Thursday, April 27, 2017

Planning is so much fun!

We finalized several plans for next school year this week and I've completed my year-at-a-glance schedule for next school year!  Woo-Hoo!

The biggest thing I was waiting to confirm was whether or not we were going to put our girls into an enrichment program for homeschoolers.  Several families do this, and while I don't think it is necessary for the educational aspect, our kids were expressing a desire to be around other kids more often.

We've joined a Homeschool Group that shares our Christian faith and offers monthly opportunities.  We are slowly getting to know the other families.  We also visited two "enrichment" programs for homeschoolers this month.  One was a Christian Co-op and the other was a secular "Options" program offered through the public school system.

Surprisingly enough, the co-op wasn't the best fit for us this year.  I was a little disappointed that it didn't work out, but I know God has us in His hands!  It required parents to lead one whole class and assist in a second class of the co-op.  I didn't feel ready for that commitment with my youngest still quite attached to me, and me still figuring out this homeschooling thing at home.  Only one of my older kiddos enjoyed the day we spent there.

We did end up enrolling in the options program.  It was scary for me to consider, but our girls really wanted to be around other kids more and I'd heard several other Christian families saying their children attended.  The in-person visit was reassuring to me.  It is managed by a homeschooling veteran (a mom of eight!) and a member of the evangelical church that the program uses.  Several of the teachers were also church-goers and very up-beat about their role in the classrooms.  I don't have to commit to teaching, just supervising a lunch hour or two throughout the year, and both of our girls loved the visit and asked to start going right away! 

The other plus that I liked, but didn't want to be a deciding factor, was that they offer a free curriculum lending library to families enrolled and it also gives me a break for a few hours each week where I will just have the baby to worry about.  I have to admit I am looking forward to that built-in opportunity to focus on my youngest and the house.

With that piece of the puzzle complete, I was able to finalize my plan for the year so we have 36-ish weeks of school, built in breaks, and some extra days for flexibility.  Now I can focus more on curriculum and summer planning!

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Parenting

Feeling a bit on the melancholy side tonight.  Being a parent is such an amazing and frightening experience.  My children mean the world to me.  The responsibility of being their mommy is one that I take very seriously.

I don't suppose that there is any parent who doesn't have regrets.  You do your best, you give the best of yourself, and like it or not, the worst of yourself plays a role as well.  Your child is with you through thick and thin, relying on you, and their entire growth and development occurs throughout the experiences you share together.  A quote that I learned once replays in my head, "Parents do their best, and when they know better, they do better."  I learn from my mistakes and I try to learn from the mistakes of others.  I know I'm a good mom, just not as good as I wish I were.  So, I try to give myself grace and place all my worries in God's capable hands.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Putting God First

God's been busy in my life again!  Our church has a regular time for prayer and fasting twice a year...at least.  This Sunday-Tuesday was one of them, and while I don't think I should fast while being a nursing mom, I decided to drop social media and minimize the use of my smartphone while with my family. 

I have been praying about putting God first more than I do, and while researching for next year's homeschool stuff, I found another mom's blog about her "morning basket".  Part of her morning routine is a scheduled time for the entire family to spend time one-on-one with God.  I really thought that was such a neat idea, so I toyed around with our current routine and tweaked it to add in that all-important personal relationship time with God. 

We've now followed the new routine two whole days, and I love it.  It gives me time to spend with God where I'm not mentally pulled in ten directions and it gives the kids time to learn what a relationship with God is.  I am less cluttered mentally and more at peace during the rest of the day.

I figured it would add a bit more time to our schooling since we were starting a little later in the morning, but so far it really hasn't made a negative impact at all to our normal schedule.  The kids complained about me making their morning TV show strictly one from our Pureflix subscription, but other than that, they seem to be enjoying their time with God too.  :0)