Myopia

I came across this quote this morning by Sally Clarkson, author of Educating the Wholehearted Child. It served as a good "refocusing" on priorities for me as we start the new semester!


“Often, I find that in the absence of a clear enough vision for their children and homes, mothers replace conviction and vision with lots of activities and distractions for their children. This hyper-activity and rushing around to an endless list of expensive lessons and experiences and the buying of the newest expensive curriculum and technological options make moms feel like they are accomplishing something. However, when the home-life of children is rich with excellent, classic literature, passionate Biblical devotions, rousing dinner-table discussions around sumptuous, tasty meals, lots of love and affection given and household chores attended to—a child will become committed to all that is good and excellent and develop a moral and compassionate soul for all the divinely important values.”

Lord, help me to set my priorities in the right order...yours! Help me to choose good books for the girls and I to read together. Gather us around the dinner table for great conversation centered on You. Help us to focus on the direction You have for our lives.

First Day of School

The girls were nearly vibrating with excitement when they woke up. We surprised them with a new tradition: a Happy New Year breakfast at a local restaurant! Let me tell you, 8:00 a.m. on a weekday is a great time to go get breakfast in this town; everyone else is at work or at school. When we all finished our meals, the girls could hardly wait to get home. I love their enthusiasm and excitement. I don't remember personally being this excited for school to start the past three years. But, it seems each year is better than the last, and that knowledge builds on itself, feeding into my positive attitude. You know the saying, "When mama's happy, everyone's happy. But when mama ain't happy..." well, you know the rest. I'm resting secure in the fact that God is the superintendent of our little school, praising Him for all that He has done for us.

I see changes in the girls from this year to last. Grace's independence and desire to stick with a task is greatly improved. Hannah's desire to write - even if it's copywork - has increased dramatically. Megan's ability to read has grown by leaps and bounds... she attempts to read everything she sees!

I so love that I get to be a huge part of their learning. I pray that God will give me all I need to teach them...especially how to love Him more. I pray that we will all allow Him to develop a heart within all of us for those around us.

Contentment

I was reading a wonderful article on Heart of the Matter, thanks to my friend Shelly. This quote, "Comparison is the death of contentment," just pulled me in. How often I find myself comparing my children's behaviors, my house, my clothes, my budget, my creativity, the amount of time I spend quietly with the Lord each day, my efforts to homeschool our girls, my organizational skills, my voice, my ___________...just fill in the blank, I've probably compared myself to someone about it.

I pray that I will find my identity in Christ...He completes me...He is in the process of making me more like Him...He's who I should compare myself to. May this day (and each day from here on out) be focused on that comparison alone.

Rainy Day Fun - Free Coloring Pages

It's a rainy day here and the girls aren't sure what to do with their time. Coloring pages to the rescue! Did you know there are lots of places online to print FREE coloring pages for your kids? They work great for a time filler...or as a supplement to your homeschool curriculum. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Coloring Book Fun
• Crayola
• Papa Jan
• DLTK
• Coloring Book Pages

Enjoy!

Finally...

I am blossoming into my role as a homeschool mom. This homeschool lifestyle has finally become just that...a lifestyle. Learning hides around every corner...in the kitchen or closet, under the bed or in the pantry. I LOVE watching the lightbulbs go on when my girls learn something new or finally understand something we've been working on for a while.

Our Homeschool Plans 2009-2010

Unbelievable! It's time to embark on the journey of a new school year! What better way than with free gifts! Check out one of my very favorite websites: The Homeschool Lounge!

This year, I've got a 3rd grader (Hannah), a 1st grader (Megan) and a kindergartener (Grace). My, they grow fast!

We'll be using MFW ECC (My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures) as our starting point! I'm looking forward to branching out a bit and using a bit more imagination and creativity this year. Having a few years of homeschooling under my belt empowers me to think outside the box. Speaking of boxes, we're implementing Sue Patrick's Workbox System to help us stay organized and to help they girls learn to work more independently.

Here's a glimpse into what we'll be doing each day:

3rd grade:
Handwriting: Cheerful Cursive
Math: Singapore Math
Spelling/Phonics: All About Spelling
Science/Geography: My Father's World Exploring Countries & Cultures; Flat Stanley Project (we plan to send a Flat Stanley to someone in each country we study)
Language Arts: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
Art: Draw Write Now; Homeschool Tuesdays (Art Classes at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art); Incredible Clay Book: How to Make and Bake Zillions of Clay Creations


1st Grade & Kindergarten:
Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears
Math: Singapore Math
Spelling/Phonics: All About Spelling (AAS)
Reading: Pathway Readers/Workbooks & AAS Beehive Reader - Level 1
Science/Geography: My Father's World Exploring Countries & Cultures
Art: Draw Write Now, Homeschool Tuesdays Art Classes & Incredible Clay Book: How to Make and Bake Zillions of Clay Creations

I'm looking forward to the new year...I love starting new things...it's always nice to have a fresh start.

When You Rise Up - why?

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

I chose the title of my blog based on this verse. It's the cornerstone for our family and our homeschool. My prayer for our home is that the Lord would be the one and only focus of all that we say and do; that our children would see us serving Him joyfully and continuously as we go about our daily activities and routines; that they would see us serve those around us with a heart full of generosity and gladness; and that they might choose the same path when they are grown.