the schedule - My Weakness that makes me Stronger

I send some people into a sort of frantic immobility when I talk lists. They feel limited, impaired or suffocated...Their creativity squelched. Others are analyzing weaknesses my schedule may have...the imperfect lines, the non uniform font maybe, or possibly just the type of things that I schedule. But then there are people who drop into a trance of defeat. It's as if they assume they should want one - a schedule, that is, or try for one, but they are convinced it wouldn't last longer than a day and so they refrain from ever writing it out.

Well, maybe you are too free spirited for a list. What a fun ride your days must be! But I happen to be the opposite and have to write it ALL out, in order to ever feel free, let alone semi successful. See, its not that I wouldn't love to be a non-list person. How wild and spontaneous it must be...to seize opportunities at a moments notice or be a YES friend without ever consulting your calendar. I envy your ability to serve more freely and perhaps even live more Spirit Filled! But in my almost 36 years of life, I've come to know and appreciate the power of a list. See God created my eclectic personality quite uniquely and although I feel blessed with a few skills and gifts, I have NO large talent. No skill that exceeds most others. No super power. And with a lot of small scale gifts comes a lot of interest. And with a lot of interests comes an easily distracted mind. But I digress...

Back to a school schedule. I spent quite a few early years with big plans for read alouds and projects and crafts and workbooks that never came to fruition. I would forget all about yesterdays plans when todays messes and quarrels and "training opportunities" happen. And with failed plans comes guilt and with guilt comes complacency and complacency has very little drive, ambition or goals. Believe me, there is not a lot of JOY sparked from that environment!

Thus, the schedule. 

I don't think there is magic in a certain type of schedule. A unique plan for unique women. But if you're like me, and staying on track is tricky. Or, also like me, and every different style and print out and schedule looks like you should try them...stop. take a second and decide on your goals for that cute little 2nd grader and his stubborn sister. What do you want them to learn this year? What time of day do they learn best. Write it all out. Make a list! And then edit your list. Include chores/life skills/Bible time/snack time. You may be super woman, but I am not. I can't hope to get my goals met if I don't remember what my goals were!

So make a list. The last 4 years, I've made a unique list EVERY morning. I couldn't think beyond the day without getting overwhelmed, but if my day didn't have structure, there was no point in even starting!

This year, we have a calendar that looks different most days, but the same every week. There is no "One Size Fits All". You do You.

So maybe you don't need any added structure to your well functioning life. But if you do. Maybe try a list.

And then when you get "good" at having a list, you can scrap it all for the day, and Go to the Beach instead. :)

Morning Time

Have you heard of it? The Morning Basket? Its this beautiful concept of an organic one room school house type feel when all the children cuddle up with mom after breakfast and read aloud beautiful literature and recite memory work and do other lofty #homeschoolgoals type things.

I tried this 4 years ago and it fell flat. It left us with no sweet memories or aspirations to be duplicated. There were no children asking for "just one more story", and no impressive recitation hanging in the air. Only tears. 

Fast forward to last Thursday and I told the kids to do Morning Jobs (get dressed, brush teeth, make bed, brush hair, pick up room) a little quicker because we were going out to the Lake for the day. The two older kids face fell and they chimed in unison, "but what about Morning Time?" and Violet added her sorrow for not hearing the next of Aesop's Fables. So how did that happen?! How did we go from sitting in the Living Room being a dreaded time, to now, their favorite?

I don't know!

HA! Thats kind of anti climactic and less than encouraging, right? But I don't have a formula for you. Part of me thinks it just has to do with general homeschool prayers I've had for a while now, and part of me things it has to do with no one being in diapers...but it could also be due to persistence and flexibility. I CANNOT proudly say I willingly adorned these traits patiently until we birthed a sweet story time, but I never completely let go of the idea. Although we changed Morning Basket to Morning Time and tweaked it a lot, adapting it to our wants and needs, I tried to never let the kids lose hold of my main goal: following instructions.

So, over the past years, sometimes the two littlest kids played downstairs while we did memory work and read a story, sometimes it was before breakfast before people got squirmy. It ALWAYS has include manipulatives like blocks, or coming dolls hair, or legos, or drawing while they listen. Sometimes it was only 20 minutes and sometimes 90. 

But for now, we have a Morning Time and its our Sweetest Time of all!

just keep scrolling...

pictured above: our first "slow start" school day. We practice school for a few weeks before Labor Day when we will officially start. I am a firm believer that I can't teach my kids anything unless they can follow instructions so today we began getting in the routine of getting up and having a schedule for the morning. It's a way to knock out the kinks without pressure!

Where to (re-)start? 

I think its hilarious that I am writing a blog post right now. Do you know those recipes off Pinterest that hide the recipe? You click and it connects you to a cute blog and you scroll and scroll and scroll and Miss Cinnamon Roll Maker just goes on and on about her grandmas cinnamon rolls and her handed down cast iron pan and her kids who help keep the tradition going and how many times they messed it up before they remembered the secret ingredient, and how her husband grew up with a different idea about said rolls, and how they decorated for Christmas last year. Are you bored yet? Me too. Just give me the dang recipe.

As you can see, I don't read for fun. I have a mission and I want to conquer it as quickly as possible and I don't want fluff. Now if my mission is to know you, be friends with you or help you process your grandma's passing, than come sit down and let me pour you some coffee while we talk for hours. But don't trick me into reading. K?

Having said that, I love to write. I did not say I was good at writing but for some reason my brain has been wired to say nothing worth knowing when I talk. However when I write, I can process and pause and contemplate and create. It is therapeutic and life-giving for me. And in a mid/post/lingering pandemic world of riots and land hurricanes and elections and economic confusion, we all could use a little therapy.

I would agree (with my imaginary naysayer) that I have little to share or give to readers except that the amount of homeschooling questions from many friends in many situations is mind-boggling. And if you remember paragraph three I don't speak well, so to answer questions succinctly or with any chance of quality information I have to think about it for a couple days and then write you a letter.  And rather than suggesting that, I usually babble non coherent nonsense and either make this homeschool job sound way too complicated and confusing.

So, here it is. My letter. Here are some things that have worked for us as we enter into our 8ish year of schooling, some things that haven't, good advice that I probably got from my sister, and a good dose of humility from my journey at home.

Some of this wont apply to you because you work full time from home, have a husband on shift work, a different number of kids, you have a different personality than me, or kids with different learning needs. And thats ok. You may find some nugget encouraging or humorous, and if not I implore you to do as I do with the recipes and just keep scrolling.

But to others on this school road this year, who don't have an older sister to copy or just need some pictures with a referral, Im happy to be life long learning together.

 - Victoria

(ps: I should warn you that you wont find a recipe to the perfect homeschool set up, or curriculum anywhere around this blog, or the whole internet for that matter. Some days and years go better than others, and some advice is better than others, but when you're ok with a little trouble shooting along the way, you'll be just fine)