That title probably just made people gasp. Let me preface this post by saying we LOVE books in this house and highly encourage reading. Our favorite part of the day is when all the kids gather in the living room while I read to them. We've read so many exciting books and series of books. From Narnia to The Mysterious Benedict Society, Series of Unfortunate Events to the Swiss Family Robinson, we have enjoyed so many wonderful stories together. Our reading time is one of the most precious times to me and has given us some wonderful memories over the stories we share. So while I have been introducing my children to the world of books since birth (literally), I have realized how critical it is to instill a love for reading that is not negatively attached to the pressure of performance based reading skills.
0 Comments
It's been a busy and quite chilly Monday morning around here. Coming off a busy weekend, the house is a mess, the littles are super hyper and in addition to the usual, I have wanted to "spring clean" the boys' room for a week. Not sure I'll get to it again today. Sigh. On the upside, schooling has been productive today so I'm running with it. Emma has been struggling with putting words on paper in alphabetical order. No big surprise there, below the age of ten it can be difficult for children to work in abstracts. From birth to ten, the child's brain learns best by concrete, hands on application. So this morning I decided to come up with a better way to help Emma understand the method of ABC order.
There are so many things I could say on the topic of intentional parenting, I could go on for months I'm sure but this will probably be the last post in this particular "series". God placed on my heart such an importance on being intentional in my parenting. I don't always get it right but when I get complacent about it He lovingly nudges me in the right direction. I have prayed diligently for wisdom in all areas of raising my children since they were born. I desperately need it. From homeschooling to nurturing their life goals and molding their hearts I don't know where to begin without God's guidance. God has opened our eyes to the importance of being an active presence in our children's lives. Nothing is more important, aside from leading them to Christ, than having a strong family unit. Having fun is probably a no brainer but it's sometimes overlooked in the busyness of our fast paced lives. Above toys and extravagant vacations children want TIME with their parents.
Shortly after the birth of our first child God began working on our hearts about being intentional in our parenting. We didn't see raising her as a day in and out practice but rather a process towards a bigger goal. We weighed everything we did and the choices we made against the outcome we desired as well as what kind of child we were raising for future generations. We considered what type of adult we hoped for her to become and geared our parenting towards reaching that goal. We hoped she would grow up to be kind and courteous so we taught her to play nicely with other children and didn't allow her to be selfish with her toys. We taught her to say please and thank you, yes ma'am and yes sir. In hindsight I see that God placed this on our hearts in preparation for being intentional homeschool parents. It's something that is very dear to my heart so I decided to write a series of posts on the topic. Sticking with the theme of Ecclesiastes 3 from last week, today I'm looking ahead to spring cleaning. I think I'm probably just looking forward to spring all the way around being that I almost got the van stuck in the snow a few days back...ah but that's another story. Ecclesiastes 3:6 says there is "a time to keep and a time to throw away" (NIV). Homeschooling my children means I'm with them 24/7 (minus the occasional date night) We are here together day in and out, rain or shine and the remarkable thing is that if you asked any of my children not one of them would opt to ever go to school. They love being together and being with us but this is not to say that we never have stressful days or times when they argue with one another. We are a typical family, with typical issues living an atypical lifestyle.
We've been blessed with two cherry trees in our back yard. Every spring we look forward to those little green bulbs turning into bright red cherries ready for the picking. To say we have a lot of cherries stored in our freezer is an understatement. Thankfully I have the perfect cobbler recipe passed down from my mother, her mother before her and her mother before her. Some of my best recipes come down from my great-grandmother. She was a very special, Godly woman who lived until a few months before her 100th birthday. This recipe is by far the easiest and most delicious cobbler recipe I've come across. Any kind of fruit can be used (I personally prefer strawberry) but since we have cherries to be used, cherry is the fruit of choice tonight. I have found that for this recipe my 9 inch round pie dish/tortilla warmer works wonderfully.
Over the past seven years we've encountered many different praises and negativity from people concerning our decision to homeschool. A very common misconception we hear quite often is that our children will be socially inept and unable to interact in the "real world". I marvel at the boldness of strangers. When we began our homeschooling journey we had first and third graders and two babies. At that time how they would handle social situations in college or in the workforce truly was the furthest thing from our minds. Now with two teens in the house I'd be lying if I said the thought never crossed my mind. Of course I want my children to be able to interact in society, within reason of course. I don't want my children to become social cookie cutters, following the crowd, submitting to the "norm". My chief desire is to raise confident, self-sufficient children who are independent thinkers and do not wait for someone to tell them what to do but rather take charge and above all else live their lives according to the will of God. Although it wasn't in the forefront of my mind when they were little, I think the things we have done all along have been working towards this goal. After all it's not something that is achieved overnight. Over the years as a mother I've been known out of frazzled frustration to question "how do I get it all done?" or even "is it possible to get it all done?". Mountains of laundry, piles of toys, dishes to clean, corners to dust, noses to wipe, diapers to change and the list goes on. As a homeschool mom I find that question looms overhead even more as these days I've traded the dirty diapers for teaching algebra to a high schooler and phonics to the littles, not to mention field trips, library visits and co-op classes. So really, is it possible to get everything done everyday? I'm beginning to believe the answer is yes and no. A: Amazon.com!!
B: Bible study first thing in the morning C: Cocoa and reading on cold winter mornings D: Doing schoolwork outside when the weather is nice E: in Everything give thanks! F: Family game nights G: Giggles with brothers and sisters |
About MeI'm Becca, a former chocolate junkie, herbal enthusiast, curriculum writer, homeschool mom to four active kids, wife to my jack of all trades hubby, blessed child of God. Archives
November 2018
|
The Essential Blog
Essential homeschooling is not about trying to mimic a classroom setting at home, expensive curriculum and stressful learning. It's setting our eyes on Christ and offering up our lives for His service. It's finding simplicity in daily living and loving each other, embracing the challenges and cherishing the moment because we know these years won't last and what we instill in our children today will determine who they will be tomorrow.