Homeschooling: The Week Before the First Day

Covid was the catalyst - but now I am excited to start homeschooling my kids. Could we do this forever?

I have been scouring the internet reading about different types of homeschooling, took quizzes to determine "What Type of Homeschooling is Right for [Me]," bought out the dollar store craft section, read curriculum reviews, read more curriculum reviews, and bought a curriculum. Then I second guessed the curriculum I bought, joined Facebook groups, left Facebook Groups, signed up for Teachers Pay Teachers, and second guessed everything again... third guessed? 

I know I am not the only person in our country going through this battle with the uncertainty of schools opening, school safety, and online learning. I know I am not the only person in my neighborhood for that matter! 

Here is what I know so far:

• I have no idea what to expect.
• I need to be flexible.

My boys are 7 and almost 5 and very different children with very different needs. I have been working hard to create our first week of school without our purchased curriculum (it was on back order, unsurprisingly) and I think it is a good way to ease into a whole new world. I am not totally comfortable with this unstructured beginning - and I never want my boys to fall behind their peers or later feel like I did them a disservice in their education.

We will start with curriculum learning but also follow the path of "unschooling" where we learn on adventures and in our garden, visiting museums, and learning music skills. We will cook more and play more. Our world is becoming our own and I think that I am finally feeling connected to the hippie mom I always wanted to be. 

Between now any Monday you will find me consuming as much Pinterest as possible. Please tell me if you have homeschooling tips that would help a first timer!

A Simple Connection: A Big Difference

A few months ago I was going through the Dairy Queen drive through, very much looking forward to my cool treat. I was wondering if my blizzard would indeed be upside down thick when the gal at the drive through window complimented my hair. While I didn't think it looked any different than normal, it really lit me up inside and made me smile.

That's when it occurred to me, if she said one nice thing about every person who went through her drive-thru that day, she could make each person smile. What an opportunity to make a difference to so many people. Then I thought, how can I implement this positive action in my own life?

I don't encounter many strangers in my normal work day. I see the same people day in and day out, but why not say something nice about them? I spend most my life with these people. "I love your shoes!" or "That band you told me to listen to was awesome!" How easy it is to say those things, yet, the monotony of our schedules can prevent us from saying, or noticing, these things. I also put this flyer up in our break room from The Compliment Project. Got a few takers.

Another opportunity I have taken advantage of is saying, "Good morning!" when I am walking to my office from the parking lot. There are landscapers, delivery drivers, security officers, and the like all around me. A simple greeting can easily change the day, if not for them, certainly for me.

Try it out! Instead of avoiding eye contact with a stranger, give them a smile, a compliment, or a greeting. Hopefully it will make someone (including you) a little happier today. You can also visit The Compliment Project to download and print your own flyers!

Death and Beginning

I haven’t experienced many deaths in my 31 years. My grandmother when I was 8, my family dog when I was 17, and my husband’s grandfather before we were married. As an adult, we've lost my Aunt Joan, the kindest woman I’ve ever known, my step-mother’s father, a WWII veteran, passed away just before Christmas, and most recently, my husband’s uncle. The older I am getting, the more I am witnessing these losses.

My relationship with these losses feels so heavy and emotional, but also like they are not mine. I see the sadness and suffering of people I love very much, but does it also belong to me? I feel like an fraud when I weep for the losses. I weep for the absence of life, I weep for my hurting family, and I weep for the realization that maybe they didn’t get to do all that they set out to do. I, then, start to look inward.

Why is it that it takes a loss to help us to see what is important? A death that makes us shift our priorities? The end of something to help us begin again with purpose?

2017 has not started out as I would have liked. Things are hard at work. Things are hard at home. Schedules don’t allow for much self-care (2017 cliche?). That all changes now. 

Things I am doing for me:

• Personal Training – Getting fit and taking control of my health
• Food Consumption – Significantly reduce the amount of animal products I consume
• Education – Seriously consider going to school for Holistic Nutrition
• Mindfulness – Meditation and mindfulness solo and with my family
• Relationships – Monthly date nights with my husband, one-on-one time with each son, reach out to family and friends more regularly outside of social media
• Minimalism – Reduce the crap and clutter in my home and office that doesn’t have meaning or create joy in my life

Mercury is retrograde; is there any better time to discover what is working and what isn’t?