About Us

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

I am a mommy of Connor (6), Noah (3) and Lainey (baby) and I have a wonderful husband, Brent.  Everybody has their own unique calling, and being home with my children is mine.  Through much prayer, thought, research and discussion, we decided to homeschool our children in these early years of elementary education.  Once we made this personal decision a peaceful feeling overcame us, it was the right thing to do for our family.  

How it all began... When Connor was 3, he went to preschool two mornings a week at a wonderful program at our church.  It was a very positive experience and it allowed me time with Noah as a baby.  I'm very happy we did it.  But the 4 year old program was every single day, and I just felt like that wasn't right for us yet.  He had every day to go to school for the next 13+ years of his life, why start at age 4 if he really didn't have to?  Not that there is anything wrong with it, many children thrive and love it.  But, I mean, I quit my job to stay home with him.  Surely I could teach him preschool things, right?  As long as I kept up a nice little "social calendar" so he learned how to play with other kids and follow rules and all that fun stuff, I figured I could do it.  That was when a whole new world of “homeschool” was opened up to me.  Doors were opened and light bulbs went off!  Who knew there was this whole community of "modern" homeschoolers?  I didn't know!  But there are a lot of families who are choosing this route and there are so many resources- curriculums that tell you exactly what to do, books to read, websites to read, tools to buy, groups to meet and join... Yes!  This was it.  It fits me.  This is who I am and what I was meant to do, at this point in our life.  Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.  I love thinking of ways to teach them things, making lesson plans, and thinking of what new books, games, worksheets, activities, arts and crafts we will do all week.  I love teaching my children.  This time we spend together at this stage in our life will be something that we’ll hold in our hearts forever.  

The days are long but the years are short.



What I personally really want for my boys right now is to be playful little boys, to be creative, to explore our world, to go on nature walks, make pancakes with mommy, run through sprinklers, dig in the dirt, poke sticks in the ground, read books on a cozy morning… I like keeping a balance with them.  I like creative freedom.  I don’t mind messy things like painting, play dough, rock collections and digging in the dirt.  But I also like rules and boundaries, and I like them to obey.  I'm trying to raise children who will be wise and disciplined in their life, but also who have had the opportunity to run free and play and explore and smile and laugh!  Parenting for me is all about balance.  I like a nice mix of lots of different learning approaches- teaching about our Christian faith is important to me, and also montessori and waldorf are things I’m learning and reading about recently and it seems to fit with my style.  But I don't follow anything 100%.  I make my own agenda.  All parents should just follow their own personal instinct.  Differences make the world go round and make everybody unique and special.  As for me, I like the play aspect of learning like waldorf style, I like teaching practical life skills and the simplicity, independence and natural element of montessori, but I also like to do worksheets and flashcards and more structured "formal school" things too.  I chose a christian curriculum as our main "core" of school.  It gives me a daily lesson plan to follow and has bible, reading, math, handwriting and science.  I do find some of the curriculum to be a bit light, so I have added on some extra programs for reading, language arts, and social studies.  I am not sure how long we will homeschool.  We are taking it year by year.  I consider all the options- homeschool, private, Christian schools, public...  Every family and child needs different things, and our world needs children who have been through different life experiences and different types of schools, to make us all special so that we can contribute in our own unique way to the world.  We should all do what we believe is best for our child.  As for now, I like being their primary influence in our homeschool.  They are so sweet and they are learning a strong, firm foundation of faith and values from us.  My hope is that I can teach them core values and have them embedded in their heart, so that when they are on their own in the world, they will be able to make wise choices.  I'm careful to know that I cannot "keep them in a bubble".  I know, in time, they will need to learn to fall and pick themselves up on their own, and they'll learn confidence and they will gain strength from tough times, and they'll need to learn to work with people who are different from them... all of that will come, in time.  I don’t know yet what our school future holds for us.  But for now, I like it here at home.

We’re Christians.  We strive to serve God everyday.  We’re not perfect and we fail.  I pray for patience and strength EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  Some days I think I might be crazy for thinking I can do all of this- homeschool, housework, taking care of 3 under the age of 6 all day long.  Some days, the baby is crying and getting into everything, the 3 year old always wants my attention, I'm trying to help Connor learn to read, I feel like I'm always wiping a bum, kissing a tear, the dishes are still in the sink, laundry is on the dining room table, mail hasn't been touched for days, dinner might be spaghetti again, I never stop moving, and my to-do list is way too long... some days I really have to take a deep breath and remind myself of our purpose.  And then somedays flow so nicely- we have bible songs or nursery rhymes playing in the background, I'm teaching Connor, Noah is happily playing, Lainey is sitting nice in her pack and play, I've baked whole wheat muffins... everyone is taken care of, house is clean (well, it's never really perfectly clean)...  So, it goes both ways.  Parenting and life is an ongoing journey where we learn and grow everyday.  God's mercy and grace overcome us.  The more we live according to his will and his standards, the more we invite Him into our lives, the more our life is blessed.  God in our life=happiness.  Many times I have to remind myself to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you".  I need to remind myself to put God first, then he'll help me through all this other stuff.  Bible stories and memory verses and talking about good character traits are the first part of our day in our morning circle time.  Followed by all the other fun stuff.
So... here’s some ideas that I thought might be fun to blog about, and probably nobody (except my family) will ever read.  But, I thought this would be a fun hobby for me to do, even though I feel like I have ZERO spare time.  We'll see how long I can keep it up for!  The only reason I feel like I might be able to is because I discovered a "blogger" app for my iPhone.  I can quickly upload a photo and write a little tidbit from my phone while I rock Lainey for a nap!  Hope you enjoy!

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