Something to love

We have had a grieving month. Our family dog passed away after a battle with epilepsy for the most of this year. This has left a hole in our hearts and home yet we trust that soon the sad memories will be replaced with happier ones. I comforted my daughter, who was his primary caregiver, best friend and constant companion, and shared with her the following line from Alfred Tennyson’s Memoriam: “ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”

Charlotte Mason

I remembered a quote by Karen Andreola in her Charlotte Mason Companion where she says that each child should daily have: “Something to love, something to do and something to think about.” Something to think about is catered for when we read good living books to our children. This is where their thought life is fed – through ideas and imagination. Something to do is easily done as our children learn to do worthwhile work in the home, pursue a business endeavour and learn how to be magnanimous. Our children have something to love in their siblings, parents and pets. Sometimes learning to love and serve those within our homes is harder than loving and serving without, but if we choose to make this our daily “curriculum” we cannot go wrong.

Family and Sibling Relationships

We have been having some really wet days in our part of the world. Our schoolroom was flooded and the ceiling in one corner collapsed! We were able to save all the art work and books that were being stored in that part of the room. This incident of flooding forced a spring clean – in Winter! As I was going through the art work I found something we did almost 3 years ago. I had taken an old sheet and divided it into 4 parts with coloured chalk. Each child took one fourth and decorated it as they wanted to with fabric paint.

As I looked at it 3 years later, I can see each child’s individual bent – my child who is precise and sees the world in black and white, my child who loves animals with a passion, my child who sees the world with rose coloured glasses and my littlest one who is a perfectionist.

While living with different personalities is not always easy, and as I remember they each had a “problem” with how the other designed their fourth, we can learn to celebrate each personality and difference in our home.

Visit my art ideas pages for more ideas!

Organizational Tips

I have always found ways to double up my time, here are some of my favourites:

1.When I was still nursing a baby, I would use that time for reading to older children, or have them read to me.
2. I return phone calls on my walk-about-phone while I clean my kitchen.
3. I water my garden while I return phone calls.
4. I clean out my wallet while waiting at my children's extra activities or while waiting at the petrol station for the tank to fill.
5. I wash dishes as I go when cooking.
6. I cut and stick things with my preschooler while waiting for our older children to complete their maths problems or phonics workbook page.

Visit my organized mom pages for more help.

Romantic Ideas

After my last e-zine where I suggested husband-napping your man for a night, I received an email from a friend. She said: “I was wondering if you could perhaps give some tips for young Mums (who hardly have anytime for themselves or anything beyond survival really) on how to make time for their hubby. I feel so stretched in so many directions, we have bad sleepers, little house help and we both are exhausted in the evening. When I read what hubby and I "could/should" be doing I feel I am letting him down. Perhaps this would be of help to other Mums in this season.”

First, I must say that in the season of young children in our home, some of our most romantic adventures were no more than popcorn and a rented movie snuggled up on the couch. So I would like to impress on others with little ones, everything is relative to the season we are in.

Just to help you further, Lori, from The Generous Wife has put together 3 pages of ideas for tired moms. Be sure to visit.

Quote

“Good schools, like good societies and good families, celebrate and cherish diversity.” Deborah Meijer 1913

Living books

Two books that celebrate siblings, with the joys and tears are: My twin sister, Inge by Ilse-Margaret Vogel and Me and Caleb by Franklin Meijer. Both books cover the adventures, friendships and difficulties of the sibling relationship.

Homeschool Curriculum for Life News

Folks in the USA are starting to head back to schooling over the next few weeks. Now is the time to read Back to homeschool and also get your school room in order Perhaps you need some help with your homeschooling planning? Be sure to consider my Ultimate Homeschooling Mom’s Planner

A special request- I have created a new page for article submission on the topic of a day in the life of a homeschool mom where you can submit your encouraging article for other homeschooling moms from all around the world. Please be sure to visit this page and consider submitting an honest and encouraging article. Thank you!

Take care until next time,
God’s richest blessings to you as you homeschool,
Wendy