How To Keep On Keeping On

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Welcome to the April of A Living Education E-zine!

Today I was having a small grumble to a friend about how I felt. For health reasons we have had to rearrange our family's eating habits. Although we have always been healthy eaters, we have to eliminate some staples from our menu.

A lesson I have learnt is that when we need to make a change, it is better to phase it in, but in this instance, there is no option. It’s literally a do-or-die situation.

So it has been a few days of adjusting, buying specific foods, rearranging eating plans, learning to prepare new foods and spending more time in the kitchen as we adjust.

My grumble was about “keep on keeping on!” Hence, what follows are some thoughts about this idea and as always with a Charlotte Mason slant.

Charlotte Mason

A mom asked the other day: “How do I un-lazy myself?” First I wanted to give her a great big cyberspace pat on the back for asking it. When moms ask a question like this it means that their conscience has been awakened to a lack or neglect in their lives, homes or relationships. It also indicates that God has spoken to them and they are responding.

Charlotte Mason talks in her writings about strengthening a child’s will. By this she does not mean creating a child ruled by their will, but rather helping a child mature to a place where their will serves them and enables them to will them to do the right thing.

This mom who asked the question above hopefully will begin to exercise her will to get up a little earlier and tend to just one thing more today than she did yesterday. She will hopefully choose to wash her dishes tonight, as her will flexes its muscles and enables her arms to be strong for their tasks. She will hopefully spend each day picking up in her home before she reads a chapter of her book. All the time, as with any muscle in the body, her will will become stronger and stronger to serve herself, her family and her Lord.

Family Relationships

I hate nagging. I refuse to nag my children to do their chores, do their work, get up, go to bed or any other thing related to our routines.

The Bible says a nagging wife is like a dripping tap. I wonder what a nagging mother is like? Have you ever tried to sleep with a mosquito buzzing around your head- maybe that’s it – a nagging mom is like a mosquito.

Charlotte Mason talks about a child learning to “stand or fall by their own effort.”

In our home this means that they have to live out the consequences for not doing what needs to be done. I believe as parents we need to come alongside our children and train them in how to do chores around the house. We need to be patient with them until the light bulb goes on and “they get it”. And obviously be right with them during disciplined studies.

But for the child who is lazy, who cuts corners, maybe one who outright lies about having completed work when they haven’t, this child needs to feel the consequences of their choices.

For younger children it would be treated as disobedience in our home and action taken, but when it comes to older children, they need to see the natural effect their laziness or cutting corners has.

How this will play out in your home, you need to decide. But I let my children know its chore time and expect them to do their jobs. After a time period has passed which I deem sufficient for their chores I do a quick check.

We don’t seem to have a problem with cutting corners anymore after some very heart to heart chats as the TV gets turned on at 7 pm for their daily hour of Discovery Channel and the offender is still doing their jobs. Nagging kills relationship, consequences train. More on chores>>>>

Organizational Tips

Most homeschooling moms in the USA are now turning their attention to their summer vacation and planning the next years curriculum.

I have reviewed my top homeschool curriculum picks for you. These are selectively chosen from the large array of homeschool curricula that are available to us. These are the ones that I feel lend themselves to a Charlotte Mason, literature based, no twaddle approach to our homeschools.

Also be sure to use the free planners I have for you and if you find those helpful consider purchasing my Ultimate Homeschooling Moms Planner and the Ultimate Moms Meal Planner

Your marriage

When I read I like to write down sections that stir my heart and thinking. A while back when reading "Love Dare" I wrote this down:

“What would happen if you made it your mission to do everything to promote togetherness of heart with your husband?”

Many years back I thought that I would no longer get hung up on little things that irritated me then – physical things like how come the dirty laundry never lands in the wash basket, always next to…or how come the empty dinner plate can’t find its way into the dishwasher…or how come I am called from across the house, not found and asked what is needed?

Allowing these little things just to go began to promote togetherness. I will be the first to admit that we have so many areas where we still need to progress, I long for some to come with my whole heart…

But when I read this quote I realized how the decision I made way back then began to “promote togetherness of heart.” I have since begun to think that these acts in the physical start to turn a wife’s heart towards her husband so that she can grow and begin to make it her mission to become one with her husband.

Quote

“…our non success in education is a good deal due to the fact that we carry children through their school work and do not let them stand on their own two feet.”

“Our whole system of school policy is largely a system of prods. Marks, prizes, exhibitions, are all prods; and a system of prodding is apt to obscure the meaning of must and ought for the boy or girl who gets into the habit of mental and moral lolling up against his prods.”

“It would be better for boys and girls to suffer the consequences of not doing their work, now and then, than to do it because they are urged and prodded on all hands…”

“...we should train children so that we should be able to honour them with a generous confidence; and if we give them such confidence we shall find that they justify it.” Charlotte Mason

Living books

Charlotte Mason makes this comment about reading the Bible to children: “We are apt to believe that children cannot be interested in the Bible unless its pages be watered down - turned into the slipshod English we prefer to offer them.” Pg 248 Home Education

I agree with her completely in not offering youth the trashy books that they call “teen Bibles” (for e.g.) but have actually skewed most of the original text to fit the sad state of most families and communities. The fact that Bible publishers even print them is a paradox to upholding God’s word and holiness.

But my two favorite Bibles for children are Ergemeiers Bible Storybook and The Book of Books

These can never replace family Bible reading time, but are both wonderful as read alouds for younger children.

News

Take a look at the new articles on this website – Charlotte Mason Mother Culture and Homeschool Computer Classes

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

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