Here are some thoughts that came to my mind today that I would like to share with you:
Are you making your homeschool day harder than it should be?
Evaluating your day, once in a while, is always a good idea. Think about your day and see if any of
these things pop up as red flags. When we notice these red flags, we can take action to remedy the situation making our days a little easier.
1. Are you using books you don't enjoy? It's tough to pick books for
homeschooling when we've never read them. You buy something thinking it will be perfect and then it ends up not being what you expected. It's okay to stop using something that you don't enjoy! There, I said it. You have my permission to stop using a book you don't enjoy...
2. Are you doing tasks your children should do? Are you clearing plates from the table yourself for children who are more than capable of doing this themselves, putting away the food from the table, doing laundry for children who are 12 or older? Putting laundry away for your children who are over 5? Sweeping, organizing, wiping, etc?? Are you stressed over keeping up with the mountain of housework? Look over
each job that you are doing and see if someone in your family can be trained to do that job instead. If no one in your house is capable, check into outside help. When my girls were 1, 3, and 5, I enlisted the help of a cleaning lady for a few years. That way I was able to work on homeschooling my girls and running my home business with less stress. I always said that someone else could clean my house but no one else could homeschool my children the way I
could.
3. Are you worried or fearful in your homeschool? Do you worry about your children being at grade level? Think you aren't "doing enough"? Comparing yourself to other homeschool families?
4. Do you have a lot of stuff in your house and don't know where to put it all? This time of year is a great time to look at what you have and what no longer serves you. Ask your family to help you clear out some things so that
you have more space to work and less clutter to clean around. If you don't like something, don't keep it. If something no longer serves you or your family member, don't keep it. I am seeing lots of great decluttering ideas on facebook groups and pinterest these days. Let me know if you need some ideas or check out this post on organizing. You can bet that I will also be working through this decluttering process myself!
5. Are you forgetting character training? To me, this is one of the most
important parts of homeschooling. If my children finished all their books, scored in the 98th percentile on all tests but act like jerks that no one wants to be around, then I have failed. My greatest focus should be on the character of my children. They won't be homeschooling forever and I will have to launch them out into the world. I've actually already launched 3 of them with only one left at home! The time goes by fast! I want my children to be able to relate to people and be a blessing to
the people they are around. So instead of focusing so much on completing those workbooks, make sure character training is getting done first.
I hope I haven't overwhelmed you too much with all these questions.
I do want you to evaluate things in your life, though, so that you don't just float through life and wonder what happened.
The most important thing you can do is to spend some quiet time with God in the next few days
and allow Him to minister to you and help you find what you really need to focus on and what you need to let go. He created you and your children and knows you best. Go to Him with your concerns and let Him lead and guide you to where you need to be.
I hope you all have a very Happy New Year!
