Who does what - when - where - why - and HOW?

Just a quick recap of where we are at on our journey:

We just recently made the commitment to homeschool our children as a way to provide quality instruction focused on a biblical worldview. We have researched our curriculum choices and made our selection after attending the 2009 NCHE conference. We are now prepping for the 2009/2010 school year.

So in our prep work, I am trying to come up with some sort of a schedule. Now, one of the #1 rules (the term “rule” being used very loosely) of homeschooling is BE FLEXIBLE. So when I say “schedule” what I really mean is a guideline for our average day. When forming this schedule, I really want to incorporate household duties, learning experiences, “class time” as well as church and civic duties.

I like thinking that we will have a plan in place for how our day will progress. Where do I begin with this scheduling task? Do I place it in my calendar, which is how I normally do things? Do I only do one month at a time or do I try to tackle the entire school year (obviously leaving room for change)? What about details? Do I include as much details as possible or do I just use generic guidelines?

So here is what we finally decided: we are going to start off our homeschool with more structure than we will probably finish off with. The thought behind this is that it is normally easier to slack off than step up. As of right now, we will be allocating times for the following:

Morning Personal Grooming
Breakfast
Bible Time
Morning Chores
“Formal” instruction time
Lunch
Quiet Time
Physical Ed Time (play time)
Dinner
Evening Chores
Evening Personal Grooming
Story Time
Bedtime

Now, let’s just play along here and think positive. Can we do this? Absolutely! WILL we do this? Questionable. Like most families, we are VERY busy. Our schedules are nutsy. Since I will still be working as a local Realtor, I have to factor in some flexibility so that I can accomplish the tasks necessary to fulfill my job responsibilities.

So, we will pray very hard and trust that God will guide us to follow His path.

Dear Father, I come to you today with heavy heart as I try to organize my mind and my day so that the outcome is a testimony to Your greatness. Please guide me and direct me so that Your will is done and that our children learn and grow in their faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take care and God Bless!

Valuable lesson - as taught by a child

Yesterday here was a rainy and gloomy day – a great day to do absolutely NOTHING! After a day of doing nothing, the girls and I woke up this morning feeling . . . .hmmm . . . BLAH is the only word that comes to mind. We really had to motivate ourselves to get up and get going.

Once we got going, though, there seemed to be no stopping us. J Do you sometimes feel like that? Like you could just laze around for the rest of your life and not do a single thing? Then when you finally force yourself to get a move on, you wonder why you ever felt like just wasting the day away?

Well, today was definitely that kind of day for all of us. It was 9:30 before we even made it upstairs to have our “Quiet time with God” or “QTWG.” And I seriously doubt we would have made it then if Kenne hadn’t asked “when are we going upstairs for QTWG?”

You see, when I woke up, I noticed HOW MUCH did not get done yesterday: no dishes, no floors, no dusting, no picking up after ourselves. In other words, our house was a wreck! I became so wrapped up in undoing the damage of our “nothing” day, that I pushed aside our daily QTWG.

I think we are all guilty of becoming so focused on what needs to be done in our earthly lives that we push aside God until it is more convenient for us. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God did that to us – pushed us aside until it was more convenient for Him? I am so thankful that God loves us the way he does and that he doesn’t push us aside until a more convenient time. My house will be cleaned today. Of that, I have absolutely no doubt. But we all have to strive to put God first. What is it someone said recently regarding tithing? “Give God the first part?” Well, shouldn’t we make that our motto regarding all things in life? Give God the first part? Hmmm, I have a lot to think about today!

Dear Father, I have no clue how or even WHY You love us the way You do. But I DO know that I am so thankful that You do what You do, the way You do it. Thank You, God, for EVERYTHING You have blessed upon us and please keep us focused on the positive aspects of Your blessings. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Okee dokee folks – have a fabulous day!

Memory Lane - How in the world did I get here?

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a woman who actually had a memory. She could remember anything and everything - without writing it down or telling her children to remind of her of it. Sadly, that woman has since morphed into someone who must write down EVERYTHING or totally rely on the memory of her kids!Well, sitting here I was trying to think about something to write. Should I write about choosing our curriculum and the many, and I do mean MANY, conversations with friends about the many, and boy, do I mean MANY, choices out there. Or maybe I should talk about the enthusiasm my entire family has shown regarding our decision. Or maybe I should talk about choosing a year round versus traditional schedule. Then it hit me. What do most folks usually talk about FIRST before going into the details? They talk about how they got to where they are and why it matters. So while the memory is semi-ok let’s take a trip back in time. I was not raised in a traditional "church going" family. My mom took us when she and daddy were having marital issues or if it was a special holiday (Easter, normally). She also made sure we went to VBS every year at the multitude of small community churches around our small town. I was not raised reading the bible or looking to the bible for life's directions. After being invited to start attending my friend’s church at age 15, I accepted Christ as my savior when I was 16. I thought that was enough for the longest time. I never truly realized that it was now my responsibility to learn about Christ and to start following HIS path, not my own. I never realized this UNTIL I had kids of my own and then all of a sudden, it all became crystal clear! My path was turned in the wrong direction while His path for me was headed in the right direction. When my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2001, my faith in His path being the right path was strengthened. Since her passing in 2005, I have continued my journey towards a more Christ centered life. One way I like to think about my journey is to compare it to a cross country road trip. Twists and turns, surprises around every corner, and you just can’t wait to reach your destination. Then when you get there, you can’t wait to get home? Well, “home” is our heavenly home and our destinations are the seasons of life we go through: baby, child, youth, young adult, marriage, kids, empty nester, etc. Well, it is my belief that God wants us to take this road trip with Him as our road map, which is probably why He gave us the Bible (sarcasm, again).My goal as a parent is to raise my children up in His house and to instill in them the righteousness of His word. So, one of our “destinations” is homeschooling our children. After praying and thinking, thinking and praying, not to mention the many pros-cons lists I compiled, we truly felt this is a God given directive and we will do our best, our very best, to fulfill His goals as the guardians of His children. Dear God, thank You for Your love and grace. Without You and Your word, our lives would be dark and hopeless. But You are alive, the true living God and You did give us Your word. Our lives are full of light and hope and it is all because of Your love and grace. Thank You. Amen. Okee, dokee folks – till next time.