I don’t know and that’s okay…

So we’ve just completed our 3rd week of homeschooling. I’m learning as I go. Last week my son started preschool and so it was our first week acclimating to a new schedule. I can’t say we exactly know what were doing as of yet…we’re basically winging it but that’s okay. This past Sunday’s church service was perfect for me because the guest speaker was talking about one of God’s sweetest commands for us which is Matthew 6:25 “Do not worry about your life.” How many of us like to worry and enjoy worrying? I know I hate feeling worried and anxious and wish I didn’t worry. But, if I don’t watch myself, it is so easy to worry!  With regard to homeschooling, I can worry about how well I’m teaching my kids or how much I’m teaching them and if it’s enough. As a new homeschooler, I can get anxious about not having figured out our family’s homeschool and life schedule yet.  I can get anxious about not having enough time in the day to get all the things I have on my to do list done. Can you relate? Well, I love that God reminded me that I don’t have to worry…about anything (…still hard to do but I am fighting this good fight!)

Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

As people, and especially as women (I believe), we want to know everything, we want to plan everything and even if we don’t know exactly how things are going to turn out exactly, we want to be prepared for whatever happens (or doesn’t happen).  And I do mean BE PREPARED!!! That means, if A doesn’t happen than plan B and if plan B doesn’t happen than plan C and so forth…yet by the time C comes around (and we’re hoping we don’t have to get to plan C and AT LEAST our plan B happens) then our anxiety and fears grow. We begin to question God. Why doesn’t God want to bless me? Am I doing something wrong? Is God punishing me? and so on and so forth.  And I don’t know about you, but for me, I then begin to feel guilty for worrying (knowing that I should trust God). It’s crazy I tell you! Anyway, the guest speaker said (and I believe this to be often true especially for me)…we HATE not knowing…though as Christians we should be okay with “not knowing”…having the “I don’t knows” in our life.  Why?

In his heart a man plans his course, but he LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORDS’ purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21)

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30)

And I really love this…

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the LORD.   “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;  the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands…” Isaiah 55:8-12

It doesn’t mean that I don’t plan, but I also need to be okay if it doesn’t turn out my way. I need to remember that there is someone (GOD) far greater than me, smarter than me, wiser than me that knows what’s best for me (and those around me) and I CAN TRUST HIM.  So I shared all that to say that as of now, I’m okay with not having everything figured out.

I am trying to get a schedule together (my plan) of our week and the things i’d like to do, need to do, etc. But I’m also okay that I haven’t gotten my schedule all together yet. I kind of know but kind of don’t know exactly what we’ll be doing all week this week. I don’t know at what time during the day and what day we’ll be completing specific task but I do know that I will plan to have the tasks complete by the end of the week.  I believe that what God expects of me is to do my best and he’ll take care of the rest.  The longer I do this and more experience I get, I do believe I will grow in knowing what works best with our family in this homeschooling process.  For now, this is how we roll! =)

So, I love posts with photos and so I thought i’d share this with you…

This is my daughter (i’ll call her MY on here) and she’s proudly holding up a collage she made of things she found as we explored our backyard of things God made. 

We were able to incorporate so many things under one activity.  There was bible study. I had my daughter and son open their bible to the scripture book and verse and we talked about it by asking them what are some things they can think of that God made.  There’s writing.  I then had my daughter write the book and verse on construction paper and I wrote the scripture out for my son.  Then I gave them each a brown paper bag and a small magnifying glass (from School Box) and we went out to our backyard to explore things God had made. I told them they could then collect some of these things in their brown paper bag.  When we got back inside the house, we looked at everything each of them collected and I had them create a kind of collage of their finds.  And that’s Art…check!  Both my kids really had so much fun doing this activity! My daughter ended up sharing this collage with her Wednesday class.

Do you love exploring the outdoors? Do you have an activity that combines various subjects? Please do share…I’d love to hear about the kinds of things you do?

Thanks!

Do you hear that?

One of the things I love to do is just search through topics of interest on the internet. I love reading things that inspire or challenge me. For example, I love looking at photography blogs to inspire my love of photography. I read other homeschooling blogs to just see what others are doing and maybe get a few tips to improve on things I do.

So I came across something recently…an article written in The Washington Post called Pearls Before Breakfast that has compelled me to write about it. It’s a lengthy article but worth the read. Please do read the whole article and tell me what you think.

This article really hit a chord with me.  Though it’s an old article (written in 2007), I think this article resonates with me, even today, because I can see myself as one of the many passerby that miss the music.  It’s scary to think that I may be missing so much with my own agenda and the things “I” – “NEED” – to do!!! I’m challenged! Slow down and don’t miss out on the music that’s playing.

Excited to get things going…

So we’re into the third week of homeschooling. So far, it’s not as crazy as I had imagined it would be. Of course, I may be speaking to soon as my youngest doesn’t start preschool until after Labor Day.  So I have 1 day left before both kids will be in “school”…so we’ll see how I feel after this week. But I am excited to get things going…

Schooling the heart & mind…

I love the book, Educating the Whole-Hearted Child.  It’s a helpful guide for a parent looking at homeschooling their child through a Christian perspective. I especially loved certain sections that helped me look at what it’s really all about…especially for the Christian parent.  It’s not about having the smartest child or schooling for the sake of schooling. No! I believe that my children go to “school” to be trained and disciplined in order to make it through the real test…real life!

…to be “educated” is not a matter of something you know or have achieved. Rather, to be educated is something you become. A truly educated child is one who has the desire and the ability to learn and to grow. The desire to learn (will) is from the heart; the ability to learn (skill) is in the mind. (Clarkson, Clay and Susan Clarkson, Educating the Whole-Hearted Child(underline), Monumment, CO:  Whole Heart Ministries, 1994.)

I understand that not everyone has the opportunity or desire to home school and in my opinion, not everyone has to. I write these posts simply to help gather my own thoughts as well as share my experiences with anyone interested in reading about them. I’m far from perfect and learning as I go.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21   Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, ²¹ so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Homeschooling: A Chosen Path

I found this great summary of the various homeschooling methods from a post on Heart of the Matter {online}…

“When mothers first began homeschooling their children there were few if any options. Each mother had to do extensive research. They had to not only find information to share with their children, they had to figure out just how to teach it so that their children could benefit from it. There were no philosophies, no ideals, no one out there pointing to a specific path or another…” A Chosen Path.

Our Chosen Path:

I think it’s amazing how far homeschooling has come since those days when options were few and far between. Today, there is so much information/resources available.  As the article explains, there are various paths on this homeschooling road.  The path our family decided to take is probably the more eclectic path…My daughter attends school (accredited to support homeschooling families) one day  per week.  The school has a set curriculum which I use as a guide to help me set up what she’ll be doing at home the rest of the week. For me, I love this! I love that I don’t have to start from scratch. Also, I love the idea that I’d have one day per week where I could break from teaching and my daughter has the opportunity to learn from someone else.  I know some homeschooling families can’t imagine sending their kids to school…isn’t this exactly what homeschooling is not? But this is our path and so far, we love the path we’ve chosen!

What path(s) have you chosen for your family?

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