{A more realistic picture would be kids scattered, a toddler screaming, and a complete mess of a house. But I didn’t think it was fair to my kids to post that, so I settled for this.}

Seriously. This couldn’t be more true this week. But I don’t want to scare you off from homeschooling, so please understand these three things before you continue to read this post:

1. I didn’t choose to homeschool because it was easy
2. Homeschooling is as rewarding as mothering; to me, they are one in the same (but still, not easy)
3. See number 1

I have been homeschooling for about seven years. My first five years were solely focused on one child. A girl eager to learn and loved filling out workbooks. Once she was able to fly through the workbooks, we moved onto something more challenging and hands on.

Now I have five children, ranging in age from 11 down to 2. Homeschooling isn’t all that simple anymore. My second oldest, a boy, is not as easy going about structured lessons as my first born, a girl.

Throw an eager and active Kindergartner, a spirited and fierce preschooler, and a toddler (who needs no other introduction) into the mix, and you have the family circus.

 Photo Credit

I have come to a place in my homeschooling where I just feel like I’ve hit rock bottom and can’t seem to float back to the top. My biggest efforts go into trying to get everyone in the same place, at the same time, with the same focus. I’ve tried the one-room-schoolhouse idea and it just doesn’t work–or I can’t get it to work for us.

It’s easier to homeschool then it is to try to coordinate everyone to actually sit down and homeschool. Good days are not as consistent as the hard days. Sometimes I wonder how we get anything done at all.

Read Aloud Time

One of my biggest struggles and pet peeves is read aloud time. I love read aloud time with my children. It’s just that, as soon as I want to sit down and read to my older children, my two youngest get into a squabble and at least one starts crying loud enough to reach over my voice. I have tried different things to keep them occupied, but the attention span of a toddler and a spirited 4-year old is not very long, I’m afraid.

Math and Initiative

And if I say the word math out loud, the house fills with groanings beyond comprehension. Some days they’ll fly through their lessons, most days, though, it’s a battle. It doesn’t matter that we do the same thing just about everyday.

Without me telling my children what they are supposed to be doing, it won’t get done. Even if it’s written down for them. My youngest children (under 8), I can understand. Especially because they’re boys. They need direction a little longer. But my 11-year old daughter also still struggles with this, and honestly, this is probably more my fault then hers.

Other than a chastisement for not doing her lessons, she hasn’t been disciplined for skirting away from her responsibilities unnoticed–until I learn it later in the day when I ask to see her work. As the parent, it’s my responsibility to teach her responsibility by holding her responsible for being irresponsible.

So yes, perhaps part of our homeschooling issues are actually my fault. And this is why I love writing/blogging–writing this out helps me organize the issues to see them more clearly.

Small Children and Details

What it comes down to is simply that I have a lot of young children still and it makes getting through our lessons super challenging. I have to keep a consistent amount of interesting activities at hand for the littlest ones so I can get through formal lessons with my eldest ones.

At the end of some days, I realize we forgot to do some of the things we should have done–and I’m an organized person! Which leads to my next imperfection…

…I spend hours planning and I really struggle when we have to constantly throw away the plans because someone gets sick or we never made it to the library to pick up our books to go with our lessons.

And there’s attitudes–theirs and mine; there’s structure that I feel is always getting interrupted with “I’m hungry!”

Not all of our homeschooling consists of structured and formal lessons. That’s probably only 1/3 of our homeschool. But it’s these times I find most difficult getting through–not because of learning styles or methods, but because of the reality of sin nature, personal agendas, and immature attention spans.

But…

Despite the hard days and the feelings of will my kids leave my house knowing anything syndrome, they are learning. 

My now six-year old began reading at age 5, full fledged chapter books, too–and I never sat him down with a formal phonics curriculum–or any phonics curriculum. He picked up on what I taught his older brother.

I currently have three readers and they all love to read.

Homeschooling is messy business–and I don’t just mean the crafts. A schedule looks great on paper, but in reality, it’s not that pretty. One day I’ll blog a day in the life of our homeschool — or maybe a week, to give you a more realistic picture, and you can see for yourself.

But I don’t homeschool because it’s easy — even though there are days I just want to quit. I homeschool because it’s the best option for our children. It is something God has equipped me to do, even if I feel completely inadequate.

The fruit of homeschooling may not always be evident right away. But being able to witness my child learn to read right before my eyes encourages and empowers me to keep pressing on.

I invite you to visit some other imperfect homeschoolers from the bloggers at iHomeschool Network.

Last week I shared a few tools to help renew some encouragement and inspiration in homeschooling, as another year begins.

This week I’m going to conclude with a few more tools Clay and Sally share in their book, Educating the WholeHearted Child.

We are in our second week of school and it is going pretty well. The children are happy to have some direction in their days and are quarreling less because of the minimal free time.

Even I am doing better with the extra structure. While I frequently feel like I’m not “cut out” for this kind of work, God consistently equips me with the tools I need to press on.

He has made me the way I am and wants to continue to mold me into what He can use for His glory. The same goes for you, too.

Personality

It’s important that we not rule out homeschooling simply because we believe we don’t have “the personality” for it. I assure you, regardless of your personality, if God calls you to homeschool, He will equip you to homeschool. Accept and embrace who you are and He will use you as you listen to His voice. Do what you need to do to keep going, because yes, it can get hard! Read a book by an author who encourages and inspires you (might I suggest Educating the WholeHearted Child?!)

Breaking Point

This is a hard one for me. We all have one. It is key to know when yours is. I think I’m still learning when mine is! My biggest challenge is that my expectations are very high just in thinking that I expect everything will run smoothly. I don’t expect adversity when I should. Having five children, in varying ages and personalities, you’re bound to have adversity!

It’s so important to lean into God and cling to the hope He has given us for being faithful in what He’s placed before us. We must adjust our days accordingly (and our attitudes)!

I also need to remember that we won’t be able to learn and do everything out there that there is to learn and do. I need to accept that fact and dig deep into what we do have. This will help minimize some of the frustrations from feeling like we need to “do it all”.

Provider

We all should know Who our Provider is, but if you’re anything like me, you often forget. But it could really help keep things into perspective if we remember and trust what He’s promised us.

Not only will He provide us with the material things we need for homeschool, He will also provide us with the ability to organize and manage it–we need only ask. There are so many wonderful resources out there today, to help us in these things. We just need to do them and use them. He will bring us to them.

Simply trust Him.

Path

It’s important to have direction–as it is with all of life. If you don’t have a path to follow, you’ll follow any (or many) paths that will lead nowhere—or at least not where you wanted to go. For me, that’s no good. I need to have a plan and my children need some structure.

These tools have helped motivate me to thoroughly define and refine my homeschool each year (sometimes each quarter)!

Do not grow weary in {homeschooling}, for you will reap, if you do not lose heart. (Christin Exchange a Word version)

If you haven’t entered the giveaway yet, you can still enter! I’m giving away TWO copies of Educating the WholeHearted Child!

Click here if you’re reading from email or a reader to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

This message is something I need and since I’m sure I’m not alone, I’m sharing it here with you in hopes that it will encourage you and motivate you to press on.

Yesterday was our first day back in the full swing of school (well, sorta). We’ve been working through the summer on writing and math, but we picked it up with deeper Bible study, history, and literature. Oh, and of course, nature study.

I was awakened around 5am with a nasty headache. I expected there were going to be challenges, but this wasn’t exactly on my list. For those of you who have ever suffered a headache, you know that all noises and lights are magnified at this point, thus making your head left feeling awful.

Once we got our lessons underway, things went smooth for a little while. We had a nice discussion about how to handle when a sibling makes a mean face or sticks their tongue out. We read about the Nomads and read about the First Dog.

The hardest part was trying to keep my toddler and preschooler occupied so one wasn’t screaming in protest of the other stealing a toy or hitting.

Having activities for them isn’t the problem (for a little bit they were happily coloring at the table together).

It’s keeping them engaged that’s the challenge. Having a toddler screaming in protest (over and over and over again) while you’re in the middle of a read aloud is enough to make you want to throw the book across the room in defeat.

It was then I was reminded of the gentle leading and encouraging words of Clay and Sally Clarkson.

Sally encourages mothers in the most unique and beautiful way I have ever come across. I have read more than my share of biblical parenting books, but hers surpass them all.

Educating the WholeHearted Child is my constant go-to manual, not just for homeschooling, but everything that surrounds it; including my walk with Christ, my role as a wife, a mother, a keeper of the home as well as sole educator and spiritual teacher for my children.

I have never read anything more encouraging and beautifully convicting.

In order to keep my focus clear during those tough homeschool days, I remember what I read in Chapter 16 of Educating the WholeHearted Child.

Clay and Sally talk about how important it is to remember our purpose, keep our priorities straight, and have a plan.

Purpose

What is the purpose of a Christian homeschooling mother? Everyone will have a different angle on this, but many of us will have similar goals.

My overall goal is simply to be purposeful in what I’m doing: in my home, my children, my spiritual growth, and my marriage. When a day is hard or everything doesn’t get completed as planned, going back to my purpose will help me remember what my goal really is here. It’s not to get through a check list of “to do’s” seamlessly. It’s to spend my days teaching, nurturing, serving, and loving through each and every moment.

When I remember that, my perspective shifts back and the frustrations can dissipate.

Priorities

I love how Clay and Sally put an emphasis on keeping things limited in this section. We cannot do it all and we cannot be everything to everyone. It’s very important we understand this. With that in mind, having limits actually frees us for the most important things. One of the biggest eye-openers for me was limiting my expectations. Expectations can really be a killer. I know it’s important to aim high, but when we keep our expectations reasonable (with ourselves and with our children), much more can be accomplished.

Plans

This is the one thing I can say with confidence I excel in. I am a planner by nature. Sometimes I do more planning then actual executing.

Sometimes, though, I’m not always good about planning the bigger picture.  I can plan on a day-to-day, week-to-week, even a month-to-month scale. But thinking too far ahead to the future can seem overwhelming and overreaching. I like to take things as they come. I’ve noticed that if I plan too far ahead, and life takes an unexpected turn, all that far-ahead planning was in vain. So, I stick to short-term planning.

Having a plan gives me direction for my days and it is absolutely necessary. When I tried to ease up (read: let go) of a schedule and any planning of our days, everything was chaos. It was awful.

So, I have embraced the planner side of me and decided, that’s how our home best functions and that’s what we’ll stick to.

Principles

The last thing I’m going to touch on this week is knowing what our principles are. Why did I choose to homeschool in the first place? Am I confident this is what God wants for our family?

For those of you who do homeschool, have you ever threatened to put your child(ren) in to public schools on one of those really hard days? Be honest now.

I have.

But I knew I never would because I know that’s not what God wants for our family.

{By the way, I know it’s wrong to threaten that. It’s been a rare day of doing that and I regretted both times}.

The point is, knowing what your principles are will help you stand on them during those rough days. I don’t typically have friends or family giving me a hard time about homeschooling. I think the most I’ve ever had to deal with is being drilled with some questions or a careless remark here or there. I’m not challenged with my decision on a regular basis.

But I know some families who are and I can only imagine it’s a hard road to keep going down (and a frustrating one, I’m sure!)

What do you do to remember to push through the hard days? (Even if it is the first day!)

Linked with:

Titus 2 Tuesdays at Cornerstone Confessions

Titus 2sday at Time-Warp Wife

Last week I had the bright idea of choosing a small wall and painting it with chalkboard paint. It’s really not difficult nor expensive, as some may think.

There are many uses for a chalkboard wall. I chose to make one to keep read alouds from different subjects current and fresh in my mind. Plus, the children can use the bottom half of the wall to create their own art.

I picked up two quarts of chalkboard paint at $10 each from Home Depot. I didn’t even use a full can for my project.

I prepped my area. Yes, I taped–we’re using black paint y’all.

• I filled in nail holes with plaster, let it dry and sanded it down
• I wiped the wall down with water and let dry
• I taped off the wall so I didn’t get black on walls I didn’t want black
• I removed the light switch cover and taped around that

I followed the directions on the can. Yes, it’s always important to follow directions.

• I rolled out one coat of paint and let dry four hours
• I rolled a second coat of paint and let dry four days
• I conditioned the chalkboard by rubbing a large piece of sidewalk chalk over the entire wall (helps the chalk stick)

A few tips:

• After you rinse the roller out for the second coat, be certain to soak all the water out of it with an old towel. Excess water can thin the paint in certain areas on your roller.
• Peel off the tape shortly after you finish because you don’t want the paint to fully dry, otherwise you’ll be peeling the paint off with your tape

Where could you use a chalkboard wall in your home?

Abide in Him- Metal Wall Décor

DaySpring is having a Mother’s Day Sale! Best Selling Gifts are 30% off with code: MD30off

Subscribe to Joyful Mothering so you won’t miss a post–by email or RSS.

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

I originally titled this “The One Goal Every Homeschool Should Have”. But this isn’t just for homeschool families. It’s for every family. It would apply to the homeschooling as well as non-homeschooling family.

Every family dynamic is going to be different. But there is one common thread that should run through them all. A very important thread. The most important thread.

Jesus.

This should not be something cliche’ in our lives. We should not be offering mere lip service in our walk with Christ. Jesus was such a good storyteller. I’m not. I’m not great with making illustrations to help people understand better what I’m trying to convey. But he sure told many stories to the people because they just couldn’t “get it”. The secrets of the kingdom were not revealed to them. He explained spiritual things to them with earthly stories to help them grasp understanding of it.

The parable of the sower is a great illustration of how we should cultivate the hearts of our children. It should be our first priority in child rearing, not just homeschooling.

What kind of ground are we laying? Are we laying the ground for success financially? For education and the wisdom of this world? For financial stability?

Jesus named four grounds where the seed fell, but only one brought forth fruit. One.

The path

The sower threw seed on the path. Paths are typically patted down from everyone walking on them. The seed is exposed for anyone to snatch up. They didn’t understand the Word so the evil one snatched it away.

We need to make sure we understand the Word so that we can help our children understand it. This will take time and consistency, but even at a young age, children can be taught what the Word of God means. As they grow, their understanding will deepen. Don’t just read the Bible; teach the Bible and live out the Word of God.

The rocky places

This can be a deceiving ground. Unfortunately, I think many seeds fall onto rocky ground. Many parents believe that doing just enough to get by will bring about good soil. It doesn’t. What happens is because there isn’t enough soil, the word is received with joy, but since it has no root, it quickly withers. When trouble comes, he falls away.

When Jesus is preached as Someone who simply enhances one’s life, there is no root. Jesus is much more than that. So, when things go awry, the person throws Him off. Our children need to understand their need for Christ.

Jesus isn’t an ornament in our lives, He’s a lifeline.

The thorns

Are our children growing up in a house full of worry? Are we deceiving them with the comforts of wealth and stuff? This is another very common ground for seed to fall on. When the pleasures, worries, and wealth of the world are present, the Word of God is literally choked out by it.

This is so very important. We must reject the lust of the world and worldly living. We must. We can no longer give excuses on why it’s OK. It’s not. The Bible says it’s not.

We can’t go half way. We can’t be half-hearted. It’s all or nothing. God rejects the lukewarm. Don’t be lukewarm.

Good soil.

So, we have the soils that don’t produce fruit, in order to have good soil then, we need to do the opposite of all the things the bad soil wasn’t enough to do.

Teach our children understanding; immerse them in God and His word; and reject the things of this world so they don’t drown Jesus out of our lives.

This is our tilling season. This is our time to work to cultivate the hearts of our children in order to prepare them to receive the seed of the Word. What kind of ground are we preparing?

Next week I’ll share practical ways you can till good soil for your children. One way is to teach your children what their purpose is.

I’ll share what resources we use to help us with this goal.

…

Sign up to receive free updates by email or RSS.

Photo Credit

It’s the million dollar question: Why do you homeschool? Aren’t you afraid your children won’t learn social skills or be able to interact with other children their age? Don’t you need a degree to homeschool?

Those are the most common questions I get anyways. It’s understandable since it goes against what’s normal in culture.

But what if you’re the one wrestling with whether or not you should homeschool. I know some people, particularly Christians, believe people homeschool out of fear. Some believe that our children need to engage with a lost world and learn to interact with it, in hopes that their peers will come to know Jesus.

This is what I say: We are called to obedience to God, not man. I’m not saying God requires that everyone homeschools. I am saying He requires everyone to obey. Whether that is to homeschool or not.

As strong as my convictions are for my family to homeschool, I cannot say that God requires that of every family. I just don’t know if that’s true or not.

So, how do you know if God is telling you to homeschool?

Knowing God does want you to homeschool doesn’t mean you’ll have all the support you need or have all the answers upfront. It doesn’t mean you’ll feel 100% confident in your abilities. It doesn’t mean your finances are in order or you have enough space in your home.

So if you’re trying to make a decision based on anything that is in your control, you may be missing God’s voice for your family. Sometimes, God asks obedience of us before He equips us. Sometimes, we won’t find that peace until we’ve surrendered our own will to His.

When my daughter was 3, I was looking into charter schools in the area; getting ready to put her on a waiting list so she was sure to get in on time. That’s when I began to hear God whispering, “homeschool her.” I wasn’t homeschooled and the only interaction I ever had with a homeschooler was a boy who was really mean to me when I was in middle school. So I never gave that option any thought.

I began to fret about my lack of abilities and knowledge. It wasn’t until I stopped fighting and finally obeyed that I found that peace and confidence. God sent people to encourage me and build up my abilities! It wasn’t until after I obeyed that everything fell into place. But it wasn’t immediate, either.

My daughter is now almost 10 years old and we have not lacked in anything. God has equipped us with everything we need, and we’ve had 4 more children in that time as well. He continuously confirms His decision for us to homeschool.

My encouragement and challenge for you is this: turn down the voice of everyone else, including the voice of self, and see if you can’t hear what God is speaking to you. Let all the worries and “what if’s” go and just listen.

Sometimes, we need to let go of the voice of our own “reason” and simply trust that God knows what He’s doing. A great example of such a story is Erin from Home With the Boys. She didn’t “plan” on homeschooling. The reasons why are inconsequential. The point is she obeyed, even before she had all the answers.

Again, this is if God is actually calling you–don’t resist. He’ll just chase you down anyways!

Trust that He knows what He’s doing, even if you don’t understand it.

Subscribe to Joyful Mothering so you won’t miss a post–by email or RSS!

…

Bright Ideas Press is offering their Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers download and book combo for 30% off right now. This is an excellent study. It’s a full year’s worth of study, with composers such as Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss and many more. It’s over 300 pages and has note-taking pages after each lesson. Excellent resource.

 

 

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure.

Linked With

Homeschool talk has been some what quiet here. However, I have some wonderful ideas swirling around in my head that I’d love to share with you. But these ideas are never limited to just homeschoolers.

All types of “schooling” families are welcome to use any ideas laid out here. We are very much into exploring and enjoying art and “the arts”, writing stories, reading aloud as a family, talking nature hikes–all things that any family can do together. We try not to call it “school” since my children think that’s a dirty word. Anything formal (math, handwriting/grammar, etc) we call “lessons” or “formal lessons”, or most recently, “disciplined studies”.

I’m not a “veteran” homeschooler, but I am learning–in the trenches–and I’ve come to learn some things I’d love to pass along to you. Especially if you’re a beginner and need some direction, motivation, encouragement, and/or empowerment. We all need support in some way! But also if you’re right smack in the middle of it.

My favorite, most thorough and complete homeschool resource is Clay and Sally Clarkson’s “Educating the WholeHearted Child“. I will be referencing this book often and will even be giving some copies away. I have read many books on homeschooling and none come as close to being as complete and close to my heart as this one. It is a large book with over 300 pages of motivation, philosophy, resources, method explanations, learning styles, home life, and much more wonderfully useful information. It is really the heartbeat of what I’ve been trying to implement, but didn’t know how. This has showed me how.

So, here is what I’ll be writing on in the coming months each Tuesday:

April

• Why we homeschool and evaluating your own reasons
• Goals
• Environment/Atmosphere
• Tools/Curriculum/Finances

May

• Foundation/Schedule/Routine
• Chores/Responsibilities
• Cultivating a love for learning early
• Rainy Days

June

• Summer enrichment activities
• Benefits of “schooling” year round
• Family Read Alouds
• Nature Study

July

• Art & Supplies
• Audio CD’s
• Copy Work
• Writing

August

• A week in our homeschool (to show you how each day looks different)
• A closer look into specific aspects of our days (for 3+ weeks, depending on interest)

These are going to be shared from the perspective of our experience and how we utilize each so you can see it in action. This schedule is subject to change based on readers questions and needs, or other fun things which may arise that I’ll want to share.

Many of you are probably getting ready to wrap up your formal homeschool year. We are year-rounders and have found life has simply worked out that way. I have found many benefits of this way of homeschooling and look forward to sharing them in the future!

Is there anything NOT listed here that you would like me to address?

Subscribe to Joyful Mothering so you won’t miss a post -by email, or RSS feed.

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.