My Homeschool Alarm Clock

 It’s the time of the summer my thoughts start to turn toward our upcoming year.  I’ve finally given up all the guilt from things we didn’t finish and let go of the grand plans I made this time last year!   I’ve slept in, drank my coffee peacefully and completely unwound from the past school year.  Now, my internal homeschool alarm clock has started to ring to remind me to start looking ahead to our next year… or not?

 

I’m going into my 20th year of homeschooling (yep… with 5 more years to go) I feel like I’m having an “awakening” on our homeschool path.  I know, I should have this down already, right? I’ve graduated half of my students - all with near perfect GPA’s, beautifully curated transcripts, and even hefty college scholarships. Yet…I’m feeling the nudges from the Lord that a new and different plan is waiting for me around the bend. Strange, I know.

 

But these 20 years have taught me to listen to that “still small voice” and to follow where HIS path leads instead of my own understanding. So, instead of my usual attempts to get a running start to “planning season” for our homeschool year, I’m lingering in my summer-relaxed mode for at least a few more weeks.

 

Maybe some of you need a “thumbs up” to linger awhile longer as well.  It’s OKAY, maybe even BENEFICIAL to take a pause from the curriculum search and spend some time sipping coffee on your porch swing (or hammock) with a book you’ve been “saving” for a time when you have some time (Please - I can’t be the only one that does this!). Maybe you need another unscheduled day at home, or an impromptu hike or maybe even a swim (ocean, lake, river… even just the kiddie pool!)  Maybe the closest thing to school or planning you need is a few more chapters of your read aloud (remember… the one you didn’t finish) on the trampoline or the grassy spot under the tree at the local park?

 

I’m not sure why I feel the compulsion to SLOW down this summer.  Maybe it’s the realization of how few summers we really have in this season of parenting.  These summer days are limited editions, they don’t last forever, and they are impossible to replace!  I do know I want to savor them… not rush on to the next thing.

 

So mommas, here is your permission slip to hit snooze on that homeschool alarm clock!  Take some time to savor these final weeks of summer guilt-free with the amazing crew the Lord has gifted you with.  I dare you to jump in the water with your kids, eat the ice cream cones together, and wait to worry about the upcoming year.  The Lord has already gone before you, and he will show you the way you should go… at the proper time.

 

Blessings,

Renita

Rebels Unite!

 

Rebels Unite!

I saw this meme with this comment “Join the insurgency of the beautiful, good, and true.” I loved it! I’ve always been a bit of a rebel, but little did I know that is exactly what God wanted for me all along.  (Sorry Mom & Dad…) Insurgency can be defined as “an active revolt or uprising.” Sounds exactly like what we need today. Let’s start this insurgency of beauty, goodness and truth, and let the revolution begin in our homes and homeschools! How can we bring this uprising to life?  Here’s a couple of thoughts… Find the beautiful.  We need beauty, it’s transformative. Have you shown your children how to seek out and appreciate beauty?  It’s literally all around us, all the time.  We just need open eyes to see.  This requires intentional pauses (yes, that means we need to slow down!).  I challenge you to look around you right now… name something beautiful you see.  Is it outside in nature? Is it in the way light moves through your windows? Is it your favorite soft blanket, or coffee cup?  Tell your children what you find beautiful, show them.  I can almost guarantee - if you think it’s beautiful, they will too. Bring goodness.   Goodness has synonyms like “kindness, generosity or beneficial”. What could happen if a wave of kindness started spreading out from our homes?  It could change the world! Simple acts of kindness can completely change your day, and may I remind you… your children are watching and learning from you. When is the last time you smiled at a clerk and genuinely asked them how their day was going? Or let someone go ahead of you in the long check-out lane? Once again, opportunities are all around us if we a simply aware.  How about radical acts of generosity in the face of rising prices, inflation and shortages?  How could you share what you have and multiply your blessing?  It can be as simple as a batch of cookies shared with a neighbor (by the way, do you know their names?), or it could be much larger like sharing your time and resources with another struggling family. Could this infusion of goodness be beneficial to us? You betcha! (opps… my Minnesotan is showing again.) Prioritize the focus on the TRUTH in your daily life and in your homeschool lessons.  Have we helped our children recognize what is true from what is “almost true”? Our society has become inundated with lies, do we recognize them? This is where a constant study of the Bible and Apologetics will serve your family well and give them solid ground to take a stand on.  Don’t be tempted to assume that you have “covered” it before and that means that they have learned it. (Or that a weekly visit to church will be enough.)  We need a full immersion in truth! Keep repeating Bible and Apologetics lessons, every year, until you see the fruit of it in your life and your student’s lives.  We need daily inoculations of beauty, goodness and truth in our homes and homeschools and we must train our families to fearlessly pursue them! “I am doing a great work. I can't come down…” Nehemiah 6:3 Blessings, Renita