The Privilege of Homeschooling- Being Together

 First I am going to say this because unless you know me you may be thinking- well I happen to think public school is fine or I am public school teacher.  I AM NOT AGAINST YOU!  You do work that is beyond necessary it is the fabric of our society!  I pray for you and your students!  I am not anti public or private schools, but I am pro our homeschool. 

The above picture is one of the main reasons why we homeschool- I love that our family gets to spend so much time together!  We get to do math, hiking, reading, playing, outdoor exploring, chores, English, watching movies, spelling, Lego competitions, lessons of real life spending, saving, and giving, creative writing, history, and everything is all rolled into one. 

Now some argue that for this reason they couldn't do it.  I will be honest as it is not always easy of course.  There are times when we wear on each other or step on that last nerve.  We are not perfect and our home is not quiet.  However, we have memories galore good, hard, and everything in between. 

Relationships and facing the ups and downs together is not easy.  It would be great to escape and Jason and I have to guard our time together as well as individual time to get rest and retreat.  This includes date nights, Jason takes time to refill and so do I as well throughout the week. 

 I love that our routine can include a family day.  A day every week where we can all say no to staying at home and just go out and play.  We usually go to the theme park for the day- convenience and more cost efficient when you live very close to all the theme parks here.  Sometimes we go to a state park, play board games all day, or go shopping as a family.  Hopefully we will get started in doing some camping soon too (we got camping gear for Christmas). 

 We don't have to worry about what is being taught to our children.  We get to choose the curriculum, and divide the time between subjects the way we want.  We have the privilege of seeing our children grow and learn daily and be a part of that.  We run errands together and don't stress that they have appointments at different times.  We can school around that. 

HA!  We even homeschool year round because I happen to like staying inside some of those super hot days in the summer.  It also allows us to focus on different things at different times of the year.  Let's be honest- we have several learning struggles in our home from ADHD, dyslexia, auditory processing issues, sensory processing issues, and everything in between.  However, we can completely tailor everything we do to help our children as we school together. 

 I get to encourage my children in their learning throughout the day.  I get to see when and how they are making progress.  I also see the struggles up close.  It allows me to be "all in" and do my own research into how to help them and encourage them more. 

 We get to talk about world issues, community issues, and even our own family issues in real ways.  It does allow us to protect them from a lot as well, but not in the way most people think about.  It allows us to wait until their age is appropriate to share with them about things, but we do have real talks around the table about tough issues as well.  We are not here to completely shelter our children, but to prepare them for life through the lens of a relationship with Christ. 

 Let's be honest the field trips are great too! 

 It is something that started out as a necessity as our camp ministry life was so busy on weekends and summers we would practically never see our children.  Before we were married we talked that if it was at all possible one of us should stay home with our children.  It was a conscience decision that we both felt strongly about.  We wanted to spend time with our children and be there for them as our parents had done for us. 

Is it easy?  Does it all get done every day?  Is it perfect?  Do we always enjoy it?  The answers are a resounding no. 

Every time Jason and I speak about it though our hearts come back to the huge privilege we have.  The privilege of bonding as a family, doing projects together, teaching in and out of the "classroom", creating fun memories, and being able to be there for our children.  So even though it isn't perfect it is ours- together! 

School has started!!

 So this week school has started and for us that means- being at HOME!  I know it isn't for everyone, but for me/us- we love it!!!! 

**Today's pictures brought to you by- vacation time at Uskichitto Retreat Center :). 

 Oh why do I love homeschool?
1)  I get to spend my days with my children!!!!  NO I do not have more patience that you do- let me assure you!  Has God dealt with me on this- yes, but trust me he is still dealing with me on this.  I do my best to choose to enjoy my time with them.  I want to spend my time with them because to me having to send my children away 8+ hours a day......how to say this......would RIP my heart out of my chest!  I think I would stop breathing! 

The funny part is I used to dream of working outside the home and not being a stay at home mom at all.  Yep, it's true, and the thought now seems so very foreign to me.  I think God likes to surprise us like that. 

 2)  I enjoy (along with my husband) getting to teach them about God throughout the day.  This is not to say you can't teach them if they go off to school.  It is a fact though that I can use many times throughout the day to teach my children grace, forgiveness, and about scripture because they are here all the time.  It is fun for me to come up with scriptures for us to memorize together, to read books about our Christian heritage, to teach history, science, reading, etc. through the lens of Jesus.  It is also humbling to admit to the children that when I make mistakes- I need their forgiveness too. 

You see I thought too that those who homeschooled must be crazy, or saints.  The crazy part I had down, but the saints part- nope.  Now I know that it isn't about not making mistakes, although we all have to strive to walk in God's will more continuously, but repairing them.  What a better way for my children to learn?  I love that I have this opportunity. 

 3)  I get to have a closer relationship.  With 9 children people ask me how do you form a closer relationship with so many children?  I mean time wise....it just seems hard.  Having them at home I get to continue working on that relationship and take those moments throughout the day to talk with my children about things, ask questions, and relax with them. 

I value that so much because I know before long they will all leave and spread their wings.  I want that time to get to know them as much as possible!

 4)  I want them to have a best friend network- within our family.  I don't discourage having friends from our community/church, but I want them to have people to relate to for the rest of their lives!  I want them to know they can depend on each other for support.  I want to encourage them to learn how to be a friend with each other.  To know how to work things out, how to make mistakes and repair them, how to pray with each other, show love to each other, and encourage one another- right here at home. 

 5)  We get to keep a certain amount of the "junk out" of our lives.  By that I mean on a daily basis we don't have to fight to keep what goes into my children's hearts and minds pure from the others.  HA!  We have enough junk in our own lives thanks ;). 

I have heard many people say that homeschooling is sheltering a child.  I think I like Michelle Duggar's response to this......(paraphrased of course).....when a tree is really young you plant it, shelter it, give it extra water and nutrients, even put posts up around it to help it stand up straight and keep the winds from damaging it.  That is a great analogy. 

(This was not said by Michelle Duggar ;).It doesn't mean that a storm can't still ruin your tree.  It doesn't mean that the tree will be perfect.  It doesn't guarantee that once the tree is bigger and more mature that lightning doesn't strike it down.  It doesn't mean beetles won't attack the tree.  It simply means it gives the tree a chance to grow in a healthy way.  That is what we are trying to do. 

 So those are a few of the reason we homeschool. 
Do you homeschool too? 
What are your reasons? 

 We enjoyed getting to rock climb! 

 This is Joshua after he broke records of how quickly he reached the top! 

 GO SARAH!  She is doing the hard side of the wall, and doing well :). 

 Hello Matthew! 

 Someone got the camera.....but isn't Jonathan cute?

 Matthew and his cool self! 

 Awwww.....Daddy and Joanna.......

Someone has suggested that I do a post on using Sensory processing in my home school......so that will be coming your way soon ;).  Believe me I have a lot to learn, but I have learned a lot so far. 

Hope you are all having a great week!  We just started school, and have been doing the annual testing the last couple of days.  While I am here with the 3 that are testing - Jason has taken all the rest of the kids to Busch Gardens.  So that is what we have been up to! 

 



 

 

Marriage talk with a side of Parker's Porkers

 So today's pictures are brought to you by a visit with family (no we haven't gained 2- this is my cousin's girls both in the green in the middle....also brought home through domestic adoption) to a local farm that does tours.  The farm is called Parker's Porkers in Bradenton, FL just 45 min from us!  They literally will help keep your animal if you are in 4H etc and aren't able to keep an animal on your property.  They are all free range.......and it was a BLAST!!!!!! 

 First off we fed the chickens!!!  It was great to see the kids interacting with them and trying to chase them around.  Now this is a 3 generation home/property and the person who led us around Callie Parker was a BLESSING to be around.  Her heart was for the kids, answering a million questions, and showing them more about agriculture and God's design! 

 I can not say enough good things about our visit, and this is only a third of our pictures....so you will be seeing a lot more!  It was so fun, and all 11 children had a blast!!!!!  Feeding the animals, planting some seeds, and learning soo much!  It is only a small fee per child- and any school groups, homeschool groups, etc are welcome- guaranteed a fun time and learning together!!!  :) 
**Includes planted seeds to take with you, and you get to feed the animals too!  :)

 Pictured above is Callie- I am telling you she has huge dreams and plans to help children and people learn more about growing plants and animals.....with an amazing heart for the Lord!  Enjoyed hearing more about her faith and sharing ours.  As you can tell we will be going back! 

 OK so today's post......Marriage talk is something that has been on my heart, but up until now I just couldn't write about it.....it was too, well ugh!  I mean I love my husband dearly and he loves me, but let's just say this last yearish has been the most rough of our almost 16 years!  So hard to explain.........

 So we knew we had work to do.  We knew that we needed to refocus, and we have......but just like anything worth fighting for there are relapses, absence of thinking, and times where you just throw your hands in the air and say- I give - whatever......   NOW KNOW THIS- WE ARE HAPPILY MARRIED!!!!  We are not, nor will we ever give up it is not in our nature and people we made a promise!!!  (Please know this is not a condemnation of anyone reading who has gone through a divorce- God heals and restores.) 

 This is to say that God's desire is for all married couples to stay together.....His heart is to reconcile, heal, and preserve what HE designed!  So the thing is that means 2 different people who love each other, have some things in common, have to WORK to keep it together.  He he he he.....ummmm......it doesn't just happen.  You see that whole thing of one day you wake up and things are just not the same is true, but it happens gradually you just don't notice.  You have children, you move, you change jobs, you go through seasons of walking through the fire, you grow, you stagnate, and well everything in between.......and you realize we are different. 

 What in the world do you do?  Seek GOD!  Seek counseling, seek each other's hearts, seek forgiveness, seek love- even if you don't feel it at the moment, seek remembering why you got married, seek common ground, seek - what God meant for you to be TOGETHER!!!! 

 And let me tell you that takes- TIME, EFFORT, and MORE COMMITMENT THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU HAD.  :)  I mean it's all good- WORTH IT for sure, but man sometimes you just - UGH!  ;)  ...........but remember God is soooo very patient with us............and we need to pass that along. 

 **Look at these two are not the cutest?  Joanna and Jessa having a conversation- only 6 months apart- brought to our family through adoption and loved more than life. 

 All this to say- I want to encourage you keep plugging away!  Keep trying!  Keep reaching out to your spouse!  Keep praying!  Keep working!  Keep thinking about your spouse and how you can do more than your fair share!  Keep encouraging each other!  Keep saying I love you!  Keep giving more than you think you should!  Keep praying scripture over them!  Keep reminding yourself my spouse is not my enemy- my spouse was given to me by the Lord (whether you knew they Lord when you got married or not- whether your spouse is following Christ or not)!  Keep on keeping on in your walk with the Lord- believe you will need Him desperately as you seek to grow in your marriage because it isn't possible outside of God! 

 Life isn't going to be perfect.  Your marriage is going to take a hit now and again.  You will have to get back up and brush yourself off and get back in the game! 

 When you are throwing yourself into ministry- in your home, in your church, in your community, around the world, adding another child, whatever it is- ummmm satan will hate you!  Beware!  The enemy is real and will be shooting arrows at you the entire time!  The enemy will not let us just because you are both committed to your faith and your family- in fact- more arrows will fly because you are a bigger target!  Be prepared! 

 God has intended for you to look to Him for an unconditional love.  Because we are human our love although we want it to be unconditional....isn't.  We have conditions.  We set up perimeters.  Sometimes we build up walls- well remember when you said xyz?  HA!  I will teach you- up goes a brick or two or more. 

Want a few tips?   Here goes- admit that your marriage- ALL MARRIAGES NEED REPAIR!  It's true because there are two imperfect people in it ;).  Ahhhh....now that we have that over with....get down to the hard part!  WORK!  Yep, and you can't fix your spouse so you have to start with that person you see in the mirror every day.  So get to work- Pray and seek God. 

 TIME, TIME, and MORE TIME!  Like anything you value- you have to put your time where it is needed most....back to the basics:  God, Spouse, children, work, church, other family, close friends- that's it.  Sometimes we need to peel back other stuff!  Get rid of it.  If it isn't helping your marriage or your family- it has to go! 

Praying you feel encouraged!!!!

Next up- what animals are we feeding next? 

He he he he- Cheap dates we all need new ideas!!!  :)

How to create a love for learning

 Haven't written about homeschooling for quite a while, but wanted to write a few simple thoughts on the love of learning.  This can be applied to anyone!  Whether you teach your children at home or whether you send your children to any kind of school. 

(By the way the above picture is of my sweet oldest baby who is turning 13- VERY SOON!!!!)  Passing on the tradition of making yummy cookies! 

 There are many factors with how we can create a love for learning. 

 1)  You have to love to learn!  Yep, so if you hated school or still are hating school or the thought of learning new things.....or maybe it is at the bottom of your list of things to do.  We can not expect our children to wake up and somehow love it. 

 Now that may sound harsh, but if we hate the whole voting process....how can we expect our children to learn to vote?  Of course that is one example. 

 How about looking thing up?  Do you love to look things up that your kids have questions about?

 Or do you put them off and say oh well maybe someday we will learn about that. 

 2)  The best time to learn it- IS NOW!!!!! 

 I am not saying that anytime your child has a question you have to stop everything you are doing. 

 I am however saying that you do have to stop most of the time and look it up.  Find a book.  Rent a movie- or get one from the library.  Find a coloring picture about it.  Go to pinterest- there are a million crafts for every kind of question and study unit imaginable!!!!  GREAT RESOURCE!

 The problem is if we continually say- wait wait wait.  Our kids get frustrated.  Remember when you were younger and people said just wait?  Yeah....I remember not liking that so much. 

 But man can you catch your child's interest in so many new things if you get excited with them NOW and look things up and find things for them to learn. 

 ***Just as a side note:  Ummm.....I am totally NOT a #1 teacher, do everything right, and teach perfectly- AT ALL!  I try and learn with my kids.  Just so you know- I preach to myself all the time!

 3)  Figure out new ways to learn!  Remember those different ways we all learn?  Touching, hearing, seeing, and doing.  They are ALL so important!  I have really found that my kids need ALL of them to learn the best and retain the most. 

 So anytime you can- do not just talk at them.  Show them.  Remind them.  Find a book on it.  Read it together.  Talk about the book.  What is your favorite part of the book?  What is your favorite fact about it? 

 Let them share the facts and all about the books.  Don't expect to tell them everything and have them learn.  Let them make a model of it.  Let them share with their siblings or yourself. 

 4)  Let THEM do the work.  Oh man.  I am such a control freak.  I wish I were kidding.  I am not! 

 This is an area I struggle with.....a lot!  I want to do it all myself :) he he he.......

 The problem with that is we have to allow our children to do it.  To feel it.  To imagine it.  To read it.  To create it.  To ruin it.  To make a huge mistake over it.  To get it wrong.  To get it right.  To feel the pride that only comes with doing it themselves.

 When we take away that ability........we ruin the love of learning. 

 5)  The most important thing you can do as a parent is to?

 ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, and ENCOURAGE some MORE!

 When they get it wrong.  When they fail to get it right- what is your response?  Is it ugly? 

 Or do you smile and give redirection?  Yep totally failed at this before.  I have worked very hard however in helping my babes get through things that are hard. 

 This includes a lot of tongue biting!  Thinking before opening the mouth!  Something I am not good at.  ;)

 By the way is this little man cute or what???  LOVE to squeeze him!

 OK- so I was thrown in the deep end when we came to grips with dyslexia.  I hate that word!  I do not like the fact that any one of my children would have such a hard time with reading.  Because that would mean that .......ugh!  That would mean that this was going to be a loooonnnnnngggg road.  That I would have to set aside my excitement for them to get it all right now! 

 It would crush me.  Except- their spirit of continuous trying and trying and overcoming one step at a time!  WOW- that is when you as a parent learn wayyyyy more than they do!  Just sayin'. 

 This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak.  How can you continually encourage your child even when there is an obvious road block? 

 You have to have a resolve that no matter what- even if they never get it.  Even if the one million things you try- don't work.  You will continually keep working and trying and researching until you have exhausted everything in order for your child to succeed. 

 Let me tell you - this is so much easier said than done. 

 KEEP ENCOURAGING!!!!!! 

 Keep trusting that the Lord will give you all the tools needed to teach your children. 

 One thing that breaks my heart is when I hear parents say they couldn't do what I do.  The reason it breaks my heart is not because I expect everyone to homeschool.  It is because they think I possess some magical ability.  I don't!  I am pretty stubborn.  Not sure that is an asset or a set back? 

 Teaching your children is like loving your children.  You do your best.  At the heart of it...it is all about doing your best because you love your child so very deeply!  You would give them anything you can if it would help  them! 

I think EVERY PARENT can and should teach their children.  Some of us - it happens to be all day.  Some of us....it isn't.  It is our job to make sure our children are learning.  Maybe we can't help them with every "problem" or situation, but we can help them to the best of our ability and we can all ENCOURAGE our children as often as humanly possible to LOVE LEARNING! 

***HUGE PRAYER REQUEST:  For this horrible hurricane Sandy......and the devastation.  PLEASE PRAY FOR SAFETY!!! 

***Please pray for a sweet baby girl named Joy.  She is a few weeks old and was born with a heart condition.  There have been some amazing miracles happen, but she is in a very very severe situation and needs God's continued healing!  Thank You!

***Please also pray for our family....it is so crazy because I feel like change is our "usual" he he he....but anywho.  There is more change for us coming as well.