Changing Course, Even When You're On the Right Track

Do you ever feel like your on the right course, headed in the right direction, but for some reason there is something not right?  That's how I've felt since the beginning of the school year.  With a lot of prayer, and a step of faith, I changed a bunch of curriculums this year.  I knew I was doing what God wanted me to, and was so excited to see where He would be taking us.  But along the way I feel like I've had some bumps in the road.

I could never have imagined how hard it would be to complete a homeschool day with a 2 year old and an infant.  It's proving much harder than I imagined.  At some point in the last 4-6 weeks I wondered why I felt like I "had" to do school in the am.  After all, isn't flexibility one of the benefits of homeschooling?  So, for a couple of weeks we tried working in the afternoon when the 2 little ones were sleeping.  That went much smoother but, because of ear infections, etc. I was in desperate need of some cat naps, so we fell back into our old ways. 

More recently, I have one daughter that (I feel) is falling behind.  She's always been a slower learner. (ex: she didn't talk until she was 3)  But I feel like I am unable to give her the extra attention she really needs to catch up.  The other children need my guidance and the two youngest are just too young to take care of themselves.  So, I've really been wondering how to get back on track. 

I've decided to work with the older 2 girls in the am which frees up my 6 year old to play with the 2 year old.  Then in the afternoon when the 2 little ones are sleeping (hopefully they sleep), I'll work with her.  I'm going to give it a couple weeks and see how it works. 

If anyone else does alternate schedules, or something else works for you, I'd love to hear suggestions.

Choosing Next Years Curriculum

Looking for a new curriculum, for my girls, was so hard for me. I like things black & white. There's nothing wrong with the curriculum I've always used, so when God told me not to use my "normal" curriculum I started to panic. I started to think things like:

"I don't even know where to start looking."
"What if I choose the wrong one?"
"We don't have money to waste on things that aren't going to work."

But the feeling just wouldn't go away.  I knew God wasn't going to let me off the hook this year.  You see, I started to feel this was after I started school with them....last year!  But I didn't want to waste what we had already invested in, so ignored the feeling.  When last year ended, I started to look at homeschool catalogs.  It was then that I started to feel so overwhelmed.  So I started to pray about what God wanted us to use.  I prayed A LOT.  I had no idea what direction to go in....until I saw it.

Flying Creature of the Fifth Day by Apologia.  As soon as I saw it I knew.  You see, we live in the country.  On a daily basis we see birds that others have never even seen.  Not to mention the bugs!  Believe it or not, my girls are facinated with them.  As I read about the course I started to get excited, which was confirmation for me.  Then I started to get excited about what else I could find.

Through the summer God has shown me where we need to be for this year.  Up until now, I've had my 3 girls in different grade levels for every single subject.  God has given me curriculums, for this year, that I can do with multi-age levels.  So, Science, History, and Math will be consolidated for my oldest 2 girls, and maybe even my 6 year old.  With a 2 year old and an infant, this will free up some of my time for them.

I don't know how it will all fall into place, but I feel such a relief to know that God is in control of this. All I had to do was take the first step....in faith!

Back to Basics

Back to Basics . . . .
That's what God spoke to me over a year ago.  I had no idea what it meant, but I suspected things were about to change.  My husband had been wanting to downsize our "things" and I assumed this had something to do with that.  Then, over the course of time, I realized God had something more for me.  He told me change was coming.  Again, I had no idea where that would lead.

This would take way to long to read if I gave you all the details, but let me sum up the past year:

• God told me some friendships would be changing, and they did. I lost a couple key friends.
• God told me to step down from the bible study at our church and our MOPS group.
• I found out I was pregnant (I now have a 6 month old:)
• God told me it was time to step out and try something new with my homeschooling.

I'm still not sure why those friends have been removed, but hopefully someday I will understand.  As for the rest of the list...  They may not seem like a huge deal, but to me they were.  Why would God tell me not to do a bible study??? And, I had no idea how hard it would be to finish out last years school year with a 2 year old and an infant. (some days I didn't think we'd ever finish).

So, when he told me to step out and try something new, with regards to homeschooling the girls, I panicked.  Other than being extra busy with the little ones, I didn't see anything wrong with the curriculum I have been using all along.  Plus, why fix it if it isn't broke? Right?!?!  I didn't do anything at first, mostly because I didn't want to choose the wrong curriculum, but I knew I needed to obey God.  I knew the pull that I felt wouldn't go away until I took that first step.  For those of you who may be hesitating....take that first step!  I felt such a relief when I did.  And after I took the first step, the second one was a little bit easier, and the third even easier than the first two. 

I am now confident that I am exactly where God was leading me.  I have rearranged our home school schedule so that I will have more time with the little ones.  (I'll get into how I consolidated things in the next few days.)

Here's where God's Back to Basics worked into the picture.  Two of my girls have been asking me, for a very long time, to teach them cooking and sewing.  If I hadn't stepped out in faith, I would have ended up with another school year of 'too much work and not enough time' to teach them basic life skills that they are wanting to learn.   I'm excited for what this year will bring.  I'm sure God has even more for us, now that I've stepped out in faith.

Schools Out!

We made it!  There were days I wasn't sure we'd ever get there. Between Princess Sunshine's birth, and 6 weeks of non-stop strep in my house, we got a little behind schedule.  But, we made it!  I'm so glad.  It's been a very long year.  At times I questioned if the year was a waste, but I know I'm where God wants me, so it can't be a total waste.  I've been prayerfully considering what to use for a curriculum next year and I'm excited that God is dropping me helpful hints :).  All I had to do was take that first step and then seek His guidance.  I'm getting excited for next year! 

This summer we have some "projects" I want to get completed around the house.  Hopefully my list is realistic and I can actually get some of them accomplished. We'll see.

Stepping Out in Faith

After we began the school year last fall, I felt God was telling me it was time for a different curriculum.  Me, not wanting to change after I had started, just kept moving in the direction I had been headed.  My problem is that, most of the time, I am a black & white person.  I want to know where I'm going and when.  Then the getting there won't be the hard part.  So, to change curriculums mid-year did not sound like fun to me.  After all, I've only ever used one curriculum, and I've been using it for the past four years.  That would have meant (in my mind) taking time to look into a new curriculum(s) . . . . and then what would happen if I didn't like it or it wasn't working for the girls!?!?! 

All these months later, I wish I had listened to God. I may not be struggling to finish the year if I had just stepped out in faith.  So, when our computer crashed almost 3 weeks ago, it left me with some time to think about things.  I knew what God had told me, but I forgot the most important part.  He won't take the steps for us.  If we don't take that first step how can He lead us?  Just knowing He told us to do something isn't enough.  We need to act on it. 

I'm still not 100% what I'm using for a couple of subjects, but now that I'm moving in the right direction, I'm excited to see where God will lead us for next year. 

~Kristine

Back to Reality

For the first 3 weeks after out little Princess Sunshine was born I was amazed. I couldn't believe how well I was doing keeping up with everything and still having time to do the things I love. I crocheted 2 hats for her and started a couple other projects, I sewed a nursing coverup, I read 2 books....I was amazed! I didn't realize 6 kids would be easier than 5. I was keeping up with laundry, cooking dinner, and my house wasn't any more disorganized than normal (if anything I was getting more done). I really couldn't figure it out, to the point where I kept trying to understand how this was so easy. And then it hit me!

I had decided last summer to start school early with the girls (I homeschool), for the specific reason that I wanted to take a month off when I had the baby. Here I was thinking I had my world under control, when it was all really just because I was saving myself hours worth of school work every day. I knew at that moment that I would not be as in control the following week when we started up assignments again.  So, I decided to do half days the first week so I didn't shock my system. LOL

So far, so good. I don't have a spotless house and I'm not doing 2 loads of laundry every day like I used to, but we're surviving. If I ever do have time to myself again, the first thing I may do is type up the dozen or so crochet patterns that I have created.  For some reason, in those crazy first few weeks, I thought maybe I could type them up while nursing my new baby girl.  Never dawned on me it's a little difficult to type with one hand.  lol  I wouldn't change this time in my life for anything. It goes by so quickly that I want to enjoy every moment before it's gone.

A Struggling Reader

This little girl has definately had her struggles.  From birth she didn't sleep more than 4-5 hours in a 24 hours period. (We survived 1 1/2 years of that). She has done everything 'late' from walking at 18 months to not saying a word until after she turned 3 years old.  She does not like change to the point where she shows signs of mild anxiety when something changes.

And, did I mention she's very strong willed?  My hubby used to joke and say there's no way she got it from him, it had to be passed down from me.  I've decided it must be a combination of the both of us put together, because she's got me beat by a long shot. LOL.  When you combine these 2 things......watch out!

She started out the school year very gung-ho. After all, she has two older sisters whom she watches.  She's a slower learner than the other two so it's taking her a while to catch on to things, but she's getting them.  I'm ok with that, but it has not been easy for her.  She is struggling to grasp the concept of phonics.  Letters and sounds are fine, but putting them together isn't working for her.  On days like today, when that strong will kicks in, we battle.  Not because she needs to learn it right now.  I fully believe she'll get it with time and practice.  I just want her to try.  It's the effort I care about, not how fast we make progress.  On days like today, it's the stubborness that drives me nuts!  She decided she didn't want to try to sound out a word and down-right refused, to the point where she wouldn't even tell me what a specific letter sound made.  Some days I just can't tell whether she can't do it or she won't do it.  I've only had one other day as hard as this one.  I told her she wasn't getting up until she at least tried and gave it an effort.  (If you ever try this - it won't work if you're frustrated - then they just get frustrated). I left her there to think about it while I worked with the other girls. She sat there adamant that she wasn't going to do it for at least an hour. Then, out of the clear blue, she told me what the word was, and asked if she could be done for the day. ugh!  Needless to say I was glad she could read the word without help, but my suspisions were right. Today it wasn't that she couldn't do it - she just wouldn't do it. I'm glad I didn't 'lose my temper' or get frustrated. That would have only made it worse.  Praying tomorrow is a better day with a fresh perspective.

Changing Seasons

After being without our computer for more than 2 weeks I've had some extra time to pray, contemplate, and look into some new ventures. I had been considering changing curriculums for one of our daughters who has low vision. In talking with a friend (thanks Kimmie) and doing some serious praying I've been looking into changing our curriculum for all the girls. The hard part for me is to change mid-year. In my mind - I like to prepare things ahead of time - it makes more sense to start fresh with something new. But as I seek out our options I don't think God wants me to wait another year. So I continue to pray and seek His guidance, so I can be where he wants me to be. It feels like life is changing with the seasons. I pray God makes our home as beautiful as the New England colors outside my window.

Outdoor Learning

As we finish up the homeschooling year the girls seemed to have a little "spring fever". It was a very long winter here in New England. Once the warmer weather arrived there were more than a few days that we took school outside. From studying the wildlife to nature walks they always love the outdoors approach. It is always a favorite and the kids learn and take in everything around them. Here are some pictures from our adventures. We are looking forward to more warm sunny days. The learning never has to stop when you close the book.

One of my daughters named this baby turtle "Claws". She was very disappointed a few days later when I made her release him so he could go home to his mother.

Memorable Moments in Homeschooling

Last week was a very busy week. I had numerous committments and tried very hard not to let them interfere with our schooling. I think I took multi-tasking to a new level and tried to do "my things" while trying to teach the girls. On one of these particularly crazy days my 1st grader was waiting very patiently - as patiently as a 6 year old can be - for my help. When I came to help her she was sound asleep on her school book. It was at that moment I realized I needed to slow down - and maybe just take a nap with her :). It amazes me how much we can learn from our children - if we are willing to learn.