Sigh
One day......one day this blog will not be full of post about how we are aimlessly wandering, trying to find our niche in home schooling. One day I will feel like I wake up and know where to lead my kids that day, and the goals that should be accomplished. One day it will not feel like a chore. One day it will not give me anxiety at night that I literally have to pray away. One day my friends (and blog readers) will be free from having to hear about my lack of direction.
One day my kids will not have a mom who is crabby when it comes to home school. One day they'll have a mom who is patient to the point of long suffering if needed. One day I won't have to apologize to them at the end of our day. One day it will all meld, and we'll all get it.
Until then, we will end hard days curled up in spaces of comfort.....snuggled down in love.....reading together as the trials of the day wash away. And then we will go to our own little nooks, with all our special things, and read some more....warm and snug.
**********
I wrote this post a while back, while on my forced blog break. I was excited to come back here today and see that blogger gave up again on trying to charge me for posting pics. Since I wrote this post, I've been reading Large Family Logistics which I'm hoping will help me with some of the frustrations I mentioned above. I wasn't sure if I should post this old entry, but decided to. Some blogs are always so happy go lucky. But I'm determined to be honest in this space. My honesty in our home schooling journey has led me to reach out and receive help from some amazing moms. I hope my honesty here helps other moms feel "normal"......whatever that means, right? :)
************
I am HAPPY to be back in this space!!!
I know that you are a great mama and I am sure that you are a wonderful teacher as well. You will find your rhythm, I am sure of it. You are just balancing a lot right now! I feel like 2 kids can be a lot to juggle and I don't homeschool!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you back in this space!! Hope you and your family are well.
Love the pictures!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you are able to be back in this space! Missed you and your wonderful pictures!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't think anyone would miss me. I didn't think many people read my blog. :)
DeleteDear Jenny, oh homeschooling is a journey!
ReplyDeleteAs a family, we are/have been always growing and changing- we are not the homeschoolers we were 7 years ago when we started, not by a long shot. We learned by trial and error (now I can't believe some of what I thought and expected back then!) what works best for us, and what works best for each individual child. I have learned to let things go, to open my eyes better to what is most important, and what they are actually learning- and you will see it is a whole lot more than you think! I learned to not compare them to anyone, whether children who go to school, or other homeschoolers. I have learned they learn/do things on their own timetable, and some things are "earlier" than usual, and some are "later."
We have really gone the direction of unschooling and are happiest here- learning the most, with the happiest attitudes. I realized a while back, that cramming their heads with knowledge isn't what I wanted for them, isn't what is most important, isn't anything that has turned me into who I am today. I had tried to teach them as I had been taught, which had never worked for me, and was one of the main reasons we decided to homeschool in the first place! HA!
What we want for them is a creative free-thinking mind, the ability and desire to find out things for themselves when they are curious about something, and to keep the love of learning alive. With this in mind, my older two, ages 11 and 9 have a strong love of learning and are always interested in something- currently it is the middle ages, so we have a plan to check out library books from this time. Shea wants to know more about castles and medieval life, and Winter wants to know mostly about knights and armory. We have lose plans to build a medieval catapault, and for them to learn some songs from that era to play on violin and cello. Also, both are both avid readers, who hate math. Math is something that we have to do whether they like it or not, several days a week.
Have you read any of John Holt's books? "Learning all the time" is fabulous.
And Jenny, don't be hard on yourself- I know you are putting your whole heart and soul into those little ones of yours! And we struggle with handwriting too, and maybe always will. Gosh, my husband has awful handwriting.
Oh dear, I have said far too much- Jenny if you ever want to chat over email, I would love to talk more with you- because I know just how you feel, I have been here before, and still sometimes fall back into it!
Love, Mel
Mel, you did NOT write too much. I needed to hear this...every word. Thank you! And I'm sure I will be emailing you soon....when I can type with two hands (nursing the baby right now). :)
DeleteI too am glad you are back! I check your blog often and am so excited to see you are able to be posting free of charge. Happy new year!
ReplyDeleteI ALMOST paid the small yearly fee. Glad my cheapness held out. LOL!
Delete