Homeschooling

December 28, 2023

A Life Update and the Story Jesus is Writing

God has been showing me lots of things over the past few years, so much, actually. So, I figure it’s time to share my story. I am so grateful for the hard truths He’s shown me, and the growth in me that’s been different than any growth I’ve ever experienced. In mid 2018-mid 2022, I went through one of the worst depressions of my life. I later found out that some of it was probably due to a medical condition (I found out I had an autoimmune disease – Grave’s Disease). But, the emotional turmoil of crying every single day for nearly a year, and the overwhelming anxiety (I had never experienced anxiety like that…. Where your mind believes so many lies and fear is crippling, and just daily tasks became so overwhelming that I was unable to function as a normal person, let alone a mom or wife) put me in a place where I knew I’d never come out if I didn’t go to Jesus and rest in Him. During that time the only strength I could muster was spending time with Jesus in His Word, or taking pictures of nature (His glorious creation). Those things calmed me when everything else in my life was stricken with sadness, anxiety, and overwhelm. Then, a dear friend invited me to try Celebrate Recovery. She’d asked me many times before, but I always thought I didn’t have addiction, I didn’t need recovery. But, she told me that it might help with my depression. So, I went with her. She was right! Celebrate Recovery is for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET! It’s for normal people, because we all have struggles, habits, or hang-ups. The difference between Celebrate Recovery and a regular church service is that ALL the people at Celebrate Recovery admit their struggles, habits, and hang-ups. They are real, and they love like Jesus does, unconditionally and without judgement. And, when you’re struggling with depression and anxiety, you feel like EVERYONE is judging you and that no one cares or loves you. So, it was exactly what I needed to start recovering. Then, I joined Pampered Chef, which took off like crazy and I was very successful. It gave me something to focus on instead of the overwhelm and anxiety that I was experiencing (which was good in some ways, but in others, because I became so successful so quickly, caused anxiety and overwhelm in business, when I hadn’t yet overcome the overwhelm at the state of my home, or relationships within my family. Because remember, I was not functioning well in any capacity until I functioned well doing Pampered Chef.) The Lord showed me that I needed to start with ONE SMALL AREA, (nothing nearly as big as a business!)…Just one baby step at a time. So, I chose education for my children. During that time, because I’d not been functioning well at all, my girls were not completing near the school they should have been. (I homeschooled them, so that’s a serious problem!) So, it was now fall/winter of 2019 and I knew I didn’t have the capacity to homeschool them because I was still not functioning well, and because homeschooling is really not a baby step, it’s almost as big as a successful business! I thought that maybe the girls could go to the Montessori schoolhouse that is right near our home, so I set up a tour and got the information. But, they only had space for my oldest still at home. So, I enrolled her during the winter break and she would start in January of 2020, and figured that maybe with just one at home, I’d be able to handle my youngest who was just in 1st grade during that time. Then COVID hit just a couple months after she started which was not fun at all because I ended up trying to help her navigate school from home through the school…. Which was worse than trying to homeschool her myself, but we endured and figured it out.

But, again, because I was still depressed and anxiety stricken, I was still feeling full of chaos. However, my business was skyrocketing through the pandemic, so I was taken over by my work schedule (which never seemed to end). And, my husband was taking care of the kids and house while the world was shut down. I’m so thankful for my husband stepping in, though, because otherwise chaos in our home would have continued to destroy me. But, slowly the world started opening up again, and my husband went back to work. And, around that time, I was beginning to heal some more and I realized that my depression and anxiety had negatively affected my children, and they were both not doing well… One was acting out, and the other was depressed and also full of anxiety. So, we started home therapy for them. I slowed my business a ton in order to help them recover. It was through my two daughter’s therapy that I realized that for them to heal, I would need to heal, as well. I needed the Lord to show me how to handle all that was going on. He then led me to put my other daughter in a private school. I never imagined that I would do that, I’d homeschooled all my kids to graduation, but I knew it wasn’t in my capacity to keep doing it at that time. I needed to continue healing and I needed to be able to help my other daughter heal. And, I also knew that structure was one thing that would help the daughter that was acting out, so putting her in school would help with that structure. A huge thing that the Lord helped me learn during that time was that I could not control everything. I was a control freak, and I think that’s one of the reasons I homeschooled, because I could control what my children learned that way. It’s also the reason that I go ALL in on things…. Like my Pampered Chef business, but this was also a way for me to be in control. And, I’m not the one that’s supposed to be in control, the Lord wants my surrender of control so that He can free me from those burdens. Because, even though I didn’t realize it for years, being “in control” of everything really kept me in chaos and made me feel stuck in a place of constant failure. I did well on the outside, I looked great to others, but inside I was a hot mess, and my life, family, and home was falling apart. You see, in my stress and control, I thought it was my way or the highway when it came to my parenting. And, that damaged my relationship with my children. I was critical of my family all the time, because it was easier to blame them than for me to take ownership of my failures. My home was constantly a wreck because I didn’t have the proper habits in place to keep it running smoothly and without chaos. And, all that led to further chaos and shame. I would practically kill myself to clean the house when company would come and then felt like the martyr because no one respected me enough to help. (Why should they respect a screaming, out of control maniac?)

I cried when I dropped my daughter off at school that first day, in the fall of 2020, but the school was so family friendly and they hugged me and reassured me, and then after I left the principal and my daughter’s teacher would send frequent pictures showing me how well she was doing. And, I was then able to continue working my PC business (though much less) and help my other daughter heal. During that school year, I continued studying the Word, and focused on helping my daughters heal. That’s really all I could muster. I was still recovering from the busyness of Pampered Chef, and putting one kiddo in school, and trying to keep the other one at home homeschooling and healing.

After that school year, the Lord showed me that I needed to start taking care of myself, too, with baby steps. So, in the summer of 2021, I hired a health coach to help me get healthy in my body…. Through, eating whole foods and working out. Whole health was also touched on (mind health, emotional health, and Spiritual health), but for me during that time, I was mostly focusing on my body in my baby steps. School was out, thankfully, and I was able to focus fully on my body and getting it healthy. I was hoping that losing weight would continue the healing process, and it did help with confidence, but I was still not fully myself. During the fall/winter of 2021, I had stopped working with the health coach because financially I couldn’t make it happen, and I had all but stopped working Pampered Chef. I also started regaining all the weight I’d lost with the holiday seasons and the lack of accountability. But, in our women’s Bible study at church, we were going through Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God. I’d done this same study around 2016 (so about 5 years before then). I thought it would be fun to do it again, because it was such a great study, and compare my notes from both studies. So that’s what I did. But, what I discovered in comparing them shocked me! I was still struggling with the EXACT same things I had 5 years earlier! That was the Lord showing me that, though I love to learn and study His Word, I’m lacking in actually doing what it says and applying it to my life. Wow! That was a huge dose of humble pie to swallow! So, once again, the Lord showed me that I needed to take baby steps to become a better version of myself, the version that He had created me to be all along. So, I started with just two habits of cleaning my home ….. One load of laundry every day (I actually set alarms on my phone so that I wouldn’t forget to do it, and another alarm to switch it over to the dryer). Then, the second habit was to unload and reload the dishwasher every day. Then in the Spring of 2022 I met a lovely lady who sold Arbonne. Arbonne is healthy living products (for skin and body). Products for gut health, and non-toxic ingredients. She loved on me, and helped me understand whole health is way more than just the body. It focuses on loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Not just the body, but every part of me. We did a Bible study called Revelation Wellness together that opened up my heart to so much truth, and such a different way of thinking. My mind had been stuck in a pattern of wrong habits and wrong thinking. I had strongholds in my life and had never even realized they were strongholds! The Lord has caused the veil to be lifted from my mind, the scales to be removed from my eyes, and I’m becoming a new person, a transformed person because of the power of the Holy Spirit!! I am weak, but His strength in me is powerful! He has revealed to me little bits of my sin over time so that I can tap into His power to change me into who He created me to be. Now, my habits are healthy, and my home is almost always company ready (not perfect, but I’m able to enjoy my company rather than stress about what they think of the state of my home). I’m consistently working out and working on my whole health… Mind renewal, loving the Lord and others, seeking His purposes rather than my own, and taking care of my body in a reasonable way not an ALL IN perfect way.

In the summer of 2022, my oldest and only son, got married! Then, in the spring of 2023, my oldest daughter also got married! And, that same spring, my daughter who had been depressed and anxiety ridden graduated high school 2 years early! She is doing SO MUCH BETTER, praise the Lord! And, she was called by the Lord to go on mission this past summer through Spurgeon College in a program called Fusion! We are so very proud of her!

The Lord has continued to work on me. I have been in a season of unknowns for over a year now. The Lord took me away from teaching 5th & 6th grade Sunday School at our church, and has pulled me from almost all ministry. He has worked on my heart and helped me to understand that self-discipline and consistency are key in whatever I do, whether it be Bible Study, working out, chores and good habits in my home, and even decluttering. You see, my home had been in such a constant state of chaos for so long that we had accumulated an enormous amount of belongings that didn’t ever find a home. Things would just be thrown about in every room, and my room was always the “catch all”, especially when company was coming. So, along with taking care of my heart, soul, mind, and body, I felt the Lord leading me to declutter my home. I knew that I would not be able to get rid of the mind clutter and find clarity in what exactly the Lord wanted me to do next without getting rid of the clutter in my home. So, though I dreaded starting the process because of how overwhelming it was, I started anyway. I started small….in my bathroom. It took me a full week, working a little bit at a time (which was all I could seem to fit in with my schedule), to finish that small area! I thought, “I’m never going to get my whole house done!” But, I kept feeling the Lord nudging me to keep at it. I knew that He had a plan, and in order to find out more of what the plan was, I would have to keep moving forward in all the areas He was calling me to work on. And, man….those areas kept coming. As soon as He’d show me one, He’d show me another. It would overwhelm me with how much He wanted to change in me! But, that overwhelm keeps me humble so that I understand it’s not the work I’m doing that should get the glory, it’s not me…it’s His strength in me that keeps me moving forward and making those changes. He deserves ALL the glory! So, next I decided that we would tackle my youngest daughter’s bedroom (which was so full of stuff, she hadn’t slept in there in years)! She would help me, because I didn’t want to toss anything without her approval. Well, she’s 10, so she LOVES everything! But, she did get rid of 3 bags of clothes, which made me so proud! But, toys, she didn’t want to get rid of much. We worked for a week before she headed off to summer camp, and I hoped we would finish before she left, but we did not get it done. So, while she was at camp, I chose to start on my room, which remember was the “catch all”, meaning it was probably one of the worst rooms in our house! I worked super hard for 3 days and got all but 2 drawers and my closet floor finished. I even rearranged my furniture! It’s so, so much better. And, since then, I have completed my room in it’s entirety, and we worked through my daughter’s room bit by bit. We did finish her room, but I’m finding with kids, it’s a constant work in progress, because they are still growing! Clothes will always have to be decluttered, as well as their taste in their belongings, but it is much easier to do when we stay on top of it by season. The dining room was tough because it had an armoire full of games, arts & crafts, and an organizational system of 12 cubbies with everything from homeschool books and curriculum, to coloring books, and whatever else my youngest had shoved in the drawers! It took a little while, but I did get it done before we started school this fall! I’m so thankful that I don’t have that ALL or NOTHING mentality anymore, or I’d probably never get anything accomplished at all!

Since starting the decluttering process over the summer, my mind got some more clarity. I felt like the next step after decluttering was to bring my youngest daughter back home for homeschooling! My original goal was to have the entire house, including the basement fully decluttered before we started school. That was a pretty impossible task, and I did not get that accomplished, but I will accomplish exactly what He wants in His exact time. More and more get done as time allows. And, the house is still being maintained, even since starting back to homeschooling, and I’ve even gotten into the habit of meal planning and grocery shopping on a regular basis (which is pretty important when you’re trying to continue on your health journey).

I’ve since learned that I will never be fully on top of everything, because He is the One in control and not me. I will just follow His lead each day, and I will accomplish exactly what He has planned for me, and when I do that, I feel good, because I know it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. I also accomplish so much more when I’m in tune with Him and His plans. He is helping me to become the best version of myself, and I think where He’s leading me next is to help others who have struggled just like I have! It’s really being whole and complete in every area: heart, soul, mind, and body. And, because I really enjoy network marketing, and I believe it is the avenue that the Lord could use my voice to help others like He’s helped me, I am going to follow His lead into Arbonne, to reach others for His glory through sharing more and more of what I’ve learned about whole health, in order to help others feel healthy and whole, too.

So, there you have it! An update on my life….the story that Jesus has been writing in and through me. I am a work in progress, and I’m finally not just learning all He has for me, but I’m doing all He asks! And, that’s what makes all the difference!

With love,

Dena

January 2, 2017

Teaching From Rest Book Review

Right before school started this year, I discovered this little gem of a book called Teaching From Rest:  A Homeschooler’s Guide to UNSHAKEABLE PEACE by Sarah Mackenzie.  It was a quick read, but wonderful!  I also used the Companion Guide to go along with it.

tfr900

I LOVE Homeschooling!  I do!  Even though I’ve been at it for 12 years, I still occasionally feel like I need a renewed spirit, a renewed focus, a change-up of some kind.  I am very confident in my curriculum choices, my methods, and in the way I like to teach and the way my children learn.  But, sometimes I feel like there’s still something more that I’m missing; things have become dull, or I am no longer looking forward to the year.  So, often times, I do more research.  I think maybe I need to change up curriculum, or make a different kind of schedule.  Those things may be needed, but I think deep down, what I’ve really been looking for is REST.  A state of rest.  Over this past summer, I was feeling those feelings again….that need for something different, a renewed focus or goal, a change-up of some sort, when I came across this little book called Teaching From Rest.  It peaked my interest, so I picked it up.  I didn’t read it for some time, though….that happens sometimes when I get a new book.  Finally, at the end of the summer, I decided to take some time and read this little gem.  On the first few pages, I realized that there was also an optional study guide that I could purchase and download.  So, I did that, and printed it out.  I love being able to take a book and make it more into a book study, with notes, and truly feel like I’m growing and changing, so this option seemed like a great plan!

The book is written in three parts.  Part One is: Whose “Well Done” Are You Working For?  Part Two is: Curriculum Is Not Something You Buy.  And, Part Three is: Be Who You Are!  Each of the parts are broken down even further so that you can read in sections, which is nice (especially if you are frequently interrupted).  If you get the Companion Guide, it has a place for you to take notes throughout the chapters, then some application questions following that with ample space to record answers and notes.

Part 2 was very applicable.  Sarah gave clear steps on how to teach from rest and obtain unshakeable peace.  Also in Part 2, she shows you how to break down your busy schedules to see how much time you have, and how much time you need, to homeschool.  We often plan our time around our homeschooling, but she suggests we plan our homeschooling around our lives, around the time we have left.  Sounds like a strange concept, huh?  It makes complete sense to me now, and I am grateful to have read her tips on this!  I did follow her advice, and did simplify our days somewhat, but I think this type of schedule will be a work in process for a while.  In fact, now that we are mid-year, I am going to go back to this book and re-evaluate our schedule, and this time I’m hoping to add in a tea time and a time for rest and reading mid-day (she explains this further in part 2).

The book goes right along with my Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, too!  But, I do believe that whether you use Charlotte Mason’s methods or not, you will still glean a lot of great information from this little book.

After we had been in our school year for a good chunk of time, I realized things weren’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped. So, partway through our year, I had to make some changes to curriculum and our schedule.  With just a few tweaks, things did improve, and now that we are at the beginning of a new semester I’m changing a few more things, and I believe things will improve immensely!

One of the things that I haven’t implemented that was suggested in this book was a Quiet Reading Hour.  (I briefly mentioned this above).  I really want to include a time for this beginning with the New Year!  I wish I had added it at the beginning of our school year.  We do read, we read a lot.  However, I don’t get that time to read for me.  And, implementing a Quiet Reading Hour would be great because then we’d all get to enjoy some free reading.  Just a time of reading for fun!  I think we could all use that!  I do have one that is not yet reading, so this could prove a bit difficult, but maybe I could give her some audio books to look through.  And, as long as each of us are in separate spaces and being quiet, it should work out just fine.

This book is truly a little gem that I will have to pick up each year, possibly several times a year, to reevaluate, to get inspired, to refocus.  It brings me back to my goals in homeschooling, a simpler way, a restful and joyful way, full of peace.  I would highly recommend it!  And, I would also recommend the Companion Journal.  Check them out here.

Wishing you a blessed and happy New Year!

Dena

December 14, 2016

Mid Year Homeschool Planning

school-73497_640

Sometimes, mid-year, I feel like it’s time to start planning again.  Sometimes for next semester change ups, sometimes for the future of our homeschooling.  That’s exactly what I’ve been up to.  You see, this past summer I graduated my oldest.  I have three more behind him.  One who is only 3.  So, I have many more years of school to do.  And, I’m hoping with each one, school only gets better!  I feel like #1 was a guinea pig.  I tried so many things with him, switching things often, and changing things up.  Poor guy!  He really probably had it rough, as I had NO IDEA what I was doing!  On the upside, I learned to research, study many curricula choices, and I’ve tried many, so I feel like my knowledge on a TON of curriculum has grown and I could probably give a pretty good review on most anything.  And, if it’s something I don’t know about, I can find out pretty quickly!  I feel it has benefitted me a ton to be able to gain as much knowledge as I have.  My next one is a sophomore in high school this year (just a few years behind him).  She has been a bit of a guinea pig as well.  Not as bad, but she was such a different learner, I had to do things so differently.  I feel like she has it better than he did, but I still have changed a lot with her.  With #3, so many NEW things have come out that I’ve wanted to explore and check out!  We are finding some great things, but also struggling to find a fit in other areas.  I have a great plan, though, and I think things are about to improve greatly!  Then, for #4, I hope to have EVERYTHING figured out, and to use only the best all the way through for her!  I’m excited because I feel I’m getting so much closer to what I feel the BEST is.  (I do realize that the BEST is different for each family, but it is nice to know that I am getting closer to our family’s best!)  I plan to update my Scope & Sequence soon to show what I’ve chosen for all grades and subjects.  My biggest goal is making learning fun and natural; a Charlotte Mason style education, and, a focus on Biblical Worldview.  These things are most important to me:  good habits, lifelong learners, and hearts that love and serve the Lord.  I know I can’t ‘make’ my children do any of these things, but I can do my best to lead them in the right direction.  That is my prayer and hope.  I’ve failed a lot along the way, but I hope I’m improving with each kiddo.  Parenting is hard enough!  Add in homeschooling, and it’s almost too much!  But, I know the Lord helps me.  I couldn’t do any of it without His guidance and leading.

Some things I’m planning on changing up for the 2nd half of the school year are:

I have not used any of the Five in a Row products, the Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers, or Brave Writer before.  I would love to hear some reviews of any or all of them if any of my readers have used them!  And, if you have any tips on HOW to use them, I’m all for those, also!

I am enjoying using Simply Charlotte Mason’s American History (we are ONLY using the American History and the Geography portions as we already have a good Bible program and I’m not doing World History yet with the 4th grader).  But, it’s not enough hands on for my 4th grader.  I’ve come to realize that she learns best by doing.  So, having that component is super important to her.  I’m hoping that adding in Beyond Five in a Row and Time Travelers will give her what she needs in that area.  And, that it will bring back more ‘fun’ into her school days.

Well, that’s what I’ve been working through for our mid-year homeschool review!  Do you do anything to change things up around mid-year?  I’d love to hear!

In Christ,

Dena

September 26, 2016

Time Well Spent

note-1563106_1280

WOW!  It’s been awhile since I’ve posted!  Summer came and went quickly.  My summer projects went somewhat how I’d planned, but not all of them were completed.  However, I did make time to have fun with the kiddos this summer.  We visited the pool frequently, and I even got a little tan!  We had a nice vacation in Branson with our family, and also went through a major remodeling job on our main bathroom.  It was CRAZY!  Now, we are settling back into some normal homeschooling, chore doing, routines.  I have also added lots to my plate.  Why?  Because I have felt the Lord leading me to do so.  Now, He must provide the time I need to make it happen!  Here is a look at our current weekly schedule:

SUNDAY – Sunday School and Worship Service in the mornings.  Then, evening services later.  I teach the 5th & 6th grade Sunday School class at my church.  Up until September I was co-teaching just every other week.  But, my co-teacher resigned and now I teach every week.  Thankfully, I just had someone step up to help fill in, especially when I’m not going to be there because of sick kids, or time away.  She will be a great help with crowd control and outside activities, as well!  I’m thrilled to have extra help! I am using Answers in Genesis’ Answers for Kids Bible Curriculum and I think it’s going to be a great year!  In the evening, I lead a kid’s class called M&M Kids which stands for Mission Minded Kids.  We study a country and culture each week, locate it on maps, and do a craft to remind us to pray for that country throughout the week.  We also spend time praying for that country and their needs, especially their need for Jesus.  The main resources I’m using for this are:  Window on the World, You Can Change the World V. 1, and You Can Change the World V. 2.  I also use Pinterest to help me find crafts that will work with each country (and honestly, that is what takes most of the prep time…lol). 

MONDAY – Regular Homeschooling Day….one of the only days of the week that I don’t have some kind of running to do. This is also the day we try to get the house back in order after a busy weekend.

TUESDAY – Co-op plus a full regular day of school, then gymnastics for my high schooler in the evening.  I teach a class for Co-op.  I use The Young Peacemaker Curriculum and the student booklets.  This is the second co-op I’ve taught this class at.  It’s all about conflict resolution and how to approach it and deal with it Biblically.  I LOVE it!  It’s the busiest day of the week!

WEDNESDAY – Library Story Time for the little ones in the morning at our local library, then a full regular day of school.  Church in the evening.  This is my weekly Bible Study group with other women that fuels me for the week, and keeps me going.  I’m so thankful for this group of women.

THURSDAY – Piano Lessons in the morning, then a full regular day of school.  And I just changed the younger girls gymnastics to Thursday afternoons instead of Saturday, in hopes that I’d have a more free Saturday.

FRIDAY – Field Trip Day!  And, this is also errand running day in the city.  We always go to the library there (Mid-Continent has much more when it comes to school) to pick up ordered books or dvd’s, or to return books or dvd’s we are finished with.  We also may go to a bigger city grocery store, Mardel, or whatever else needs to be accomplished in the city.  It’s usually a pretty full day!

SATURDAY – I just switched the girls from morning gymnastics this day, to afternoons on Thursday.  I was feeling like I wasn’t getting any day free for rest and recuperation.  I will probably still do grocery shopping in the afternoons on this day, though. 

Our weeks are crazy!  I never thought that I’d ever be teaching 3 classes at one time, but I’ve felt the Lord’s leading on all of them.  I love doing it!  I plan outside activities every once in a while for my Sunday School class, also.  What better way to get to know them than spending time together outside of class?  So far, we’ve had a fun park day and ice cream at a local ice cream shop, a service project at a Ronald McDonald House, where we were able to get a tour and prepare and serve the guest snacks.  Just yesterday, we did a prayer walk around the schools, and an ice cream sundae fellowship.  In a couple weeks I plan to take them to a Pumpkin Patch for a fall day of fun, then comes a Mother/Daughter retreat for the girls in my Sunday School class and their moms.  I’m super excited about that!  I feel building relationships is the key to helping others draw nearer to God, or find a relationship with Him.  If they know you care, they’ll believe what you teach them.  My husband is also in Youth Ministry, so we are busy with youth activities as well.  Then, once in a while I will go to his Computer Repair Shop and do the accounting, as well as decorate the shop window with new seasons.  I have a full and busy life!  Sometimes I get so tired, and I feel like I need a break from it all.  I even re-evaluate all the activities the girls are in, and try to decide if it’s worth it.  

I am tired a lot.  I think it’s just a season of Motherhood.  I think new parents of babies go through this, I think the running that happens as kids become teens is another season of busyness and being tired, and I think the more kids you have the more tired you might possibly be.  I have kids ranging in ages from 3-18.  So toddler, elementary, high school, and adult (though still living at home).  It’s a busy time with lots going on.  But, someday I will look back on this time in my life and I’ll miss these moments, because it’s moments like these that bring about memories.  And, memories are priceless.

We are falling into a much better routine now that we’ve been schooling for about 4 weeks.  I’m grateful for that.  Our first couple of weeks were rough, mostly because we had a bathroom remodel going on at the same time we started school!  That is finished, so things are feeling a bit more normal when it comes to a school routine.  I am still adjusting the schedule a bit (like moving gymnastics for the younger girls around).  We will see if this helps ease the schedule a bit, or if it makes it feel even more crazy! 

What ministries are you involved in, and how do you make your schedule work around them?  I’d love to know.  My first priority is ministry in my own family.  I am beginning a new Bible study soon with my Wednesday night ladies group called Missional Motherhood.  I’m very much looking forward to it.  It’s not just about ministering to your own children, though, it’s about ministering to all children.  So, I think it will be perfect for all of the ministry I’m currently involved with!

Soon, I will be sharing some recommended Bible Studies I’ve been doing, and giving them reviews.  Stay in touch for that!  And, this time I won’t take so long to post!

July 15, 2016

Nature Journal Entries

My Nature Journal is a simple spiral bound sketch book that I added paper and then magazine pictures to to make it pretty.

Summer Fun 059

Nature Drawing and Journaling is something that I’ve been interested in for a while.  I don’t take the time often to work on my Nature Journal, but I do enjoy really looking at God’s beauty in creation and trying to recreate it in my drawings.  This past school year, we began going through Barry Stebbings Nature Drawing and Journaling in book and DVD form.  The DVD is probably my favorite as I am a visual learner, and he actually shows you exactly how to draw borders, and gives examples of his many Nature Journals.  It’s been fun creating the borders and then later filling in the pages with more drawings taken from nature and then adding poems, Scriptures, or some kind of writing to compliment the artwork.  Unfortunately, my children aren’t as interested in this kind of art and journaling, so though they do some Nature Study, they don’t normally make a Nature Journal.  This past year, for Nature Study we used NaturExplorers from Shining Dawn Books for studying nature.  They have some great ideas on how to study nature in some creative ways, and also some great living book options on the topics covered.  This fall, we will be using the Creation Illustrated magazine.  It has phenominal photos of nature, with nature stories from a Creation viewpoint.  And, it also has some lesson plan ideas to cover the nature topics covered in the magazine.  I’m looking forward to it!  Below are some of the drawings and journaling I’ve done in my Nature Journal.  Maybe it will inspire you to try it for yourself!

I enjoy adding poems to my drawings.  I use Favorite Poems Old and New as a resource when I do add them.  I also will add quotes I find that I like, as well as Scriptures.

Summer Fun 063

Summer Fun 066

I actually drew the picture below while visiting the Anita B. Gorman Nature Center.  Then, later (a couple years later…lol) I added the mixed colored leaves border around the side and bottom using Barry Stebbing’s Nature Journaling and Drawing.

Summer Fun 067

This is one of my favorites!!  I LOVE Powell Gardens.  It is a beautiful place to visit.  There is always plenty of beautiful things to draw.  I began experimenting more with shading in this drawing, and I think it makes a world of difference.  I never said I was good at drawing, but I sure do enjoy it!

Summer Fun 072

This was done from one of Barry Stebbing’s recommendations.  It’s done in marker, and then at the end, I used blue marker on paper, dipped a paintbrush in water, and lightly “painted” around the tree.

Summer Fun 075

Summer Fun 074

This is how I typically start my pages now…with some sort of border.  This comes from Barry Stebbing’s courses, also.  He does nice borders in his journals and then fills in with other drawings, and journaling.  I like to do that now, also.  This is unfinished, because I’ve not yet filled in the rest of the page.

Summer Fun 076

I hope this gives some of you some inspiration so that you will try Nature Journaling and Drawing for yourself.  It’s relaxing and fun!

I have been super busy getting ready for the upcoming school year.  Lots of Lesson Planning has been taking place, a partial basement purge occurred, and I hope to get more done soon, and then lots of summer fun is happening, too!  I hope to be finishing up the majority of my school planning soon, and then I’ll share what all we are doing.  It is going to be a fun and exciting year, I think!

 

July 3, 2016

This Year’s Art Projects

colorful-1022022_640

Major homeschool planning is underway, so in the mean time, I thought I’d share some of our art projects from this past school year.  We had fun working on them, and most turned out really great.  In fact, I didn’t realize how much I enjoy drawing and painting and using different mediums until I started doing it with my children during our school days.  But, when I did, I felt relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I am still learning a lot, and have a long way to go, but it’s been fun, and hopefully we all will continue to improve.  For art, we used Creating a Masterpiece.  And, this summer, the kids are taking some fun art classes from a local high school teacher who has just put together some art days for free.  They are having a blast with it.  This same art teacher won 1st prize at our Country Fair last year, and I loved what she did.  I’m trying to convince her to teach me how she did it!  (If you’re reading this….hint!  hint!  Hahaha!)  Below are some of the projects that we did!

PhonepicsJuly2016 012.jpg

This is called The Lighthouse and was done in acrylics.

These were done in pastels.  The one on the right is called Baby Blue Bird.

PhonepicsJuly2016 016

This was done in colored pencil.  It’s called Clown Fish.  The above pictures were done by me.  Below will be my two daughters…oldest (15) to youngest (9).

PhonepicsJuly2016 017PhonepicsJuly2016 019PhonepicsJuly2016 021

PhonepicsJuly2016 020PhonepicsJuly2016 022TPhonepicsJuly2016 018

The 15 year old claims she’s no good at art, but I think she did pretty well.  And, she definitely has an artistic knack for painting nails, and doing hair!  My 9 year old loves art, but gets frustrated when she doesn’t think her work is turning out well.  She stopped working on the clownfish for that reason.  However, I think she’s definitely a budding artist, and she’s definitely the crafty one in our house.

What keeps you busy in the summer months?

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!

 

May 21, 2016

Birth to 18 in 30 Seconds

It is amazing how quickly time goes!  It seems like yesterday that I was holding my precious baby boy in my arms, and tomorrow he graduates!

graduation-1230325_1920

I am very much looking forward to the ceremony.  A homeschool graduation ceremony is so much more personal, and we, as the parents, get to hand our son his diploma.  It’s exciting!

The most nerve wracking thing right now is the preparations for his grad party.  I have no idea what I’m doing…this is my first child to graduate.  But, I’ve been to lots of parties since my husband is a youth pastor, so I’ve gotten lots of ideas.  I think it will be fun!  One more stress is making sure our house is company ready!  As you’ve probably read before from this post, I struggle with keeping the house clean.  Things have been going well, and are being fairly maintained, but I want it to look extra special since lots of people will be coming.  But, I am going to pray that I’m more Mary and less Martha for my son’s sake.  When I’m Martha, I’m no fun, and get cranky rather quickly….not the way I want to celebrate my son’s graduation.

We will be displaying lots of past photographs in three open spaces in our walls, along with a buffet table that will have his senior pictures, a few scrap books of his young life, and extra wallet photos for guests to take.  We will be serving bbq brisket and bbq pork sandwich rolls, a veggie tray, a fruit tray, a sausage, cheese and cracker tray, a cheese ball, lots of cake and nuts, and lemonade and tea. Outside at our fire pit we are providing s’mores for the making. We plan to have outdoor games for anyone interested, also.  I think it will be lots of fun!

The color theme is blue and silver, so the napkins will be both blue and silver, and the balloons and tablecloths are also in those colors.   Most of the serving trays I borrowed or purchased and they are galvanized steal, which adds to the silver theme color.  My husband, the tech of the family, made a video of lots of pictures that will also be playing on our t.v.

The post is short this week because of all the preparations!  If you have graduates, congratulations!  It’s a big deal!  Enjoy this time.

hats-657140_1280

 

May 7, 2016

2016-2017 Curriculum Picks

books-1224757_640

Here are my curriculum picks for next year!  I’ll start with my oldest still in school and go down to my youngest.

Sophomore (10th Grader):

Memory Verses: Simply Charlotte Mason’s Memory Verse Pack #4 https://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/scripture-memory/

Bible: TruthQuest Beginnings Guide                     http://www.truthquesthistory.com/store/products.php?categoryParentName=Books&categoryName=Creation%2FAncient&itemId=42

Character:  Ourselves Book 1 by Charlotte Mason and Character First:  Attentiveness, Obedience, Honesty, Respect, Diligence, Thankfulness with Write Upon My Heart Character Curriculum (each for 6 weeks) http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/vol_4_all.html and http://characterfirsteducation.com/c/shop-detail/1998143 with http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/WriteUponMyHeartCharacterCurriculum 

Worldview:  Cat & Dog Theology Year 2                       http://www.unveilinglory.com/homeschool/high-school-year-2.php 

History:  TruthQuest Middle Ages Guide and TruthQuest Renaissance Guide alongside Beautiful Feet’s Medieval Senior High Study Guide (only using portions)  http://www.truthquesthistory.com/store/products.php?categoryParentName=Books&categoryName=Middle+Ages&itemId=40 and http://www.truthquesthistory.com/store/products.php?categoryParentName=Books&categoryName=Renaissance%2FReformation&itemId=41 with portions of http://bfbooks.com/Medieval-History-Senior-High-Pack 

Since TruthQuest also uses living books, these are the books I’ve chosen along with dvd’s:

Middle Ages and Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration Book & DVD List

(Plus order of use)

Middle Ages–

Beowulf with Invitation to the Classics (Literature)

King Arthur and His Knights (audio by Jim Weiss)

Son of Charlemagne

The Arabian Nights with the Audio by Jim Weiss (Literature)

Leif the Lucky

El Cid (Movie)

How Should We Then Live? (DVD) Episode #2

Castle by David Macaulay with the online Video version from the library

Greenleaf’s Famous Men of the Middle Ages

Ivanhoe (Movie)

The Magna Charta

The Story of Robin Hood (Movie)

Cathedral by David Macaulay with the online Video version from the library

Stepping Stone Kit (Craft)

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy

Inspector General (Movie)

Morning Star of the Reformation

The Chaucer Story Book (Literature)

Joan of Arc

Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration –

How Should We Then Live? (DVD) Episode #3

The Black Arrow

Annotated Mona Lisa by Carol Strickland (library)

Sister Wendy’s 1000 Masterpieces (library)

Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting (library)

The Agony and the Ecstasy (Movie)

How Should We Then Live? (DVD) Episode #4

Martin Luther

Luther (Movie)

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

Martin Luther’s Defense before the Diet of Worms

Mosque by David Macaulay

Pilgrim’s Progress (Literature)

Greenleaf’s Famous Men of the Reformation

A Man for All Seasons (Movie)

Utopia

God’s Outlaw (Movie)

The Radicals (Movie)

The Virgin Queen (Movie)

Under Drake’s Flag

SCM’s Shakespeare in 3 Steps

How Should We Then Live? (DVD 2) Episode #6

Johannes Kepler

Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves (Literature)

Optional Spine:  Trial & Triumph

You may have noticed that I also included the Literature books for the year in the above list.  I will also be using Beautiful Feet’s An Anthology of Medieval Literature  http://bfbooks.com/An-Anthology-of-Medieval-Literature 

Geography:  Beautiful Feet’s Medieval Senior High Guide and The Medieval World:  An Illustrated Atlas  http://bfbooks.com/The-Medieval-World-An-Illustrated-Atlas 

Writing:  Written Narrations and Essays from TruthQuest’s Think Write Assignments and Beautiful Feet’s Guide as well as Written Narrations on each of the literature selections.  Notebooking from A Journey Through Learning for Middle Ages and Renaissance is also availabe through TruthQuest and I will be using it.

Math:  Life of Fred  http://lifeoffredmath.com/

Science:  ACE Paces Biology DVD Course  http://www.heartofdakota.com/world-history-hearts-for-him-through-high-school-descriptions2.php#biology 

Rotation Subjects:

Picture Study (Valesquez, Turner, and Rembrandt – 12 weeks for each) https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/picture-study-portfolios/

Poetry (Robert Browning and Carl Sandburg – 1 semester each) https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/enjoy-the-poems/

Hymn Study (1 hymn per month)  http://www.amazon.com/Hymns-Kids-Heart-Vol-2/dp/1581345828 and http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?id=021294 and www.songsandhymns.org

Composer Study   http://bfbooks.com/History-of-Classical-Music-Study-Guide?sc=21&category=-121

Nature Study  http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/033908 and http://shiningdawnbooks.com/available-units/

Art  http://www.creatingamasterpiece.com/

and Shakespeare (As You Like It)                                                                      https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/shakespeare-three-steps/ 

Electives:  Logic, Speech (through co-op), Piano Lessons, and Gymnastics http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=Falacy+Detective#/?_=1&q=fallacy detective&page=1 

4th Grader:

Memory Verses:  Simply Charlotte Mason’s Memory Verse Pack #4 – same as 10th grader – see link above

Bible:  Long Story Short  http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/product/long-story-short-ten-minute-devotions

Character:  The Young Peacemaker (Co-op) and Character First http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/product/young-peacemaker-teaching-students-to-respond-to-conflict-gods-way and http://characterfirsteducation.com/c/shop-detail/1998143 

Worldview:  Apologia’s Who Is God?                                             http://www.apologia.com/who-is-god/216-who-is-god.html 

History:  Heart of Dakota Bigger Hearts for His Glory http://www.heartofdakota.com/bigger-hearts-packages.php 

Geography:  Beautiful Feet’s Geography Through Literature http://bfbooks.com/Geography-Through-Literature-Pack-PB?sc=17&category=14 

English:  My Father’s World’s Language Lessons for Today Grade 4 http://www.mfwbooks.com/item/30018/ 

Spelling:  Simply Charlotte Mason’s Spelling Wisdom 1 https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/spelling-wisdom/ 

Reading:  Heart of Dakota’s Bigger Hearts for His Glory Classic Literature Pack http://www.heartofdakota.com/BHFHG-classic.php 

Writing:  Draw and Write Through History http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/category/draw-and-write-through-history 

Math:  Life of Fred  http://www.educents.com/life-of-fred-elementary-math-series-9291.html 

Science:  HOD’s Bigger Hearts Science and Apologia Astronomy http://www.heartofdakota.com/bigger-hearts-packages.php and http://www.apologia.com/astronomy/466-homeschool-curriculum.html

Rotations:  Same as 10th Grader – See above

Electives:  Piano Lessons, Youth Theatre Academy, Children’s Choir

Preschool 3:

The Homegrown Preschooler  http://www.thehomegrownpreschooler.com/?product=a-year-of-playing-skillfully-printed-version

Heart of Dakota’s Little Hands to Heaven                       http://www.heartofdakota.com/little-hands-packages.php 

I usually save throughout the year to purchase curriculum for the following year, and I sell the curriculum we are finished with.  It really makes no sense to me to save curriculum for the next child when each of the rest of my kiddos are 6 years apart.  I don’t like to use outdated material, and prefer newest editions in most cases.  I’d love to hear about some of your favorite curriculum choices!  Please chime in!

April 29, 2016

Our Homeschool Scope & Sequence

eager-read-899311_640

This next school year I will have a Sophomore (10th grade), a Fourth Grader, and a Pre-Schooler!  And, I am graduating my first in a few weeks!  So, I’ve done a lot of homeschooling, and a lot of curriculum!  I love to research and review all the different options out there, and then make the best decisions for my family.  I choose according to my teaching style, my kids’ learning styles, and our method of homeschooling, which happens to be Charlotte Mason Inspired.  I recently revamped my Homeschool Scope & Sequence which gives my picks for all of the homeschool years beginning in pre-school and going through 12th grade.  This is a guide I use, and can change depending on the child and our current life situations.  But, I do like to use it as a guide for planning for the future.

Take a look:

Homeschool Scope & Sequence

PRE- SCHOOL 3 PRE-

SCHOOL

 K FIRST SECOND THIRD
BIBLE

Use Simply Charlotte Mason’s Memory Verse Packs and Memory Verse System

 New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes MFW K MFW 1st Grade

 

 HOD Little Hearts for His Glory HOD Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory

 

 Bigger Hearts for His Glory
CHARACTER

Character First along with Character Booklets from Keeper’s of the Faith

 Big Thoughts for Little People

My ABC Bible Verses

The Singing Bible

 Leading Little Ones to God

Hide ‘em In Your Heart CD

 A Child’s Book of Character Building Book 1

 

 A Child’s Book of Character Building Book 2 Character First

Wisdom and the Millers
WORLDVIEW Adventures in Obedience

(Cat & Dog Theology)

 Cat & Dog Theology Elementary 1 Cat & Dog Theology Elementary 2
HISTORY American American American
GEOGRAPHY BF Geography through Literature
ENGLISH R&S ABC Books? English for the Thoughtful Child 1 English for the Thoughtful Child 2 MFW Primary Language Lessons MFW Primary Language Lessons
SPELLING All About Spelling Level 1 All About Spelling Level 2 All About Spelling Level 3 All About Spelling Level 4
READING/LITERATURE Lots of Reading Aloud!

 

 Lots of Reading Aloud!

 

 Pathway Readers Emerging Readers

Pathway Readers

 Emerging Readers and/OR

Pathway Readers

 Pathway Readers
WRITING A Reason for Handwriting K A Reason for Handwriting A A Reason for Handwriting Transition A Reason for Handwriting C
MATH Numbers 1-10 Horizons OR LOF Horizons OR LOF Horizons OR LOF Horizons OR LOF
SCIENCE Shining Dawn Books – Nature By the Season 106 Days of Creation

OR More Shining Dawn Book Units

 Living Learning Books Science HOD Science

AND Apologia Flying Creatures
ROTATIONS

Simply Charlotte Mason Picture Studies, Shakespeare in Three Steps, Beautiful Feet Composer Study then SCM’s Music Study with the Masters, Hymns from a Kid’s Heart and Then Sings My Soul, SCM’s Enjoy the Poems and Favorite Poems Old and New and Poems for Memorization, Shining Dawn Books for Nature Study, Art – Creating a Masterpiece, Missionary Biographies

 Poet:  Rudyard Kipling

 

 Poet:  Lewis Carroll Poet:  Christina Rosetti

Picture Study:  John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt

 

 Poet:

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Picture Study:  Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses

 Poet: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Picture Study:  John James Audubon and Pablo Picasso
ELECTIVES
CORE CURRICULUM A Year of Playing Skillfully ages 3 & 4

Little Hands to Heaven

 MFW Kindergarten MFW 1st Grade HOD LHFHG HOD Beyond LHFHG HOD Bigger HFHG

 

 

FOURTH FIFTH SIXTH SEVENTH EIGHTH
BIBLE HOD Preparing TQ Beginnings TQ Beginnings Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time

 Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time
CHARACTER Prudence and the Millers

Character First

 The Young Peacemaker

Character First

 Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends Beautiful Girlhood and Raising Maidens of Virtue Before You Meet Prince Charming
WORLDVIEW Apologia Who Is God? Apologia Who Am I? Apologia Who is My Neighbor? Apologia What on Earth Should I Do? A Young Historians Introduction to Worldview
HISTORY PHFHG with Draw Write Now Pilgrims, Pirates and Patriots and Draw Write Now Napoleum to Lady Liberty – World of the 1800’s and Draw Write Now Invention, Exploration & War – 20th Century TQ Beginnings with Draw Write Now Creation through Jonah TQ Greece with Draw Write Now Greece & Rome TQ Rome with Draw Write Now Vikings, Middle Ages & Renaissance TQ Middle Ages
GEOGRAPHY A Child’s Geography of the World by Hillyer OR Galloping the Globe Trail Guide to Bible Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to Bible Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to World Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to World Geography OR MapTrek
ENGLISH Intermediate LL 1 Intermediate LL 2 Intermediate LL 3 Winston Grammar Winston Grammar
SPELLING Spelling Wisdom 1 Spelling Wisdom 2 Spelling Wisdom 3 Spelling Wisdom 4 Spelling Wisdom 5
READING/LITERATURE HOD Book List HOD Book List HOD Book List HOD Book List HOD Book List
WRITING Begin Typing Continue Typing IEW Student Writing Intensive IEW Ancient

History Based Writing Lessons

 IEW Continue Ancient and Begin Renaissance
MATH LOF LOF LOF LOF LOF
SCIENCE Apologia Astronomy OR

Science in the Ancient World

 Apologia Swimming Creatures OR

The Scientific Revolution

 Apologia Land Animals OR

Science in the Age of Reason

 Apologia Botony OR

Science in the Industrial Revolution

 Apologia Human Anatomy and Physiology
ROTATIONS Poet:  Robert Louis Stephenson

Picture Study:  Cezanne and Pierre Auguste Renoir

 Poet:  Robert Frost

Picture Study:  Giotto and Raphael

 Poet:  Emily Dickenson

Picture Study:  Van Eyck and Fra Angelico

 Poet:  Alfred Lord Tennyson

Picture Study:  Botticelli and daVinci

 Poet:  Sir Walter Scott

Picture Study:  Durer and Michelangelo

Shakespeare:  A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
ELECTIVES Art:  Creating a Masterpiece OR Artistic Pursuits AND

Barry Stebbing’s Nature Drawing and Journaling

 

NINTH TENTH ELEVENTH TWELFTH
BIBLE Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time

 Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time

 Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time

 Continue with Beginnings until finished

Then allow student to own their own study time
CHARACTER A Young Woman After God’s Own Heart Ourselves Book 1 Ourselves Book 2 Of Knights and Fair Maidens
WORLDVIEW How to be Your Own Selfish Pig

AND, Cat & Dog Theology Year 1

 Cat & Dog Theology Year 2 Cat & Dog Theology Year 3 AND

I don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Athiest

 Understanding the Times AND

Cat & Dog Theology Year 4

 
HISTORY TQ Renaissance, Reformation, Exploration TQ Age of Revolution 1 TQ Age of Revolution 2 TQ Age of Revolution 3
GEOGRAPHY Trail Guide to World Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to US Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to US Geography OR MapTrek Trail Guide to US Geography OR MapTrek
ENGLISH
SPELLING
READING/LITERATURE Progeny Press Literature Guides OR The Reader’s Odyssey with Honey for a Teen’s Heart Progeny Press Literature Guides OR The Reader’s Odyssey with Honey for a Teen’s Heart Progeny Press Literature Guides OR The Reader’s Odyssey with Honey for a Teen’s Heart Progeny Press Literature Guides OR The Reader’s Odyssey with Honey for a Teen’s Heart
WRITING IEW Continue Renaissance IEW US History Based Writing Lessons IEW US History Based Writing Lessons IEW US History Based Writing Lessons
MATH LOF LOF Financial Peace
SCIENCE Exploration Education Physical Science Biology 101 OR ACE Biology Chemistry 101 OR ACE Chemistry
ROTATIONS Poet:  Robert Browning

Picture Study:  Titian and Velazquez

 Poet:  Carl Sandburg

Picture Study:  Turner and Rembrandt

Shakespeare:  As You Like It

 Poet:  William Wordsworth

Picture Study:  Millet and Constable

 Poet:  John Greenleaf Whittier

Picture Study:  Monet and Van Gogh

Shakespeare:  Taming of the Shrew
ELECTIVES MFW Health

Creative Writing

Foreign Language

 Foreign Language

Logic

 Economics

 

 Government

Some of the typing transferred from Microsoft Word to blog world came out a bit strange, but hopefully you can make most of it out.  I will stop here this time….as this is A LOT to take in.  Next time, I’ll tell you what each of my curriculum choices for the 2016-2017 year are!  (Not all details of the curriculum types are listed in the Scope & Sequence, and as I said before, the Scope & Sequence is just a guide).

Do you make a Scope & Sequence for your homeschool?  What are some of the “Don’t Miss” subjects for your kiddos?

Until next time, Happy Planning!

April 8, 2016

2016-2017 Homeschool Planning Underway

desk-912577_1920

So, it’s that time of year again!  My favorite time!  When I start evaluating how our current year of school has gone, and start looking ahead to planning the next year.  I am naturally a planner, so I love, love, love this time of year.  Choosing curriculum is like choosing Christmas gifts, and getting the boxes in is like opening the gifts on Christmas day!  It’s so much fun!  I think anyone who loves homeschooling would agree.

I am an eclectic homeschooler, but my method has grown more fully Charlotte Mason as the years have gone by.  I knew I loved the method and wanted to incorporate it as soon as I began reading about it, but it took YEARS of studying about it before I was able to finally make a schedule that truly is what I imagined a Charlotte Mason Education would be.  Yet, just like growth in anything, there’s always more to learn and changes to be made that can improve on what was already good.  That’s where I am now.

The 2015-2016 school year has been my 11th year of homeschooling.  This year I will graduate one of my kiddos.  I can hardly believe it!  And, next year, I will have a sophomore, a 4th grader, and a preschooler.  Each of the rest of my children are 6 years apart in age, so though early in my homeschooling days I was able to combine some subjects for my oldest two (only 3 years apart), I can no longer do this except for what I call “Together Time”.  This is first thing in the morning where we study memory verses together and do our “rotation subjects”.  (Rotation subjects are usually only done once or twice a week on different days and include:  Poetry, Hymn Study, Composer Study, Picture Study, Nature Study, Art, Character, and Shakespeare – if we are studying a play that year).  So, now that we only do these things together, it has become increasingly important for me to schedule our day so that I can devote one on one time with each student where they need it, allow independent work where they are capable, and breaks where they interact with the preschooler and/or go outside.

I have several other decisions that I have to make at this time of year, also.  Choosing curriculum is the most fun!  I’ve already chosen the curriculum I will be using next year and will talk about that in a future post.  I also have to decide what activities we will be participating in, whether it be a co-op, music lessons, drama, sports, etc, and what field trips we want to take.  I like to plan field trips that somehow relate to what we are learning.  I will admit, these decisions are the most difficult to decide, because if I include too much, it thwarts the learning and cuts into our regular school days.

I pray a lot during the process of this planning season.  I pray about what curriculum to choose; that my children will not only learn and connect with it, but that it will cause a love for learning deep within them.  And, I pray about what activities we should be a part of that will add just the right amount of enjoyment to their year.  And, then, I pray that I will be able to write lesson plans that will challenge, but not frustrate.  There’s a lot of praying going on for sure!  And, right now, I’m in the midst of much of that prayer, seeking His face and His guidance for our year.  I know that my time in prayer is the most important, because it’s in the waiting that I listen and go forward with what I feel He is leading.  However, I have to admit, sometimes I’m not the most patient in the process of the waiting, and that, in the past, has caused me to make decisions that ended up not being the best choices.

The Homeschool Conference season is just around the corner, and I’m so excited!  It’s such a blessing to go and sit through the classes and be reinspired, refreshed, and ready to face the upcoming year.  And, then to have the added benefit of browsing all the curriculum at the Curriculum Fair.  It is often true that I will have chosen two different types of curriculum for the same subject, and then after being able to see and hold each one in my hands at a fair, I am able to make the best decision.  Seeing and touching firsthand is the best!  So much fun!  And, now that one of my daughters is old enough to volunteer at the Conference and Curriculum Fair, we make an entire weekend of it by renting a hotel and really enjoying a mini get away!  It’s such a blast!  And, to be able to share it with my daughters is an even bigger bonus!

So, how do you go about planning your homeschool year?