A Path Untravelled

I have a sign in my dining room (I love words on my walls!). It reads “Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” When I first saw it, I knew I needed it  It has hung in my dining room ever since–a divine daily reminder for my homeschooling journey. 

 

However, those well-worn paths before us can be so hard not to follow…

 

I started homeschooling 20 years ago (we’re about to graduate number 5 ❤️) with excitement and fear.  EXCITEMENT at the idea of getting to be with my little darlings and not put them on the bright yellow school bus to be taken away from me for hours and hours… but complete FEAR at the weight of responsibility I had just put on my shoulders to carry.  I was going to have to teach them… well, everything!  

 

So, I stood surveying the beginning of several paths before me, trying to find my way.  I packed my bags with well-sharpened pencils, new crayons, construction paper and all the educational toys and trinkets I could find and started out.  

 

This path wasn’t so bad.  My eyes were being opened to see all the learning opportunities around us and the beauty of the journey.  We played, we created, we learned!  Sometimes it was from a video, sometimes a field trip, sometimes a pile of picture books.  This was our “trial year” – you know, the year that you tell everyone “We’re just trying this homeschool thing; if it doesn’t work – we’ll send them to school next year!”  

 

But, this delightful preschool path came to fork in the road… called First Grade.  Which path should I take now?  I was beginning to discover this new homeschool travel necessity called “curriculum”.  Should we continue to follow our own winding path of learning, or get a curriculum to guide us expertly along? But, the options were limitless… how could we navigate and find our way through this new forest of choices? 

 

I jumped in with enthusiasm and tried them all!  I even signed up to be a homeschool Curriculum Reviewer (yes, it’s a thing!) and share my finds with others.  This was a fun-filled journey, at least for me.  I could always justify trying something new when what we were doing was getting old, or when we wanted the thrill of a new direction, or when my child didn’t seem to “get it”. 

 

I do think this path was good for us, for a season.  But, this “Curriculum Path” – the one that promised us success if only we could unlock the perfect curriculum combination for our child–leads to a dead end.  

 

Curriculum can’t deliver on the promise; it’s only a tool to be used, not a formula to be followed.  It’s still up to us to lead our children to the paths the Lord has planned for them, and standardized lesson plans can never meet the needs our un-standardized, unique children!

 

As we traveled through the early school years, another homeschooling bend in the road came into view.  The “Co-op Corner”.  More decisions to make.  Should we jump on this path and learn with others, or keep going at our own rhythm and pace?  More twists and turns accompanied this maze of options.  

 

We discovered that there were some fun new directions in this maze, like exciting classes, making friends, group activities, and even the small joys of packing backpacks and lunch bags for days spent away from the house.  We made some incredible relationships and enjoyed discovering each new bend in the road, for a season.  But, once again…we ran into dead ends. 

 

We learned that not all co-ops are alike!  We discovered that once we were in some co-op paths, it was hard (if not impossible) to take a different direction. We sacrificed some of our freedoms for the security and comfort of others’ wants and desires.  Co-ops became “the best of times, and the worst of times” along our homeschool journey.  I learned to proceed with caution when entering this maze and to stay alert.   I learned to not be afraid to jump out and continue on my own way when things veered away from our desired destinations.

 

As we neared high school, we came face-to-face with the freeway called “College Prep”.  This was not a gentle, winding path through peaceful places. Instead it took us straight into gridlocked traffic and at other times way too much speed! It was fast years of transcript building, entrance exams, dual credit classes, part-time jobs, sports, rehearsals, activities, volunteering… go, go, go.  

 

Once again, I felt the fear of nagging questions… Is this the right path for us, for this child, for this season?  There was not a single correct answer that fit every child or every situation.  There were times when an exciting and ever-expanding journey was great and other times when our days felt overcrowded, frenzied and filled with unnecessary requirements and stress.  

 

You will have to decide when you should hit the accelerator, or when you may need to slam on the brakes.  It’s all about finding God’s balance for us where we are at. I admit, I am enjoying our present detour off the freeway during this current season. We’re discovering new paths we never noticed before and loving a slower pace of life again.  

 

Don’t get stuck in the fast lane of “how everyone is doing it.” Be brave enough to make lane changes to a more manageable pace for your family. Be courageous enough to take an exit ahead and create new directions your journey!  It’s never too late.

 

The truth is we have to repeatedly go to the Lord as our divine GPS  to get the answers for which path we need to take!  Those well-worn paths are hard to avoid, but they are not always the direction planned by the Lord that we should travel.  I believe the Lord has a NEW untravelled paths for each one of us–ones that are uniquely suited to our families, and His growing purposes for us . We just have to trust His leading and be brave enough to journey into all His new plans for us.

 

He wants all of us to leave beautiful trails for others to follow. 

 

Have a great journey!

 

Blessings,

Renita

 

 

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

Make Life-Changing Memories

Make Life-Changing Memories

I had a realization as I was angrily (yes…I mean like mad) cleaning my kitchen grout (yes… I can be like that sometimes) that the memories my children were making were of me being angry while cleaning, and not the sweet memories I dreamed of.  You know… the memories we make up of all the children sitting quietly around our rocking chair, hanging on our every word as we read aloud quality classic literature and train their hearts for eternity.  Nope… my kids were running for cover as I furiously threw the toys out of the “toy closet” and had emotional breakdowns over the dirt in our grouted tile counters.  What do we want our children to remember years from now?  I remember long ago hearing a speaker tell us we should “begin with the end in mind”.  

So, I made an intentional vow to try harder, do better and make sweeter memories for them to carry into their adulthood.  I failed. Over and over.  BUT, I kept trying!  Let me encourage you - don’t give up on this quest, just keep getting back up and trying again.

Today, four of my children have flown the nest, and 4-6 more are still in it, depending on the day, eating everything in sight (yes, they do tend to come back). And, I’ve learned a few lessons along the way.

One big lesson that keeps coming back is that the memories of the ordinary daily moments we share matter more than we realize.  Here’s a challenge that helped me: Put away the cleaning supplies and let go of some of those perfectionist ideals.  Instead, just plop down on the couch together (ignore the mess), pull out your Bibles and teach them all the cool tools a Study Bible has to offer and actually have them take turns reading it aloud.  It changes the atmosphere of your home… really.  While you’re at it, pick a fun book to read aloud together, and add some snacks from exotic locations (go shop in the back aisles of your grocery store, or order a subscription snack box) and just be present with them in the moment. 

The Gift of Being Necessary 

 

There’s more; Give your children the gift of being necessary.

We all need to be needed.  Instead of doing everything for them, hand them the responsibility of becoming a necessary part of making your family run smoothly.  Go beyond the low expectations of the usual chores of taking care of just themselves. Let them participate in the privilege of taking care of everyone. 

One way we do this is by rotating who plans and makes dinner every night and having real, meaningful responsibilities to keep our household running smoothly.  It’s a wonderful way to end the day, with your family around the table eating food made by their siblings. (And yes, I mean actually sit down and eat off real plates!) An unexpected bonus; you get some more free time in your schedule too! Come prepared with questions or comments to get discussion going.  It’s as easy as “What was a high/low of your day?” or  “What did you like about…” You’ll be surprised by what comes out when you slow down a little.

Go Big In Celebrating Them

Everyone needs it!

When it comes to celebrating each other, I’m not talking about cheering them on in every activity you can sign them up for…and drive them to…and pay for. That leads to exhaustion. I’m talking about making family celebrations into memories they can carry with them.  

For instance, long ago, I got frustrated with the endless purchases of impersonal greeting cards.  They never say what I want them to, and they cost a fortune – only to be thrown away.  So,  the “Birthday Journal” was born.  Each member of our family has a journal, and on their birthday - we celebrate them by writing to them in it and reading aloud to them what we wrote.  These journals are a precious memory–and a record of their lives, and how much they are loved.  The birthday journals would be the first thing I would grab if we had a house fire!

Life-Style Lessons

Currently, our “book-style” lessons are secondary to our “life-style” lessons.  We are learning new ways of connecting and loving the people around us–together.  We are learning new skills as we complete a family building project.  We are learning new business strategies as we expand our family businesses and add a short-term rental to our repertoire (anyone want to visit sunny SoCal… I know a place 😁).  We have intentionally included everyone in our endeavors–and believe me, there are memories being made that will serve them well into their futures!

Quests for Adventure

Out with boring living!

Don’t miss the chance to do something out-of-your-ordinary!  Field trips are my favorite - when was the last time you took one? (They are not for just for the littles, either!) Nothing beats ditching the lesson plan for the day, and heading to the zoo with your high schoolers to marvel at the creativity of our God.  How about a hike? Make it even more adventurous by jumping in the stream (bonus points if you are fully clothed!) Can’t afford a trip?…make up an adventure.  Just getting outside is almost an immediate adventure.  

Create a challenge for them– it can be as simple as finding new flowers or leaves, or as thrilling as finding a new trail or building a make-shift raft to float down a river. Pack a lunch, a blanket and eat your picnic together: Memories are being made!

Stick Together 

It seems like our society pushes us to be independent, the sooner the better. But, is that really what works best? Is that what we should be striving for?  We have discovered the great joy of being together, all ages.  I encourage you to really think this one through… What is the end you have in mind?  

There has been a supreme delight in providing a safe place for our  post-high school young adult children to stretch their wings, before they fly the nest.   Don’t be afraid to swim against the stream in this and encourage your children to stick around longer.  Trust me, they have many more lessons to learn before they go, and you have many more memories to make together!

I guess all of this can be summed up by –Be intentional! Be willing to get off the well-worn, familiar path.  You are divinely assigned this task of passing on your faith and heritage to your children, so they will pass it on to future generations. It’s an ongoing, ever-rewarding privilege that the Lord promises to give you the strength and wisdom to complete. You are building a bridge from one generation to the next. 

Never give up.  Make all the life-changing memories God has for you!

 

Blessings,

Renita

“We will not hide these truths from our children;
    we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
    about His power and His mighty wonders.” 

Psalm 78:4

 

The Power of Delight

Long ago, when I was sitting on the sofa surrounded by miniature versions of myself, I had a revelation. I know it’s silly, but, in my early twenties I thought the “desires of my heart” were to have a successful career, to be self-sufficient, and to be able to direct my own destiny. What I discovered that day, as I looked at the faces of my children gathered around me, reading picture book-after-picture book, day-after-day, was that THEY were my delight and being with them was the desire of my heart! Motherhood, with all the glamour, big paychecks, and public accolades (who am I kidding?) had become the deepest desire of my heart, not my career.

I was filled with DELIGHT! I realized that the Lord had GIVEN me the desires of my heart… even before I knew what they were.

This profound realization has directed and guided me ever since. My focus is to delight in the Lord, and HE, in return, fulfills the desires of my heart.

This has many practical applications in the life of the homeschooling mom. Delight is equal parts gratitude mixed with wonder and it turns the ordinary and mundane into worship and time spent on Holy Ground. Instead of longingly looking outside my four walls for the fulfillment of my dreams, I have the opportunity to pour my delight into the precious gifts gathered around my table.

I used to dread cooking. I didn’t arrive on the scene of motherhood well-prepared. I could whip up a box of powdered mashed potatoes and call it a meal. (True story – I even microwaved a turkey once… to impress my soon-to-be-husband!) But, when I chose to trade the dread of cooking every day, and made an intentional choice to find delight in preparing fun, healthy, creative meals for my family, the Lord changed me from inside and gave me the desire I had lacked before.

Maybe we need to apply this “delight principle” to more areas of our lives. Do we really delight in our children? How about our husbands? Can we delight in our homes, our friendships, even our finances? The perspective from which we see all of these “desires of our hearts” really does have an effect on us and those around us.

So, how do I “delight in the Lord”? I find myself praying to have new “eyes to see” all the touches of His hand around me every day and turning them into prayers of gratitude. Laundry… means I have clothing (and an abundance of it!) Cleaning… means I have a home, and a beautiful one to boot! Teaching… means the Lord has given me a meaningful and important work to do, (and a second, or third, or fourth… chance to finally master Algebra!) Dishes are a reminder of meals gathered together, and of God’s gracious provision of all we need. And on and on. Delighting is an intentional choice you make.

It also means slowing down and truly savoring these precious moments with the children that the Lord has given us. Children grow up so very fast (I know everyone says it… It’s because it’s true!). You will only have those sweet, chubby little hands for a short time. So slow down and enjoy the feel of your toddler’s chubby little hand in your hand in yours as you take a walk together. Find the wonder in those elementary years and every stage beyond. Get down on their level and try to see the world like they do. Remember, it’s all fresh, new, wonderful and filled with delight at every turn!

Enjoy the school years spent together and the discoveries you make while homeschooling… You get another chance to learn alongside of your children. What a gift to explore God’s world together! I frequently have said that homeschooling my children was more for my own education than theirs. Embrace the freedom to let the Lord direct your desires … you can chose to follow a set path but there are many delights to discover as you blaze your own trail!

Embrace those late night conversations with your night-owlish teenagers. Brew the cups of hot chocolate and the coffee (make mine a double espresso, please), pull out the snacks and really listen to them tell you how they see the world. Be their biggest cheerleader as they take those first solo flights into God’s adventures for them. Delight that you have been given the opportunity to mold these hearts and minds and that you get to catch a glimpse of the world as they do, full of challenges and opportunities. Never stop delighting!

Explore outside; seriously, when was the last time you simply sat down on the grass, or laid on your back and looked up into the sky and really noticed the wonder of what is going on around you? How could you not be filled with gratitude to the Creator that carefully orchestrated all of this…just for you? Look at the flowers, take long walks and see the stars. Feel the breezes, listen to the bird songs, hear the crickets and frogs again. These are gifts from your Lord for you and your family to find delight in!

Energize with time in the Word every day. Keep getting to know this God you follow deeper and deeper. When you take time for yourself and for time to meet with God each and every day, you’ll delight even more in Him. I know it by experience! You’ll feel awakened again to the beauty of His desires for you and experience this much more deeply. You’ll have have new eyes to see the wonders around you.

We grow in delight as we focus on gratitude and wonder–and we become more delight–full! The more I learn to walk in His ways, the more I realize we were created to be this way. Our delight brings joy to those around us as well and turns ordinary moments into opportunities to show God’s desires to our spouses, our children, our friends and others!

Delight is a choice you make, and that choice has God-sized benefits! The greatest desires of your heart are waiting. Don’t miss a moment!

“Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4

What a profound promise from God Himself to us!

CrossWiredscience. Com

Time for a Reboot!

 

I just spent a day wrestling with our home internet.  Anyone else with me here, the endless struggle to get and stay connected?  After a full year of trying over and over to resolve our seemingly endless issues with the company we used for years,  we threw in the towel, took the leap, and scheduled with a brand new provider.  But, multiple attempts of trying to get it installed, then unforeseen issues, and hour-long calls to customer service left me frustrated and still without connection. In a last-ditch effort, we decided to reboot the entire system. Lo and behold the issues were resolved!  All with just a simple flip of the power switch, we were back up and running.  It’s amazing how many technical issues can be resolved with a simple reboot. It got me wondering… could this apply to our lives as well?  Do we sometimes struggle to keep doing what “we’ve always done” and what we really need is a major change or a reboot? I’ve often been guilty of following a plan that is clearly not working.  I’ve thought that by just trying harder or by sticking with it longer we might just get life running smoothly again.  But what we really needed was way overdue was a whole new approach! We needed to move away from the familiar path and take new routes. It may be time for brand new directions for some of us. Maybe we need to rebel against the status quo and do things very differently.  We made a huge decision to downsize (really – to half-size our home!). After praying a lot, we concluded that the Lord wanted to trade our larger house and busy city for more financial space to invest in closeness and experiences rather than more of the same.  We packed everyone up and moved across the country to a smaller community and traded suburban highways for small town roads. We traded our overbooked schedule with everyone going different directions every evening for a quieter, slower pace where we get to enjoy our days together as a family.  We began again.  Was it difficult at times… of course!   Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Our family is running much more smoothly, the Lord is using us as a family to bless others, and everyone is MUCH happier! Change comes with its own set of challenges, doesn’t it?  Even after you bravely step into new territory, there is the “set up” period–you know– when you must change all your passwords, update all the devices, and start all over.  It’s the same for major changes in life.  But IT’S WORTH IT!  Maybe you need a huge change like we did. Maybe all you need is a simple reboot to get everything running smoothly again.  Whichever it is, let me encourage you to begin now. Take some extra time off this upcoming holiday season.  Put your plans and schedule on pause.  Gulp… maybe even skip school for a few extra weeks.  Go outside for regular walks with your spouse–get some fresh air together, alone, without kids.  Surprise everyone with an unplanned adventure to somewhere you’ve never been (you don’t have to go far… I bet your hometown has places you’ve never been)  Be brave, go during the day, when you’re supposed to be doing school!  Try a new cookie recipe and take some to your neighbors (maybe as an introduction…and eat the rest of the cookies for breakfast!). Even better, invite all your neighbors over for cookies and cocoa (our plan this year!).  Take a day off and stay in your comfy PJ’s while you read an entire Christmas book together. (It’s even more fun if you do it on a trampoline or next to a roaring fire). Go somewhere and spend time in a cabin. The point is to power off your “normal” routine and see what happens! And don’t stop there. As you make more changes, start praying for BIG ones the Lord may have for you. We did… and God has brought all sorts of amazing new things! Once our reboot was completed, we had lightning-fast service and connectivity.  We have all been marveling at the difference, wondering how we ever managed before, and wishing we had made the change sooner. I’m praying your reboot this season and more reboots in the upcoming seasons will have the same effect for your family!

“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth;  Will you not be aware of it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Blessings, Renita

Silence the Critics

 

Critics From the Cheap Seats

 

What do you say to the critics? You know them… those loud voices telling you that what you SHOULD or SHOULDN’T be doing in your parenting and homeschooling (and frequently other areas of your life).  

 

I have found these voices are often loudest from the “cheap seats”; those who were neither homeschooled, or are not homeschooling.  They like to shout out directions like arm-chair quarterbacks calling all the “plays” and moves that you SHOULD be making, while you are the one on the field playing your heart out and taking the all the hits.  These well-meaning voices never seem to end as they shout –“They better be reading by Kindergarten”– “Make sure they learn how to socialize” -–“Better join a co-op” – “Make sure they do Algebra & Physics”  “How do you expect to get them into college?”

 

But there’s another critic that’s even harder for me to ignore… the quieter, ever-present voice inside of me. This one is brutally honest and constantly whispers my secret fears … “You’re not qualified for this… You never even took Physics…You loved the socializing… and you turned out ‘just fine” …You are not enough–you’ll fail them!”  This critic is my worst enemy.

 

Dear parent: God has given you a task to do, and in His grace, He will give you EVERYTHING you need to accomplish it.  But we are going to have to put the critics on mute, stomp out all those “should do” flaming arrows, put our blinders on, and go for it!  

 

This path required me to depend, not on myself and my understanding, but only on the Lord.  I couldn’t fake it for long… my true motivations and intentions came out front-and center in the refining “fire” of days spent at home with my children. My own desire of trying be “good enough” or worse, my expectations that my children would validate my efforts and abilities.  My pride in “checking all the boxes” and seeing my children as shiny little “homeschool trophies” that was really only a form of idolatry.  And one of the hardest maybe, was the sting of my own shortcomings, my selfish desires for more “me-time” and the sometimes-hard-to-admit, streaks of my own laziness. Homeschooling has been a humbling task but, an ever-rewarding endeavor - not one to be undertaken lightly. Nothing can bring my heart to the surface faster than these little people. They can bring me to tears of joy one minute and throw a wrench into my plans like they are professional mechanics the next. They can set my emotions ablaze with just a single carefully worded match.  This daily dying to myself brings the Lord’s resurrection power into my days!

 

And time flies, too. One minute I was happily sipping hot chocolate with them while teaching them to read and the next minute, I am white-knuckling my car door’s handle while sitting shotgun as I teach them to drive.  It’s a wild ride! This ride will often require us to simply close our eyes and be willing to listen ONLY to the Lord’s voice.  He’s right there with us. He will lead us along the path we do not know.  We can trust Him. The time goes so very fast; treasure every moment.

 

So, tell your critics (even that one inside) to sit down and be quiet!  Then “suit up” (time alone with the Lord works wonders) and get back on the field. We are in this game for His approval alone, an audience of only one, He and He alone!  All of Heaven is cheering us on!

 

Blessings,

Renita

 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” - John 10:27

 

They Got It...Right

 

Our teenagers “got it” right?  After all, we mastered Awana (Cubbies to T&T with the Timothy Award to show for it!).  We took them to church, each and every week.  We even hosted the Bible Bee competition and spent our summer breaks with scripture memory and in-depth inductive Bible study around family bonfires. We started out of the gate running this faith race strong.  Certainly, all our efforts resulted in success. So… they got it, right?  They got our faith…they must have.  We did all the “right” things, right?! I’m learning this lesson over and over myself.  Our children run their own race to a living relationship with the Lord.  Yes, God gives us an important role to play. We get to set a spiritual table before them and invite them to the feast.  We carry the responsibilities as parents to raise them in the “fear and admonition of the Lord”.  But, as a preacher once said, “God has no grandchildren”. OUR faith is not enough to pass the baton of faith to them and give them THEIR faith. Homeschooling is not enough to assure them their faith either.  Sure, it’s a wonderful way to create a greenhouse like environment for their faith to germinate in, and a safe place for tender plants to begin to grow.  Really, I don’t believe there is any better way!  I want to encourage you - don’t stop tending those tender shoots yet.  Don’t make any assumptions that “they got it” - just because you did all the right things in their younger years.  They may have prayed a salvation prayer, or won all the scripture memory awards, or came home from summer camp still damp-headed from a lake baptism.  Don’t stop daily discipling them!  Let me go a step further, I believe that the high school years are the prime time for them to BEGIN to make faith their own.  Yep, I said “begin”.  This is the time when they are developmentally able to make these types of life influencing decisions.  I rejoiced with each step toward God that my young children took.  But it’s when they started taking those faltering first steps into adulthood that I could begin to really see if they “got it”. These years are when they are moving “from innocence to holiness”, a phrase my husband has coined.  They are transitioning from knowing “Jesus Loves Me” and the simple faith of a child to “Yes, I know” and the life-altering decisions that accompany maturity.  It’s a vital stage in the development of their faith.  It’s when we begin to see the fruit of a living relationship with the almighty God.  And, as much as we would love to be able to, it’s not something we can manufacture.  We can only be their coaches and cheerleaders in this race as they run it. Too often, we let the “more important” subjects cut in and take precedence over our intentional faith developing studies when our students get to high school age. We comfort ourselves with thoughts “they got it”, right? The rigors of upper-level classes frequently move their daily quiet-times and intentional Bible studies to a back burner.  Do not give up!  Keep setting the spiritual table before them. This means keep prioritizing the Word in your school schedule and in your daily routines.  Keep on doing it alongside them until you witness them doing it alone - and then, keep studying the Bible together (It will be one of your greatest joys!).  Take it a step further, and make the focus on worldview, apologetics, and scripture memory take precedence over “lesser subjects” like geometry, physics, and dual credit.  Don’t miss these final years with your children to make an eternal impact! Oh…one more thing.  Our teenagers are masters at manipulation, and they can spot a counterfeit a mile away. So, if you are not practicing what you preach - you’re busted.  Take the time to model for them what this living, breathing, active and powerful faith looks like.  Make sure they see the priority the Word takes in your life and decisions you make.  Then, never stop praying and interceding for them as they run their race! Blessings, Renita “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” - Galatians 5:7

Your Homeschool Table – What are you Serving?

Homeschooling can be a bit like planning the menu and setting a table before our families. We all have a deep desire to make it an appealing, nutritious, and satisfying meal that EVERYONE will enjoy.

I may need to remind you, not everyone at your table likes the same things…. I know it’s almost comical to say it. OF course, they don’t!

My earlier homeschool table looked a bit like a medieval feast - with HUGE dishes of steaming hot math problems, and well-cooked portions of language arts. Since I’ve never been one to be a minimalist in the food area, so I also heaped on the delectable side dishes of leafy green science covered with thick creamy sauces of history and geography. Not to mention a variety of spicy additions to the table like Spanish, Latin, and Greek - just to flavor it all.  Of course, no one would want to miss out on any of the delicious desserts of delight-driven unit studies! There was so much to choose from, and I didn’t want to miss any of it!

All this curriculum consumption left my students sitting at our homeschool table, stuffed like a Christmas goose but not savoring a single bite! The table was full, and the meal was certainly “meaty”. A single glance at their faces told me that this wasn’t what they were hungry for!

Over time, our homeschool table evolved into more of a fast-food buffet at the kitchen counter during their high school days.  We threw out some quickly microwaved math with online grading, some co-op concocted literary analysis, and generous helpings of college dual credit classes.  We ate it while on the run to activities, sports, and part-time jobs.  We forgot how to even set the table and family meals gathered sitting down all together became a distant memory.

Lately, we’ve been re-discovering the delights of homeschooling (and eating) together.  But, not with super-sized portions, the hurry, and the over laden table.  Instead, we are learning to put a little less on our plates, while we linger a little longer and enjoy the company. 

We’re also tuning into what each of our children really need to have to function at their prime.  For instance, if I eat a bunch of carbs and sugar - I’m a complete mess.  Likewise, not all our children need to learn the same things at the same time.  Some students may be ready for academic challenges, but some may benefit more from time spent developing deep family connections. It’s the beauty of the homeschool table, we get to choose what is best for them to consume! 

We are re-learning how to set the table in our learning as well.  We are discovering the delight of days spent together with a less hurried approach. We are taking turns preparing and cooking the meals - and everyone is learning new life, kitchen, and study skills as we do it! 

We are making wiser choices with which subjects satisfy without leaving us stuffed. We streamlined our school schedule to make sure we are meeting our educational and our emotional needs.  We have been realizing that we can experiment with different textures and flavors of learning, like internships and building projects with true satisfaction. We are consuming less and savoring each bite more. 

In homeschooling, and in life, sometimes LESS is MORE.  This is what we have been discovering lately around our table, and aren’t most of the best lessons in life learned around a table?

Blessings,

Renita

 

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.” - Isaiah 55:2