Living Our Own Homeschool Lifestyle.

Homeschooling as a lifestyle is one that consists of schooling being integrated into every day living.  Schooling becomes a part of life's routines, It has taken us some serious adjusting to find our groove, and every year that we have homeschooled more adjustments and re-tweaking of our routines are needed.  This year we have added a newest member, who is horrible sleeper, and so we have adjusted our school time to start late morning, and break for lunch, and then restart school after lunch when baby is down for her Longest nap.  Mommy is also homeschooling Miss Tor Tor and Miss Emi-lou, and Lady A likes to join in as well, so I have had to adjust my style of teaching to better provide an even amount of one on one teaching times, for each of them.  

Miss Tor Tor is starting to be more independent in her studies, and this momma couldn't be happier that she is starting to do things for herself.  We also have had to take into account that  Lady Tor Tor has a poor attention span, and has trouble focusing on the task at hand.  She is always moving wiggling and touching stuff other then her school work, when she apply's herself is fully capable of getting lots done. 

This lifestyle we have had to adjust our mindsets as well.   It is my observation that us mom's are so good at comparing ourselves to the ones to the left or right that might just be doing a better job at parenting or schooling, or more outside the home activities then us. We have had to take some time to "de-schoolize".  Miss Tor Tor was and still is hard wired for school to be a certain way.    However being the teacher, and mommy.  I have 3 other little ones, and having a set routine with an infant is proving to be more difficult then I had planned on.   We are working on this, and as baby gets older she is settling into times that she is playing on her own, in her playpen, or excer-saucer and content for longer lengths of time. 

In my own self evaluations, I have found that I am always trying to compare myself and our lives to those who are not homeschooling, and I have realized how negatively this was affecting me.   In all reality, Homeschooling is so vastly different from the main stream schooling.  The standardized testing, and machine like qualities of a the mainstream schooling leave little room, for gifted or struggling students.  Homeschooling certainly has allowed for my children's creativity to be accepted and cheered on.   It has allowed us to slow down and focus on the area's that they are struggling and breeze through other area's as well, that they do not struggle in.  

In comparing our homeschool to mainstream schooling students and their families, I am allowing myself to try to compare an apple to an Orange. Sometimes I get this feeling of defeat and rejection from even trying to compare them.   Yes, some days we are not doing science, or art, or social studies, but we do our best to get Math and Language Arts in everyday.  We are always learning, regardless of whether we did a lot or a little bit of "school work" on any given day, it just might not be the "normal" structured way that mainstream students would be learning.  That's one of the reasons we homeschool in the first place. The "normal" is sometimes the worst place for a student to be, especially if they don't fit the "normal mould".

What I am getting at is that my children are getting an education, they may be different then the mainstream but they are still learning, and they are still getting social activities but usually in an environment, that I believe is less toxic to them, i.e. bullying, and playground gossip and cruelty towards others for popularity status.

My husband and I both took our share of bullying and gossip and over time accepted these things as down right "Normal" activities in a mainstream school setting. How disgusting is that!? Some would say that I am protecting my kids from reality, but I personally don't think they could be more wrong, society is allowing other students to dictate to our children, how we are suppose to act in society.  We see over and over campaigns against such abuses, yet they continue, in our schools. My husband and I attended Christian schools in our career as students. I personally attended a public from grades 1-6,  then homeschooled for  grades 7-8, and Christian school for 9-12.  The Christian school took the cake for the worst bullying of all.  Public school came a close second. Homeschooling, Not once was I bullied, I had plenty of social activities with other homeschooling kids, of all ages including my own age group.  I also had straight A's for 2 years straight.  I had friends at homeschooling group, and we did some pretty cool things in our 2 years we homeschooled, including rock climbing classes, figure skating lessons, swim days,  Going mudlarking in the swamps collecting samples of water to be looked at under microscopes.  Going on family trips just because we could.  

 Now, I am homeschooling my kids and the days as a homeschooling family, are different then those who send there kids to school, yes this momma has a lot less personal time, and honestly I have to work on setting some boundaries for myself, and set more time for rejuvenation and renewing.  It will happen, but I have a nursing infant, and I need to be patient and enjoy my last baby, and the times of cuddling, and needing momma. Those days will soon pass.   I am enjoying the freedom, to love my kids, and to watch them grow and know exactly what they are learning at school. 

 I however get really bothered when someone tries to compare what we do to what schools are doing, and I find myself getting defensive when someone asks what my kids are learning in school because I feel this comparison, is unjust and unfair. We are learning and doing school work, but more importantly I feel that we are also learning, to communicate with each other as a family unit, we are learning about Jesus, and about respecting mom and dad, we are learning about sharing, caring, and playing nice with others. We are learning to give each other space with in our own home, when we need it.  We are learning to count, add and subtract by jumping like rabbits all over the house, we are creating disasters, and learning the consequence of making such a big mess ;)....its Hard to clean up sometimes.  We are learning that sometimes hanging out with mom for a good cuddle is better for the soul then a math test, because mommy won't be here forever nor will they fit in momma's lap forever.  We are learning, that being able to call someone we love during the day is pretty sweet.  We are learning to cook, bake, and do chores with willing hearts.  We are learning that life is not always about what 2+2 is.  We are learning what it takes to be strong, and walk against the flow.  

Valentines Day Party!

Sometimes its very lonely for me as the mom, teacher, wife, nurse, maid, and taxi service.  Walking a different road is hard.  I don't get invited out as much to things any more, because of the time commitment I have made to my kids and because I am not in the "circles" like I used to be. However in saying that, I still miss those activities, and I can't help but be envious when I see pictures of a wonderful night out.  However, for the first time in my life, we are realizing that we need to stand up for what "WE  (our little family) NEED". 

For years, who I am in the winter and who I am in the summer are so vastly different, and I can not continue to live this way.  This is not living as God wants me to live. Its is surviving, turning inward instead of to the King of my heart.  Winter time here in Canada, is no longer something I can or want to just survive. I do not like who I am in the winter, I do not like that because of the depression, I can not handle getting 4 kids out the door in all the winter gear, I become scared to drive in the winter, never bothers me any other time of the year.  I hate snow....no no, I LOATH snow, cold, and nasty wind. Anxiety and fear takes over in the winter, which deepens the depression it is a never ending cycle, till the sunshine comes and melts the snow, it is like a light bulb goes back on in my brain.  We have to break this cycle of the winter blues. We have to choose to do things differently.  My mental health directly affects my children, my husband, and my ability to see the joy in life. 

 

Homeschooling is and will allow us to be able to see and do things differently.  We are not bound to school holidays, and we can and will change how we deal with winter...aka...Not deal with winter.  Hello Sunshine and open roads.   We also recently started to have pen pals, with real handwritten letters from other homeschooling kids just like us, from the US and Canada. That is pretty neat!  We have new friends that we are making. God's plans for our little family are unknown, but what we do know, is that homeschooling in all its wonder, and slogging and hard and good times,  is an opportunity to use life as the curriculum,  add a few school books in and lets go see the world.  Many don't have this kind of opportunity.  We are going to seize it.  I hope to blog, a lot more about our journey in this Homeschooling lifestyle.  It's not an easy life,  but it is one that is worth more then gold, and the opportunity is now to enjoy it. 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (from the The Message): Dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide open spacious life.  We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you are living them in a small way. I am speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live Openly and expansively."  These were Paul's letters, to the Corinthians telling them to live a different kind of life, one beyond themselves, for God's purpose. When we choose to do that the power of His spirit in us, is just astounding.  I want that feeling of passion back. It time to reclaim it.

The refining of our lives in the last year,  is bringing about change we desperately needed.   The road less travelled always has new adventures awaiting around every corner.  Some will be amazing and life changing for the good, and other adventures will challenge your in most being, but we will a little wiser, a little more experienced when we come out the other side.  The journey is not about what others think of our journey,  it is ours, not theirs. Why on earth I feel the need to compare and compete with society in my own head, or to be judged for doing what I am doing, is just silliness. God calls us higher, to Him.  In the end thats what life is about, a calling to Him and His kingdom.  We all are going to go about it differently.  I am so thankful that our journey through our lives has never been without God. We didn't always see him, but He has dwelled with us.  From my point of view Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart or faith.  We are going to be entering our 3rd year, this  coming year, and this lifestyle is growing on us.  My fears and comparisons are fading just a little bit more.