend greatly on your worldview, so I would encourage you at this juncture to really examine who/what you want to glorify. 

Is it man?  All that man can learn and accomplish.  How "smart" he can be?  Are you hoping to be able to some day "show off" your child as a showcase of the human race?  Might wanna rethink that one.

As Christians, we are to glorify GOD.  Our children should reflect HIM.  Everything we do should be God-honoring.  What I am about to say is controversial, but I do believe it to be the absolute truth...

If you NEVER teach a day's worth of math, science, history, etc., yet you teach your child to honor and love the Lord, you will have done well.

It is here, I want to take a moment to give you something to chew on:

 

HAVE I BEEN EDUCATED?
by Carolyn Caines  

If I learn my ABCs, can read 600 words per minute, and can write with perfect penmanship, but have not been shown how to communicate with the Designer of all language .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED. 

If I can deliver an eloquent speech and persuade you with my stunning logic, but have not been instructed in God's wisdom.... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their writings with keen insight, but have not read the greatest of all books -- the Bible -- and have no knowledge of its personal importance... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I have memorized addition facts, multiplication tables, and chemical formulas, but have never been disciplined to hide God's Word in my heart .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

  If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein's theory of relativity, but have never been instructed in the unchangeable laws of the One Who orders our universe .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can classify animals by their family, genus and species, and can write a lengthy scientific paper that wins an award, but have not been introduced to the Maker's purpose for all creation, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can recite the Gettyburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution, but have not been informed of the hand of God in the history of our country .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can play the piano, the violin, six other instruments, and can write music that moves men to tears, but have not been taught to listen to the Director of the universe and worship Him, ... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can run cross-country races, star in basketball and do 100 push-ups without stopping, but have never been shown how to bend my spirit to do God's will, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can identify a Picasso, describe the style of da Vinci, and even paint a portrait that earns an A+, but have not learned that all harmony and beauty comes from a relationship with God, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I were to graduate with a perfect 4.0 and am accepted at the best university with a full scholarship, but have not been guided into a career of God's choosing for me, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

 If I become a good citizen, voting at each election and fighting for what is moral and right, but have not been told of (or believe) the sinfulness of man and his hopelessness without Christ,... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

However, if one day I see the world as God sees it, and come to know Him, Whom to know is life eternal, and glorify God by fulfilling His purpose for me, THEN I HAVE BEEN EDUCATED!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 So, back to the basics.  The list I am about to give you is MY list.  It is what I believe to be the basics according to a Biblical worldview.  Your list may look much different, but truly consider why you put certain things on your list as basics before you move forward with calling them basics.

So, here is my list:

BASICS FOR MY DAUGHTERS

1)  TEACH HER TO FEAR THE LORD.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov 9:10a

Doesn't get much clearer than that.  THIS is the beginning point.  Teach your daughters about our Lord.  Immerse them in the Word.  Show them just how important the Scriptures are to you and your family.  Everything you do and say should start here.  Disciple, disciple, disciple.

2)  TEACH A LOVE FOR LEARNING

Learn to take advantage of those sparks of interest you see in her.  Help her figure out how to glean the information she needs to move forward with projects.  Teach her to use her Bible to understand how the things she is interested in can glorify Him.  Have lots of good books, encyclopedias, concordances, etc. available to her and make sure she knows how to use them.  Also, let her see you digging deeper for information.

3)  TEACH HER TO READ

She has to be able to read God's Word for herself.  A good grasp of vocabulary and the English language are important to understanding and expressing ideas.  A good way to show the importance of this is, as with everything, to model it yourself.  If you are reading and talking about books and Scripture, then she will more than likely follow suit.

4)  TEACH HER THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OTHER SUBJECTS

Math, Spelling, History, Science, etc.  All of it; however, should be done in a manner that brings it full circle back to God...remember #1!  Much of this type of learning can be done in every day life as well.  You don't necessarily have to drill textbooks to instill this kind of information...see #2 and #3!

All of these build off each other with the foundation being the ONE TRUE GOD.  Once again, if you do nothing else, teach your daughters to fear the Lord, to honor Him, to glorify Him with all their being.  You can't get any more basic than this.

Train Her Up

Part 2 of Homeschooling Daughters 

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." 

Proverbs 22:6

I know this verse is often overused or misquoted, but nonetheless, it is one we have to consider in the schooling of our children.  It is still God's Holy Word no matter how we humans choose to twist it. 

For the purposes of this particular entry, we are looking at the word "train."  The lexicon defines this word in this way...

to narrow; figuratively, to initiate or discipline -- dedicate, train up

So, we are to "narrow" our children.  Once again, in this day and age, them's fightin' words.  No child should be told they can't do something, right?  WRONG. 

Surely, we all agree there are certain parameters or guidelines or rules that we must follow.  Surely, no parent would conclude that it is perfectly alright for our children to steal, for instance.  But, if you tell your child they cannot steal, aren't you narrowing them?  Of course you are!

This same principle applies when we are considering schooling.  I know some days it seems there is no end in sight to these school years, but there is.  Ultlimately, we are schooling to that end.  We should not be randomly schooling.  We must have some sort of vision when it comes to educating our children.  A "big picture" vision is great for our homeschool in general, but we need to also consider a "snapshot" vision for each child individually.  If we do not do this, we will eventually do our children a great disservice. 

My 2nd born is nothing like my 1st born.  I would imagine nearly every family out there could say the same thing.  Therefore, my 2nd born deserves a different type of education from my 1st born.  It is important that we take a hard look at each of our children and educate according to the unique individual God has created in them.  I know this sounds daunting.  Believe me, I have been dealing with this very issue recently and "overwhelmed" would be an understatement.  However, as I've begun to "flesh" this out, I see that it really isn't as difficult as what I assumed it would be.  It doesn't really require that much more work.  It sometimes requires a bit more brain power or "think-on-your-feet-ness", but it becomes a way of life fairly quickly.  More on that later.

So, we can agree that all children should be narrowed according to certain rules and parameters.  And I would venture to guess that we all agree that we should be training up children as individuals, which is another part of the narrowing aspect.  Here comes the difficult-to-stomach piece of the pie.  If the first two ways of training are true, then we must also consider the fact that training our daughters will be done differently from training our sons because you cannot divorce the gender aspect from a child's individuality (as was discussed in part 1).

But, what are we preparing our daughters for?  Well, what does the Word of God say about a woman's role?  There are some very specific passages that probably come to everyone's minds with Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 being the most popular.  I won't take the time to do a verse by verse exposition, but there are some key components in these verses that will help us to narrow our vision for our daughters and thus, train them accordingly.

Proverbs 31 exalts the woman who is:

Virtuous

Trustworthy

Industrious

Resourceful

Hard-working

Level-headed

Strong

Diligent

Charitable

Well-prepared

Handy

Honorable

A good Manager

Fears the Lord

Titus 2 exhorts young women to be:

Sober (serious about her role)

Loving toward her husband and children

Discreet

Chaste

A Keeper at Home

Good

Obedient to her own husband

This is quite a list to work from!  I'm not sure I would call it a "narrow" list.

So, how do you put all of this together?  Here's a quick summary:

1)  Determine what rules and guidelines are important to your family concerning your daughters.  This can be as general or specific as you want it to be.

2)  Examine your daughters individually.  Who are they?  What are some definite personality traits you see.  How can you take those and nurture them?  How can you narrow them in a God-glorifying manner?

3)  Take a look at the list of traits from Proverbs 31 and Titus 2.  Search more Scripture for what the Lord wants from His people, and specifically  from us women.  How can you implement these traits into your daughter's education?  Which ones do you definitely see her lacking in?  How can you help her to build those traits? 

This will give you a good start.  Begin brainstorming.  Consider what kind of woman you hope to raise.  What does God want for your daughter?  Jot down some ideas.  Try something new this week with her that caters specifically to her individuality as well as who she is in Christ.  Research ways to build these desirable traits. 

In fact, you may find that homeschooling this way is A LOT more fun and A LOT more fruitful!  I'd love to hear from any of you who are trying this and what you choose to do with your daughters that encourages and fosters her narrowing and training!

Boys and Girls are Different

Part 1 of Homeschooling Daughters

Long ago, no one balked at the idea that boys and girls were different.  No one made faces or called you names if you treated them differently.  But, as every good feminist will point out, many women were opressed, beaten, and treated as chattle.  While I won't deny that there were definitely those that were treated this way, I would contend that most women were not.  Most women were taken care of by their menfolk.  Most women fulfilled their household duties in a happy home.  I honestly do not think you can give sufficient data to prove they were any less happy than the typical woman of today.  In fact, I would venture to guess they were happier!

These same feminists will have you believe that fulfilling household duties is opression in and of itself.  Men having to toil to make a living for the family is not oppression, but women toiling to make a house a home apparently is.  For some reason, the idea of men and women taking on differing, yet equally important roles, is an offense to many, many people these days.  In fact, many feminists have stooped to calling names of those who do embrace their femininity.  I have been called everything from a doormat to backward because I stay at home with my children and I love my role as wife and mother.  I also apparently have not a single brain cell in my head or else I would not willingly do this.  No one in their right mind would choose to stay at home, would they?

Name calling aside, do these people who are crying equal opportunity have a leg to stand on?  No.  They are creating more problems than they are solving.  Our men have become emasculated.  Our boys do not know what true manhod is all about.  And our daughters can't find a man worthy of marriage.  But, staunch feminists would prefer it this way.  Weak men are an important asset.  It is much easier to "get ahead" when you don't have to compete with these menfolk.  Feminists are not looking for true equal opportunities.  They don't want women to rise to the same level as men.  They want women to BE men.  They want an Amazon-type culture where women are at the top and men are their subjects.  Equality really has nothing to do with it.

So, why do I bring all this up in a series that is supposed to be on homeschooling our daughters?  If I am going to make the assumption that we should homeschool our daughters differently than we homeschool our sons, then I have to start with the premise that daughters are somehow different from sons.  In some realms, this is heresy.  But, rather than hide behind sugar-coated words, I've chosen to lay it all out on the table from the beginning.

Face it, folks...boys and girls are different!  Some would have you believe this is a bad thing, but personally, I am thrilled that I am not a man, as I'm sure my husband is thrilled he is not a woman!  God made us unique.  It is okay.  Accept it!  Embrace it!  It is a beautiful thing!

Once we finally accept that our daughters are different from our sons, we can stop worrying about making all their schoolwork the same.  We can stop pigeon-holing all our children.  We find the freedom to look at our children with an objective eye, see their giftings, and run with them down that unique path.  We can look at who they are now and begin to see who they will become eventually.  It is exciting to read God's Word and find within that context concrete examples of the gifts we are already seeing in our children only on a grown-up level. 

The Bible give use a clear distinction between men and women, but nowhere do I read of a woman's role being that of oppression.  However, I see definitive examples of women trying to BE men, only to bring an entire people group under judgement.  Yes, you can pull the "Deborah Card", but be aware that the men had abdicated their role and there was still a price that came with having Deborah as a judge.  The Lord made a point.  It is not that Deborah was not a capable woman, she absolutely was.  Just as it is not about whether or not I can do a better job than Joe Schmoe in the workplace.  The question is...should I be doing his job? 

In short, men don't make very good women and women don't make very good men.  It is awfully tough to get past all that makes us women and try to suggest that we can be men.  Why not embrace the fact that we were born women?  Why not be delighted that we are different and have a differing role than the men?  Why not relish the fact that we can do things men cannot like give birth, nurse a baby, cook a meal with every dish making it to the table at the same time. 

And with this, why not really take a good look at our daughters?  Find out what makes them tick.  See how their gifts fit into their role as a woman.  Hone those skills as you train them up in the way they should go.  Teach them to love being a woman!

I've often wondered what the title of this post means.  I've heard it said many times, but honestly, I wasn't confidant I could define either term.  I knew those who used the two terms together were implying that Greek was bad and Hebrew was good, but beyond that, I was a little fuzzy.  In fact, I was leary that our way of teaching history chronologically was somehow too Greek-minded and that maybe Hebrew teaching was nothing but the Bible.

Recently, I stumbled across this definition, and finally made sense of it all!

To the Greeks, the goal of education was for the students to LEARN what their teachers KNEW. The focus was on their intellect. They focused on the content to be transferred from the teacher’s mind to that of the student. On the contrary, to the Hebrews the goal of education was for disciples to become LIKE their teachers. The focus was on their heart, their character, their life. The learner was not a "student" (defined by studying), but rather a "disciple" (defined by following). This is how Jesus taught. He said (Luke 6:40), "everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." ~Jonathan Lindvall

This only served to solidify many of the thoughts that have been floating around in my head of late.  I need to reach my children's hearts, not just their brains.  In fact, if I do nothing else in a homeschool day, I need to have spent time focusing on their character and who they will become in Christ.  In addition to all of this, I need to be focusing on my own attitude and my own walk with our Lord. 

I am sure many of you have been accused of SHELTERING your child/children because you homeschool.  This is one of those words that makes us homeschoolers cringe...right up there with the word SOCIALIZATION.

Why is it that the fact that we like our children, want to have them near us, and actually enjoy parenting them has the rest of the world in an uproar?  But, what is even more disturbing to me is the reaction some homeschoolers have to the accusation of sheltering their children.

In response, many homeschoolers have tried to "prove" they are not sheltering their children.  They come up with a myriad of ways to look just like the rest of the world, demonstrating that somewhere within them, they too FEAR their children are too sheltered.  Maybe it is the countless anecdotal stories of the child who was "sheltered" only to rebel wildly once 18.  Maybe we don't truly believe home is the best place for our children.  Maybe we fear they will not know enough of the world to function once out on their own.  Whatever the reason, far too many of us are buying into the idea that shoving them out of the nest before they know how to fly is a good way to teach them to soar.

Rather than preaching at you, I thought I would link to two articles from Jonathan Lindvall's website Bold Christian Living that address the sheltering of our children.  I'd love to hear your comments on this issue!

Sheltering our Children Part 1 ~ God's Mandate to Holiness

Sheltering our Children Part 2 ~ Parental Responsibility for Influence

A little over a week ago, I was sitting on my mother's couch telling her how I felt I needed to completely purge my house, declutter every nook and cranny. Now, I am sure some of this is nesting, which begins very early for me, but I also know myself well enough to know that *something* was stressing me out.

I declutter to de-stress. Oftentimes, the decluttering mode goes hand-in-hand with a need to feel in control of something. But, for the life of me, I could not figure out what it was that felt so out of control.

My mom, who thrives on tidying up, gladly offered to come help. So, bright and early Monday morning, we hopped to it. She would be spending Monday and part of Tuesday here and then return on Thursday and stay until Friday. The reason for this is that I am rather pregnant and she tires rather quickly due to post-polio syndrome. We both knew we would both need a break.

The grand plan was to tackle the upstairs the first part of the week and then tackle the downstairs the latter half of the week. We worked ourselves silly and almost met our goal by the time we tired out on Tuesday. The house looked great, I knew exactly what lurked behind nearly every door and drawer, and I thought my feeling of discontentment would disappear as the clutter left the house in boxes and trash bags. But, it didn't.

As I looked around at my neat and orderly home, I still felt uneasy about something. I felt there was still too much stuff in my house. I felt as though I could get rid of everything and still not feel satisfied. WHY?

Mom left and I found myself mulling this question over and over in my mind as I continued to work, hopeful that when she returned, we would be able to go straight to the basement and not have to finish anything upstairs.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. An epiphany! Yes, my house DID need decluttering, but what really needed to be decluttered was ME!

For months now, I've felt this uneasiness. I kept thinking when the weekend gets here and Daddy is home, THEN all will be well. But, really all the weekend did was create a diversion from reality. Monday morning all was back to the way it had been. And what, pray tell, was so wrong within our home? Well, no one really knew. We had all talked about it and brainstormed and even considered that it was Emily's death that was causing all of us to feel irritable and discontent. But, I kept telling my husband I just didn't think that was it, and I felt like all the strife was somehow linked to me.

Then came the catalyst that tipped off my need to declutter ~ my 7 year old daughter. Day in and day out I watched her melt down. Day in and day out I continued to press forward with a homeschool curriculum that left her a screaming, raving, page-scribbling mess. Every day had become a struggle. Every day I wanted to scream right back at her. How come she couldn't be like everyone else and make my life easier?

But, wait a second...

God doesn't make mistakes. He didn't accidentally put her in our family. He didn't accidentally make her the way she is. He wasn't trying to punish me by giving me a high needs child. The mistake was in how I was reacting to her and how I was training her. I was messing up the most important job God had given me! But, I felt completely helpless. I knew I needed to change something, but couldn't figure out how.

Then yesterday, it all began to make sense to me. I am the one who is cluttered. I am cluttered with worldly thinking. I am cluttered with feeling like I have to do things a certain way or else. I am cluttered with to-do lists and scope and sequence charts that blind me to who my child really is and what she really needs. I am cluttered with the label "teacher" to the point that "mother" has been shoved to the back burner.

It isn't just my daughter who is suffering from my clutter. I am losing touch with all my children because there is so much stuff in the way. For months I have been allowing seemingly little things to crowd my world. I have writing projects, sewing projects, school projects. I have expectations of myself and those around me that are forcing me to push harder, do more, be more, accomplish more.

I am the frog in the proverbial pot of water. The temperature is rising little by little and I know something seems different, but I literally cannot see the rolling boil taking place all around me. It took my daughter coming to her own boil to wake me up. It was God's way of shaking me to my senses.

I am mom. I am the only mom these children have. God has a Handbook that tells me exactly how I am to teach these precious little ones. Deuteronomy 6 ring a bell? How about Proverbs 22:6? Yes, academics are important, but only in light of the way God's Word commands us to gain knowledge and wisdom.

I had lost sight of my higher calling...not that of teacher, but of mother. Losing a child did not make me immune to letting the world creep in and steal me away from those little ones I hold here on earth. I was not truly enjoying them because the cares of this world were burdening me to the point I felt I could handle nothing else save for surviving each day. I was living by a perpetual to-do list. A list always undone. A list of priorities out of whack.

And somehow I believed that pushing through my to-do list was going to make life better. It was the perfect plan. How could I fail? But as the plates began to spin out of control, I found myself decluttering everything but the plates.

Now, taking those plates down required a drastic paradigm shift. The Lord was gracious enough to put me in the company of a fantastic group of homeschool moms as I worked through the taking down of the plates. They gave me the courage and motivation I needed to start over.

You see, not all those plates are cracked. Some of them most definitely are, but there are others that are simply out of order. Being able to see that you must start over is only half the battle. From there, you must actually begin to place the plates in the right order and discard those that don't belong. This is where godly counsel and diligient reading of Scripture come in. We know NOTHING apart from the Lord. I was ordering my day according to anything and everything EXCEPT what the Lord would have me to do. In the end, everyone suffered from my mistake.

So, I start at ground zero. I clear the rubble, and I begin with the basics.

Titus 2:4 tells the older women to "teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children." There is more in the next verse, but what really catches my attention here is that we young women must be "taught" to love our children. God knows that our hearts and minds are easily pulled away from the things that truly matter.

So, the starting point is to LOVE my children. Loving them means I spend time with them. It means I get to know them. It means I share with them what truly matters for their lives. It's not the times tables or the parts of speech that matter. It's not even how they act in public or how well they clean the table after dinner. These are surface issues, peripherals, exteriors. The heart of the matter is the heart of the matter.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7)

How do I teach them the fear of the Lord? Go back to Deuteronomy 6, verses 7 through 9 to be exact. There is no way to do what these verses command except to spend copious amounts of time with my children. I have to be diligent. I cannot be diligent to my to-do list and expect to sieze those moments when my children are most needing to learn the Lord's commands. In fact, even if my to-do list involves schooling the children, if I am beholden to a list of subjects and a timeframe, I will be hesitant, if not downright negligible in taking the opportunities to truly teach the fear of the Lord. My daughter's meltdowns were not my cue to press on and just get through it, yet that is the way I had been handling it.

What my children need most is a mama who is following the Lord's leading. Simply put, they need me. Not me all cluttered up with worldly advice and skewed ideas of what life should look like, but me...decluttered.

On our way back from vacationing in Colorado, we decided to swing down to Taos, New Mexico and take in a bit of history by way of the pueblos.  While there, we studied the architecture, coveted the hornos (outside ovens), and visited many of the shops. 

One item made by a local artist held my fascination.  It was The Storyteller.  There were many different versions of this statue, but they all had the same concept...a concept that fits perfectly with the life of a homeschooling mom.

The statue consists of a woman with her mouth wide open in the telling of a tale.  About her are children, climbing on her, sitting on her lap, sitting at her feet, listening to her stories.

It is perfect!  What do homeschool mothers do day in and day out?  We sit with children all around, teaching them things, telling them tales, imparting wisdom.  What a beautiful reminder of the power of what we do!

Today I woke up feeling great!  Dare I say, NORMAL??!!  Since the onset of the morning sickness, this has been my best "working day" so far.  So, I jumped into my trial schedule just to see what would happen.  I thought I'd take a moment to share.

Most of us got up at that not-so-magic hour (still not tellin' ).  I'm not up to doing full-blown breakfasts yet (much to my oldest son's dismay), so he made toaster waffles for himself and I had a bowl of cereal.  Morning chores were completed and we were on to the Daily Chores.  For the first time in months, I actually got them put up on the dry erase board!  My oh-so-scheduled first-born was absolutely THRILLED!

We worked through all the chores in good time...I think it was 10:30 when the last one was erased!  Time for school with Child #3! 

At first, she was a bit confused because up until now, "school" has meant grabbing a coloring book and crayons and pretending it is important work.  When I pulled out actual materials, she said things like, "Can I color now?"  and "When can I do my coloring book?"  Part of me is wondering if she is still too young and I misjudged her readiness...but I'm not going to let one day make up my mind for me.  Besides, by this afternoon (when her school was long-over), she was asking over and over to do school and kept getting her book out and telling me which pages she wanted to do next ("Sorry kiddo...you don't get to pick and choose at random," says my brain as I nod and smile at her utter cuteness)

That went fairly well, but this is about the point I stopped taking my own good advice...meaning I tried to implement EVERYTHING all in one day.  Will I ever learn???

Remember, I was going to have my bigs take turns making lunch?  Well, I realized nearly too late that not only was it quickly approaching lunch time (and this pregnant mama DOES NOT like to miss lunch!), but I really had not informed them of this fact.  Thankfully, I was finished working w/ Child #3, so I could ramrod the operation, but it literally took all 3 of us working like crazy to get lunch on the table.  This is one of those areas that is going to have to wait I am afraid.  I think for now, I will just enlist them to help ME with lunch until I feel confidant they can actually handle it on their own.

Now onto Not-Taking-My-Own-Advice Chapter 2...

Two gigantic boxes arrived on my doorstep today from Rainbow Resource.  This is the thrill of every homeschooling mother's life...new stuff!  Well, I decided TODAY was the perfect time to start all those new subjects.  Prep time?  Who needs prep time?  I can wing just about anything!  HELLO?!  (All of you who have been reading my "advice" so neatly laid out for you on this blog, here is your proof positive that I am a real, live, occasionally insane, perfectly normal, homeschooling mom who does ridiculously foolish things more often than she would like to admit!)

So, I wing it through the schedule of subjects I had listed for today using brand-new materials I saw for the first time TODAY.  Amazingly enough, it went rather well.  Which is actually a BAD thing, because it means come tomorrow, I will try to do this all over again and the law of averages says there is NO WAY I can make this work for more than a couple of days in a row at which time, I will fall flat on my face and feel like a failure.  Yes, I will say it again...Will I ever learn???

So, how exactly do you get it all done when there just doesn't seem to be the hours in the day?

Well, after much deliberation and looking for how others were making it work, I arrived upon a decision.  I'll walk you through this piece by piece because each part has its own set of challenges and fleshing this out may prove to be much more difficult than I am imagining in my little head.

First off, I intend to have a set wake-up time.  Or at the very least, a wake-up-by time.  Meaning, everyone, myself included, should be awake by such-and-such time.  No, there is no magic hour (at least not that I am aware of), so I won't bother telling you what time that will be for us, but I am beginning to see the merits of having everyone awake and ready for the day at a set time.  This is not something I have been readily convinced of in the past, so this, in and of itself, is a huge step for me.

Prior to breakfast are Room Chores.  This is something that USED to be intact for us, but has been allowed to slide.  No more! 

After breakfast will be morning chores.  If you'll remember my post on how we clean, this is where I intend to plug in our Daily Chores List.  So, if it is Monday, we will dust, do laundry, and water plants during this time.  It is my hope that all of this will be accomplished by 10:30 am.  This IS a magic hour, because HERE is where I am going to try to grab my precious teaching hour for Child #3.

And here is what I hope it will look like...

Bible with all the children.  Then, the bigs split off to do subjects that are independent for them while I take Child #3 and spend an hour doing her school.  Much of her "work" is fun stuff and art projects, so it is quite possible that she will continue to be occupied by a project well into the afternoon while I school the olders.

After her "official" school time is over, we will eat lunch.  Now, here is where I ran into yet another snag.  HOW do I do school AND cook???  Well, my solution is to assign simple weekday lunches to my 10 and 7 year olds.  This is the one thing I am still not sure about mainly because I grow rather weary of the same thing over and over, but I think once we consistantly do it, it will work well.  So, the idea is that whoever has lunch that day will break off from their studies around 11:30 or 11:45 and start their particular easy lunch.  And since I will be doing school with my little one at the dining room table, I can supervise the cooking as well without having to do it myself.

Next, we put the youngest down for his nap, do table chores, and start in on afternoon schooling.  It will be during this time that I will do the teacher-intensive subjects.  Once those are finished, there will more than likely be a bit more independent work to finish up.  I am cautiously optimistic that all will be accomplished somewhere around the 3:00 hour.

So, what do you think?  Sound doable???  I sure hope so!  This is a big step for us.  Never have we taken morning AND afternoon hours to do school.  Any thoughts?

I realized a couple of months ago that I would be adding a 3rd child this year to our homeschooling schedule.  Although, I do not find myself freaking out quite as much as I did when I added number 2, I am finding that it will throw a wrench in the works.  Couple that with the fact that I now have a 5th grader and something about having a 5th grader makes me feel as though I need to step up his standards, I am finding that I must rework much of our school day to accomodate all I wish to accomplish. 

I will not even attempt to lead you to believe that I know everything there is to know about creating a school schedule, but I did think it might be helpful to give you a tiny taste of what sorts of questions and planning is going into the creation of our new school schedule.

The first thing I did was write out every subject I wished to cover w/ every child.  My youngest will be doing an all-inclusive curriculum called Home Education Curriculum (which is out of print).  The main challenge here will be finding the one-on-one time to do this w/ her.  It will only take about an hour, but we all know how elusive an entire in-tact hour can be in a homeschool mom's day.

With my 5th grader, I intend to do Bible, Math, Grammar, History, Science, Rosetta Stone, Spelling, Art, & Music Appreciation.  Up to this point, we have only been consistant with Bible, Math, History, & Science, so adding 2 new and rather rigorous subjects (Spelling & Grammar) is going to be the biggest challenge here.

With my 2nd grader, I intend to do Bible, Math, Handwriting, Grammar, History, Science, Art, & Music Appreciation.  The challenge here will be to add the Grammar and to make a more concerted effort to really help her to understand math...not just tolerate it.  (Actually, we would be leaps and bounds ahead if she would just learn to tolerate it!)

From here, I wrote out how many days per week each of these sujects required.

Bible ~ 5

Math ~ 5

Handwriting ~ 5

Grammar ~ 5

Spelling ~ 5

History ~ 3

Science ~ 2

Rosetta Stone ~ 3

Art ~ 1

Music appreciation ~ 1

Next, I wrote the days of the week on a sheet of paper and plugged the subjects in...

The 5 day-per-week subjects were no-brainers.  Next I put in the 3 day per week ones, then the 2 days, and lastly plugged in the 1 day per week subjects on the days I felt I was willing to have more to do.

However, when I looked at this schedule, I truly wondered how I would ever accomplish it all in the afternoon (traditionally, the time frame we work within), as well as find that much-needed hour to school Child #3.

I'll explain how I worked through this issue in Part 2...