Heart of the Matter

Welcome to Write At Home, a monthly feature here at HOTM. Marybeth Whalen will be introducing you to homeschool moms who write: curriculum authors, novelists, nonfiction writers, and popular bloggers and more. Many of us are deeply inspired by these moms who seem to “do it all.” This feature will provide you with a glimpse into their everyday lives.

This month we are excited to welcome Ariel Allison Lawhon to Write At Home!

First things first, you had an unusual childhood. Can you tell us about it? And how it influenced you as both a writer and a homeschooling mom?

My childhood was spent atop the Rocky Mountains in a home with no electricity or running water (think Laura Ingalls meets the Hippie Movement). We didn’t have television in our home until I was almost twelve so we had to find alternative forms of entertainment. For well over a decade my mother read to us by the light of a kerosene lantern. By the time I was five years old I knew every character in the Chronicles of Narnia by name. As far as I was concerned, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, L.M. Montgomery, and Charles Dickens were household names.

My mother loved books and she loved to read them to her children. I owe my passion for the written word to her alone. I first learned how powerful stories can be while curled up next to a pot belly stove during snowstorms. Even at a young age I understood that Aslan was a type of Jesus, and because I loved Aslan I later came to love Jesus. So I longed to write stories that had meaning and purpose. That desire never wavered through the years.

Tell us about your family.

My husband and I have four boys ages six and under: London, Parker, Marshall, and Colby. I often wish that my kids were sedate but the truth is that they have two speeds: running and asleep. As such, I have learned to embrace life on fast forward. The energy level and noise level in our home is insane. I am often drowning in mind-numbing amounts of camouflage. But in the end I love this crazy, loud life of mine and I wouldn’t change a thing.

When did you first start writing?

I have known that I wanted to write since I was five years old but there is one person (aside from my mother) who charted the course for my writing career: my high school English teacher, Mrs. Wilson. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but the time I spent in Mrs. Wilson’s class was a turning point in my life. At the end of my freshman year she heard about me in the teachers lounge. Apparently a few of my teachers mentioned that I was a decent writer and she got wind of it. So one day after Algebra (I still have nightmares about all things math) she approached me in the hallway and asked if I’d take her Creative Writing class the following year. I did. And by Christmas she abandoned her lesson plan and sent me in the computer lab to write. To this day she is the biggest cheerleader I’ve ever had when it came to my writing. I wouldn’t be doing this if she hadn’t shown such an interest in me or invested so much in my development.

What books have you had published?

Although this is my first novel, I’ve co-written a number of non-fiction works and children’s books: Daddy Do You Love Me: a Daughter’s Journey of Faith and Restoration (New Leaf Press, 2006), Jesus: Dead or Alive (Regal Books, 2009), and the Justin Case series of children’s books (Harvest House, 2010).

Which do you prefer to write– nonfiction or fiction? Why?

Fiction, hands down. I love telling stories. Or, as my husband says, I love “making stuff up!” Every writer portrays themselves on paper whether consciously or not. There are bits and pieces of me in each character: hopes, dreams, struggles, sin, fear. As creative people, writers mimic God in the way he created. To a certain extent, I think we all make our characters “in our own image.” I write fiction because it gives me a chance to create and I feel God’s pleasure when I do.

Your new book is fiction. What gave you the idea to write it and how long did it take you?

In the Spring of 1995, I stumbled across an article in Life Magazine on the Hope Diamond. The two-page spread showed Michelle Pheiffer wearing the jewel and gave a brief history of the legendary curse. I knew instantly that it should to be a novel. Being the curious gal that I am, I dug around and was surprised to find that although most people were familiar with the curse, no one had done anything with the concept. So I began researching and writing and then my novel, eye of the god, was born. I started the process fourteen years ago this spring.

Your novel was recently chosen for the She Reads Book Club. Can you tell us a little about the club and what that will mean for your book?

She Reads is the new fiction book club sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministries and my novel was chosen as one of the three initial selections. Each quarter, She Reads selects three Christian novels that set the standard in storytelling. I am honored to be part of this group and will be participating in a number of activities such as blog appearances, conference calls, and interviews. More information can be found at www.shereadsblog.blogspot.com.

Share what a typical day (ha!) looks like at your house?

My children wake up at the crack of dawn. They come by it honestly – they get it from their daddy. I, on the other hand, am not fully awake until 10:00. So we typically start slow in the mornings (for my benefit). Since I’m only in my second year of home schooling our kids, things are not too complicated. After breakfast I do basic housekeeping with the boys: a load or two of laundry, empty the dishwasher, makes beds, tidy the kitchen. And then we plunge into school. I try to get the harder subjects like math and geography done in the morning while concentration levels are high. We also spend a lot of time reading and working puzzles and writing on the dry erase board in the morning. For some reason my boys are much happier doing handwriting and spelling on the whiteboard than in notebooks – and I don’t mind as long as they enjoy the process.

Before lunch I often send them out to play and burn off excess energy. So far all of my children seem to be hands-on learners, so I encourage them to get their hands dirty (literally) and explore. That often means digging holes in the back yard while searching for earthworms or collecting pine cones, or catching bugs and lizards or wrestling with our dog. They ask a lot of questions, and while it usually drives me to distraction, much of our day is spent finding the answers.

After lunch I put the two babies down for a nap and work on reading and phonics with my first grader and kindergartner. For each subject they complete with a good attitude during the day, they earn ten minutes of computer time in the afternoons. At the moment, they love playing on www.kidzui.com (a fantastic child internet browser that is safe and interactive). Once their school work is done, they are free to play on the computer, in their room, or outside. I’d like to say that is our “quiet” time but things rarely stay quiet. This is my down time, when I return e-mails and phone calls, blog, research, or prop my eyelids open with crow bar (is it just me or is 2:00 in the afternoon a brutal time of day for mommies with little ones?).

By 4:00 we are on the downward slope of our day: dinner preparation, another round of laundry, tidying the house, baths, the usual stuff. We have dinner together as a family each night and then get the boys to bed. Afterwards my husband and I usually spend some time on our back patio enjoying the silence. I imagine our days are very similar to other families who teach their many little children at home: an odd mixture of wonder and exhaustion.

Of course, that is just the ideal. Our days have been known to descend into chaos or get sucked up by errands. We live in a small town so we don’t spend too much time in the car, but I do feel as though Wal-Mart has become a part of my daily routine. We just make it work, you know? We do what we have to do in order to keep everyone fed, clothed, taught, and rested. It works for our family and we are learning to delight in the dailyness of it all.

When do you write?

Whenever I can: before my children wake up, while they nap, or after they go to bed. Once we had our fourth child it became increasingly difficult to keep a consistent writing schedule. So these days I give it to God in the morning and ask that He provide the moments I need. And he always does. I keep my laptop open on the island in my kitchen so it’s always there when I need to jot down a thought, a snippet of dialogue, or a quick scene. It has become part of the ebb and flow of my daily life instead of something I set apart at certain times. I’m sure things will change as the dynamics of my family shift.

Give us one of your best time-saving tips.

I’ll give you my top four.

Cook in bulk. Whenever I make a meal, I double the ingredients and freeze half for later. I love not having to worry about what is for dinner – just pull it out of the freezer, throw it in the oven, and I’m ready to go.

Get your children involved in housework. It took time teaching them on the front end, but now my boys empty the dishwasher, put their laundry away, make their beds, collect the dirty clothes from around the house, and clean their bathroom. We are working on adding other things to their daily routine but they are already a huge help around the house.

Plan your meals in advance. I plan our meals for two weeks at a time. I write everything out, make a list, load the kids in the van, and head to Wal-Mart. It is not fun. And you wouldn’t believe the looks (not to mention comments) I get, but we save time and money when we plan our meals and do all of our shopping at once.

Wake up before your children. Admittedly, I am not a morning person. But when I get up before my boys, it gives me a chance to prepare for my day. I spend some time in the Word and I spend some time praying for my family. And then I determine what needs to happen that day. Since my kids hit the ground running, I have to be ready to go when they are.

What are you working on now?

Several new novels, countless home improvement projects, and an unruly flowerbed that refuses to stay weeded. As much as I tend to think that my kids are the ones who never stop, I’m starting to realize that I am the whirling dervish in our home!

Marybeth Whalen is homeschooling mom to six children ranging in age from teen to toddler, as well as a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In her writings, she addresses things like burnout, dealing with interruptions, and handling homeschooling from a very practical perspective. Be sure to visit her blog, Cheaper by the Half Dozen.