2015-2016 Homeschool: Set Up, Schedule, & Strategy

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With 2 days left in the month of June, I've completed my preparations for the upcoming school year. I am 37 weeks pregnant with our son, & my overwhelming need to nest has proven quite productive! By the time we wrapped up our previous school year at the end of May, my mind, plans, Pinterest board, & efforts were already directed towards this Fall. This post is all about our Set Up, Schedule, & Strategy for our 2015-2016 school year.

Set Up:

Our schoolroom set up is organic in nature & is frequently modified throughout the year. With every schoolroom reveal, I'm utterly certain that the arrangement is perfect & that I wouldn't change a thing...and invariably by the end of a term countless alterations have been made. This time is no different. I LOVE our room & have high hopes of its function meeting our schooling needs, & I'm equally as certain that I'll be switching things up during our first term break!

The far wall contains our AMAZING work box cabinet. A dear friend, fellow homeschooling momma, & my mentor gifted us with her work box system as her boys had outgrown it's use. After hours (and hours) of perusing Pinterest for alternative storage options, this piece of furniture far surpasses my wildest dreams! If you are new to homeschooling and have yet to hear about a Work Box System, I highly encourage you to look into it (especially if you are teaching multiple kiddos in multiple grade levels). This cabinet houses all of our books, workbooks, & curriculum. On top of this cabinet are our lesson plan books (1 for each girl), a globe, & our Discovery Toys microscope. In the strategy section of this post I'll explain how we will be using the planners in conjunction with the work box system. Above our work box cabinet is another INCREDIBLE gift...Maps! An aunt & uncle of ours hunted down & generously gifted us with pull-down maps. I cannot put into words how pumped I am about these bad boys! My husband bought a special map mount & secured to it a piece of antique barn wood. We will use both the maps & the cabinet throughout all of our homeschooling days...and years! I am completely & unabashedly geeking out over this portion of our schoolroom.

By the window we have a small round dining room table that was given to us by my parents. At the end of last year, my girls began preferring to sit together rather than in separate desks. This setup greatly aided me in being able to interact with both at once rather than constantly moving back and forth between them. It also provides an area for Belles to join us & feel included. On top of the table is a kitchen caddy that's being repurposed for supply storage. I like that all art supplies are handy & that we aren't losing time by searching for them endlessly. As a side note, I do put this caddy away when school time is over. One unnamed member of the Gaggle has proven herself to be less than trustworthy when it comes to proper art supply use! 😏 A big bowl of crayons sits on the table during non school hours. On the wall behind the table we have a pin board that contains our weekly Christ quality & weekly letter for the littles. Below that hangs a handy white board.

On the striped wall, we have the toy portion of our schoolroom. The top 4 cubbies of the 8 cubby unit contain books & games. The bottom 4 boxes hold all (literally ALL) of our Gaggle's toys. On top of this cabinet is a toy barn (built by my husband) & our "Suitcase" which contains our monthly subscription to Tiny Passports. I highly recommend this as a way of introducing Geography & Social Studies to early learners. My parents purchased a year's subscription as part of the Gaggle's Christmas gift. The 3 cubby vertical unit holds additional craft supplies, school games (Discovery Toys), & supplemental materials. 

Schedule: 

Yearly:

Last year we began transitioning to a more year-round timetable. The state of Indiana requires a completion of 180 days in each calendar year, but we will easily complete more. We school in 6 terms with each term consisting of 6 weeks on, 1 week off. We have extended breaks (approximately 4-6 weeks) between Thanksgiving & Christmas as well as another lengthy break at the end of June & beginning of July during our county fair.  I anticipate that we will use the July term for health, safety, arts, & enrichment activities that are hard to fit into the regular school days. I've been very pleased with how this system functions for us. The breaks seem to come at just the right time, & inevitably our girls are asking to resume by the end of break week. Last year I made the error of preplanning the entire school year, & wound up having to scrap plans (& make a sloppy mess of my planner)....this year the break week will be used for planning the upcoming term. Appointments & 'field trips' will also occur during this time.

 **This year's Thanksgiving/Christmas extended break is skewed due to our little man arriving**

Year: 

Term 1: August 24-October 2 (30 days)

Term 2: October 12-Novermber 20 (30 days)

Term 3: November 30-December 18 (15 days) & Jan 4-Jan 22 (15 days)

Term 4: February 1-March 11 (30 days)

Term 5: March 21-April 29 (30 days) 

Term 6: May 9-June 17 (30 days)

Daily:

I initially began our homeschooling journey with a fairly regimented daily schedule, but have a new approach to try this year. Rather than confining our day into a strict timetable, I'm hoping to function in relaxed segments. We already more or less have been settling into this routine. By nature I am a very regimented individual, and operate better with a plan & a schedule...I've found that this also leads to my being uptight & anxious. As silly as it sounds, I truly have found much freedom in the Segment vs. Schedule mindset. Here is our day in a nutshell:

   -Early Morning: We are early risers by nature. Most mornings find us meeting up in our living room just a little after 6:00 am. The next couple of hours are very low key. I get breakfast for the Gaggle, & they lounge around in various rages of wakefulness. Once they are occupied with their meal & a cartoon, I settle down with my coffee & my Bible. (I foresee this one day being a designated quiet time for each of us as my girls learn to read) Following this we make beds, do morning chores, & dress for the day.

   -Mid Morning: When the previous is completed, we'll head to the school room & begin that portion of our day. We typically open with joint activities such as prayer & calendar time, Recitation, & Literature. (Even Belles participates in this portion.) When we have concluded our joint learning, each girl will get her Lesson Plan Book & her first work box. For the next couple of hours we will work through several work boxes. 

   -Late Morning: At this time I'll begin lunch preparations while the girls will independently finish mid-morning work & take a break to play. Lunch tends to be an early affair in our home due to being up early, & afterwards the girls will continue playing for a bit while I prep for the afternoon portion of our school day or complete my own chores.

   -Early Afternoon: After lunch and our break, we will meet back up in the schoolroom to complete the remainder of our daily curriculum. I anticipate that this will be a shorter segment than the mid-morning one. Once the girls finish up their work, I will refill the work boxes and prep for the next day. During this time we...and by 'we' I mean 'they' do a thorough pick up of the house. 

   -Mid Afternoon: Once my prepwork is completed, we move into a couple hours of quiet time. The big girls begin this time by watching a movie in their room (this is a huge treat at our house), & once that is over, they play quietly for awhile. Belles still naps most days, & momma just needs some time to herself. I have found that it's in the best interest of all parties to have some set-aside quiet, independent time so I'm definitely a stickler about making this time happen. 

   -Late Afternoon: Once quiet time is over, the Gaggle is ready for a snack & more play time...I am a firm believer that kiddos learn far more from productive play than they do from restricted & structured learning...particularly in the early ages. I finish up my household work, & the Gaggle complete their chores. 

   -Early To Late Evening: The Lone Ranger usually gives us a heads up that he's headed home so we scurry about picking up toys & ridding the house of cluttered chaos. I usually settle the girls down with a movie while I begin making supper. When the Lone Ranger gets home, we have dinner, give baths, do devotions, & etc until the girls' bedtime (between 8:00-8:30).

   -Late Evening: Once the Gaggle is settled for the night, it's date time! The Lone Ranger & I usually snuggle up on the couch with a show & a snack soaking up the quiet until we head to bed ourselves. 

**I have read blogs where a reverse scenario is more effective (unstructured time in morning, school in afternoon & some even school during the evening hours). When the weather is nice, outside time is a priority so our schedule will shift to accommodate that (during summer we play in the morning & school during the heat of the day)...the coolest thing about homeschooling is it's about whatever works for YOUR family!**

Strategy:

In the homeschool world there are resources out the wazoo, & it can be more than overwhelming trying to figure out how to navigate this crazy journey. Spend some time researching what fits best for you & your family...no one thing works for everyone! 

We practice the Classical Christian Education method. This method uses 3 stages of learning (Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric) & progresses as the student matures. (For more on this visit: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/). We use Memoria Press curriculum which is set up with the classical method in mind. We also use a variation of Sue Patrick's Work Box System (just search that phrase on Google or Pinterest to learn more). 

As a parent/teacher trying to juggle multiple learners on various levels this system proves time & again to be a sanity saver. One of our homeschooling goals is to focus on Learning How to Learn rather than merely force feeding knowledge. I want my children to be strong & independent lifelong learners. Independent learning is something that we are striving to cultivate at a young age. This year Goldilocks is completing 1st Grade curriculum, Sweet 'N Sassy is in Kindergarten, & Belles is simply learning by listening & interacting. On top of our work on cabinet, each girl has a Lesson Plan book with her daily tasks written out in it (numbered 1-6)  & each girl has 6 work boxes (also numbered 1-6). 

Each morning my big girls will get their lesson plan books and their first work box. The first subject in the lesson book is found in the work box, & so on through all 6. When all 6 work boxes are completed, the school day is done...this leaves the duration of school in the hands of the learner (particularly in upper grade levels).  With each of my girls, I will be working on their ability to independently read the designated assignment in the planner, get the proper work box (& materials), to complete the task at hand, check off the task in planner, return work box, & retrieve the next. Goldilocks is very inclined & drawn to self-reliance...she actually prefers to try to figure her lessons out herself vs. me teaching her. As such, most of Goldi's morning work subjects/work boxes will be able to be completed independently (subjects like journaling, spelling, & reading practice) while Sassy's will require my assistance (particularly at the beginning of the year). Sassy is quite opposite from Goldi in her learning style. Independence will be a learned process for her. My hope is that by the end of the year she too will easily be carrying out the work box system with only my help in the area of instruction. Our dining room table setup allows me to be hands on with Sassy but also right there to answer Goldi's questions or to give her aid as needed. The vast majority (if not all) of Sassy's work will be completed in the morning portion of our school day, leaving me to teach & directly help Goldi in the afternoon...because despite her preference for independence, she will certainly need direct instruction in some subject areas. During this time, Sassy will most likely practice learned skills with our Discovery Toys games, flash cards, white board work, & etc. She will also be free to simply play.  Here's the current Subject setup for each girl:

 *Corporate Learning: Prayer, Calendar Time, Recitation, & Literature (I read a book to all girls & Goldi later competes an independent assignment based upon it)

1. Goldi: Journal & Spelling (Independent)

    Jordyn: Phonics (with Mommy)

2.  Goldi: Reading Practice (Independent & then read to Mommy)

     Jordyn: Journal & Penmanship (begin with Mommy & then independent)

3. Goldi: Copybook & Penmanship Practice (Independent)

    Jordyn: Math (with Mommy) 

4. Goldi: Cursive (with Mommy & Independent Assignment)

     Jordyn: Copybook (Indepedent)

5. Goldi: Phonics (with Mommy & Independent Assignment)

6. Goldi: Math (with Mommy & Independent Assignment)

As I mentioned the true emphasis is on learning how to learn. To me, this trumps the importance of particular curriculum. I've no doubts that my children will competently learn the appropriate skills needed for adulthood, but my true success will be in their ability to learn & discover anything & everything they should like to know throughout the duration of their lives.

These ideas have been brewing in my mind for the latter half of last school year, & so putting them into words might be clear as mud...so please don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them! If you're new to the world of homeschooling, don't be afraid to dive right in! You'll find your groove & what works for you! Years from now...Most likely even next year, I'll look back on this very post & be amazed at how organic this journey is! 

Goldilocks' Little House on the Prairie Party

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Approximately 1.5 hours after her 5th birthday party, my Goldilocks announced that next year's theme would be Little House on the Prairie...I will not lie...my spirit soared in that moment. I've been a Little House fanatic since my mom gave me her old Little House set when I was in elementary school. I may or may not have determined that my girls WOULD love the series as well...thankfully I didn't have to twist their arms. They fell in love with Laura, Mary, Baby Carrie, Pa, & Ma just as quickly as I did. In light of Goldi's announcement, I instantly set to work creating the perfect "Prairie Party" Pinterest board. As the year progressed, I feared that her interests would change, but to my complete amazement (and obnoxious excitement) they didn't. As May neared, we set about making official plans, all of which centered around an outdoor Little House party set perfectly in our own "Big Woods". In the days leading up to the party the forecast wasn't promising, & so our plans were modified to accommodate an indoor Prairie Party instead. 

Our home was already decorated in a country theme so decorating was fairly simple. I used quilts as table clothes & as designated areas for crafting and eating. 

Laura & Almanzo Wilder purchased a glass plate that read, "Give us this day our daily bread" on it. The plate survived their house fire in Dakota territory as well as their journey to Missouri. I have a wooden plaque with the same phrase, & so it seemed a fitting tribute to decorate our table with a similar piece.

Tucked in the corner was our Photo Booth. Goldi's "town dress" with hoop skirt, an antique screen door, milk container, & my Grammie's quilt as a backdrop completed the scene.

My Gaggle compliantly posed for a quick picture, & Goldi got a picture with her guests as well. Upon arriving our guests we able to choose a sun bonnet to wear for the party & to take home as a favor. (I purchased the bonnets from www.etsy.com for just $5/bonnet.)

 

From the Little House series, Goldi chose 3 activities to complete with her guests: Rag Dolls, Sewing, & Button Necklaces. As we waited for lunch to cook, we jumped right into our first activity...Rag Doll making. I read a brief paragraph from "Little House in the Big Woods" which tells of Laura receiving her first rag doll as a Christmas gift. (I used this tutorial:  http://www.restlessrisa.com/2014/07/rag-doll-no-sewing-required.html)   My craft closet came very in handy for this part, & I barely purchased anything for the activities. I had precut all the fabric needed for the rag dolls using scraps from my fabric stash.

Mommas were invited to stay & join in the party, & their help was much needed during our activity time. I like to think that they all enjoyed some Mommy & Me crafting! My husband even surprised me by staying and helping our Gaggle with their creations as well!

This by far was the activity I was most excited about, & I think they turned out darling if I do say so myself! Once we'd finished the rag dolls, we moved on to lunch.

Another quilt covered my kitchen island and held all the fixin's for lunch. We served Nellie Olsen's Lemonade, cookies, & a pioneer style lunch in tin pails.

Pioneer Lunch: Fried Chicken, Biscuit, Apple, & Cookie. The girls grabbed their lemonade & pails, & sat down on another quilt to eat.

Our lunch quilt overlooked our "Prairie" as the rainy day kept us indoors. Once lunch was finished, we returned to the activity quilt for our final two projects. 

For the sewing activity I precut 6"x6" squares of muslin, & using heat-n-bond adhered each girl's initial to it. To "sew" we used thick embroidery thread & embroidery needles as they are more dull (and less likely to prick little fingers). I was surprised by how much the girls enjoyed this and how much patience they had with it! 

We used the same embroidery floss & needles to then make Button Necklaces like the one Laura & Mary made for Baby Carrie in "By the Banks of Plum Creek". 

When crafting was done, we celebrated our birthday girl with the traditional song & cake. My mother-in-law pulled out her old Holly Hobbie pan & made the perfect Prairie Girl...even with blonde curls just like my Goldilocks.

We couldn't be more grateful for God's gift our our sweet girl...and for the friends and family who love her just as much as we do! 

Prep, Prizes, & Parenting...Lessons Learn from my Baby Sister

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This is my sister...my baby sister. She's an NPC Bikini Competitor. 

This is me...her bigger sister. I'm a momma of 4 littles.

We're as different as night & day, my baby sister & I. I'm 4'10". She's 5'6". I'm a bottle-aided blonde. She's a deep brunette. We couldn't be more different...but I'm learning that we are more similar than I thought. I used to think that it was my job to teach her things, but little does she know how very much she's taught me. 

Her sport is intense...like intense borderlining insanity. I can relate. Being a mom is intense, & more often than not I err towards the insane side. Her life is not her own in many ways. She trains rigorously year round. Leisure time is nonexistent, & she often is forced to choose between what she wants to do & what she needs to do. I never dreamed I'd see the day when she'd turn down a shopping trip, but I can't count the sacrifices she's made to ensure that she's in the gym. Again, I relate. My life is not my own in many ways. It belongs to 3 little ladies & a little man. The demands of my thoughts, my time, my energy, & my efforts are rigidly devoted to them. Leisure time is nonexistent, & I often choose between what I want to do & what I need to do. I never dreamed I'd see the day when getting a daily shower was considered pampering...the sacrifices a mother makes are countless.

She adheres to a strict diet. Yesterday she turned down birthday cake...birthday cake. She uses a little scale to meticulously measure the quantity of food she consumes, & eats a precisely proportioned & plotted meal every 2 hours...exactly every 2 hours. She carries an enormous lunchbox with her wherever she goes, & in it carries every meal that she'll consume. She's goal-oriented. She intends to do what it takes to earn her Pro card in her sport. She's disciplined. She's in the gym twice a day no matter what. She's determined. She pushes herself to do better & be better in every show she does.  She has willpower the size of the Grand Canyon. She turned down birthday cake, for crying out loud! While I can relate to her in many ways, we are still very different...a bikini will never again touch this stretched & saggy body. I will never, never pass up piping hot French fries. I have no desire to diet & workout like she does...I workout so I can eat!

 And this is where my baby sister has not only inspired me, but she has taught me a thing or two as well...because I want to be all the things she is: goal-oriented, disciplined, determined, & a master of willpower. Thankfully, I've already got a goal: to be a disciple & to make disciples (namely my children) of Jesus Christ, & to be the best daughter, wife, mother, & friend I can be....now I need to implement the lessons I've learned from my extreme athlete of a sister!

1. Poor Prep, Poor Performance:

Months & months worth of effort boil down to just a few minutes on stage. 16 weeks out from a competition (16 weeks), my sister begins a period of pre-competition preparation called "Prep". Her normally well regimented diet & exercise routine become exceedingly rigorous. Diet is strategic. Workout isolates individual muscles. Every meal & every workout are incredibly significant. If she has a poor prep, then she will most certainly have a poor performance. 

Take Away: If I fail to prep, I fail to perform. I cannot be a godly wife, mother, & woman if I do not establish disciplined & intentional time with The Lord. Time in the Word, time spent in prayer, & time spent in godly fellowship are my "prep". I need each of them in order for my heart, my attitude, my mouth, & my actions to perform properly. The days when I'm a crab apple...the days when my temper flares...the days when I tune out...the days when my patience is thin...the days when I snap...all harken back to a failure to prepare (or when my prep is rote & obligatory rather than heartfelt). Poor prep = Poor Performance. My sister will not abide by a poor performance. She isn't going to give herself an inch when it comes to her prep because she knows that it's vital to her success. I need to be like her. I need to prep myself to be the godly woman that God has called me to be, no matter what. (2 Timothy 2:5)

2. Prep Ain't Always Pretty, but it is Always Productive:

The extreme diet & the rigid exercise take a toll on an athlete. Digestive issues, fatigue, & mental stress often go hand & hand with intense prep. Reduce your fiber, turn down birthday cake, bench press 150lbs, & you'll see what I mean! Prep ain't always pretty. Done well & done right, however, it is always productive. With every show, my sister better learns how to prepare & how to handle that period. With every show she is more muscular, more cut, & more defined than the one before. 

Take Away: I can almost guarantee you that the second I put my earbuds in to listen to a sermon...the moment I flip open the pages of my Bible...the instant I answer a friend's phone call, my Gaggle will erupt into a frenzy of chaos. Cries of "Mommy", wails of battle, frantic "uh ohs" will burst forth. Cups will spill. Sisters will pull hair. Anarchy will overthrow relative peace. As I said before, motherhood is intense...and it's insane. Not long ago this untimely upheaval would cause me to morph into the Hulk. My face would turn green, my neck muscles would bulge, & I'd unleash a fury upon my bewildered Gaggle. "Can't you see that mommy is trying to pray!", I'd bellow. "Here I am trying to learn to be like Jesus, & you're acting like heathens!"...I'm pretty sure I said something along those lines. The fury would eradicate any sense of holiness within me, & I'd defeatedly throw my hands in the air. Prep Ain't Always Pretty...in fact it seldom is. I have visions of sitting down with a steaming mug of coffee in the predawn morning & having the scriptures leap from the page & right into my heart...Reality check. Lately I have been striving to curb my Hulk tendencies. I'm getting better at getting the kiddos situated with breakfast & a cartoon before I sit down to read. I'm learning to deal with the crisis & then get back to business. Prep ain't always pretty, but it is always Productive. Regardless of how hard her prep is, my sister diligently sticks to it & gets it done. That diligence is productive. I need to be like her. I need to be diligent to prep, whether it's pretty or not, because regardless, heartfelt prep will be productive. (Hebrews 12:11) 

3. The Prep is Part of the Prize:

Remember when I said that my sister has 16 weeks of Prep before a show...16 weeks for less than 16 minutes on stage. That's bogus! Or so I thought. I'm guilty of saying that there's no way I'd work that hard for something so short lived. I didn't get it. I didn't understand that the moment on stage wasn't the only prize. Prep is part of the Prize. For the duration of prep, my sister sees what she is capable of. She's lifts more weight than she thought she could. She develops more definition than she previously had. She sees beyond her physical strength to her mental & emotional strength as well. She puts her determination, discipline, & willpower to the test & slays weakness. That brief moment on stage is epic...but all the moments building up to it are priceless. 

Take Away: Life is hectic. The life of a mom is bonkers. I don't need to list all the hats that we wear or all the responsibilities we have...you're all too aware of the demands upon you. Merely getting an opportunity to sit down with our Bible, to have an adult conversation, to pray without dozing off is a feat...add to that the fore mentioned anarchy & it's miraculous if prep happens at all. Despite the odds, it's worth it to ensure that does happen...not just for the prize of spiritual maturation or for the sake of being a good mommy rather than a mutant one, but for the prep itself. The opportunity we have to enter into relationship with the Creator of Heaven & Earth is priceless. The privilege of addressing the King of Kings & Lord of Lords is epic. The humility of being a wretched sinner loved by a perfect Father is  amazing. Daily I have an opportunity to live life as a chosen one of God...that, friends, is a prize all it's own. My sister keeps sight of the fact that the prep is part of the prize. The growth, the challenge, & the continuous effort are part of the reward. She knows what she is capable of. I need to be more like her. I need to see my time with the Lord as a prize in and of itself. He has chosen me. He has saved me. He has redeemed me. Every second spent worshipping Him, learning about Him, & in communion with Him is a gift...the Prep is Part of the Prize.

4.  The Prize is Worth the Prep:

Last Fall I watched my baby sister dominate her show. She won in her class, & she won overall. What does one get for all that effort? Samurai Swords. No joke. She got two of them! I skeptically asked her if it had all been worth it, & she adamantly insisted that it was. The moment she walked on stage every moment of pain, every squelched craving, & every bite of nasty rice cake had been worth it. Every rough & ugly prep moment had culminated to success...The Prize, the swords & the satisfaction, were worth the Prep.

Take Away: What's the prize that I'm striving for? I have 3. #1 I have nothing to do with. God has gifted me with an eternal life spent with Him. The good news is this prize has already been received through belief & repentance.  #2. To hear this from my husband, "Many women do Noble things, but you surpass them all." (Proverbs 31:29) #3. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 1:4) Even in the midst of this season of life...even on the days when my children have sucked the life out of me...even on the days when my home is a wreck...even on the days when I've been more irate than loving...even on the days when I barely survive...I know that one day I will look back on the chaos of it all with rose colored lenses. I will miss the disarray. I will mourn the quiet. I will yearn for little voices crying my name. I know that seeing my children come to faith will be worth all of the time outs & talks. I know that watching them walk with The Lord will be worth the time on my knees & my pitiful attempts to lead. I know that the golden years with my husband will be worth the tears & the stress of our youth. The time & effort that I put into becoming the woman, wife, & mother that God has called me too will be worth the pain, sweat, & tears...the Prize is worth the Prep. My sister does not walk out on stage knowing for sure that she will win...but she believes she will. She preps as if she's already won. I need to be like her. I cannot know with certainty that I will ever achieve the prize I'm striving for, but I believe that I will. I'll prepare as if I will. The prize, should I receive it, is worth all the effort I can give. (1 Corinthians 9:25)

**Lest this begin to sound like a message in works, I want to make clear that in and of myself I am incapable of anything good...it is only by his Grace & only by the power of His Holy Spirit that I amount to anything. Scripture says that my righteous acts are like 'filthy rags'. Anything that I am capable of comes from Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)**

Friends, the struggle is real. Being a mother...a parent...a wife...is beyond tough. Social media skews perception & enables us to "post" life at its best. That false reality creates a sense of failure and inadequacy. Even our best efforts often come up short. I hope that this has been an encouragement...not to be Mom-of-the-Year via Pinterest projects & amazing snacks...but to be a devout disciple of the one who saved you. May we put the effort into the "Prep" & be hopeful of the "Prize"...

If You Can't Say Something Nice...

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This post is hardly theological in nature...perhaps it is more of a public service announcement...or better yet a rant by hormonal pregnant lady...at any rate for the sake of my sanity I am writing it.

Nearly all of us can remember back to a scene from the movie Bambi. Thumper has just stuck that big foot of his in his mouth, & his mother quickly admonishes him. He bashfully recites a saying that evidently he has heard quite often..."If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all." While most of us could easily quote that line, I dare say very few of us implement it's wisdom...myself included. We live in a society that is crude & crass. Social media has given us a freedom to say whatever we think whenever we think it. Our opinions are brashly brandied about (whether they were asked for or not). Words flow from our lips without one iota of thought for how they might impact the one receiving them. Once upon a time most folks had been thoroughly taught proper etiquette & were well aware of certain topics that ought not be mentioned..but clearly those are by-gone days.

If I'm truthful this post has been sitting heavily in my gut for several years now. The Lone Ranger & I have 3 precious daughters, our gaggle, all of whom are very close in age. Currently Goldilocks is 5, Sweet 'N Sassy is 4, & Belles 'N Whistles is 2. From the time Belles was born, nearly every trip...I'm not exaggerating...EVERY trip to the grocery store brought with it crude comments or questions. "Are they ALL yours?!", "They're each so different...do they have the same father?", "They're so close in age...did you plan that?!, "Trying for that boy, are ya?!".  It's a rarity that we venture out in public without one or another of these types of questions. Initially I answered back as politely as I could, but as our girls have grown these questions now cause the questions of their own. Mild annoyance has grown into intense frustration as I have to reassure my sweet girls that we wanted each one of them, that it's a wonderful thing for them to be so uniquely different,that we'd be thrilled with a dozen daughters, that we love our big & still growing family...

I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant with our 4th child, & the remarks just keep coming. Upon announcing our pregnancy along with congratulations came comments about the number of children we plan to have, & whether or not this was simply an attempt to have a son...joy was shadowed by hurt. As we near the third trimester of this pregnancy, I've long since left the 'cute' stage & ventured into mammoth territory. At 4'10" tall & with a baby measuring on the big side, I'm not the cute pregnant lady with a teeny bump. Comments veiled in humor, raised eyebrows, & inquiries as to how much longer until my due date are quite honestly hurtful (I'm aware that they are not intended to be). My tight fitting clothes, my aching back, & the stretch mark atlas on my belly make very clear just how large I am...and they daily remind me of how much I've yet to grow...

Social media has let family, friends, & foes have an in depth look at our once private lives...thereby leaving us vulnerable to their input. Facebook is a free-for-all of opinions on every topic from sex to finances, from politics to religion. The sharing of a perspective leads to a discussion which becomes an argument & sometimes even an attack. Behind the realitive safety of a computer monitor (or phone screen), we feel free to make our sentiments known...I myself am guilty of this...

I cannot help but feel like Thumper's momma was right...if we cannot say something nice, perhaps we are better off not saying anything at all. There are topics of conversation that should still socially be taboo. There are others that should be spoken of with a soft tongue & with much consideration. Even as I type this, I'm unsure if I will follow through with hitting the publish button. I fear that you will read it & think I am simply lashing out from hurt feelings...& while perhaps they are a bit raw, the true nature of this post is to encourage us to be aware of the power of our tongues. Words once spoke are impossible to recapture. Scripture tells us that our tongue has the power of life & death (Proverbs 18:21). Many, many times words that are spoken with no harmful intent strike a hidden nerve & reopen old wounds. We must be mindful of this. We have no way of knowing what issues might be tender ones for the listener, & so we must exercise caution. We must think before we speak. We must consider ramifications before we hit 'post'. We must guard against letting our debates become attacks.

Please do not respond to this post with comment about how awesome my ginormous baby bump is...I did not write this to have comments transformed into compliments. I wrote this post because the tongue has the power lift others up or to tear them down. Words truly have the power to give life or to snuff it out. We live in a world in which daily we commit murder simply by the words that issue from our mouths...We live in a culture in which we die countless deaths caused by the words of others. 

'Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.' (Ephesians 4:29)

(As a simple side note, I do want to mention that we as believers have a responsibility to always speak truth (according to God's word) even when the world does not wish to hear it)

Full Year Reflection: Mountain Moments, Lifeschooling, & Lessons Learned the Hard Way

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First, I'll issue fair warning that there is in all likelihood a most probable chance that none but me will find this post interesting. If you are not plagued by OCD...if you do not agonizingly anguish over shoulda, coulda, woulda's, if you view homeschooling as an oddity...then this post will surely bore you. Consider yourself duly warned & proceed with caution!

I find it Infinitely beneficial for the sake of my sanity & for the cause of improvement to periodically look back on where I've been in order to best determine how to proceed where I'm going. When I first began the 2014-2015 school year, I fully intended to write a reflection post at the end of each term (we school in 6 weeks on, 1 week off intervals in a year round schedule)...but alas, here we are at the end of the 5th term with only 7 weeks left in the entire school year & I've written only one reflection...and that was at the end of the 1st term! I'd classify that as an epic fail in terms of blogging goals. I must amend that while I have only written 1 reflection, I have indeed greatly contemplated the weeks of school that ensued between then & now.

I had to chuckle as I reread that 1st Term Reflection. If only I'd known then what molehills those meltdowns were compared to some more mountainous moments that we were destined to endure...but alas hindsight is always 20/20 & there was no way of knowing then what I know now. By the end of the first term we were firmly entrenched in my well-thought out plan for the school year...and by the middle of the second term all of those schemes had gone awry...

Near the end of August, only a few weeks into the new school year, it was clear that Sweet 'N Sassy's motor skills were no where near ready for our PreK curriculum. All of my precisely formatted lesson plans were scrapped, & I (frantically) scrambled to reformat her school year. If you know me then it will come as no surprise that this nearly sent me into a nervous frenzy. Right about the time I felt like I had gotten things back on track & a new plan formulated, we discovered that we were expecting our fourth little one. Elation soon followed with panic as I realized 2 things: 1. The fate of my schoolroom was now in jeopardy (petty, I know, but if you know me then you know how much I love having a separate schooling space). 2. Per the usual, I was SICK...the term morning sickness is wholly inadequate. From early November until late December, our school time was frequently interrupted by unpleasant breaks (If you're a momma, you know exactly what I'm talking about). On November 12, my grandpa passed away. Traveling for the visitation & funeral had us doing school in what I considered unorthodox times & ways. Papaw G's loss was the first that our big girls truly felt & grasped to understand. We never truly got back in our 'normal' groove after navigating our way through that time. Thanksgiving & Christmas were soon upon us & that exciting yet hectic season kept our school days in a rather ragged rhythm. I fully intended on buckling down when we commenced in the New Year, but just a week into our new term, Goldilocks was plagued by a mystery illness. From the beginning of January to mid March, several times a week sickness would strike, & as a result we frequently did school from the waiting room of Doctor's offices or from Abigail's pallet on the living room floor. Thankfully Goldi has been symptom free for nearly 4 weeks now. Springtime is now upon us, & with it comes an eagerness to put schoolbooks away. Fresh air & sunshine beckon us away from our desks, & once again we find ourselves rebelling against the school day structure. 

I would like to say that I've handled the last 6 months with grace & faith, smoothly navigating through rough waters...but that would be a falsehood. My OCD tendencies, my uptight nature, & my acute need for structure have made this time incredibly trying...but even more humbling. There has been much to reflect on...much opportunity to lean upon God's strength when mine so often failed. In the midst of these 'mountains' more often than not I felt...nay, I KNEW I was failing. The Gaggle deserved a much more gracious & patient mother & teacher. It was immensely humbling to realize that as much as I spoke to them of trusting in The Lord & of the fruits that should accompany such faith that in the moments of having the opportunity to model that trust & exhibit those fruits, I sorely failed...needless to say I am ever more appreciate of His Amazing Grace! Already, I am looking back on the last 6 months with thankfulness for every 'mountain'...knowing that a year from now they will merely be molehills.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way:

1. A schoolroom is nice but not necessary: 

6 months ago I would have wholly advocated that a homeschool family needs a designated & even separate space for schooling...if I've learned anything in the last 6 months it's that while a schoolroom is nice to have it's not necessary. Our first son will be arriving in a few short months, & not too far down the road our schoolroom will become his domain. (With 3 big sisters, the poor fella is going to be in dire need of some sacred space of his own!) When that time comes, we will be transitioning learning spaces from our current schoolroom to the more central hub of the home...the dining room. When once that thought would have nearly disabled me (I'm only slightly exaggerating), I am now finding a big of thrill at the process of adapting. 

2. We don't homeschool. We life school.

This above all is the greatest lesson learned. Despite reading countless blogs that discouraged such behavior, heedless of wise advice to the contrary, I have been guilty of compartmentalizing our schooling. I've always had a set schedule & an exact location in which learning occurs, & when the curriculum for the day has been completed, we put the books away & school for the day is done. The events of the last 6 months have shown me the folly of that behavior. Both the Gaggle & I were missing out on countless opportunities to learn as we lived. The countless disruptions that have occured over the last 6 months have forced me to unorthodoxly (in my former barbaric opinion) educate the Gaggle. We've schooled in the car, in waiting rooms, at the back of a funeral home, & on the living room floor...before long & unintentionally this began a habit of conversing, questioning, & discussing that occurred not in precise allotted segments but rather at all times. We learn anytime & any where...or perhaps all the time & everywhere. Prior to this we discussed designated curricula and rarely deviated from it or expanded upon it, but quite often now we find ourselves making note of what goes on around us & encouraging exploration into the questions that arise from observation. Sickness has led to some anatomy study. The loss of a life brought discussion of salvation & God's gift of life eternal. The coming of a new sibling provides opportunity to practice patience & selflessness. Springtime promotes the appreciation of nature & God's creation. We are beginning to shirk off the restrictions that come with orthodox education...we no longer just homeschool, we life school...and it's awesome! I'm sure there is a more eloquent way of saying that, but it truly is an awesome thing to watch your child view all of life as an opportunity to learn.

3. Don't lose sight of the goal.

In my reflection from our first term, the Lone Ranger & I set a long term vision for Davidson School for Girls (a name change is in the works). The reason we do what we do is this:

1. To raise children who know & love Christ.

2. To equip our children to be disciples & to make disciples.

3. To teach our children how to be lifelong learners & discerners of truth.

Bearing this mission in mind has truly been a sanity saver over the last 6 months. It has enabled me to determine what tasks are necessary & what are disposable. This goal has allowed us to see and appreciate the benefits of life schooling in contrast to our former ways. This vision for our family is rooted in the anchor of our Savior, & it has lent itself towards providing stability in tumultuous times....further affirming that Jesus is indeed the solid rock upon which we stand & that all other ground is sinking sand.

Already I can see that the experiences of the last 6 months are indeed molehill moments...although at the time of their occurrence they very much felt like mountainous obstacles. Already I know that when I read back on this reflection, I will chuckle in memory. Already I am thankful to have written down these reflections as a reminder from where we have come & from how far we've yet to go! 

At this juncture we have 6 weeks left in our current curriculum & to complete the required 180 days. Upon finishing the time required by the state, our current plan is to transition to one 4 week, 2 day/week term. This will allow us to review all that we've accomplished in the year & to ensure that all skills are mastered before beginning our new curriculum in August. This year we will take a fairly traditional summer break as our little Ezra is due to arrive in July. At the end of August, we will resume our 6 weeks on 1 week off schedule & begin learning new material.

I will not even pretend as though I'll accomplish the feat of writing a year-end post...the freedom of the final day, & the eagerness for our next school season already outweighs any further reflecting I might do. I've already begun making plans and preparations for the 2015-2016 year & will share those in another post soon. If you've stuck with me through this lengthy contemplation, I hope that it's been somewhat worthwhile to you. Veteran homeschoolers, I'm certain that you can relate to some of what I've mentioned, & potential homeschooling momma's I hope that some of what I've learned might prevent you from learning these lessons the hard way. As much as for your entertainment & benefit, these reflections are for me...to keep me humble...to keep me on track...and to keep my eyes on the goal.