August is almost over and we are just weeks away from the new school year beginning. I usually feel a certain amount of dread and a lot of pressure as this time approaches. I am a homeschooling mom and this means a I have a lot on my plate. This year I feel a certain amount of indifference. I have had a pretty hard Summer and so maybe there just isn't the usual energy in me to devote to anxiety. Anyway, I'll take it. I am thankful not to feel like I might fail.
I homeschool my children, and this year I will have one in grade 9, one in grade 6 (with some adaptions) and one in grade 3 (with some adaptions). Things I love about homeschooling are all the things I personally learn that I didn't pay attention to in school! It is amazing. I also love it when my children are actually interested and enjoy what they are learning. I dont have a single child that likes to 'sit and learn' and I am someone who like to sit and learn. This always poses a challenge. I try to give them some balance between learning to sit and learn, but also learning the way they enjoy most.
My grade niner has actually been doing school all Summer so she has had a bit of a head start on the year which is great. I have done some planning and I think we have all that we need in regards to curriculum. I am now trying to get my house feeling a bit more organized so I can step into routine as this Summer we have had none. Last school year I had to do quite a bit of driving each day and I found it quite draining so this year things are different.
If I was going to give a tip to any homeschooling mom I would say this:
Just take things one day at a time and do what you can. If you can't do something one day ~ there is always tomorrow ~ and the whole Summer if need be!!
May your school year be lovely :)
Love Tansy
Wednesday, 22 August 2018
A Summer Highlight
We are blessed with lovely neighbors and this Summer they let us use their pool while they went away. It was a highlight of the this very hot Summer for us.
August
The clouds are hanging low and the field of Sunflowers I can see through my window are gently waving in a soft breeze. The weather affects me. Every season there are these glorious days that in another season I would not appreciate so much! This month has been incredibly hot here. My house heats up to such high levels that we are dripping with sweat and it feels hard to cope. A cooler greyer day like this in August is a blessing that might not be taken as such in, say, December. There are also so many wildfires all around and this rain and cooler weather is so needed at the moment! How has your Summer been going? Mine has been a challenging one on so many levels. I am taking it one day at a time and finding the beauty and precious moments when I can. The children thankfully provide me many opportunities for that.
This Summer my three year old has learned how to swim and he loves to jump off our neighbor's diving board over and over. Each time he jumps off he paddles his little legs in the air and lands with the biggest flop. He is so fearless and happy when he is swimming. It is adorable and heart warming to watch.
My seven year old has made some new friends. For the first time we have neighbors directly next door with children that are close (ish) in age. They are younger than her but in many ways that is perfect. Every day she is excited to go over to the neighbors to play and they spend hours with their favorite stuffies jumping on the trampoline and that seems so normal and so wholesome and so happy to me. I am thankful.
My thirteen year old has taken over most of the cooking in our home this Summer. She has blessed me so much with this. She also helps me with grocery shopping and is just so confident in these areas of life. She has also worked on school work all Summer with a gracious attitude and although her and I have so many personalities differences and dont often agree I am so thankful for her kindness and willingness to give and serve.
My eleven year old has had a hard Summer in some ways but today is a good day. His dad has taken him to an island on a canoe. He has his two pocket knives and a heart full of adventure and I know that he is going to have his cup filled to overflowing. Something really special for his this Summer as well has been going to counselling. It has been hard for him but he is learning new things and thinking new ways and it is doing good things for his soul.
This season of Summer is almost over. Soon children will be headed off to school and the Autumn grey days will come and these hot hot days will be just a distant memory. I find more and more as time goes on and I have clearer vision in some areas that was cloudy before, that I am thankful for my children. I can't express it well. It seems like a given thing ~ being thankful for your children. This is my first Summer in years I have had decent sleep and my brain is working on a different level I guess. I have always been thankful for them but there are so many levels and parts to that. I am just glad to see their strengths and weaknesses and see how they are changing and growing. It is a beautiful process to be a part of.
Sending you love,
Tansy
This Summer my three year old has learned how to swim and he loves to jump off our neighbor's diving board over and over. Each time he jumps off he paddles his little legs in the air and lands with the biggest flop. He is so fearless and happy when he is swimming. It is adorable and heart warming to watch.
My seven year old has made some new friends. For the first time we have neighbors directly next door with children that are close (ish) in age. They are younger than her but in many ways that is perfect. Every day she is excited to go over to the neighbors to play and they spend hours with their favorite stuffies jumping on the trampoline and that seems so normal and so wholesome and so happy to me. I am thankful.
My thirteen year old has taken over most of the cooking in our home this Summer. She has blessed me so much with this. She also helps me with grocery shopping and is just so confident in these areas of life. She has also worked on school work all Summer with a gracious attitude and although her and I have so many personalities differences and dont often agree I am so thankful for her kindness and willingness to give and serve.
My eleven year old has had a hard Summer in some ways but today is a good day. His dad has taken him to an island on a canoe. He has his two pocket knives and a heart full of adventure and I know that he is going to have his cup filled to overflowing. Something really special for his this Summer as well has been going to counselling. It has been hard for him but he is learning new things and thinking new ways and it is doing good things for his soul.
This season of Summer is almost over. Soon children will be headed off to school and the Autumn grey days will come and these hot hot days will be just a distant memory. I find more and more as time goes on and I have clearer vision in some areas that was cloudy before, that I am thankful for my children. I can't express it well. It seems like a given thing ~ being thankful for your children. This is my first Summer in years I have had decent sleep and my brain is working on a different level I guess. I have always been thankful for them but there are so many levels and parts to that. I am just glad to see their strengths and weaknesses and see how they are changing and growing. It is a beautiful process to be a part of.
Sending you love,
Tansy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)