Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Glimpse of Days Gone By

It's kind-of sad when your little boys start transitioning from toys to electronics and sports and other things big guys enjoy more than action figures! But, every now and again, they pick up something that looks like a toy and you get little flashbacks in your mind as a momma.

That happened for me this weekend. Tom ordered a circuit set to teach Trey some things, as he is interested in maybe becoming an electrical or mechanical engineer someday.

Watching the two of them together just made me happy so I snapped some quick pics...which you moms know they never seem to understand the reason for, but we know it so we can treasure up those moments! (I even caught Alex with it later!)

Life Together

Our last move 5.5 years ago was our hardest. I don't know if it was because the boys were getting older and play dates were not as easy to find or what, but making good friends has been tricky. I've made some good momma friends, but sometimes ages/levels/genders of the kids don't mesh well. There are all kinds of dynamics, and you can know a lot of people but still not have that "click" for a good friendship.

I had many people praying last year for a breakthrough in this area for my boys, as they have felt so lonely. Finally, they are making some good, local friendships!

So thankful! Life is better when we do it together.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Blessed Are the Flexible

I am so happy to share that the new schedule has helped unbelievably!  

Both younger boys have stayed on task last week and this week! 

Wait...are you clapping?  I think I hear applause from all the fellow frustrated mommas out there!  (wink)

This can sure be a challenging journey, can't it?  What works for one child doesn't work for another.  The one curriculum you buy doesn't click in the mind of the next kiddo.  As soon as you think you have a routine that brings a good daily flow, something unexpected hits and throws everything out of whack!

Memorize this saying: Blessed are the flexible, for they don't get bent out of shape!

The best advice I could give about homeschooling is to remain flexible.

Realize that God says to train up a child in the way HE should go.  It doesn't say to train up a child in the way they should go.

It just happened this time that this particular attempt at a schedule has helped both boys, but I was already thinking in my mind that I needed to be ready to change it up for one of them if it didn't quite work.  I was keeping myself flexible!

The flexibility did come in this week when I saw how tired they were though.  We had some decent weather that allowed them to play outside and it wore them out.  The beauty of home learning is that you can also teach them how to take care of their whole self.

Learning to prioritize and take care of yourself emotionally and physically is just as important as learning academic subjects!  We don't have to jump up and rush off in the mornings so if I see a boy in puberty who I know will benefit from 10 hours of sleep and be more productive later, I'm going to let him sleep!

I had to be flexible and let the exact time to the minute go.  For me, I have done this gig long enough to think about that before I made the schedule, but for the benefit of those who don't know that yet, I wanted to share.  

The exact time isn't really the issue as much as being able to manage the time you do have and the tasks you have to do.  I am teaching my sons how life happens.  Some days you are just more tired than others and if you can rest, then do so!  Take care of yourself so you can be the best you possible.  But always rearrange things as you need to in order to meet your responsibilities.

I am also blessed to see the confidence both of my boys gained through implementing this new schedule.  They realized they can be as productive as their big brother when they want to be, and this was important for them.  They watch him and they see him be rewarded for his honor and responsibility.  They needed to see that they have the same opportunities and that we believe in them!

So stay flexible and keep trying new ideas.  Some will work.  Some will bomb.  But, eventually, you will find your groove and you will reap the precious fruit of a determined family!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Daily School Schedule

Well...last week didn't go too hot around here so over the weekend, I threw together a schedule for my two younger guys.

I kept waiting and hoping that they were mature enough to help themselves to a daily routine that worked well for them, but it just wasn't happening. They are very different from their big brother!

I wasn't sure what response I would get, but they actually seemed more confident as they were checking off assignments!

Here is a picture of the schedule, though like I told the boys, I'm not so concerned about them keeping to these exact times as much as I want them to stay in this pattern of routine so everything is getting accomplished. I also wanted them to see that they can be finished by 3 with no problem if they set themselves to do so.

Most of their assignments won't take as much time as I've alloted. I instructed them to keep moving down their list or work ahead in that subject.