I think that when you have a rhythm to your days, it makes it all the sweeter when you take time away from it. We’re spending days at my parent’s place, running all over the hillside with cousins (also homeschooled) from sun up to sun down. Maybe it’s due to the fact that we’ve been reading the book, My Side of the Mountain, and the cousins are going through the Little House series, that their play has revolved around surviving in the wild together (as seen in my stories) 😄🍁🍄🏹 We’re also jumping in on a fun school project or two, as pictured. .
How good and refreshing it is for us all to ‘depart the text’ from time to time. Do you schedule in breaks or getaways? I find it infuses us with more energy and enthusiasm on our ‘regular’ school weeks. .
#thekindkingdom #thepeacefulpress
I’ve received some questions recently that concern me. Folks eager to know when I started Gavin in dual credit college classes so they too can be sure to get their kids on the “right track.”
I get it. The temptation to compare loads and base our decisions, and even our security on that is real. .
But please hear my heart. Even when each of my own kids are 17, the path that they will be on may be vastly different. One of the greatest benefits of home education is the ability to move at a pace that is life-giving for each child and to tailor the education for their interest and needs. .
And as controversial as it may be, I don’t believe college is the right path for everyone, nor do I believe our success as mamas should be based on how prepared a teen is to excel in the university. Yes, academic growth is vital, but how about instead of using that as the ultimate measuring stick we take a closer look at our child and our connection.
Is there frustration? Julie Bogart said, “We overvalue struggle as evidence of learning, when if we really think about it, joy and pleasure are much better signs of learning and growth.” Are we taking the time to share in books that move us? Are we laughing and enjoying movies together, discussing our passions and struggles and values and who God is? These discussions go far and deep. Is my child growing in love for the Lord and integrity? Am I assisting him in discovering his interests without pressure to perform? Is he solid in my unconditional love? .
It’s primarily the heart of the home, the relationships within, your child’s character, the richness of living life together through the good and the hard, that your child will take with him/her. Let’s keep that at the forefront. 💫
I published the details of our daily rhythm on the blog, the rhythm we’ve generally used for years. 🍁🍂 In sharing this flow that has worked for us I’m in no way proclaiming, “Copy this!” My hope is that taking a peek into our life helps you in some way, even if it’s merely to tweak a trouble spot in your day or stirring up your own ideas as to what may work for you in this season. .
You’ll notice we flow from one harder thing to an easier, all day long. My Quinn especially, with his wiggles and focusing issues, thrives with this routine, though I’ve found that spacing out our learning times throughout the day has benefited all of us. We enjoy it and absorb it more fully as the richness is weaved throughout our day. 🍂
#linkinprofile
“The key to a kinder and gentler homeschool is attending to the details we overlook - the coziness of our homes, the principles of natural learning, and the tenderness of our intimate relationships.” //Julie Bogart, The Brave Learner .
One last embrace before he heads to dual credit classes. Their relationship is the sweetest thing I’ve ever witnessed and I’m overwhelmingly grateful that Gavin is still very present with all of us. I know his time away will slowly increase, but now is now and we’re relishing in it.
Over the years we didn’t always finish our curriculum, or enter all the competitions that could have placed trophies on my children’s shelves, but time is and has been invested together. And I see it and feel it increasingly, that it’s one thing I’ll never regret. 😭❤️
It can be a great dilemma of the homeschooling life - whether to let them be when their imaginations take over (between school subjects) and they’re thoroughly enjoying each other (without bickering!), or whether to draw them back into their schoolwork. .
I don’t think that there’s always a right answer and sometimes a play day is in order, but here are some tips that help me navigate this. .
1) Our daily rhythm is laid out in such a way that there is plenty of cushion. Allowing for room to breathe means that we can usually stay on task even with a half hour play break here or there. (Hope to finish my blog post on our rhythm this weekend 🤞). .
2) The kids knock out their least loved subjects first (hello math and spelling). Their other curriculum consists of books, art, and playful projects that are truly life giving for all of us, so there is rarely complaining when I pull them into history, literature, nature study, etc. (Absolutely love The Kind Kingdom and other curriculum by @jenniferpepito ) .
3) We keep our schedule as simple as we possibly can, so I know that there will be ample free time after schoolwork is finished for the wonders of play. One afternoon each week we are away for Book Club, the kids are involved in midweek evening services at our church, Quinn does his ukulele lessons from home and meets monthly for his nature club, and we host a monthly homeschool gathering, but that is it. Keeping our commitments few has strengthened their relationships, nurtured their imaginations, and enriched our lives.
How do you handle it when play takes over? ☺️
Days like these are surreal. This precious boy of ours, touring the university, discussing his plans of a software engineering degree with advisors. He’ll graduate this Spring with 2 years of college under his belt, and I’m reminded of how I trembled at the responsibility of educating a child so eager to take on the world. So hungry for knowledge, with interests and gifting the opposite of mine. .
When God led us to suddenly pull him out of school at 8, I did not know how I was going to do him justice, but God assured us that we didn’t need to worry. If I would show up and be faithful, He would do Gavin justice. .
I didn’t fully know what I was doing, but we shared in God’s Word together and learned to work hard alongside each other. We’ve grown up together, in a way. I said things I shouldn’t have and let frustration take over countless times.
We ate and laughed, sang, argued and dealt with consequences, scribbled away at math, journeyed to a thousand places through stories, learned from hundreds of books about the planets and dinosaurs and what our organs do, hiked and studied the clouds. Together. .
I wondered if he’d ever punctuate or write without force. He wondered if I could read a book without tears.
I wondered at the surprise of a life so deeply fulfilling. .
We surrounded ourselves with books, but God worked the miracle of learning.
God takes our simple willingness to show up and does something greater than we imagine. .
The days flew by.
I marvel at the young man he’s becoming, and at the indescribable gift of watching a unique soul grow and learn to soar.
Over the many years we’ve become quite a team and can get the kitchen scrubbed within minutes amidst loud music and often joking around. For too long I allowed the weight of it all to be on me, and it wasn’t until Gavin was 9 that I began to train the kids in household tasks. Waiting so long made it harder on him and me, but still, attitudes improved with responsibility. Confidence in their capabilities increased. A team mentality. And I no longer faced a mental breakdown daily with the weight of too much household work on me. 😆 .
Now at 4, Willow has begun to help a bit by simply putting any plastics in her drawer during kitchen cleaning, making her bed (it’s more about her getting into the habit rather than it being perfect), getting dressed, and putting her pajamas away. She puts away her craft supplies or abandoned toys before meals. .
Between our morning chores, 5-10 minute afternoon chores (a different one each day), and kitchen cleanup I don’t have to wonder when the toilets or mirrors or dusty shelves will be cleaned. (Details on all that on an upcoming blog post). .
Start little by little, sweet mamas, and doing their part to help will become natural, and so will slowly increasing their load as they grow. . “It’s easy to overlook the value of your kids’ ability to work through a challenge. That is, until it becomes a discipline problem that parents are compelled to deal with. The research team found that grit, which is defined in the study as the ability to perform a strenuous or difficult task without giving up decreased as children’s screen time increased.
On the other hand, when children in the study had limited screen time and were given chores to do, they performed better socially, academically, and emotionally, and they had better control over their focus and attention. Contributing to simple household tasks, such as setting the table, cooking, or helping with laundry, gave children a better sense of self-esteem and responsibility.” //Kim John Payne, The Soul of Discipline
It’s a simple tradition of ours - that the first day of Fall we burn pumpkin marshmallow candles, make or grab an autumn treat (last year we baked pumpkin muffins; this year store-bought apple pie 😄🍎🥧), share some of our much loved Fall-ish books and poetry, play the movie soundtracks that feel like the season (Little Women, Lord of the Rings), and then finish the day with either the start of the Road to Avonlea series or the start of Lord of the Rings movies. LOTR won this year. 🏹
Now if only we could get the weather to cooperate.. 🥵🙏 .
Either way, it’s official now. Happy Fall friends! 🍁🍂🎃 . {and I haven’t forgotten; I am working on a blog post regarding our daily rhythm as many of you requested 😘}
I’ve been living in this state of tender, grateful, astounded awe that I can connect to the heart of God whether I’m cooking oatmeal, comforting my 4 year old, preparing lessons, waking in the middle of the night, driving to grocery pickup, walking in the cool of the evening, or sorting laundry. He is there always, eager to steady me with His loving presence and wisdom, and I am held by Him. Just as you are. .
What could be more grand than this? .
Sitting at my desk in my room. This is where I ‘escape’ for a bit each morning and afternoon for time to gather my thoughts, talk to my Father, read all the books, and scribble away in my journals. I’m basically solar powered, so this wide open view overlooking our pasture draws me in and I sit there in grateful wonder, cry healing tears, and simply learn to be still as I lean into Him.
Today our land was filled with children exploring, walking among the goats, gathering seeds and even snake skins and animal bones from the forest (!), walking under butterflies and dragonflies, and sketching some of their finds. One boy even found a cow’s hipbone and proudly took it home. 😆 .
This is the first of the monthly @wildandfree.co homeschool gatherings I’m so excited to host here, as well as field trips this year. It was utter joy to share this place that we’re still astounded God has brought us to. We prayed from the start that our place would be a sort of innocence preserve, where the wonder of childhood will always reside and God’s goodness clearly seen. 🍃
This is such a fantastic privilege! After strumming away on the ukulele for many months, proving to us that he was indeed serious about taking on this instrument, Quinn is taking lessons from the one and only Josh Hunt, of The Hunts, via FaceTime. 🤩🤩🤩 (@thehuntsmusic ) .
Josh has been incredibly kind and encouraging, and we’re deeply grateful he’s willing to devote some of his time and incredible talent, even while touring, into budding musicians. .
Check out The Hunts if you haven’t yet. A band of 7 siblings that will blow your mind with their sincerity and unique gifting! 😆🤩😍
A quick sunny selfie with my precious ones to document the start of a new era. Tomorrow I’m 40!! 🎉 .
I’ve struggled with this number, but each decade of my life has been significantly better than the one before, and I’m peering into the future with a smile. .
I will recall my 30s as a decade of grand adventure, trials and triumphs, fulfilling purpose, and deepening wonder and love. Sun-drenched, like this photo, and with my people. .
My 30s in a nutshell: we left the city with only a teacher’s aide job and a church that we loved awaiting us! Parked a mobile home on our friend’s land, embraced homeschooling and country living. Bliss. Shared a vehicle. No cell phone. Fell madly in love with reading aloud. Dan promoted to teacher next year, and principal the next. Found and bought our tiny house on our dream land. Heaven. Gardening. Milking our own cow. Discovered my love of writing. Years of infertility. Tears amidst the joy and wonder of our enchanting home educating life. Counseling young mamas. Dan doubles the size of our house one little step at a time. An exhilarating family project. Trying. Exhausting and satisfying. Baby Willow is born. Prayer answered. Cloud nine. Sweet days learning together and enjoying baby. Dan’s charter school was shut down like many across the state. Job lost. Sleepless nights. Agonizing. Clinging to each other and God desperately. Love deepened. Trust in God multiplied. Dan starts construction business with only his experience building our house. Continue to counsel young mamas. Raising toddler to teens in our home. Seeking God’s guidance through it all. Another pregnancy. Loss. Tears. Building trust in God’s timing. Ties deepening within our family. Falling in love with Dan deeper and deeper. Business flourishing. Sweet days at home learning together. Praying for baby #5. Taking time to write more. Counsel more. Homeschool group started. Digging deeper with God. Hungry for more. ✨
In my first several years of homeschooling I had no routine in place. I continually carried the weight of “what should we do next?” I don’t know if anything drains like constant decision making! The lack of predictability was hard on the kids too. I’m not an extremely disciplined person by nature and didn’t think I could do it, but after reading about the benefits I was finally motivated. .
Now it’s been years that we’ve lived with the peace and predictability that a rhythm can bring. (Of course with a toddler and just human beings in general there have been challenges, but it’s still been significantly easier with this in place). I’ve tweaked it over the years, but have changed it as little as possible, just as I’ve changed our chores as little as possible. It becomes natural. And sure, there’s always room for flexibility. I’ve learned to have a keen eye for the spark of creativity and give it ample space. Some days I sense we all need to spend the entire day outdoors or do an impromptu play day with friends. .
But it’s our 3rd week in our school year and I’ve been reminded of the deep comforting satisfaction that a healthy rhythm can bring. I know there is time throughout our day for all needs to be met. Wiggles regularly released, minds challenged, beautiful books shared, hands on fun, quiet refueling time for us all, teamwork in chores and play, ample free time indoors and out. Have you found a life giving rhythm ?? . {I’ll share the details of our tried and true rhythm on my next blog post}
I’m raising a hallelujah over here. 🙌 For the first time in my almost 40 years, I have a pantry! My amazing mama (photo 2) built and installed these and I no longer need to sift through towers of cans on the floor to figure out what I have. .
As eager as I’ve been to jump into all things school, Mom took the kids back to the city for a few days this week after she installed these so I could completely redo my kitchen organization. I tossed out an embarrassing amount of expired food. No more mystery items lurking in the back of cabinets! There’s still baskets to buy, but it’s already changing my life just to know what I have and know where it is. 😆 .
Yes, Dan could have built these, but between running a business, being Dad, and working on other projects here (currently finishing up the exterior of our house with cedar shutters and window boxes), we decided to leave this to Mom. It’s been over 4 years since we started the slow process of doubling the size of our little house. We didn’t have peace in taking on more debt so Dan has built it little by little as God and time have provided, making it possibly the slowest renovation (and excruciatingly so - we still share the same shower), but it’s been a priceless part of our kids’ education as they’ve been involved in almost every step, and we celebrate wildly each little milestone such as this. And boy, do we appreciate each step that is finished. . (More on our building process in a blog post to come). .
So, help a girl out if you would.. I’d so appreciate hearing your best pantry storage/food organization tips!
Most evenings I step out for 30-40 minutes of exercise, deeply inhaling the fresh air as I trek hard and fast around the property. Stress and endorphins are released. The fading sun is filtered through the dancing leaves as I talk with the Lover of my soul. Sometimes I listen to a podcast. The kids play in the distance; occasionally Willow dances around me and then back to her dad. The steer stares and goats bleat. Though I’m giving it all physically, I feel continually revived. .
I shared a couple weeks ago how I take time as a busy home educator to nourish my soul, and strengthen my mind in this season. This is how I take care of body and, quite honestly, a large part of my mental health. This time helps to prevent my own meltdowns (!), improves my sleep, perspective, brain function, energy levels, memory, and more! (Google it. The benefits are endless). .
If I could go back, I’d tell myself, a frazzled young mama of 3, how it’s not only alright to ask for time here and there to invest in myself, but it’s a gift to my family. As my family can attest, I end my walks a sweaty mess with the biggest smile on my face. You may not be able to put in 30 minutes every evening or walk in the country, (my walks in the city were rewarding to me as well) but creatively and courageously think of what you can do. It makes all the difference. I’m rooting for you. 💃
It’s been a brutal August here in Texas, so when we awoke to the delight of thunderous skies and torrents of rain, Willow asked if we could bake a thunder cake. 🍓Sometimes the routine needs to make way for celebration. .
So, between the cake batter with the cocoa that exploded all over the open shelving, buttercream frosting, and the kids’ salt dough project of the British Isles, I don’t know when the kitchen will fully recover! But these are the projects rich in memories and messes that I once said no to far too often. We indulged in it during our afternoon reading of The Magician’s Nephew. 🍓 Over time I’ve grown passionate over this type of living and learning as I know it’s a road of little regret. What children and teens need most is not our expertise or constant advice, but simply our time. ❤️ .
For those interested: I’m using @jenniferpepito ‘s curriculum The Kind Kingdom for my middles (both the salt dough project and reading are a part of that). We are absolutely enjoying it. Willow is playing her way through Jennifer’s preschool curriculum, The Peaceful Preschool.
And so another year dawns! ☀️ Pre-K, 5th grade, 8th grade, and SENIOR (and yet finishing up his sophomore year of college.. what do you call these dual credit guys 😄🤷♀️). And behind the camera there’s me, embarking on my 11th year home educating! .
There’s hard days, ugly days, beautiful and dreamy days, endlessly fulfilling days, and survival days. But through it all we are together for these fleeting years and I’m so thankful. .
As Whitman once wrote, “We were together. I forget the rest.”
I plopped down, eager for a minute of rest before our dinner guests arrived and Willow saw it as an opportunity to jump in my lap and play, as usual. 😄 If I’m regularly taking time to invest in myself - even in small increments- there’s a remarkable difference in my ability to happily engage with her and soak up the tender sweetness of this stage. .
In my last post I wrote about how I make time to connect with God; now I’ll share a bit about how I invest in my mind and take another moment to refuel as an introvert. Homeschooling is an extroverted lifestyle, and I’ve learned if I’m going to be able to continually pour out, I need to have little pockets of time throughout my day to be renewed. There’s my time after breakfast (details in last post) and then after our lunchtime cleanup, we each escape to our corners and snuggle up with a book for an hour of quiet. I turn on Little Bear or Franklin for Willow, and after 40ish minutes I bring her to my bed and read to her. (I’m slowly transitioning her to more time resting with books and less screen. She hasn’t napped in years so Little Bear has provided me some renewal time) 🙌 .
I bring my iced brew back to my room, (no chores allowed), scan over Instagram (no more than 15 minutes), and then spend about 30 in a book, copying the extraordinary into my journal. The kids read for at least 30, then they can play/journal/paint quietly in their room for the remaining time. .
This pocket of pure peace renews us all. When Willow was a baby I may not have gotten more than 10 minutes to myself some afternoons, but I tried to seize it, spending that time in a way that would truly nourish me. .
Homeschooling, too, has rejuvenated me as I learn all matters of fascinating alongside my kids. It’s been a surprising investment in my mind. I’ve absorbed far more than I did in the countless hours I spent in a private school classroom. To get to journey with my kids back to Egypt or to the Boston Tea Party or on the prairie with the Ingalls, has been endlessly fulfilling. If I’ve made space for moments to be renewed, I can fully engage. I can be present. . (soon I’ll share how I invest in my body)
