This morning's Grace

I love getting up early.

For the last 2 1/2 weeks I have slept in, waking to the sounds of my children crawling in bed with me, or playing in the living room. And I will never deny loving the feeling of my warm cozy bed, or loving checking my watch and knowing that I got to sleep in past 7:30, but there is NO BETTER feeling than knowing that I have time to do all of the important things today.


By the third step of my early morning walk this morning, I knew there was no better way to start my day, and I had been missing it.

I have time to clear my head and think.

Two days ago, IW told me that he hates to read.  KNIFE IN MY HEART.  Okay, if he were going to go to school, they would be teaching him his letters.  I won't ask him to read anymore.  Maybe put some interesting books out on the coffee table for HIM to find on his own.

I wonder how that boil on QL's side looks this morning.  Gracious Father, please heal my baby girl and take the pain out of that sore.  Thank you for your Grace. And while we're at it, please please please father, don't let those sores in IW's mouth be coxsackie virus again.  Please protect the health of my children.  Amen


I'm going to have to ice this ankle when I get home.


I wonder how Husband's back is feeling today?


Okay, stop thinking and just breathe.  Listen to the click-click-click of the dog's feet on the pavement.  


And there it is.  Peace.  Quiet.  Probably the only 10 minutes I will get all day.  But it is enough.


How do you start your day?

(insert something witty here)

My aunt was in town last week on vacation, so I decided that we'd all take a week off too.  In all the time we've been together and all the traveling that we've done, Husband and I have never really taken a vacation.  Even though we go to cool places, we're still living, working and teaching.  Last week we played.
It was the best 4th of July of my life!  We really got to enjoy great food, good company and once in a lifetime experiences.   We didn't really get any "school work" done, but we had such a great week.  That being said, it's time to get back to business!

I did read the Colfax's book Homeschooling for Excellence this past week.  If you haven't read it, you should, even if you don't homeschool.  The book is all of 90 pages excluding the appendices.  There were no amazing revelations, but it did remind me to focus on my goals as a homeschooling mother.  What do I want to teach my kids, and why?  Do I want to pour knowledge into them, or do I want to teach their hearts and guide them as they discover their own interests?
The other really important point I got from the book is that it is my job to help my children succeed, not to point out where they have failed.  This one kind of smacked me upside my head.  It seems counter intuitive to everything I learned in my teacher education classes.  My job is not to show them what they are failing at, but what their strengths are.  Not to point out what they don't know, but help them find out what they want to know.

Obviously (at least to me), the 3 Rs are an exception to this rule.  But the Colfax's method seemed to work out for them.  All four of their boys, two of whom were adopted, were admitted to Harvard.  No formal education.  No curriculum shoved down their throats.   Just quality materials and opportunities made available. They filled their days with real life work and activities.  And they didn't patronize their kids.

I like it.