My Astronomy Class

This year at our homeschool co-op, I've been teaching Astronomy to 2nd-6th graders. Here's a pic of my students (three are missing). We just completed this book:

"Exploring Creation with Astronomy" by Jeannie Fulbright. The kids and I had the BEST time going through this book. I was a little skeptical when I first purchased this textbook. The lady at the homeschool bookshop said that her kids would read it for fun in their freetime. When she told me that, I thought to myself, "Oh. You have THOSE kid of kids!." But then, I couldn't believe it! Because throughout the semester MY kids were ACTUALLY READING THIS TEXT BOOK FOR FUN IN THEIR FREETIME! And let me tell you, I don't have THOSE kind of kids! So that says a lot for this text book. There are others in the series that I can't wait to try: botany, anatomy, animals, and more.

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #5

NEWS FLASH: Raising kids is HARD WORK...and if you are homeschooling them too, then your work is definitely cut out for you!
Do you ever hear your kids whining this phrase, "It's tooooo haaaarrrddd!" I do...but let's face it...I say the same exact thing sometimes, or if I don't say it, it's what I'm thinking. The only difference between me saying it and my kids saying it is that it's much worse coming from me, because I'm over three times my kids age!

So Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #5 is: DON'T WIMP OUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE HARD WORK OF RAISING YOUR KIDS.

I started realizing that sometimes my problem is not that I need more time out by myself (which sometimes I do, of course), or that I need the kids to be better learners, or________________ (you fill in the blank), but sometimes the issue is simply that I'm lazy, and I don't want to work hard. And to do a good job raising/educating kids requires hard work...and lots of it. So don't shy away from hard work. Roll up your sleeves and dive in...looking to that glorious harvest day when we will cash in all of our hard work for delicious, beautiful fruit!

This verse comes to mind:
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Gal. 6:9

God, give us daily strength and grace for the task You have given us!

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #4

Here is Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #4: CHANGE SOMETHING.
Actually, this is actually a hard tip for me to follow! I don't like changing things because I WANT THE WAY I'VE ORGANIZED MY LIFE TO WORK, AND I WANT EVERYBODY ELSE IN MY LIFE TO MAKE IT WORK TOO! So if I've made a schedule, I do not want to deviate from that schedule. But I'm learning that sometimes things have to change...especially on those days when nothing seems to be going right. Sometimes the schedule needs to be tweeked, sometimes I've been lazy in the "discipline-of-the-kids" department and I need to repent of that and put the rod into good use, sometimes I need to throw away the homeschool/household to-do-list for the day and actually be okay with that. Sometimes, I need to make boxed mac-and-cheese for dinner twice in one week...and be okay with that too! I suppose it all comes down to being flexible according to the needs of the day. So if a day is falling apart, and my emotions and wits are also falling apart, I need to be DISCIPLINED to ask myself the question, "What can I change for today (or for this week, or permanently)that would make this a smoother ride for all involved?"

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #3

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #3 is one my husband reminded me of the other day. I told him that I was tired of giving myself pep-talks to try to get through the day. His answer to me was, "Sometimes pep-talks don't work. That's when it comes down to faith".
So Tip #3 is FAITH AND THE FEAR OF THE LORD.
When it comes down to it, we must walk and live by faith. What does this look like in my day-to-day homeschooling and family life? It looks like obedience even when I don't feel like it. It means that I live right smack up next to the hot white fire of God's holiness: I live in the fear of the Lord. That doesn't mean that I'm terrified by Him (because His own blood covers me, afterall), but that I honor Him as Lord of all things and of all my circumstances. It means that I recognize the weight of His justification of me, and I live in holiness just as He is holy. How is this accomplished? By faith. When all other pep-talks fail, and I can't see the light under the weight of my homeschooling and children-raising responsibilities...I don't throw up my hands in despair...I hold up my open hands to God in faith.

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #2

Nitty Gritty Homeschool tip #2 is:
Look to what you have to be grateful for. In one word: GRATITUDE! I realized that I was despairing and rolling around in discontentment because our homeschooling isn't perfect. But then I thought, "Well, what schooling situation is perfect?" The fact of the matter is that we live in a fallen world, so no education is perfect, and to aim for perfection is to make an idol out of it. So, I commit my works to the Lord, work hard to glorify Him in our schooling, and be grateful for all things and to take special notice of what IS going right.
So today my gratitude list looks like this:
*Elijah knows almost all of his doubles math facts (You see, my temptation is to look at the facts he doesn't know instead of the ones he does know).
*We actually made it to the library today, and all the books on my list were actually there! (even though I did have a $9 fine...Ben please don't kill me :-)
*My girls love reading and are quite quick at it.
*All my kids are great in math.
*Abigail's handwriting is improving, and she is really getting the hang of grammar.
*I'm so thankful for the opportunity this year for Elijah to attend the Oaks. He is growing in amazing ways there.

Anyway, I'm not going to write out everything, but the idea is to look at what IS going right and to be down right thankful for that. And added to that, to be grateful too for the shortcomings you see in your situation. That, I think, will bring joy!

Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #1

There are many days in which homeschooling is rolling along just fine; and then there are days in which I feel all is lost. So in an effort to get myself off that rollercoaster of ups and downs during homeschooling days, I have turned to some careful scrutiny of myself, and a search for wisdom to apply to those challenging days. So I thought I would share my findings with you as they come to me. So here is the first:
Nitty Gritty Homeschool Tip #1
STOP LYING TO YOURSELF
I realized that on days when things seem to be going awry, I lie to myself. I tell myself: "It's ALWAYS like this!" And then I despair. So tip #1 is to stop listening to lies, and to speak truth to myself. The truth is is that it is NOT ALWAYS like this. Sure, some days are challenging, but most days I really am able to handle things in an okey-dokey manner even though it is hard work.

The Goal of Our Instruction...

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Tim. 1:5

This is the verse I have posted on my fridge right now as I begin a new home schooling year. Academics are important, so long as they serve the all-important goal of loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.

Website for Super Mom Wanta-be's

My good friend Hope shared this website with me: www.preschoolersandpeace.com . Do you have preschoolers? And do you need some peace in your home? Then check it out! She's a mom of 7 (soon to be 8), and has a lot of practical answers for homeschooling, cooking, chores, etc., all while having preschoolers around. You could spend a lot of time in her massive website, so beware!