How the Very Organized Homeschool Mom Does It All
March 11, 2010 by Bethany
I bound out of bed, full of energy at 6:00 a.m. I read the next chapter in My Utmost for His Highest and the Psalms, then breeze through level 3 of Jillian’s 30-Day Shred workout DVD. I don my chic, size 6, J. Crew outfit. As I saunter into my sparkling kitchen to make omelets and fruit cups for breakfast, my well-mannered teenagers, perfectly groomed, joyfully help to set the table.
Schoolwork is quietly buzzing along by 8:00 a.m., so I decide to start the first load of laundry. After hanging the clothes out to dry, I sweep off the deck and water my spring starter plants. While the girls contentedly self-teach geometry and fractions, I work on an editing job. At mid-morning, we pause for carrot sticks with hummus and a poetry recitation. After our morning recess comes more learning for the teenagers and more work for me.
For lunch, my budding chefs whip up a delicious, healthful recipe from their home economics course. Following a general clean up of the kitchen, we’re ready for our art history lesson accompanied by our classical listening selections. Every afternoon includes a different extra-curricular activity for each well-rounded girl, so my sleek Nissan is always on the go.
A home-cooked meal followed by family devotions sets up our relaxed evenings of enjoying each other’s company as we play Scrabble, Borderline, or Monopoly until bedtime.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!! What’s that? Oh, time to get up. That’s the third time I’ve hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. Too bad, I was having such a lovely dream . . . Maybe next time I’ll be a little more practical about real time organization tips.
Bethany has been married for 16 years, homeschooling for 9 years, and organizing forever. She homeschools her two girls, grade 6 and grade 10, in North Carolina. She is also a partner in Codex Publishing, publisher of The Tutor and classic book reprints. When she isn’t homeschooling or driving the family taxi, Bethany enjoys reading, music, church activities, editing, writing, history, and keeping up with friends.
Real Life, Real Trust
December 21, 2009 by LauraL
To be honest with you I’ve struggled with my article this month. Not because I don’t want to write it, but because I feel like I should be writing something uplifting and encouraging. When in reality I’m struggling myself and I want to be “real.”
I hope that in my being “real” someone else will not feel alone.
With that being said, here are the natural circumstances of my life currently. I am a single homeschooling mom of 3 daughters. Both my parents are deceased and during the holidays I miss my mother something awful. Although I have done daycare out of my home for almost 8 years now to support us, I currently have no families and no income. I have found myself in the hospital having surgery 6 times over the past year and it doesn’t look like the problem is fixed yet. That means there might be additional future surgeries. I am weary. I am tired.
Now, that being said….I serve an amazing God who has been right by my side every step of the way. It is HE alone who gives me strength each and every day. I was telling my daughter the other day that I can see so clearly those areas in my life that I have let the Lord take control of. Those areas that I recognize I absolutely can not do on my own. Those areas I trust Him in completely. For instance I know nothing about house repairs. If I were married, that would be my husband’s responsibility. And so as long as I don’t have an earthly husband, HE is my husband and so I’ve left that to Him. He has faithfully over the years sent me “Handyman Angels” to help. Different husbands, fathers, or friends will ask me if I need anything done around the house. God has been very faithful to send them, so I always keep a running list available so that I’m prepared when they ask.
This holiday season He has provided for us as well. I find myself once again at the receiving end of His goodness and grace. Since coming home from the hospital in October and still having no income, the outpouring of blessings has been quite overwhelming at times. We have received groceries from friends and family time and time again. We have received Walmart gift cards and gas cards multiple times. We have received anonymous gifts in the mail. I have more than one friend who thinks of us/buys for us each time they grocery shop. We’ve been adopted by a family for Christmas, my children will have gifts to open! We’ve won drawings for Thanksgiving dinners and been blessed by our church as well. The list goes on and on. We have so much to be thankful for! I think one of the things that has so amazed me during this time is how God has provided everything in such a thorough way. I mean that none of these different people knows what the other is doing. Each one gives something different to us. There is not a lot of extra or waste. One friend admitted that they didn’t think what they were able to give was worth much, wouldn’t make a difference, and was tempted not to do it at all. And I was able to show her that none of the other gifts…..gave us what she did. It was a HUGE blessing to my family!!
It’s made me think of all the times the Lord has laid it on my heart to send a card, write a note, cook a meal, make a phone call, babysit, buy something seemingly little and not done it. And not done it because deep down….I didn’t think it would make a difference. Now I know….If God is telling you to do something…..it makes a difference! Don’t delay!!
So then how is it that I can be surrounded by such generosity and still be tired and weary??? Is it because I am worrying about the future? How will “I” provide for my children? How will “I” pay my mortgage? Instead of trusting Him to be our Provider. Trust. Do I really trust Him? Do I really believe that He will keep a roof over our heads and food on the table forever? Do I really believe that He can and will use this trying time to grow strength and character into my girls? That what the enemy meant to destroy us, God will use to strengthen us? I have a choice to make. We all do. Whose report will we believe? The temporary, always changing circumstances that we may find ourselves in? Or the promises of God’s word which are eternal and never changing! I choose God’s ways as they are higher than my own. I choose to trust Him! What about you?
Laura is in her 7th year as a single homeschool mom to 3 beautiful daughters. Currently they are in the 7th, 6th, and 3rd grades. She enjoys growing and learning along with her children in this journey of life and discipleship at home. She hopes to bring encouragement and hope to women who find themselves in difficult situations. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.pillarsinherfathershouse.blogspot.com.
Are You A “Real” Homeschool Mom?
June 9, 2009 by Amy Bayliss
Are you a “real” homeschool mom or do you always put your best foot forward when you are in the presence of moms that you think have mastered the art of homeschooling?
I have news for you. They aren’t perfect either!
I always get so amused when I hear other moms talk about how they “love” to homeschool and how everything always works out so great for them. I often wonder what it would be like to visit their home on a week day. I mean we know that mom wouldn’t screech in horror because the house isn’t clean. She definitely wouldn’t send the kids off to their rooms because they are still in their pajamas. And she absolutely wouldn’t throw the textbooks in a cabinet to give the impression that school time had been completed hours earlier because we all know she gets up at the crack of dawn every day!
No, siree, not our homeschool moms. We all have our act together!
Or do we?
I can honestly say that if anyone thinks that we (the cabinet, book hiding, wake up at 9ish, send the kids to their room to get dressed so we look like a good homeschool family people) have it all together they are truly mistaken.
Sure, I have heard the praise from many mothers who like to compliment me on how well mannered my boys are and how well they behave. What they don’t see is that I am holding their favorite toy hostage to insure their behavior so that mom and dad can have a stress free time.
OK. OK. So my boys really are well mannered and I don’t hold toys hostage for good public behavior. This is actually one of their good points but don’t dare ask me about their room! Or the fact that the “baby” is wearing his brother’s clothes because he keeps putting his clean clothes in the laundry room and I now refuse to wash them.
And please, please, please don’t ask me about the moans and groans I get when I mention it is school time, which usually starts around 12:30 (no eye-rolling!)
Now once we get started they are usually gung ho about science projects and civil war reenactments but that is only after I bribe them with M&Ms to complete their math work. I know, I know… BAD MOM!
Jeepers. I guess I shouldn’t mention that I only actually cook breakfast once a week and the rest of the time they eat cereal. I assume I should also keep it a secret that my almost 7 year old hardly ever completes anything and I don’t try to make him.
I cannot fathom that I am the only homeschooling mom out there who goes through this. Is it really all hunky dory? Should I be wearing a retro pattern and singing, “The fields are alive with the sound of music…”?
Am I the only one who has actually considered enrolling the kids in public school just long enough to get the house clean and teach them just how good they have it at home?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of homeschooling but on some days it’s the act of it that brings out the worst in me and my family.
These pieces of toast are a wonderful representation of how the days of our week can go at times, from perfect and savory absorbing every flavor to absolutely no good. Yeah, we have to scrape the “yuck” off to get to a small bit of good stuff on those days.
Why? We are all human. We all make mistakes. We must all submit daily to do the right thing, the best thing for ourselves and our families.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Romans 7:21-25
I have heard the term, “Don’t speak that!”, one too many times. How can God get the glory for mending something if you never admit that it is broken in the first place?
Now I’m not saying run around speaking negatively. There is a difference between saying, “I can’t do it all” and saying “I’m no good at anything”. One is acknowledging the current status and one is self-hatred. One gives God the glory and one takes the focus off of God. You can tell the difference by discerning with your heart.
Encourage each other.
Don’t jump back and say, “Ah!” with your hand over your mouth the next time you hear a child say they had McDonald’s for lunch and they didn’t have school yesterday. Instead look him in the eye and say, “well your mommy sure does know how to let you have fun doesn’t she?” and smile real big at him and then at her. And don’t wink like you just uncovered her dirty little secret. Showing love will do more for her than telling her she needs to switch curriculum to keep the kids more interested and her more motivated.
Don’t compare yourself to other moms.
Even if her kids are always polite, are mini Picassos, only eat whole wheat and like it, and knew how to sew before they could talk (which was at least 3 months earlier than your kids), just remember that they have some issues somewhere that they are hiding. We have been taught not to express our weaknesses for fear that others will not think as highly of us but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have them.
God gave your kids you as a mom. That means that He did not deem anyone else more qualified for the position. Take confidence in that. He knows what He is doing. After all He did create the universe and everything in it in only 6 days. I know because we have covered this more than 50 times in our various school textbooks!
Give yourself permission to take a break.
When you are a homeschooling mom you are not only the teacher for every pupil and for every subject but you are the PE coach, the guidance counselor, every lady in the lunch room, the secretary, the librarian, the PTA, the fundraiser chairperson, the hall monitor, the janitor, and the assistant principal. Whew! Sign me up for a vacation just for typing all of that but it really does put it into perspective doesn’t it?
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
Genesis 2:2
As long as you do what you do unto God then it will prevail.
I have told you many of my dirty little secrets here today but I saved the best for last:
My sweet, wonderful, friend (eh, um Darnelle, hmm) suggested that I give my children the CAT test to send in to the state for our yearly renewal instead of copying bulks of papers from each subject and submitting lesson plans.
Oh how I love her for the confidence she had in me but let me tell you what a silly, sometimes absent-minded little woman I am…
I give Gevan (11 year old) his test first. We actually only run into a few snags with division and punctuation. Aside from that the kid surprised me with how well he did. He was over three years behind when I pulled him out of school two years ago. Amidst all of the chaos he has actually learned and progressed more in these past two year than he had in any year prior. He still lacks in a couple of areas but he is doing well, very well. Here is his score:
Then there is the nutty but more amazing part of this CAT test story.
I decided to give Brennan (6 year old) the test next. I knew that Jacob (9 year old) would do well and blow through the test with no problem. He is just a fast learner. But, Brennan on the other hand, I knew I would have to duct tape him to the chair just so he could complete it.
Brennan does not like school. Math is stoooopid and reading is meeeeeean! He promises me every day that it is going to kill him. Yes, he actually says, “MOM, you’re just trying to kill me! I can’t do stoooopid math and reading is meeeean!”
So he has school maybe twice a week. (remember – don’t “Ah!” me!) I can’t bear to wrestle him to the table any more than that but it’s funny how he seems to recall almost every fact that we discuss and can read even the most complicated words.
In fact, his absent-minded mother accidentally gave him his brother’s 2nd grade CAT test and realized it only when she was getting Jacob ready for his test and thought it was funny that the 9-year-old was going to be tested on phonics and number recognition. Bren took Jake’s test.
Yes, I did that. I admit it.
I also admit that I wasn’t about to give Brennan another test all over again and I knew that Jacob would score high so I just let him take Brennan’s test and turned them in.
Just breathe. The shock will wear off soon. Don’t tell the state, k?
I have to say I was beyond my embarrassment when I saw his score. Not bad for a 6-year-old, eh?
So, if you get nothing else out of this article but a laugh or two at me then it was worth it. You are doing a wonderful job as a homeschooling mom and you deserve a pat on the back. You are awesome. You are wonderful. And we are going to make it through! I promise!
Married to her best friend and “main squeeze”, Amy Bayliss is a 4th year home/co-schooling mom to three boys. She enjoys writing about the eclectic teachings that bring a glimmer of curiosity to the eyes of her sons. In addition to being the co-owner of Heart of the Matter, she writes for Internet Cafe Devotions. Be sure to visit her blog, AmyBayliss.com and her family’s homeschool blog: Integrity Academy.
