I am very excited about the changes we have made in our homeschooling days! Yes, I am eager for the year to start. We start on Monday! Can you believe the summer is almost over?? It has been such a crazy one for us. I will welcome routine back and at the same time mourn the end of our carefree days with Daddy home everyday.
I have been waking up early every morning for the last two weeks preparing for early morning days that are coming! I have committed to working out before the start of each day. Some mornings my lovely bunch awakens in the middle of the my work out and I have an audience...which is awkward and I don't enjoy it but I don't let it stop me. I toss them a few 1lb dumbbells and tell them to get to work too! Yes, I am that mother! After my work out I brew an awesome cup of French Vanilla coffee in my Keurig while I turn on PBS for the "baby", who really isn't much of a baby anymore. Then I sit down for "Quiet Time" which is difficult. I have a hard time stopping my mind from running everywhere. I find that I am super focused after a work out so this year I am going to give myself an extra 30 minutes in the morning post work out to spend with the Lord. I have been reading in Haggai and Zachariah. So encouraging. I am just loving how God's character is revealed in the Old Testament. His unconditional love that He continues to pour out on His people. I hope to keep this going, even in the winter when it is still pitch black at 7am and I should've been up at least 90 minutes ago!
We are keeping all of our curriculum choices the same. I know, I know.... I said someone punch if me if I choose to do this. Well I did! BUT let me finish! I have a good reason. We decided to enroll the older three in Friday School designed especially for home schoolers. This will bring us to a 4 day per week home school day in our home, then the kiddos will go to their school for Art, PE, and Music. We are very excited to add this!
Last year I ran our day like a crazy woman shoving academics endlessly down the throats of my poor children. They were sad. I was sad, and crazy... very crazy. About 1/2 through the year I gave up on family devotions all together. I know, crazy. Sad. I started the day focused on getting through the three R's. The only mention of God was in our Christian curriculum. Again, sad. It is only by God's grace that my kids are ok. So this year? My #1 goal? Keep my kids (ahem, and MYSELF) focused on HIM. Start each day focused on HIM. Help my kids to fall more in love with Jesus, especially my boys who have both made professions of faith. I don't know how my focus got so off last year, but I am not going to let it get so off this year!
So our goals for this year are simple! Focus on God! Really, that is all.
