not just soccer pictures

 We are in an extremely busy season of life. I feel pulled in a hundred different directions. I am trying not to let it frustrate me, but it does. I feel like nothing is really getting done right or well. So I am trying to focus on doing just one thing at a time as I can. I printed out a fall cleaning list and am trying to work in a few extra cleaning projects in between all our other stuff. Yesterday I cleaned out the fridge. That felt so good!

 

Fall is officially here. The evenings and mornings are cool. The leaves are starting to change. The boys are spending hours and hours in the backyard. It feels good to pull out our cozy fleece jackets.We also all have runny noses.

I am trying to write a resume. At this point I want to beat my head against the desk. Why can't I just write, "Worked my tail off as a social worker for 4 years, which is the equivalent of 12 years in any other industry. Have been running my household, having babies, and homeschooling for the past 7 years. Pretty sure I can do just about anything except open heart surgery. You know you want to hire me."

Parenting my kids is kicking my butt lately. I have no idea what I am doing. I keep trying to remind myself that nothing lasts forever, everything has stages. We will get through this just like we got through all the other stages of development. Right?

But despite all the busy-ness and stress and tiredness life is good. We have a full life in a terrific community with friends and family who love us well.

Apple Picking Field Trip

Again this year we gathered a group of homeschooling friends together and headed out to pick apples. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the drive through the North Georgia mountains was spectacular. We ended up with 12 kids ages 2 months to 7 years. I put together a little nature scavenger hunt for the kids and sent home a little apple observation worksheet for the kids to do. We read a few different versions of the Johnny Appleseed story at home. I was not that familiar with the legend, it is beautiful and poignant.

We always enjoy these outings. And one of my friends labeled her Facebook Album, "Socializing the homeschooled kids." Ha Ha!

Then & Now: Apple Picking

On the left - the first time we went apple picking, in the fall of 2008.
On the right - same place, 4 years later.

Someone once said to me, "The days are long but the years are short."

Feeling that today....

Lilly turns 3!

Two weeks ago we spent a beautiful Sunday evening with family and friends celebrating Lilly's 3rd birthday! It is so fun to have a niece. And this little girl is full of fire and energy and imagination and creativity. We sure do love her!

What works

I have been trying to find new ways to stay organized. I have tried all kinds of calendar and list making apps on my Kindle Fire (still no smart-phone around here). I have searched Pinterest and printed off all different kinds of daily check lists and weekly overviews. None of those things were wrong in and of themselves, but they just weren't working for me. So this week I did what I had been putting off for a few weeks. I got out my trusty FamilyPlus organizer/calendar from Day-Timer that I picked up at Walmart in January for less than ten bucks. It seems so old school. But for me it was like slipping into my most comfy yoga pants. It just felt right.

I like to scratch my schedule and lists down on paper. I like having it all in one place so that when I think of something I can immediately write it down, because these days if I don't write it down I won't remember it. This Day-Timer has my schedule, my to-do lists, my menu, and my notes all in one place. It's not the newest fancy gadget, but it sure works for me. That is ultimately what matters anyway.

The reality of this homeschool year hits

Jeremiah's first day of class at Hilger Higher Learning (Aug 20, 2012).

Nathaniel's bow and arrows. What he chose to buy with his birthday money.

This is what I am realizing this year of homeschooling: If we are going to be a "homeschooling family" (which we are at this point) we are going to have to actually protect our homeschool time. 

Jeremiah was pretty easy to start on homeschooling. He was already reading, he is self directed, he is able to sit still and concentrate for long periods of time, and he is motivated. I really had to do very little work when it came to schooling him. I could basically point him in the right direction and let him go. Nathaniel's personality is completely different. He is energetic and on-the-go. I am teaching him to read. He needs much more one-on-one instruction time with me and lots more hands on manipulatives.

Before adding 2nd/3rd grade work as well as Nathaniel to the homeschool mix it was very easy to just slip school in around the other things we had going. It was easy to get the bulk of our school work done in about 2 hours a day, leaving plenty of time for running errands, going on outings, meeting up with friends. I honestly wasn't prepared for the change we would experience this year. As we are now in our 3rd week of adding Core work along with handwriting and Math I am realizing that we are going to have to protect our morning school time. There is just no way around it. The reality is that Jeremiah needs more direct instruction from me. Nathaniel needs a lot more of my undivided attention. All of that can only happen if we are committed to being at home for 3-4 hours a morning, 4 morning's per week. 

On Monday night I spent about 2 hours in the school room preparing for the week ahead. As I thought everything through and gathered the materials I realized that I can't just say we are dabbling in homeschooling anymore. For this year we are committed to this lifestyle. We believe this is the best choice for our family and children. The way we spend our time must reflect the priorities we have made. Now, with 2 kids officially homeschooling, more difficult grade work, and the need for more one-on-one teaching time I simply have to work harder and prioritize my time. I have to put effort into preparation. I have to schedule our daily school time and stick to that schedule.

With that in mind Monday has become our day for errands, outings, and seeing friends. Tuesday through Friday mornings will have to be protected. This is a shift for us. It is going to take some discipline. But I believe it will pay off. 

We still enjoy homeschooling. I still believe it offers us more flexibility and a better education than the kids would get in our local public school. Because we are home 4 mornings a week our crazy evening soccer schedule doesn't mess us up too much because we don't officially start our school time until about 8:30am which gives the boys time to sleep or rest after late night games and practice. 

Last week we were studying Europe in the Middle Ages. The boys loved reading about monks, knights, castles, and kings. One of our read alouds was Tales of Robin Hood. Yesterday our backyard became Sherwood Forest as the boys spent the afternoon acting out their own adventures of Robin Hood. As I listened I smiled. This opportunity to homeschool is a gift. Even when it is hard, and I wonder if the kids are really learning anything, I love seeing these two boys becoming friends and learning and playing together.

The annual soccer pictures

 

It is that time of year again! 

The morning of our annual soccer jamboree dawned humid and clear. Nathaniel's games were first and he ran his little heart out! He scored a goal on a free kick he took. He also played goalie for a bit and stopped the ball multiple times. 

As the rain rolled in we quickly loaded up and drove out to Jeremiah's games. Jeremiah played the first game as goalie and rocked it! The second game he played up front and was pretty aggressive.

Aaron is such a great coach. He is so patient with the kids. He really teaches them the basics of soccer and is always encouraging. 

We are ready for another fun season!

Time, again...

I am realizing that it is time to put some margin in our lives again. We are struggling to get back into a routine after the lack of routine that is summer. For a few weeks now we have all been struggling with impatience and short tempers. We all seem on edge. We all opt for the easy-out of mindless entertainment behind a screen. I say "we all" because at first I thought it was just the kids, but today it hit me that it was all of us.

Today, I read this post by Ann Voskamp titled "How to Cultivate the Habit of Focus...in an Age of Distraction" and it convicted me again of the need for routine. Not just to be able to accomplish stuff, but in order to celebrate the joy of daily life. My home is not going to just magically become a place of grace and calm. It takes intentionality on my part as well as discipline. My kids are not going to just magically develop good manners, kindness, imagination, creativity or a love of learning. It will take intentionality on my part as well as discipline.

So, it is time again to protect our daily routine. I need to get back into rising before the boys and preparing myself for the day. I need to limit screen time for all of us. I need to re-evaluate my priorities and then spend my time in a way that reflects those priorities. We need to be diligent with our cash envelope budget system again.

Most of all, we need time to be still. We need to turn off our screens and our distractions and focus on God and on each other. We need time and stillness to say our morning and evening prayers.We need time to listen to God and to each other.

(The necklace pictured above is my early birthday gift to myself from The Adopt Shoppe on Etsy. It's my daily reminder of lessons I am learning and I love it!)

gap tooth

The teeth that have been loose since April finally came out last week. They hung stubborn and sideways for a few days before Jeremiah finally consented to have them popped out. I couldn't resist calling him "snaggle tooth" while they were hanging. So now he has a gap and is enjoying making all kinds of funny noises through the gap.

Bow & Arrow

It's a quiet Saturday. Our first in a while. And with soccer season gearing up, likely our last in a while. We have been puttering around the house. We enjoyed some college football together. Nathaniel is a fan, which is funny to me. He insists that he will play football when he gets older. I am not so sure about the whole idea.

Last night we went grocery shopping and gave Nathaniel the opportunity to spend some of his birthday money. He walked up and down every toy aisle. He exclaimed over many things and was disappointed often when we told him that something he really wanted was more than the amount of money he had. After about 45 minutes he finally settled on a bow and arrow. He really is the epitome of little boyhood.