Joseph

Yesterday I was reading an article about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  It was a really fantastic article in the January 2018 Ensign and perfect for Christmas Eve.  It talked about how faithful she was, chosen to be the mother of the Son of God.  Choice above all other women.  Millions revere her.  Then I got to thinking about Joseph. He is an unsung hero in my eyes.  I think we do him, and ourselves a disservice when he is left out of the conversation.  We know Joseph was a righteous man. The scriptures say he was going to put Mary away privately, so he was compassionate.  Then the angel came and he married her instead. When Herod sent soldiers to kill all of the babies Joseph knew and fled to Egypt.  The angel came to him instead of Mary, that speaks of his sensitivity to the spirit and his willingness to obey.  I think Joseph was choice above men to be called as the Father of the son of God.  Sometimes people like to make the distinction very clear, he was not the Father, he was the step father.  Maybe it's the influence of growing up without a dad in my home, but I see Joseph as the father of Jesus as much as Mary is His mother.  I think Jesus saw Joseph as his father.
     Joseph must have taught him.  He taught Jesus to work with his hands, to be compassionate, to pray.  Joseph taught Jesus, by his example, how to be a good man and care for others.  I wish there were more in the scriptures about Joseph.  I don't wonder if he was a disciple, I believe he was, I know he was!  Did he live to see the great atoning sacrifice of our Savior?  Did a sword pierce his soul at the death of his son?  Or did he wait on the other side to see him again?
   

To my daughter

   
      My dearest daughter,
     You are beautiful.  You are strong.  You can be both at the same time.  I hope you never let anyone convince you that you have to stop wearing skirts and dancing to be strong.  There is strength in your femininity.  There is strength in your service and love.  There is strength in your sweet, kind heart.  You do not have to be tough to be strong.  You do not have to be harsh to be strong.  You can love ruffles and flowers and be strong.  You can love fire trucks and climbing trees and be strong. You can be you and love all of those things and  be strong.  You can love God and be strong.  There is more strength in knowing who you are and being that person, then there is in conforming to the ideas of another.  Your greatest strength will come from knowing that you are a child of God, a divine creation with limitless potential.  So go ahead and wear a dress every day.  Let pink be your favorite color. Keep loving fire trucks and science and math and singing and dancing all at the same time.  Keep being the amazing daughter of God that you were created to be.  Be you.  Be strong.  And remember, when you are weak, He will carry you and make your weakness become strengths.

Judge not

Simone Biles, Olympic gold medal winning gymnast. Misty Copeland, first female African American Principle Dancer at the American Ballet Theater.  Ryan Gosling, actor. Bethany Hamilton, world renown surfer, you know, the one who's arm was bitten off and she kept surfing. Christopher Paolini, youngest author to write a bestselling series. Emma Watson, actress.  Taylor Swift, country singer. Richard Lorenzo, founder and CEO of multi-million dollar business Fifth Avenue Brands, a public relations firm. (Which he started in 10th grade)  What do they all have in common?  They were all home schooled. So the next time you want to judge an entire community by that one person you knew pick one of these.  Also, keep in mind that some kids are home schooled because they have special needs and their parents stepped up to take their education into their own hands.  Maybe that guy you met who has no boundaries and doesn't get social cues is like that because he has special needs you don't know about and it has nothing to do with his way of being educated.

Unschooling

     Unschooling. Deep breath.Will I always have to defend it?  Will I always have to explain to people that I'm not just being lazy and negligent?  Do you know what it is?  It seems like most people know about it because of the families who give it a bad name.  The kids who only study video games and TV.  No that's not unschooling, no I don;t just toss my kids a crust of bread each morning and hope they survive the day.  Unschooling is away of life, a really beautiful way of life for us.
     Let me start off by saying that we do have a schedule, it is what works for us.  Our "core subjects" come first; spiritual devotional (Scripture study, prayer, pledge of allegiance, and song), Math, foreign language, and piano.  Those are our core subjects because that is what prayer inspired they be for my children.  Some days Devotional is the only "formal" subject we do.  After that they have a few other subjects they do, actually, if I am honest they do far more then a few.  One day I sat down and counted up the "subjects" we do each week because I was comparing my kids to other kids.  It turns out the list of regular subjects studied each week exceeded a dozen.  Most of the them were not formal sit down lessons, there were no books, no curriculum and yet we learned still.  But how?  Let me give you a few examples.
     Benjamin loves circuits and electricity.  I bought him a circuit maze set and he sat right down. I could see him analyzing it, the flow of current, closing the circuit, positive, negative, LED, and off he went.  I tired to do one of the puzzles, but I couldn't figure it out so he taught me...and by taught I mean he showed me how to do it. :) 
     Glen hates to write, but has discovered that he loves to write books.  You see I could force him to sit and do writing practice for a torturous 15 minutes, or I could buy him a notebook and encourage him to write down his ideas.  And now he sits, sometimes for hours, writing books.
     Elizabeth is learning to read and spell.  We have a book she practices out of, but I don't force. It's on the schedule and if I forget she reminds me.   Then she likes to practice writing the words she is learning to read, which of course reinforces the words in her mind.  Today her "spelling test" involved shaving cream. 
     Abigail is practicing writing her name so she can show it off to her friend at church.  She also counts EVERYTHING.
     We have learned about physics at the park, nature as we walk, politics, finances, building, far away places, cooking, the list if endless.  Learning really is a way of life.  When people ask me if we go through the summer I think they envision sitting at a desk every day.  It's easy to go to school every day when you see that we are surrounded by opportunities to learn.  Sometimes sitting in church becomes an art lesson as a bored child asks for a piece of paper and draws what he sees.  Sometimes a trip tot he park becomes a lesson on seeds or bugs as curious children ask questions.  Every week when we go grocery shopping we learn about measuring weight, estimating price, sticking to a budget, how the food got there.  November isn't just about Thanksgiving around here, it's a lesson about the government, voting, politics, laws, check and balances.  April is a great times to talk about taxes, what is it, where does it go, do you think it's good or bad. Books teach so many lessons I cannot even begin to list it all.
   You see, unschooling is about finding opportunities to learn from every experience in life.  It's about seeing the interests of the child and encouraging them, proving opportunities to learn, and often, finding someone to mentor them.  They know what they love, they have an intense desire to learn! 

Lego creativity

     Do you ever feel completely clueless?  I do sometimes, maybe a lot.  Sometimes I even feel stupid, ssh, don't tell my kids I used that word, it's not allowed.  I'm trying to have a growth mindset, but sometimes I just feel like my brain is broken.  The other day we were sitting listening to Treasure Island on audio book.  Benjamin doesn't enjoy reading as much as the rest of us and sometimes he puts up a fight over it.  To encourage him to listen to Treasure Island with us I brought out Legos and asked him if he wanted to build a pirate ship.  That got him to sit and listen to not just one chapter, but three chapters, he didn't want to stop.  Legos is one of the areas that I feel like I am seriously lacking in skills. You may think it silly, but I am very ashamed that I have never felt like I was good at Legos.  I remember building with my brother and he is over there making cars and ships and I'm like "I built a brick wall!"  I don't let my kids quite, I don't let them say they aren't good at something and leave it there, I encourage them and I challenge them.  The last year I have also been really trying to educate myself too, so I applied the same rule.  I asked Benjamin the other night as we sat building pirate ships and I felt my mind go blank "Do you think I would be more skilled if I practiced?" and he said "yes."  Today when the boys were building with Legos I sat down and I started building too.  Almost immediately I felt that familiar sensation of my mind shutting down because I didn't know what to do, why do I do that?  I held two Lego pieces and I didn't even know how to put them together.  Then I remembered that little round piece that goes on the bottom and I grabbed it, but that made my boat round and I wanted it long.  I grabbed a few more pieces, quickly discarding the idea of having a boat all the same color.  Then I started building up the sides, I made a few changes to make it look like a railing.  I added a cannon and a couple of guns.  I wanted a figurehead, but that was far beyond what I could do so I just closed that end up.  Benjamin made me a little pirate man and all I needed was a mast.  I figured out how to make two short pieces longer for my mast and even found a flag. At one point I asked Benjamin to help me, he was my mentor.  I still feel childish and stupid, but I also feel insanely proud of my little pirate ship.
     There are a lot of areas that I feel totally lost in, math, chemistry, electricity, music, just about anything involving computers.  My brain starts to shut down, just like when someone starts giving me directions. I nob like I understand, but I'm really just trying to figure out what language they are speaking.  But you know what?  One of the most beautiful truths I have learned on this homeschooling journey is that our education never ends.  It didn't end when I finished high school or even after college, I am always learning.  I'm pushing myself, finding areas where I am lacking, like Legos, art, and math, and trying so hard to learn and do them better.  I find myself learning as I teach my kids, and I find myself being taught by them.  Benjamin teaches me how to build with Legos and how electricity works, Glen is teaching me the finer points of writing comics and he has a million facts about animals to share.  I know that Heavenly Father wants us to learn all that

we can and I am grateful for the opportunity to teach and learn every day!

Exciting surprises

I don't think I have ever been so excited for my birthday!  Each year I kind of dread it, I even feel anxious about it, but this year there have been surprises in the works for weeks.  First John disappeared into the shed, banning me from looking.  One by one the kids disappeared, even Abigail went to help.  They would return day after day with twinkling eyes and barely suppressed grins.  "You are going to love it, I have no idea what it is, but it's awesome!"  Then the boys disappeared all on their own and spent a few days working on some secret that I'm not allowed to know about.  Finally Elizabeth begins her own project, with Daddy's help.  There is much hammering and painting, many whispers and giggles.  My family was here over the weekend and my nephew helped finish up the super secret surprise and John proudly took my mom, dad, and sister out to show them what they had created.  Somehow my mother in law is in on it also, whatever "it" is.  I called to say hi yesterday and she asked to talk to John about something I wasn't allowed to hear. Were they talking in code?  I even had a friend from down the street call today and ask if my kids could come down for a few hours to work on something for me.  I feel so loved.  All of the happiness from my kids, their excitement and barely contained secrets are making me more excited then I have ever been for my birthday.  Tomorrow promises to be a wonderful day.  Now, if I can just remember how old I am...

A name!

     Today is a big day.  It's momentous, monumental!  After years of searching and praying I have finally found the right name for our school.  It's huge!  No one is going to get as excited about this as I am, that's ok, not everyone is moved to tears by the sight of purple bush beans.  I'm special.  I can't tell you how much this means to me, but I am going to try.

     I live life joyfully, it is part of my purpose.  Purpose, there it is, that wonderful word.  I live my life with purpose.  I do everything 100%  it's who I choose to be.  I didn't plan to home school, but once I felt it was right I threw everything I had into it.  I wanted our school, our home, our family, to have a purpose.  I wanted that purpose wrapped up into a nice little name.  Something that could convey how passionate I am about learning and teaching, our values as a family, and our hopes for the future.  Nothing seemed right, every name I could think of fell short.  I mean how could I fit all of the passion burning inside of me into one little name?  Could it even be done?  I began to give up, just a little. Four years is such a long time to search and hope, but I never gave up completely.  It was there, in the back of my mind, this ever present need to find a name.

     This year I began to read the biography of  Maria Von Trapp and the Trapp family singers.  She too felt the importance of names and they named their home in Vermont.  They named it "Cor Unum"  It is Latin and it means something like one heart, it was the closest she could find to Zion.  That name stuck with me.  It wasn't quiet right, but I was getting there.  I was discovering something important and my search continued.  Still, for months "Cor Unum" sat heavy on my mind with no more progress.  Then last night it came to me, almost like a dream.  Aeternum.  Forever.

   I believe that our quest for knowledge is eternal.  We seek to become like God, an all-knowing being.  That denotes a lot of study and knowledge.  I continually work to create within the walls of my home a place of refuge, a Zion from the storm.  "Cor Unum Aeternum"  Zion Eternal.  It encompasses all that I strive for.  Unity, love, life long learning, and values that I cannot even put into words.  

     Once the name came to me so did the symbols.  

     Sublime knowledge.  Sublimate means to raise to a place of honor, I honor learning and study.  The sun raising above the book reminds me to use each day to learn and to grow, it reminds me that the Son approves of my school, my work, and our learning and growth.

     The Celtic spiral.  This one has three, but I want 6.  Six spirals connected. They symbolize man's journey of growth and wisdom in this life and into the next.  I believe that whatever intelligence we gain in this life will go with us into the next. Doctrine and Covenants 130:18 The spirals are connected, as a family we are connected. Our journey in this life and in the next is connected inseparably.

I am so happy to have finally found a name for our school.  

Cor Unum Aeternum.  

It sounds cool too!

Too busy

     Sometimes being busy is unavailable.  Taking your sweet time getting peaches taken care of means peaches with extra fuzz, if you know what I mean.   Having boys who are passionate about soccer makes for late nights.   There will always be holidays, parties, special occasions and a life full of living to do.  I don't mind being busy, but I also don't mind slowing down.  

     Today I had the opportunity to make cookies for a friend who just got back from a long trip.  She is Elizabeth's Sunday school teacher and Elizabeth just adores her.  I came back from a Knights club meeting and grocery shopping to a house that was a mess and I immediately felt overwhelmed.  I really wanted to put off making cookies for another day, but I had made promises and I keep my word.  After I pout away the groceries I washed a few dishes so we could make cookies.       

     Unfortunately it wasn't the relaxing memory making activity I wanted it to be, not inwardly anyway.  I think the girls had a good time, but I was stressed, especially when Abigail tilted the beater and splattered cookie dough all over the counter.  I can laugh at it now, but it was one more thing at the time.  While the cookies baked I banished the kids to the basement and tried to nap in between the 12 minute cook times.  

     When the cookies were done we took three plates to friends.  Sometimes I feel so selfish serving, I get so much out of it.  It's more then just a good feeling knowing it made someone happy.  I love to see the way that my kids faces light up as they talk about how happy this person will be.  I love the indecision.  Whenever I feel like I don't have any friends I need to make a batch of cookies or banana bread because I always have a hard time choosing who to take it to.  

     Today was an altogether wonderful experience.    We stayed to talk with Elizabeth's Sunday school teacher.  As we sat there talking I saw my life from a different perspective.  She reminded me to be grateful for what I have.  I am so blessed!  I have four beautiful, wonderful, sweet children who fill my days with joy and life.  I have the opportunity each day to stay home with them and to have them home with me for school.  That means I get to be a part of the joy and magic they find in little moments.  I wish there were glasses to help you see the world the way a child does.  Simple things bring such joy!  I think of tea parties, bubbles, dry ice, games, imaginative play, trampolines, leaves, flowers, new shoes, kittens.  I feel like I should start singing "My favorite things"

     I am grateful to take a few minutes...or an hour, with her to sit and feel grateful.  I'm still stressed over the house work to be done tomorrow and exhausted from last weeks canning marathon, but I feel like I can handle it.  A weight has been lifted from my mind  and I can tackle another day with renewed joy in motherhood.  Thank you, my friend!  Thank you for blessing my life.

It consumes me!

Can you guess what has consumed my life for the last few weeks?  Cucumbers, peppers, peaches, pears, tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, squash, jelly, jam, freeze drying, canning.  That's been my life.

I have a love-hate relationship with preserving food.  I love having it in storage, I love knowing where my food comes from, I love the fresh taste of peaches all year long.  I love peaches.  I hate the hours and hours it takes, how my back and feet ache, how I disappear into the kitchen and feel like I'm chained to the sink.  But I do it every year.  It's a few stressful weeks and it is hard, but it's so nice to walk down to my storage room and see jars and jars of pickles, pears, peaches, jams and jellies.  I even tried a few new things this year.  I have never done pickles or relish, but I now have 10 jars of pickles and 3 jars of relish.  I also learned that peaches that are not ripe do not peel easily.  I can't wait to make spaghetti sauce in my crock pot, I got that tip last year after my most patient attempts still resulted in runny, slightly burned sauce.

So yeah, if you've been wondering where I have been this month, just check my kitchen.  My kids will tell you I never leave.

Gifts of the heart

   Before I get started I wanted to tell you about the storm last night. There was the most amazing storm last night! I was woken up about midnight,  I'd been dreaming about thunder and lightening, when a knock on my door brought in Glen.  Abigail was crying and he brought her up to me.  After helping her I just sat on the couch and enjoyed the thunder and lightening for awhile.  There was so much lightening it was like a strobe lights, some flashes were so bright they lit up the whole room. The thunder was loud and long and a few of them felt like they shook the house.  We had storms like that all the time in Indiana and I have missed them so much here.  It lasted a good half hour and even after laying in bed I just stayed awake enjoying it.  What a gift.
Gifts.  Gifts have been on my thoughts a lot lately.  These flowers were a gift from a sweet little girl who think they are the greatest treasure in the world.  Abigail is very tender hearted and loves to show love for others by giving them gifts of dandelions, pine cones, her last candy, or a bite of her food.  When she gives me a handful of dandelions I know that she is giving me the best of what she has and she gives them with so much love.  They become treasures to me because of the love with which they are given.
     Abigail also loves to take flowers to other people.  Every day she asks to take flowers to one neighbor or another.  You might think I should discourage her from giving dandelions and pine cones to the lady down the street, but I never do.  She will meet with enough discouragement in life and develop inhibitions soon enough, I won't have any part in it.  The neighbors accept her little gifts with as much gratitude and love as I do.  I love that so much. 
     When do we start to think that what we have to give aren't good enough?  When do little flowers stop being good enough. Why does the time we have to give to listen or help become too little.  Why does a gift given have to be big and grand or cost a lot of money.  As adults we try to teach our kids that gifts can be small and inexpensive, that it's the thought that counts, but we don;t seem to believe that ourselves.   Do we still make home made gifts?  Do we still think "Oh they will love it because I made it" Maybe you do, but I have this idea so strongly in my head that it has to be big and expensive and amazing or they won't appreciate it.  I still cringe a little thinking of the picture I drew for a friends wedding shower.  It wasn't  a childish doodle, it was good, some of my best work, but still I thought it wasn't good enough.  Even after she told me how much she loved it part of me didn't believe her.  I should have bought something.
     Even though I have a hard time believing it, I hope I can teach my kids that what they have to give is good enough. After all, even the widows mites were accepted of the Lord.

Enduring

     It's one of those days.  One of the hard ones.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  I have worked hard to develop an optimistic outlook in life.  Maybe it's because I hate being sad, or maybe it's because I feel like I can't function as well when I am feeling down.  Sometimes I really struggle with depression, winter is really tough.  Sometimes I have a hard time seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's not winter.  The sun is shining and life is exciting.  Not really, I'm just trying to be optimistic.  :D
      I had a horrible nightmare about hornets flying into my dress and stinging me on the back.  Last week I was stung 5 times in one day when a hornet got into my hair and again a week later when it flew into my scarf  before my husband took out the nest of yellow jackets near my garden.  I've developed a bit of a phobia now.  I kind of freak out when anything near me flies, especially if it is yellow.  By kind of freak out I mean screaming and crying.  I'm too scared to go out into my garden for hours a day like I was a few weeks ago.  I'm kind of afraid to even go outside which could be leading to this little bout of blue devils.
     On days like this I feel so weighed down, my mind is heavy.  I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep all day, or maybe cry.  I don't want to get up and make meals for my kids, help the little girls get dressed, clean, or play games.  School is the furthest thing from my mind.  But I have to function, it's what moms do, isn't it?  I get up, I get dressed.  I have made two meals today, sweet Benjamin is making dinner.  I've played games, read books, helped with math, science and reading.  I took Glen to the library and had the presence of mind, despite a headache, to find books for the other kids.  I have done my chores, helped the other kids with theirs, given a piano lesson,  had a little quiet time to finish the autobiography I have been reading, and I got another batch of food from my garden freeze drying.
     It is so much harder to function on blue days, but I have learned to tell myself to hang on.  I know this won't last forever.  Emotionally I can't see an end, but I have learned to use logic to help me through.  I can't say I am enduring joyfully, but I am trying. I have not given in to the urge to just sit down and cry, instead I have taken up yet another picture book to read to my insatiable book worms.  I didn't give in to the urge to let them watch TV all day so I can just sleep away the clouds, instead I have sat down to help with school work.  I'm not always good at functioning well, but it helps to remember that this won't last forever.  Tomorrow will be a little brighter, but if not, then God will help me through the next cloudy day and I will try to dance in the rain.

My favorite days

     I love going out an playing.  Spending the day at the lake, or swimming in the ponds.  Camping is so fun and hiking or exploring the mountains  is one of my favorite things to do.  Trips to aquariums, museums, and historical places excited my love of learning.  There are so many places I enjoy being, but nothing can compare to my favorite place.  I love being home.  I love days like today when there are no play dates, no games to rush off to, no trips planned and no expected visitors.  As much as I enjoy going out, I also need days where I stay in and just enjoy my family.  These days when we all sleep in and then wake up to play have a special place for me.  They are relaxing and fun.  They give us an opportunity to spend time together and play.

     What do these days look like?  I'm tempted to invite a friend over or send the kids out to play.  I'm tempted to put on a movie, but I won't.  I want to listen to them play.  I want to enjoy the game they have made up.  I want to sit and read.  The girls might help me preserve the food we have.  We will weed and pull out board games.  It might sound kind of boring, but these really are my favorite days.  I feel like these days allow us to be who we really are.

Line upon Line

Little miss always wants to help cook!

      July has been an absolutely insane month! I have been running around almost non stop, hardly home, feeling like we are doing everything and nothing at the same time.  Despite the stress, I feel like I have learned so much.  I feel like I have grown by leaps and bounds, it's been amazing.
     Here are a few of the highlights.
     Truth is everywhere.  Our spirits can feel when we find truth, our spirits yearn for truth.  Truth is found in every religion, truth is found is books, movies, music, the Earth, people around us.  When we find it we sometimes connect on a deep spiritual level.
     Blessing are everywhere, if you look you will find them.  Our car broke down Thursday.  One could look at being stranded in almost 100 degree whether with four kids a disaster, or, one could look for the tender mercies from God.  The 9 people who offered to help, the first one being a mechanic who fixed our car for the price of parts and next to nothing labor.  My car was stocked with food and water.  We broke down right next to a blocked off lane so there was plenty of room to pull over without blocking traffic.  We broke down very close to John's work just as he was getting off.  The list goes on.  Yes, it is hard to be cheerful and see the good in life when there are trials, but there are blessing, find them!  I promise it will help you see the sunshine on a cloudy day, or maybe you will learn to dance in the rain.

We did not have a risk board, so they made their own board.

     God answers prayers!  I was feeling so over whelmed.  How could I possibly find time to clean the house, Study the gospel. help the kids with school, without leaving the girls out, find time to pursue my own goals, work out, and do all the garden work that is needed?  There just wasn't time.  I knew better then to think the Lord would actually give me more hours in the day, but I needed more time.  I asked Him to help me prioritize, I figured I would have to give up a bunch of stuff.  Instead the Lord had me make one small adjustment to school.  I put learning back into the hands of my children.  They pursue their own interests, I'm always available to help of course, but the boys do it mostly on their own.  All of the sudden I had time for everything!  Gospel study is better then ever. The boys are learning more then ever so they aren't being neglected. The girls come to me for reading, help pursuing their interests, and play time. They are learning more then ever!  I have more time to clean, plenty of time to pursue my own interests, time to work out, time for gardening, time for games, and even a little time to be bored.  I even get to bed at a good time each night.  I know I don't really have 72 hours, but it sure feels like it.
     I know the Lord is mindful of me and of my little family.  He guides me in every aspect of my life.  He answers my prayers.  He is real!

Get out of the way

 

 This week I have tried to stop pushing and just get out of their way.  You might think my kids took the opportunity to just laze around the house, would you be surprised if I told you they did more "school" then ever?  Glen found a term in his book that he didn't know, sonic boom, and asked about it.  That sparked his curiosity and he started researching cars breaking the sound barrier, jets breaking the sound barrier, what causes a sonic boom, the effects of a sonic boom, and he started thinking about way to mitigate it.  Now he wants to do his science experiment on how sound travels.  He also read a book with a Comodo Dragon in it and wanted to know the effects of Comodo poison so he set out to do more reasearch.  He learned that the Comodo Dragon doesn't have the muscles to squeeze out the poison so he clamps his jaw so tightly that the poison is squeezed out and he also learned that the poison stops blood from clotting.  That got him thinking about how it could be used in medicine.
     Benjamin, my boy who says he hates to read, has spent days reading books about animals, bees, Thomas Jefferson, and bridges, and learning about his current passion, Nikola Tesla. He now has two biographies about Nikola Tesla that he is going to read. He learned that Homeschooling is illegal in many countries and that got him thinking about the freedoms we have here in America.  He is learning about WW II and budgeting because he got some new games he is excited to play.
     Both boys went to a concert with me and learned about Rogers and Hamerstien through music and narration.  While at this concert we stopped at the Salt Lake Temple North Visitors center and when they showed interest I asked if they would like to plan a feild trip to tour Temple Square.  Usually when I say the words "Field Trip" I am met with groans and moans, but this time it was  their idea because they are interested.  They are both working on writing stories and drawing.  I am also working along with them on my own art skills and drawing.  Glen gave me a really excellent suggestion that took my log from looking not quite right to looking like a real log.
     Elizabeth is excited to learn about Bees, math, reading, fire trucks, singing and dancing.  She asks me to read books about bees, tell her about firetrucks and she wants to dance and sing all the time.  Yesterday we watched a little clip with a swarm of bees moving into a new hive and then we made honey candy.  Then we talked a little chemistry and she learned how candy gets hard because sugar does that as it heats up. She also wanted to know about cat colors and we researched and found out taht orange and black coloring is connected to the X chromosome and that's why most calicoes are female and most solid colored cats are male. Of course that led to a discussion about genes and chromosomes on her 5 year old level. Abigail is spending hours drawing and coloring, she loves art.  She wants to learn ballet and sing songs.  She loves to learn about other artists and we read Pocketfull of Colors and The Noisy Paintbox again and again.
     They want to know what kind of flowers daddy bought me.  They built a boat out of cardboard to see if it would float.  They are conquering fears, gaining confidence and learning about things I never would have thought to introduce to them.  They also take opportunities that I scatter along their path.
     I see now that when I stay out of their way and watch from the background they learn so much!  I don't take over, because that spoils it for them.  They want to learn, they want to grow.  My job is to sit back and let it happen, be there to help when they ask, and provide environments and opportunities for them to learn what they want.

A Meeting with the Principle

     I've been reading a new book this week that my friend gave me.  It's life changing.  Literally.  It was given to me by another homeschool mom, and it has changed the way I look at schooling, but it has impacted so much more than school.
     I study the scriptures differently, we study scriptures together as family differently.  It has effected the way I look at teaching the gospel to my kids and they way I feel about and look at myself.  I cannot say enough good about this book, I highly recommend reading it.  You can find it, as well as Ali's other great books, here: https://www.millennialstandardpress.com/online-store (I cannot wait to read her Millennial Instructor!)
     First I want to tell you about how this book has changed the way our family studies the scriptures together.  We have tried so many different way to keep our kids engaged, learning, and relatively under control.  We have used those comic book like Scripture story books, regular scriptures, taking turns reading, listening to Daddy read, acting out what we read, drawing what we read, building with Legos or blocks what we read.  Nothing really worked for long, nothing felt right.  In her book Ali talks about principles being unchanging gospel truths.  They can be summed up in one sentence, such as "I am a child of God"  She talks about finding true principles everywhere in books, not just in scriptures.  I decided to start searching the scriptures with the intent to find principles.  It really changed the way I read and study. I was no longer re-reading something I'd read 100 times before, I was seeing a message and seeing it re-enforced again and again.  I started teaching Benjamin to study scriptures the same way.  Then I suggested we do it as a family.  Each night someone picks a principle or topic and we all turn to the topical guide or index to find a scripture or story that we feel speaks of that principle.  Some aren't in the topical guide, like "I am a child of God" so instead we looked at love, Son, Children, and searched our memories for stories that testified of this precious truth.  Benjamin chose to find the scripture in Moses where he is talking to God and then after God leaves Satan comes and tries to get Moses to worship him, but he won't because he knows he is a son of God.  Elizabeth told us a story about living in heaven and the great council in Heaven.  Glen found a scripture that spoke to him of God's love for us.  John found one about teaching children and that led to another scripture I remembered, "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth."  The most beautiful thing is that each night is now a discussion, everyone is engaged and no one is bored.  Because we are sharing our own thoughts and ideas scriptures and stories are shared that I wouldn't have thought of or seen the way my children do, I am learning too!  I love that Elizabeth can participate because she can pull out her picture book and tell us a story that she thought of when we gave the topic.  I feel like we have finally found the way the Lord intended for our family to study His Gospel. It is wonderful that the Lord knows all of His children so well that He can inspire us and teach us what we need for our family, even though it is different from what another family needs.
     The other life changing concept I learned from this book in about being converted.  I feel like I have truly become converted to the lord.  I am no longer a hearer of the word, but a doer also.  For me the gospel is not just a Sunday thing, it is so much a part of my life that is is woven into every fiber of my being.  Every thought, word and action is based on my testimony that God knows me and that He loves me.  Because I have become truly converted I can teach my children by my example.  They see me studying the scriptures, not just reading for a few minutes each morning.  They see me doing, as I serve others, and they see that everything reminds me of the scriptures and of my Savior, everything is a teaching moment.  What really changed my life was seeing that just like I need to be truly converted to Christ, I also need to be truly converted to Homeschooling.  Being truly converted to teaching my children is important because there is no longer an out, "If you keep acting up I'll just send you back to public school." Now we solve the problems.  Knowing that this choice is right for us and won't change means the way we learn changed, the way we look at life changed, the way we see our family and our eternal salvation changed.  Homeschooling used to be about a specific time and subject, but after being converted homeschooling became a part of who I am.  Every thought and action is based off of homeschooling.  Homeschooling has become a true principle in my life, an unchanging truth, but one that continues to change me as I learn each day.
I am eternally grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who knows me and my family so well that he knows just what we need each day.  I know that he inspires me as I teach my children.  I can no longer see secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge, I see how connected they are.  We learn math, science, literature, Mathew Mark, Luke and John, all with an eye single to the glory of God.  I know He lives!  I know He loves me!  I know the Spirit testifies of the truth of all things!

Journey of a lifetime

     Four and a half years ago I started out on an unexpected journey.  Something Tookish awoke within me and set me on a path I would have never considered of before.  Homeschool.  I remember when my boys were toddlers, sitting with a few friends and they started talking about homeschool. They both wanted to and I had no interest whatsoever.  I loved school, I couldn't wait until my kids went, I just knew they would love it as much as I did.
     I won't re-visit my reasons for homeschooling, I have done that in previous posts, but I want to look forward.  Over the last 4 1/2 years I have learned so much, I have experimented with different learning styles, schedules, and ways of teaching.  I have swung from one side, unschooling or natural learning, to the other side with a hyper scheduled day with 12 different subjects, and back again.  I am seeing the Hand of the Lord in teaching me to teach my children.  `After last years fiasco trying to cram in everything I wanted them to learn I burned out so fast and the kids went from enjoying school to hating it all and fighting me every step of the way.  After a lot of prayer, soul searching, research and a little divine intervention in the form of two new friends I learned we need unschooling. I really prefer the term natural learning, after all, learning is so natural.
I began to see how my kids were learning so much just by living their lives, playing, pursuing interests and asking questions.  I began to see missed opportunities because what they were asking to learn didn't fit into my schedule or my idea of what we should be learning.  Glen's desire to play the recorder and learn to play the flute slowly died as he met with "no or not right now" at every turn.  Elizabeth's desire to learn about volcanoes disappeared before we got around to it because I kept putting it off, she also stopped asking me to help her learn to read or work out of her math book because I was always too busy to take the time to sit down to help her.
      I began to see opportunities to learn that I never would have seen before.  Hand writing took the form of writing a book, no tears or struggle.  Elizabeth planted bean seeds to see if they would grow because I said yes instead of "It's too late in the season for a good crop" She even watered right after because she had learned from watching me that seeds need to be kept moist until they sprout and form a good root system.  She brings me scriptures every morning, hungering to learn about them.  Glen began to sing, he wants to join Vocal Point some day.  Benjamin, who loves and is so good at math, but began to hate it when I made him do it each morning, volunteered to make a prime number game for me, but first he needs to learn what prime numbers are.  He is excited about math again.
     I am thoroughly convinced that the surest way to make a child hate anything is to force them to do it.  If you forced a child to eat chocolate cake very day they would hate it.  I know this, I have believed this for years, yet here I was forcing my kids to read, do math, memorize poetry, and a number of other things.  Over the summer I have watched their passion for learning rekindle because I am not forcing them to do anything.  They are learning about Prime numbers, singing,  surface tension and what boats need to stay afloat, how to plant, care for and harvest in the garden, the value of objects and ideas, how to make money, and a million other lessons.
     So now it's time to take a deep breath and take the plunge.  It's time to give up control and trust my kids to learn without me forcing it.  It's time to trust the Lord when he tells me this is the way to do it.  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink.  I cannot force my kids to learn, but I can help encourage them, introduce them to new ideas, give them opportunities to learn and watch their love for life and passion for learning take them an their own amazing adventure in life.
Homeschool really is the journey of a lifetime.  A journey that will last a lifetime because we are never done learning.  I can't wait to see where this new journey takes us.