Hello from the Homefront! {Updates, Homeschool planning}
Hi! So, I thought I’d just write a very down-to-earth post sharing what’s been going on in our family for the past few months and what is whirling around in my mind as I ponder our year. I know, it’s been too long! This year, in so many ways has been quite different. To be honest, as I always warn, we have completed some but definitely not all of our ‘plan’. We started our walk through Modern History (using Simply Charlotte Mason’s family guide) and are still only at Lesson 36 of a 176 lesson program. *sigh* But, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been learning. I don’t know if any…
Finding Hope and Purpose in the ‘Ordinary Life’
Can I whisper something to you? Yep. There truly is no greater calling than the one God has already put you right in the middle of. I’ve learned this the hard way. We seek the big time before we’ve mastered little league. I’ve sought the big time, and boy have I sucked at little league. I’ve quested for the big dreams, the big calling, the BIG MINISTRY, the big business, you name it – I’ve lusted for it. It took me a long time to figure out what I thought I wanted wasn’t what I needed. God already has me right where He wants me. When you’re a stay-at-home Mom…
Why we can’t let our Schedule Steal our Joy.
It’s mid-morning when my eldest child begs me to go outside and play in the leaves. Here’s what goes on in my head in the span of about 3 seconds: (Insert heaving sigh along with a deep groan.) Really? Honestly? He wants to play outside? We haven’t even STARTED our work (again)… why, oh why is it taking us so long to get anything that looks remotely like ‘school work’ done these days? We are so behind in writing… oh my goodness. No, we absolutely cannot go outside… seriously. We have so much do to- our schedule is FULL today… maybe later but not in the morning. No.…
Ten.
He slips his hand in mine as we stroll down the familiar path on a sunny afternoon. I smile down at him and we chat about the corn fields and how the stalks are towering now in mid-July. So calm, so easy is our friendship. It wasn’t always so. Not by a long shot. Oh, how far the Lord has brought Mama and son. He’s 10 years old this summer. And I’m still dumbfounded as to where on earth the last decade went. So much has happened since this surprise first-born came into my life. As I reflect on the time since I became a Mama, I know it full…
What Charlotte Mason had to Say about Play
“There is a danger in these days of much educational effort that children’s play should be crowded out [or what is the same thing] should be prescribed for and arranged until there is no more freedom of choice about play than about work. We do not say a word against the educational value of games (such as football, basketball, etc.) … but organized games are not play in the sense we have in view. Boys and girls must have time to invent episodes, carry on adventures, live heroic lives, lay sieges and carry forts, even if the fortress be an old armchair; and in these affairs the elders must neither…
Why Love needs to be the Heart of the Home{school}
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 So begins the famous passage so often read at weddings and so desperately needed in the home and the homeschool. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, does not boast… and we can insert the word “Mama” every time we read love for some added effect. Or guilt. It depends, doesn’t it? Mama is patient, kind, not proud, never rude… Mama is not self-seeking, Mama is not easily angered, Mama keeps no records of wrongs… Mama always protects, always trusts, always hopes……
Scripture Memory Box and Prayer Baskets {Charlotte Mason Monday}
Family meal times are a special time to come together and enjoy each other’s company and fellowship. We have been blessed to spend pretty much every dinnertime meal all together since we started a family. And as home schoolers, I get to spend every lunch hour with the children too! When the children were very little, we found it challenging to keep them seated and establish the habit of patience and attention as they ate (or didn’t eat…). We started reading books and scripture at dinner first to simply keep the children entertained! We had no idea it would turn into such a cherished family habit. There is rarely a…
Charlotte Mason Monday – Thoughts on Atmosphere {and a ‘3-Words’ photo journal of our weekend…}
Here’s what Charlotte Mason said about atmosphere: “… there are many important aspects of the home-life from the child’s first training to his highest education, but there is nothing in the way of direct teaching that will ever have so wide and lasting effect as the atmosphere of home…” Charlotte Mason valued the Atmosphere of the Home so importantly that, in her philosophy, it comprised 1/3 of the child’s educational experience. There are so many aspects of atmosphere as discussed in Charlotte’s philosophy, so, over the next few weeks I’ll try to unpack these truths as I understand them. Atmosphere is so much more than just the feel of our…
The Sacred Ordinary. {snapshots of today}
It’s early morning. I’m sipping coffee and writing in my notebook. The boys are playing a serious game of chess at the kitchen table. Mr. Rules against Mr. Free-spirit. I chuckle inside, listening to their banter. Where did time go? I’m sure it was yesterday these boys of mine were toddlers, grabbing at chunky toy cars and board books. In the days when every day seemed to drag on for a thousand hours and I seemed to forget how blessed I was. I forgot for far too long. And I’ve been through the moulding and shaping and I’m starting to (finally) realize that every single second is a gift.…
10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know – a review and a little chat about growing up…
I was excited to read and review 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by Kari Kampakis. This started off as a simple review and then I quickly realized how passionate I was about this topic and decided to share my heart more openly in this post. In a way-too-fast culture, we need (now more than ever) to equip our teen girls with the sword of God’s truth. Lies are flying at them from all angles: their peers, the media, idols, “role models”, and even family members. Kari graciously counters lies with truth in a powerful, relevant tone that relates well to girls and Moms alike. With the Word of God…
