good, clean books

I just found a neat website for those who are looking for those elusive, clean books for young readers. http://cleanreads.blogspot.com/
The blog owner seems to share my standards pretty closely, although I do still like to check things out for myself. The reviews are thorough and informative. I rely a lot on my good friends' reviews on goodreads.com for book recommendations as well, but this is a nice collection and a helpful website if you worry, as I do, about the type of content your young reader will find when he picks up a new and previously unknown book.

Here again, and a lovely discovery

• Well, it has been a while again. I seem to blog in spurts, but someday I will work it into my regular routine. So, here's what we are up to right now. I am in the middle of a 6 month inventory (for more on that, read Leadership Education, the phases of learning, by Oliver and Rachel DeMille, or I will also try to post about it sometime later), working on an experiment in cooking with basics and being more frugal, job hunting and trying to pare down our belongings in case we have to move, and working on our goals for the new year. I always naturally seem to need to do an inventory this time of year, since coming back from Christmas break always feels like moving through tar unless we come into it with some new ideas and some clearing out of the Christmas clutter. We also do an inventory before the beginning of every school year, usually in July.
  
  As I have been gathering ideas for the rest of this school year, and evaluating the needs of my children and myself, I found a wonderful idea on a fellow homeschooler's blog (thanks, Mom, for showing it to me!). It is called the Rule of Six. You can read the article here: http://melissawiley.typepad.com/liltinghouse/2006/10/my-rule-of-six.html
  Basically, the idea is that there are six main things to strive to make a part of every day in homeschool and in life. Here are the six:
  • Good books
  • Imaginative play
• Meaningful work
  • Encounters with beauty (through art, music, and the natural world—including nature walks)
  • Ideas to ponder and discuss
  • Prayer

I am excited about this Rule of Six because I believe that, if we were to do something in each of these areas every day, we would have accomplished something meaningful and great indeed. All of the subjects that are part of a good education would fall under these headings in some way, and it would focus my efforts on the experience we are having together, rather than checking off a list. I am still working on my plan for the rest of this year, but I am excited to include the rule of 6 as an overarching guide in the plans that I make. I also liked the idea Ms. Wiley suggests of asking your children and yourself about those six things at the end of the day:

What good books did we read today?

What did we play today?

Where did we meet beauty today?

Did we do meaningful and quality work today?

What new ideas did we discover today?

Did we have a prayerful heart today?

I think these ideas will help refresh me and bring more joy into homeschool for me as well as my children.

It takes a Dad sometimes

This year my husband has gotten involved with our kids education more, by holding weekly mentor meetings with our children. This has been a blessing in so many ways. My boys are getting older and looking more to him for validation and an example of what they could grow to be. They crave his respect and his time. While I am still the primary teacher, and he rarely participates in lessons, his time with them each week is something they look forward to, and knowing they will be accountable to Dad for what they did that week makes them want to do well. I have walked in on these meetings a few times and found them engaged in animated conversation about magnetic polarities as my son reports on what he did in science, or about building character and following through on what we say we will do, when Dad notices someone is being lax in that area. I am grateful to feel that he is part of the team and that our homeschool is important to him; his support in this area is so valuable. He was not without reservations when I first decided to homeschool, but he has always tried to support me and give me confidence, and he has increased in his confidence that homeschooling works over the years. It is a great blessing to feel that I am not alone in my efforts now, and that he will back me up not only in the areas of discipline but in education, too. I am excited about the future as we grow together in teaching our children.

Inspire....and Require?

I am a fan of the Thomas Jefferson Education philosophy, one of the tenets of which is 'inspire, not require.' Another tenet is 'you are the expert on your own family.' Both of these ideas place a large responsibility on the homeschooling parent. I am wrestling a little with the idea that maybe in my family, inspiring will have to include a little requiring. In my grand mommy visions, my inspiring would consist of my example, the environment I help create, and surrounding my children with love, great books, music, and opportunities. I still hold to that vision and work to be an example of constant learning myself. I am finding, however, that my boys are very motivated by requirements, and even ask for them. They love knowing what is expected of them and having a visual gauge of where they are at and how far they have to go. My goal is for them to love learning for learning's sake, not because they will get a sticker or a checkmark or even recognition for it, but it seems that at least for now, that is an important part of their education to them. So I have tried to compromise by having them help come up with the items that will be on their chart, and how often they want to commit to doing those things, with some input from their Dad and I as mentors. This seems to be working so far. I still fear sometimes that having the charts will mean they will do the bare minimum to meet their requirements and nothing more. But I have found that certain things they are excited about they will beg to do on days it is not scheduled, and they often choose to do certain subjects more often than the minimum requirement for the week. They choose the order they do them in, and often choose their own way of fulfilling a requirement (ie. reading a math classic, math on the computer, creating a math game, using manipulatives, etc). There are still subjects that would probably not even be on their chart if it weren't for Mom and Dad strongly encouraging it (handwriting is one that none of my boys seems terribly inspired to do, ever!) but we keep it short and they seem willing, now that it is on the chart, knowing they are free to do the other things they love more as much as they want as well. I often worry if I am 'doing this right,' but I am grateful for the sentiment that all parents are qualified to be the experts in their home. It gives me confidence that, with prayer and study of my children's needs and temperaments, and lots of willingness to constantly work to improve our educational methods in whatever ways are needful, we will be able to teach our children well.

Back to Homeschool

Today was our first day of homeschool for the new school year. We enjoyed our tradition of a special breakfast (waffles) and surprises that I put out the night before, kind of like Christmas morning only with school supplies and educational games. It went pretty well, although everything took a little longer than anticipated. I think we were just having too much fun with the new school supplies, in addition to the kids needing hand-holding with some of the new programs I am using. I haven't used programs or curriculums much in the past, as I try to follow the 'classics, not textbooks' mantra, but there were a few choice picks that really seem to speak to my kids learning styles that we are going to try this year. We saved up to get the Shiller Math kit for the younger kids, because I love the montessori manipulatives and how it uses all the senses in every lesson. My oldest son wanted to do his math with a video tutor DVD, so I watched that with him today. He seemed to enjoy it, and the younger kids came in and wanted to try some of the math problems with him too. I found it rather dry but they thought it was cool. It's all about what appeals to them I guess. We played a geography game and danced around to a physical education CD with fun songs to get you moving, and over lunch I was able to start reading Swiss family Robinson aloud. The little ones were just bursting with enthusiasm, and my 3 yr old kept asking, 'Now what 's my Next homeschool?' He wants to be busy doing homeschool too. So I did some simple reading lessons with him, had him paint and play with pattern blocks, and trace his name. He was very pleased.


There are still some kinks to work out with the flow of the day, and the structure of time so that everyone has time to get their chores done, I have time to help those who need one on one, and the day runs smoothly. My biggest obstacle right now is my toddler. I have heard Moms complain that they can't figure out how to do their homeschool with a toddler. I never understood it until now. I have had 4 toddlers before this one, and she is just very high maintenance I guess, compared to the others. She gets very jealous if my attention is divided in the least from looking at, holding, and playing with her. When she is happily playing on her own for a change, she is causing havok - dumping the containers of markers and crayons, stealing her brothers' papers, removing the keys from my husband's laptop computer (that was yesterday), and just causing mischief wherever she goes. I don't know if it is intentional or if she is just curious in a destructive way. But it does make it very hard to do anything with the other kids! She is loud and cranky when it is time to sit down and read scriptures or stories as a family, and makes it impossible to hear. I'm going to have to do some thinking to find a solution for this - maybe there is something that will hold her attention for a while that is safe and relatively harmless, or maybe I will have to have the big boys each take a shift playing with her so I can help the other kids. In the past, babies and toddlers have never impeded homeschool, since it was a family affair. I have never tried to separate my kids by grade, but rather tried to do as many subjects as possible as a shared family activity. Often I would be nursing a baby while I read a story, or holding a little one on my lap as I sat next to a child and gave him guidance. Often once they were walking they just toddled around and played with toys in the middle of devotionals, making a little noise but not anything that made it too difficult. Now I understand what those Moms of toddlers are going through and why they might question whether they can homeschool! It is tricky. I'll keep you posted on what I figure out. It may be that I just have to wait it out until she grows out of this and do the best we can.

As much as I have had misgivings going into this school year, and wondered if I have the energy to keep going, I realized again like I do every year that I do love homeschooling. It is so fun to watch my kids learn. It's fun to be a part of it, and learn and relearn things myself. It is fun to plan things that I know will spark their interest (although I sometimes miss the mark on that) and to experience life as a family, all day long. Yes, I continue to need my own little getaways for refreshment and preparation, but I feel blessed to have almost limitless opportunities to spend quality time with my family. There's nothing else quite like it!

Finding the new groove

Well, I haven't been back to blog in a while, but progress is happening. This summer has probably been the least academic of any in recent years, but I have been learning so much. I am finally figuring a few things out that I think will lay the foundation for a healthy home and homeschool for years to come. The first is that our home and our homeschool can and should look different than anyone else's. That is why we are homeschooling, to have freedom to tailor our experience to the needs of our family. In all my efforts to gather ideas, go to conventions and classes, and follow certain plans and philosophies, I have usually forgotten to consult my own feelings, and the preferences and leanings of myself and my family. In an effort to avoid the 'conveyor belt' type education, I have often put myself on a different conveyor belt of trying to follow someone else's plan because it works so well for their family. But my family is unique. I am finally allowing myself and my family to be 'us' and doing the hard work it takes to find just what we need and do it. I am gaining courage. It is freeing, although it is time consuming and for a little while as I do the introspection and study, by all outward accounts it probably looks like not much is happening in our homeschool. But I am becoming educated so that I can in turn educate my children. I'm learning from inspiration and study and watching my children and listening to them. I'm becoming more aware. It feels good.

The second thing I have been doing is tending to my own academic education and other areas of self care more. I am getting up and walking because it feels good and fills my need for quiet thought before the kids get up. I am continuing my classes with Art of Womanhood that feed my mind and heart. I am doing things that interest me without guilt. I am learning to know myself and how to govern my emotions and tune in to truth.

The third thing is getting my house in order. I have felt buried in laundry and housework since baby #5 was born. I finally decided it is time for things to change. My husband and I designed a chore system for our kids that requires a lot of them, and also of me while I am training them, but it is going to be so worth it once they have learned to do those chores independently. They are doing it, we are having good times together while I teach them, and the house is getting cleaner! It is amazing what a tidy house can do to clear your mind! Maybe soon I will have time to actually tackle my messes in my own room since they are taking care of so much of the rest of the house. They are starting to take a little pride in their work, too, and that is great to see. That is the main thrust of our summer right now, so I guess this is the summer of life skills.

The fourth thing is parenting - I went with my husband to a wonderful parenting class by Nicholeen Peck called Teaching your children Self Government. We went away with such wonderful ideas and inspiration. I am doing so much better governing my own self and being calm with them now, and they are learning to control themselves and choose good things by thinking through the consequences of their choices. My husband has also become more interested in taking an active role in mentoring the children and catching a vision for our family, and that is such a huge blessing!

So although we don't have a lot of the 3 Rs going on right now, I am feeling very blessed and knowing our family is growing and learning in other ways that will pave the way for academic learning to be more effective. I still want to break open a classic and read it aloud with them soon, but I am going to relax and enjoy this for now and immerse myself in preparation for a wonderful coming school year.

Visit my article archives

A few years ago, when I was more organized, I was a regular contributor to the LDS national homeschool association newsletter. I wrote several articles for them back when I was all full of energy and ideas (hoping to be there again sometime soon). Anyway, if you are interested in reading something more from me about homeschooling, and waiting for more from this blog, you may enjoy visiting the archives of that newsletter. The other authors there are wonderful too, and there are many great articles listed. If you want to find mine, just scroll down until you get to my name. Enjoy!

http://lds-nha.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=PublicationsLibrary&category=Publications

Alysia

Looking back and looking forward while feeling stuck in the mud

This blog has been lost in cyberspace for a while. It has been a challenging school year for us, and besides forgetting the passwords to get into my blogs, I guess I haven't felt like I had much to write that people would want to read. The year has been full of upheavals and interruptions to our routine - more sicknesses in succession than we have ever experienced before, more traveling, and more stress in general. Since my 5th child was born I still have never completely gotten back on top of the laundry or the housework or the routine I want to have in our homeschool. The past month was especially hard as we went throught the loss of my younger brother in a car accident. Now that we are finally healthy physically we have emotional exhaustion and sadness to work through and a sense of not being quite all here or being able to concentrate on anything well. I certainly haven't felt like I have much to offer other homeschoolers in the way of encouragement or ideas when my own household needs to be put in order in a major way.

We have continued to try and fight to keep our routines going that are important to our family - devotionals, scripture study, reading aloud, one on one time helping the kids with their goals and interests, family councils together, etc. It often seems like it is not worth continuing to fight the tidal wave trying to sweep us off course. But we keep trying and hope that our efforts will make a difference. I have been surprised to see that they do make more of a difference than I would expect. Even when I feel like I am doing a terrible job, I am pleasantly surprised to find that my kids have learned much more than I taught them. Often I don't even know where they picked it up! The other day my oldest volunteered to teach everyone about atoms. I hadn't taught him about atoms, but I guess he was learning about them in a science game he had played on the computer. He drew a model of an atom and explained each part. My 7 yr old has also surprised me with things he has read about that I didn't realize he had read. Also, life itself offers an education, and we have had many impromptu conversations not planned in any curriculum, because of our experiences recently. Granted, things are still not the way I want them to be - I want to be a better, more active participant in the process of learning with them, and I want to have clearer routines that we follow. While haphazard learning is still learning, I would like things a little more organized for my own sake.

The one thing that I feel like has really helped me through this year is Record keeping. My oldest had the idea of starting a school newspaper for our homeschool this year, and this has been a real blessing. Not only does it give the kids a chance to practice typing, writing, editing, spelling, and word processing, it gives us a place to keep records of all the things they are learning, and share them with others. It also helps me to see that we are learning and progressing. As I look back through the pages of our newspapers I can remember things I had forgotten that we did, and the kids and I both can feel a sense of accomplishment. The paper also gives an extra incentive for them to complete a book report or project so they can include it in the paper to be seen by friends and family.

I have also been spending more time writing in my own journals. Not necessarily about homeschooling, but about whatever I am studying in my own life. In my art of womanhood classes, I am learning how to capture passages from books I read and journal about them, making notes of how they affect my life, my questions and thoughts about them, and what I plan to do because of them. I am doing this with my scriptures and it has made my study so much more valuable to me. I am also keeping a binder full of the things that I am thinking about and my notes on them - things I want to do in my house, gardening ideas, parenting ideas and goals, books I want to read, etc. I am writing down my feelings and trying to learn more from my own thoughts and inspiration. It is hard to find the time and free hands to do this with many kids to care for. But it has become a treasured time for me that I am even willing to get up early to do (and that is saying a lot - I am not a morning person!). Looking back through these binders and journals helps me remember the lessons I learned before and sometimes need relearning, and reminds me that I have made some progress when it feels like I am slipping backward. And those pages help me remember my hopes and dreams and all the other things that come to me that are too important to forget, so that I can make more of the present and plan for the future. Keeping a record keeps me grounded as well as giving me guidance for what I want to do next. I think of the importance of the records the ancient people in the scriptures kept - what a loss if we didn't have those to read. The records I keep may not be of great importance to others outside my family like the scriptures are, but they are of great value to me.

Most of my entries have been pretty personal to me lately, but I will try to bring more of my record keeping here to this blog and share something valuable to others sometimes too. It is a fortunate thing that we do have so many ways to keep records and share them in this day of technological advances. I find that I like every one of those ways for different purposes. I still prefer pen and paper for my most tender and personal thoughts, but for sharing ideas across the miles, the internet is such a blessing.

The Art of Womanhood

I am getting involved in a program that I am very excited about called the Art of Womanhood. (www.artofwomanhood.org) I have been looking for a long time for some way to continue my own education and work on my unique gifts and mission, without neglecting my family. I also hoped that when I found the right opportunity, it would be something that would enhance my family life and bless them too. I think I have found that in this program. They offer distance courses to women all over the world who are interested in making a difference in the world through their unique roles as women. Each course is taught by a mentor, who talks with the students individually on a regular basis to help them evaluate themselves, set goals, tailor their actions to their unique purposes, and apply what they learn in their lives. The groups meet by phone or in person if they are near a mentor to discuss their readings, and journal their thoughts as well as writing assignments. Each woman is encouraged throughout the process to spend time daily with her higher power (for me that's prayer to God) and reading her core books (for me that is the scriptures), and compare what she reads in the curriculum materials (classic books) with what she learns from those. Each married woman is also encouraged to rely on her husband for insight and strength. My classes start next month. I am excited to begin!

Pioneering

Here is a picture of me and my baby on a pioneer trek. What a wonderful experience it was, although I was quite afraid to do it with a baby! I came away from the experience knowing I can face the trials in my life, although different than the pioneers, if I walk with God. The baby was so very patient with the hiking in 100 plus degree heat. There were also many helping hands along the trail. I was in the last company, and usually the last in line, and I didn't feel all that helpful pushing the cart, but I learned a lot from my experience. Here are some things I learned:

Enjoy the journey - if you are at the bottom of the mountain, don't spend time wishing you were at the top. Trust you will get there, and enjoy the view from where you are and the chance to serve those who are down there with you.

Pray always - I knew it would be hard so I called on God continually. When I go about my 'ordinary' life, which doesn't appear to be so hard and full of peril, but because of temptations really is, I need his power. Despite not seeing the mountains in front of me, I need to pray mightily each day.

Small things can be great - even the menial tasks can be great when done with the spirit and love.

Take time to be grateful and see how far you've come - we stopped at the top of a huge mountain. If the company hadn't stopped to meditate, pray, and see how far we'd come and thank Heavenly Father, I would have missed the opportunity in my haste to always keep moving. I often miss the joyful moments and fail to see my progress because at the top of one mountain I see another looming and just keep walking, discouraged. It is good to stop and be refreshed and grateful.

I feel a sense of purpose now as a pioneer of my own day, facing invisible but just as perilous opposition in trying to do good. I have a journey to take and I need faith and strength to do it, just as they did.

Irony, or Hypocrisy?

I experience an ironic situation almost every day, one that leaves me wondering which part of me is genuine, or if both are, or neither. Let me explain. Every day I try to pray and read my scriptures, sometimes also trying to record insights in a journal. Every day while I am doing these things, I am interrupted by children fighting, screaming, hurting eachother, or doing something dangerous. It is quite the dialogue:
Me: Dear Lord, please help me to be kind and loving to my children today...
Child: Mom! J**** is taking my star wars ships! (child hits other child)
Me to Child: Stop hurting your brother! Can't you guys share! Now please get along, I just need 5 minutes of peace so I can finish my prayers...
Me: Where was I - oh yes, Please help me to be kind and loving to my children today and find joy in them...
Child: Mom! Come now! E*** is getting into the paints and they're all over the wall!
Me: Argh! I'm coming!
etc
etc
This goes on ad infinitum.
Me pleading for help to be a good mommy, while stopping in between sentences to get after, referree, and lose my temper with the kids. I try to continue to pray on the run, to pray always throughout my day. But sometimes it seems so hypocritical to even try. I know I can be a good Mom when I am alone with the Lord in peace. But once the kids are factored in (which of course are a necessary component of motherhood) my resolves seem to fly out the window. Sometimes I choose to ignore the kids and act like I can't hear them banging my door down, if I can determine from the information given that no one is in bodily harm. I try to take the time I need to compose myself if that is an option. But I wish I could find that inner peace when it actually comes time for the proving of it - anyone can be peaceful in a quiet room if they try at all, but when you are surrounded daily with screaming children (whether screaming with delight or because they are upset, it is still screaming) it is the utmost test. I only hope that my occasional successful attempts become closer together and more frequent. What I seek certainly is a 'peace that passes all understanding,' as anyone who visits my house would not understand how anyone could feel peaceful in such surruoundings. But peace is there sometimes, and I know it is possible. So I keep praying my interrupted prayers and I keep coming back to finish them. I will never be finished praying.

Patience and Faith

This morning I read an article called 'The Power of Patience' by Robert C Oaks. He says in it that patience and faith in God are strongly linked. I never thought about patience this way - I never thought that lack of patience might indicate a lack of faith. But it does make sense. If I have faith in the power of God to save, and in the atonement, I will not condemn my neighbor, or my child or my husband. If I have faith in the promises He has made to me, that I can do all things through Him, I will not become discouraged and impatient when things are hard or are not happening on my timetable. If I trust in His ability to save and I am doing my best, I don't need to be fearful and impatient with myself when I stumble - I can trust that He knows my heart and seek forgiveness quickly rather than beating myself up for taking soo long to become perfect! I think much of my impatience with others stems from impatience with myself, not having faith that God is working His purposes in me and I will become all I am meant to be in time. I don't see the fruits yet so I have a hard time believing they will come.

I do the same with my kids sometimes. Instead of looking forward in faith to a blessed future for them, I see their little mistakes and worry that they are starting down the wrong road and might never come back. If I could have more faith in their innate goodness, in all they can become with God's help, I would parent more out of love than fear. Our interactions would be trusting and joyful more often. I could deal with the little shortcomings and missteps in others and myself. I am seeing more and more how Faith, Hope, and Charity (which could also be called patience and many other things) are all one and interconnected. If I want any of the three, I have to work on the others. If I gain one, I also start to gain the others because of it. So maybe I will start praying for an increase of faith rather than praying for patience.

What makes me happy

I am reading a wonderful book called 'The Frightful and Joyous Journey of Family Life' by Wallace Goddard. I will tell you more about it when I am finished with it. In the last chapter I read, he gave a suggestion to write down everything you can think of that makes you happy. That sounds simple but it took some thought for me, as I haven't considered that much lately. It is easy to just get in a rut and do whatever I usually do, but I think this list will help me choose to do things that make me happy more often. So here goes:

What makes me happy?

Doing anything with my husband
Dancing
Singing
Being part of something important
Spending time with good friends
Playing with the kids
Being outside, going for walks
Going for bike rides
Good music
Good books
Making something beautiful, being artistic
Cheesecake, or any kind of pie
Gardening, even the weeding
Flowers - fresh cut, wild, growing in my garden, silk, any kind!
Decorating
Playing my flute
Quiet moments
Watching the sun rise or set
Praying, especially in gratitude
Christmas caroling
Sitting on the porch swing with my husband and/or kids
Watching funny or romantic movies
Getting dressed up or dressing up my baby girl
Sincere gratitude or compliments from others
Being able to help someone
Getting letters or packages
Hugs and Kisses from my kids
Hugs, kisses, and more from my husband
Having people trust me and come to me for advice
Seeing new places, travelling
Doing projects as a family
Making progress that I can see
That Newborn baby smell
Anticipation of good things to come
Feeling pretty
The color Purple in any variation
My husband's laugh
Yummy smells, like Vanilla and Jasmine
Candles
Romance
Watching my kids learn and grow
A clean, pretty house
The feeling when I have finished organizing a closet or shelf
Doing embroidery
When my kids are loving to eachother
When my kids are obedient and kind
Scrapbooking and taking pictures of my family
Having friends or relatives over
Going to the Temple
Baby laughs, dimples, and smiles
Learning new things
Going to concerts and plays
Family traditions
Bubble Baths

more later....

Why I am a Mommy

I have thought about this a lot. When I first started this career, I wondered why I was a Mommy because I had a hard time feeling the value of my role as a Mom. Yes, I knew that my kids' survival depended on me. But I couldn't help feeling like what I was doing was less important then some other things, simply because no one seemed to notice what I was doing, other than little ones who couldn't talk and took all I did for granted. Then I got over that for the most part. I learned how valuable a Mother is, and how those behind the scenes in history were the ones really responsible for shaping it, as much if not more than all those famous people. I defended motherhood to others and encouraged others in it, and found my conviction growing. I can say now that I am fully convinced that being a mother is more valuable to society than any other thing I could be doing.

On bad days I still wonder sometimes though, why God allowed me to be a Mommy, when I don't feel all that great at it. It seems like other Mothers, especially those who choose to stay home with their kids like I do, and Especially those who choose to homeschool like I do, enjoy their children immensely. And, while I do love my children unequivically, and I want to be here with them, I struggle with it too. I am, by nature, a lover of order, peace, quiet, beauty, maturity, and people who act in an adult fashion. I have always been this way - even as a child I wanted to be an adult and tried to be very mature. I don't think I learned to play very well. I have a hard time enjoying and appreciating the parts of life that are messy, loud, chaotic, stinky, unorganized, silly, and childish. I realize that this is a character flaw in myself, and that I would enjoy all of life more, not just my children, if I could become more childlike and take myself a little less seriously. Still, it is a struggle. You know that joke about how after 3 children, you spend a large part of your day hiding from them? Well, I do that. I am usually just trying to get my bearings and prepare myself to smile and be there for them. Or I am trying to accomplish just one little thing uninterrupted and claim a small victory for the day. But the true victory would be if I could live amongst my children joyfully, delighting in their interruptions and their wanting to share their days and their messes with me. Sometimes that happens, and those moments are sweet and wonderful. But they don't come often enough.

I know I am meant to be their Mommy. I know that home with them is where I am meant to be. But I think the reason I am a Mommy is mostly not for their sake - it is because being a Mommy is the best, hardest course in becoming like a child, which is what we are all supposed to become. It forces me to let the tornado of childhood and full blown life into my world and chips away at my formerly polished facade to reveal what I really am inside. All this causes no small degree of discomfort, but it is the only way to reach the soft part inside me and make room for it to grow. It seems such a slow process, and sometimes I wonder if I have made any progress at all in my ten years of childrearing. But I know that if my goal is a new heart, the one God wants for me, it will need to be a Mother heart. Spending every day with my children certainly is the ideal proving ground for learning and practicing the virtues I need, to be more like Him - patience, charity, long suffering, service, faith, joy, gratitude, humilty, etc. A Godly 'Mother Heart' needs to be filled with all of these and more. The Lord gave me children so that someday my heart can grow to be a Mother heart, a heart like my Heavenly parents have for me, and that is Why I am a Mommy.

Blog: Lost and Found

I finally found my blog again! I have missed blogging, although with a new baby I don't know how often I will post.

I feel like somewhat of a different person since last time I blogged, even though it was only a little over a year ago. Since then, I have had a baby (finally another female in the house besides me! So exciting!), been involved in a homeschool boys club, been on a pioneer trek, learned to garden, applied for college classes at George Wythe College (haven't gone yet - 'nother story), done some sewing (baby girls induce the desire to sew pretty things!), been camping and travelling in the National Parks, experienced most of my friends moving away (thank goodness for the internet!), and enrolled in a course on the Art of Womanhood www.artofwomanhood.org

Now, if that wasn't the longest run on sentence ever! I am famous for them. I just have way too much to say! Anyway, I'm back and hoping to be better than ever! (my eternal hope)

Welcome to Educating Mommy

This being my first post here, I thought I would write a little about what inspires this blog. My mission is two fold: to chronicle the daily education I am receiving both through family life and trying to educate myself, and to share some of the experiences our family has had as we attempt to home educate our children and help them find their missions in life. I will also include various random musings on life and parenting and a few of the funny and sweet moments that make Mommyhood so rewarding. While I write for myself, to remember the moments I don't want to forget, I also hope that my blog will provide something valuable to my readers, especially those who are homeschooling and need encouragement, buthopefully to all parents. Even if you just laugh at my blunders. :) I'm looking forward to this blog.