Dedication to Homeschooling

Honestly, routines have been a saving idea for us, especially the last 2.5 years since having Mason with all his medical needs.  I’ve been gone or busy or distracted or overwhelmed so much (12 major surgeries, closing in on 200 doctor’s appointments, daily physical therapy and other care routines for his bladder and bowels, and more).  Not to mention I had baby #8 in that time too. 

I love the simple ideas of Charlotte Mason – that we can read great living books and spread a feast of ideas and get out of our children’s way while they form the relationships with the material. It’s a trust thing, stepping out and letting this process happen without falling back into assigning busywork, but when we stay the course and build in family routines that keep us moving along the path even when life is overwhelming or chaotic, the results are beautiful.

And when we fall down and make a mess of it all God is faithful to help us try again!

I think one of the things that can be encouraging is just knowing you are not alone.  We are getting ready to start our first year of homeschooling and I feel like I need a year to just do habit training for myself and kids (DD7.5, DS3).  More days than not, I have wondered how I will ever do it but trust God’s called me to this work.  However, I’m also in the process of trying to launch a part-time business successful.  I surely don’t have any answers for you but find reading others threads, like Tristan here, so encouraging!  I realize I could have more on my plate than I do that is evenly less out of my control.

I know y’all may not have the answers but maybe hoping for some ideas & encouragement on how to keep myself out of the ruts where I let my dedication to homeschooling slide (typically in favor of Pinterest or other “research” to give me all the resources I need to solve everything lol or long talks with my best friend because I’m upset/depressed/stressed out, etc).

Your comment here made me smile because it is so true when we are overwhelmed…we seek escape by looking for answers elsewhere instead of starting somewhere within. I found myself doing this a lot this past winter. But it doesn’t work and just keeps adding fuel to our discontent. Pinterest is especially good at that for me because I see all these “perfect” things – people, activities, ideas, etc and I wish I was doing that too – all while knowing in the back of my chair is my reality. LOL

I am trying to really be more intentional and less reactional to my life, and wanted to share those things that are helping me. But homestly, someone telling me what to do wasn’t what really made me start. I hit the rock-bottom of what I was allowing to happen and knew that I HAD to make the effort to change. My husband is supportive, but he doesn’t run the day-to-day things of the home so while I have his support and encouragement, what happens in my home is what I decide/allow/make happen. It really does start with me.

I have made a lot of progress in the last few months and am eager to continue because it is getting easier for me – yea! Here are a few things that I am being more intentional and deliberate about:

1. Getting all the way dressed down to my shoes and socks. I discovered that I feel like I can get things done if I am wearing shoes – not slippers or flip flops – and wearing them keeps me motivated for the day. It is less comfortable to sit and read for hours on the couch in tennis shoes for me. 😉

2. Check my email and take care of business on the computer AFTER I read my scriptures and then shut off the computer until evening or after my chores are done.

3. Make a REALISTIC schedule of your day. There are a bazillion and one ways to do it, but do it. Here’s a quick idea:

• Write down the the things that you want to do, things that have to happen, and how much time you would need to do each thing.
• Have a masterchart with the hours of the day down the side with the days of the week across the top.
• Start plugging in the items you want to accomplish and when they need to be done.
• Fiddle with that for a few days and then start DOING the schedule. Even if you are only able to do a few hours at a time, you’ll be amazed at how much happier those hours were and how much more got done.
• You should also do one for each child. It will help all of you to know who does what, when, how often, and your days will suddenly be more smooth. Because the children know what is to be done and when, they will be happier.
• If you start feeling overly scheduled, too unflexible, or unrealistic, make a few adjustments and stick with it. Sooner or later, you will find a rythum that works for you.

If only five things get done in the morning, it is still done. Often writing it done helps and you have something to help you be accountable for that time. 😉 It is okay to work on this routine and schedule a few hours at a time for a week or two as you make adjustments in the family’s way of thinking and acting.

3. Make a chore chart of some sort – chore paks, check-off lists, etc and start teaching your children how to do these chores. Be consistent in this. Soon they will be capable helpers and take a lot of pressure off you. Make one for yourself to wear if you have to while creating your new habits. 

4. Get a phone headset to talk on the phone. My sister and love to talk on the phone and discovered that it could be a great motivator for us…we can’t be reading or on the computer while visiting, but we can certainly start laundry, fold it, tidy and dust, sweep, do dishes, whatever. The trick was to buy headsets that plug in so we can be hands free while we talk. You could still talk to your girlfriend and yet you would be able to work at the same time!

5. Get rid of stuff. My house was not a hoarders home, but I managed to tuck A LOT of stuff away that we did not need. I have spent the last 4 months cleaning out my home and have had a large successful yardsale, given away things, cleaned, and reorganized, and in the process I have gotten rid of about 60 large boxes of nice stuff, furniture, and more. My house is becoming what I need and less about where to put the stuff. My family was freaked out at first, but it is so much nicer. They don’t even miss the stuff. Clean up is much easier and we have been able to spend more time doing the stuff we want.

6. I love finding resources and could do it all day. BUT I realized somewhere along the way that it doesn’t matter HOW MANY resources I have, if I am not using them CONSISTENTLY, I will not see the progress needed and it will make all of our lives harder. For me it really isn’t about which brand of curriculum or how green the grass looks for someone on Pinterest, it is about USING what I already have. So shut off the computer and USE what you have. This especially applies to homeschooling. No curriculum is effective if sitting unused on the shelf.

As Curlywhirly said, it is worth the struggle in the end. =) Be encouaged…you can do this!

I am firmly convinced that Pinterest is of the devil. It eats up time and seems to make just about everyone feel inadequate (and then give up on their homes before they start). Drop that and see how much more you get done! 😀

I can certainly relate. I have been trying to get a good schedule going for us since last summer. I know systems and plans are important. But I was always stuck about which habit I needed help with. I thought regularity for routines and schedules. I thought orderliness or neatness. Perhaps self control or self discipline. While it would help to improve on these habits, I have come to realize one more important. THE habit *I* need to work on is attention. Attention is #1 in Charlotte’s book and I thought that was just for the kids. But I really do have a hard time focusing on the right thing and staying focused.

http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/habits-2

http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/ldtr-habit-companion

I know I need to spend less time on the computer/Internet. I need to figure out a good time to schedule that and make a list of priorities of how best to spend my time on it. I also think all the links we can click to go here and there does not help me to grow in the habit of attention. I do not go on pinterest, but I can imagine it would be bad on the habit of attention as well.

And it helps me to write in a journal about things I have been hurt by emotionally. Pray for healing.