Annual Not Christan At Christmas Post

I am feeling a bit battered this week: my husband is out of town, my schedule is in a tailspin, and I am pretty sure I am out of clean clothes.  Despite this fact I am still hanging in there getting things done. I am sure by the end of the week I will have achieved some sort of equilibrium.   

I am decking my halls, and buying my gifts.  I did make a list and checked it four times and still forgot something somewhere.  I am sure my lack of decisions will be an issue on the night before the big dinner.  

On a good year it takes some big motivation to get my “Christmas mojo” going.  Not being Christian, I find some of the trappings do elude me.  However, I seem to get it together somehow.  This year I seem to be dealing with a bit of depression and, worse still, a huge dose of apathy.

Still, I do like to make the dinner for my family and kids.  I put up the tree to remind me that the sun is returning. Soon the days will get longer and we will have more light.  I burn a yule log in my hearth and enjoy the fact that I can pull it now off my own property.

My family is accepting of my rituals and rites, odd though they may be.  My husband is a trooper and even helps me.  I am a happy Pagan with a family I love and friends who accept me the way I am.  

So, I embrace a little Christmas for them and they are learning to embrace the Solstice traditions that I add to their celebration.  I still do my rituals on the proper day, but bringing some of my celebrations to theirs really has made this a less stressful time for me.  It helps me stay grounded.  

I am blessed by the Goddess with family and friends.  Doubly so for my amazing husband who stands at my side. Together we make a team that is darn near unstoppable. I am still learning each year to embrace my beliefs to own my path.

To each of you and yours… Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, a blessed Winter Solstice, Happy Holidays or just good day to you.  Enjoy each day, for you can only live it once.

Bright Blessings

Heather Garcia.

Community

Community-a word that evokes happy gatherings of people at parks or working together to clean up the town.  When we moved, over a year ago, my husband quickly became a volunteer firefighter. We helped with fundraisers and such.  It is great to be a member of a community.  I have always lived in big cities and this has never been an option for me.

What I have learned is that some communities are more accepting than others to new blood.  My hyper-local community accepted us with open arms, whereas, an attempt to get involved in a larger area made me feel like an outcast. Not to say everyone was closed off, but there is an obvious close-knit clique who aren’t as friendly. I am assuming you have to be born into it or give blood to join. That’s fine. I met some nice people and will stick with that. 

It’s amazing to me that one would not want to embrace new people who are coming in: offering to lighten your load, wanting to help and being fresh and full of ideas and energy.  Letting them take up the mantle for a bit would make life easier and make the work lighter for all.

That said, I will take it for what it has been: a learning experience. Any lesson in life is worth learning even if it is seeing what some people think the meaning of community really is!

Biltmore (Mom's bucket list trip)

My mom was asked to attend an event in Charlotte NC, as a “reward” for attending the event she wanted to go to the Biltmore in Asheville.  So on Saturday afternoon after our event we packed up the car and headed to Asheville.  The drive was so stunningly beautiful I know my words or images can’t do it justice. (Mostly because the images are from my cell phone)

We got up early on Sunday and drove the 10 minutes to the gate.  Everyone was very nice and directed us to a parking lot to take the shuttle to the house.  The road was winding and beautiful.  Fall in Asheville is just spectacular.  The vibrate colors are beyond anything I had seen before. The shuttle driver did a little spiel about the little bachelor cabin Mr Vanderbilt built.  The kind driver talked about how the new Mrs Vanderbilt must have felt riding in the carriage up to the house for the first time.  We were not disappointed.  The sight took our breath away.  

We decided to tour the house first.  If you have not been and decide to go please get the audio tour. It has so much information and you are not stuck reading the guide.  You want to be looking around the whole time.

As you start the tour each room is better than the last.  There is staff everywhere to assist with questions, they all seemed to love their jobs and they all were full of information.  The up close views of the textiles and wall coverings are amazing.  I think I could walk it ten more times and see something new during each one.  I could not get over the kitchen, the copper pots and pans are original. As in everything all good things come to an end and before we knew it we were done with the tour and it was time to go tour the gardens.

At this point I was glad I choose my walking shoes for this adventure.  The gardens are large and numerous. The mums were in bloom and their were so many beautiful colors. The rose garden was at the end of blooming but still had some beautiful flowers.  The shrub garden was so cool.   But I have to admit my favorite was the hot house.  The tropical plants are so calming and beautiful.  

As we walked back to the house we decided to do some shopping then head back to the car so we could drive to the winery.  She shops are nice and again I was impressed by the friendly staff… These people love their jobs.  It makes visiting there so much fun.

The drive to the Biltmore Winery was beautiful. The winery tour is included in your ticket price and there is a free tasting at the end.  It’s a self guided tour and it was fun if you enjoy wine.  We also hit Antler village.  There was a film to watch that was great about the history of the home and land.   We met the master woodworker who was chatty and helpful.   There is a playground for kids to burn some energy if all the walking does not do it for you.  I suggest hitting the creamery and getting a waffle cone of Biltmore Vanilla… It was yummy.

The day was over and it was time to head back to the hotel.  Our feet hurt, but we both left with a smile.  It was early to bed as we had a long drive back to reality but I have to tell you it was an adventure of a lifetime.

NC Lupus Summit 2015

A phone call from my mom asking me to go with her to Charlotte, NC started an adventure.  We took off on Friday and drove the three hours to the hotel.  My mom had been asked to be a panelist for the Lupus Summit.  She would talk about her experiences in Lupus clinical trials.  My mom has been involved in trials for close to 15 years.  She believes her involvement now will help her kids, grandkids and beyond.  

We had no idea what to expect.  We were informed that mom had to show up before registration to film a one on one interview.  After registration we were off to listen to an amazing keynote speaker. After that, her panel, lunch and a class in communication.  A full day for sure.

For the two of us being such homebodies, we did well.  I got mom all dressed up, did her hair and make-up, and got myself ready.  Mom was terrified of the filming, and even more about the panel.  We were downstairs early and they did her interview early.  At least that was out of the way.  

So after a quick trip to McDonald's for coffee, we sat down to listen to the opening of the summit.  The NC president of the Lupus Foundation had some lovely words to say, but the key note speaker stole the show. The theme “Aim High” was taken from her CD.  Shanelle Gabriel proceeded to tell her story of how she came to her diagnosis. As we all nodded and smiled at the familiar themes, It was comforting to see I was not alone, but I have to admit a bit of sadness knowing all of the people were touched in some way by this autoimmune nightmare.   

She performed her song “Aim High” and I saw a room full of people, no matter race, creed or gender, feel her pain.  I was moved and of course I cried. This is a strong woman who is not letting her diagnosis stop her from living and is sharing with the world what Lupus is.  As an artist and an advocate she is an amazing woman.

Mom and I headed to the clinical trial panel and the room was packed.  It was standing room only.  There was a camera there to film this event. It will be used to help inform people who are thinking about clinical trials.  The experience of the three panelists will be used to educate, inform and support.  I am so proud my mom was a part of this.  

We got to meet some amazing people, hear some incredible stories and learn we are not alone. My mom and I learned a lot of new information.  We talked to people who have similar stories, some who have taken a different path, and even more who have managed to hold on to hope no matter how bad a flare is.  

In the end I am glad we went.  I was excited to hear that next year this will probably be held here in the Raleigh area.  I am actually looking forward to attending again.  This was an amazing experience.  One I am so glad I was able to have.  

Row Row Row Your Boat

Grey.  That is the best way to describe the recent weather.  Oh and wet.  Grey, wet and humid.  I am beginning to think that bright orb in the sky will never return. An entire weekend of plans have been scrapped and suddenly I am left at odds.  

I enjoy weather and I love a good storm but there is a limit to my enjoyment of rain.  I think I have now found it. I don’t remember when we had our last sunny day.  My indoor plants are crying for some sun.  

My poor indoor/outdoor cats are climbing the walls, they miss their time outside.  Hell even my son and I (both lovers of the indoors) miss the ability to go outside and enjoy the fall.  80 and humid is not fall weather.  It’s just not.  Where are my crisp fall days?  Where are my chilly fall evenings?  I am sure they are somewhere.  Just not here.

Today is at least cooler.  I think it might call for a pot of chili to celebrate.  Today I will clean up the house so I can be ready to be gone all day tomorrow.  First I think I need another cup of coffee.

I Will Learn

I Will Learn...Someday

I am a grown woman and I know my limits. HA! Let's be real. I am a walking mess.

I have good days and bad days. On my good days I over do it… ALL THE TIME. It’s not like I don’t know I will pay for it.  It is more like I know I need to get it done “while the sun shines.” On a good day I try to do too much because I know it will not last long. Then I need to spend a week recovering.

I don’t know who I am trying to impress.  Except maybe to prove to myself that I can still do the things I need to do. Or maybe to make my husband proud? That can’t be right. I know he loves me, chronic pain or not.  So who knows why I feel the need to over do it when I know I will pay for it later.

That said, I usually feel accomplished on those days. It is a self-reinforcing problem. I push push push, over do and then crash. I am working on setting limits and doing things in small doses. This is so I can accomplish stuff more often and not just on good days.  

I know I am not alone; there are many who suffer from chronic pain have the same problems and deal with this never ending cycle.  I just wonder sometimes if there is some key to beat it that I don’t understand. Just maybe I will learn, someday.

It’s not a competition

We all are parents.  We all love our kids.  We all think our kids are the best kids ever.  So why do we make everything a competition?  From “my kid is smarter”, to “my kid is more active.”  Instead of building each other up, we tear each other down.

We all have faults and so do our children.  There are ways we can help each other and teach each other if only we could get down from our high tower and admit we need some advice.  I have recently been blessed to find some very amazing women who have taught me so much. Women who are real about their lives.  Women who don’t put on airs on Facebook about how fantastic their lives are.

I have been guilty of putting on a “show” for Facebook.  We all want to present our best and that is not always easy.  So we post the happy, and sit in despair, thinking we are alone with our imperfect lives.  

Maybe if we spent more time talking in person we would learn that sharing our lives with the real people, not the social media persona, is how to make real connections.  It’s how to make long term friendships.  Not to discount the connections I have made via social media, but there is something about being able to sit face to face for a discussion, or get a real hug when you need it.

I believe the age of social media has made parenthood a competition: who can post the nicest dinner, have the most friends, be in the most groups, and who can brag the most about every little accomplishment without really ever making any personal connections. In the end we feel isolated.  So put down the phone, walk away from the computer and tablet.  Go to the park and play with your kids.  Meet some people for coffee. Take time to enjoy the real life outside the internet.

 

Have a great day,

Heather

Out of the Club

I feel like I am going to get thrown out of a club or something. I feel like if I say “it” out loud, or put “it” in print, there will be serious repercussions. Who says I don’t live dangerously?

I do not like pumpkin coffee.

There, I said it. Now we wait and see. Will I get thrown out of the club?

Now, that is not to say I do not like a good slice of pumpkin bread, or even a good pumpkin muffin or a slice of pie. I do enjoy all of those things in moderation. I mean, I make a pretty good pumpkin pie with real whipped cream for the top, so what’s not to like?

That said, I will go ahead and say I also don’t wear yoga pants. I am pretty sure I don’t even own any- nor furry boots, nor puffy vests. Guess I have always walked to the beat of my own drummer. Who would want to add a puffy vest to an overweight middle aged woman anyway? Not I.

I do love fall, and enjoy days where I have to put on a sweater and where it is cool enough to enjoy an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. I love when it is cool enough to bake and the oven helps heat the house. I am blessed to watch the trees on our property change to a dazzling display of color.  Seeing the fall garden growing and harvesting our crops really increase my enjoyment of this season.

Yes, I love fall, but I will pass on the pumpkin spice latte.  

Overscheduled and Out of Spoons

I woke up and looked around my house. It looks like I have let it go again.  Time to down some coffee and make it presentable.  I have had, and will continue to have, a busy few weeks, so I need to get off my butt and get this house in shape.  I really can’t function with a mess around me.  It clutters my mind.

Why is it that stuff multiplies on every flat surface in my life?  It seems, when I clean it off, the next day it is full again.  In my next life I will not have cats; too much cat hair to sweep up (okay stop laughing)!  Someday, we will only use paper plates so I can keep up with the dishes.  How do people keep up with all of this?

I know I will tackle it and win for a day or two and then, a week later, I will wonder what happened again.  Guess I was not meant to live in a showroom-clean home.  At least I don’t have company very often.

My “do a little,sit a little” style keeps me moving and get’s things done. But some days, I feel I am losing the battle.  So more coffee and grab the broom.  Where did I put that duster? Things are getting done here at Casa G today come hell or high water.  Just one more cup of coffee.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

The wind has changed. The weather is turning cooler. The leaves are starting to change color. Everything seems to be changing.  The days are getting shorter and the time change is almost upon us.  Soon we will not be working in the garden after dinner, and it will be time to break out the fire wood.

Anyone who has known me for anytime at all knows I am a fan of fall.  I love how the leaves change color; I love the cooler temps and the warm nights by the fire.   Having a reason to wear my sweaters and my fuzzy jammie pants are all things that make me a happy gal.

Now with the cooler temps comes fall co-op and my son’s birthday. How can it be that he will be 14 this November 1st.  It could not have been that long. Time is passing so fast.  I want to freeze this moment in time and enjoy it.  Starting “9th” grade is such an accomplishment.  I love seeing the spark stir into a fire when he is working out a difficult math problem or when he gets into a book and chatters about it excitedly.



Caleb on his rocking horse

 

That said this is our busy season so down time is at a premium and I will be taking full advantage of every second of it.  I enjoy are family dinners and date nights at home.   All of this is time for me to recharge for the busy homeschool times.  I am lucky to have a supportive husband who jumps in and helps when he can.  

Teamwork is key here at Casa G.  We have learned that when we pull together as a team we can accomplish just about anything.  We have moved mounds of dirt for our fall garden, we have overcome great math obstacles, and even slayed the dragon of time by stealing some for family dinners and movie night.

So bring on the fall- busy schedules and all. We can deal with it and come out better and stronger.  It’s just how we roll.

Heather

If you want to see the blog for the homeschool group blog click here.   

What A Ride

I have been so sporadic about keeping up my blog. If you are still following me then you get kudos in my book.  I have to share some of the amazing things going on here at Casa G.  

It seems hard to believe we have been in our house over a year.  As a homeschooling mom, I was glad to have moved during a down time in our “school year”; yet, before I knew it, I realized that Caleb and I had not had any activities outside of the house in a few months and I set out to find us some new friends with which to hang out.

After researching groups I found the amazing folks at Wake Forest Homeschoolers.  As usual, I jumped in with both feet and, after meeting and being accepted into the group, I was suddenly attending a co-op with Caleb and assisting in a class.  When the next co-op period came around I found myself teaching!  Next thing I know I am the Secretary for the group and Caleb and Tony were building a website.

Of course I am an overachiever and had to create a blog for this group.  So I have found myself writing again after such a long time.  It has been a bit crazy. I am now writing blogs, attending board meetings and teaching co-op classes. What a busy and fun time.  

Not to be outdone, my husband has become a volunteer fire fighter-even attending calls on holidays and such. He has been busy with training and building their website.

Caleb is taking a webmaster course online and has become the webmaster for the Wake Forest Homeschoolers website. I can’t believe we are starting 9th grade.  He has become such a bright and amazing kid.  He will be in his first community theater play this fall.  I know he is loath to admit it but I think he is enjoying the process.

Welcome 2014

Welcome 2014

Well, we have begun another year.  Thank you for taking the time over the last year to read my blog and share in my thoughts and feelings.  I am hoping to gear up for another year of my

honest assessment on life and such.

I am not making any silly resolutions this year.  I am not going to go on about dropping weight or working out.  However, I am going to make some changes.   Because I have a new calendar, it’s a good time to lay out some life changes that I have been contemplating.  

I want to spend more time outside with my family.  I think for this I need a new hat because the sun and I just don’t get along.  We, as a family, want to spend time being outdoors and doing things that do not involve being plugged in.

Spend more quality time reading.  This is my true escape, and I am currently working on the classics as well as some fun romances for my girly side.  Also, adding more nonfiction to my collection.  I am going to learn with my leasure time. I am afraid if I don’t, my brain will start a long, slow death.  

Take some time and learn something in the new year; go outside and spend time with your kids and leave your cell phone at home.   Unplugging might be painful at first, but then becomes a freeing experience, at least, I hope.  

Annual,not Christian at Christmas blog

So here I am in the bible belt of the country.  Beautiful North Carolina.  I am happy here.   After five years I can say I would not want to live anywhere else.   I don’t want to go back to Las Vegas, California can take a hike.  I am happy here in the South.

Being a stay-at-home-mom and a homeschooler, a lot of people assume I am Christian.  HA! Not so much.  I am Pagan.   I am happy and nope, I don’t care who knows it.   Also I am not offended by anyone or their religious beliefs. To each their own, I say.   What path you choose to make yourself happy and fulfilled is fine with me, as long as you don’t try to make your path mine.

That said, I get angry at the war on Christmas.   Seriously, people, get over it.   It has been around a long time and it is not going away. It does not even resemble the celebrations of old and it is so highly commercialized that it has very little in common either its pagan roots or the holiday the Christians tried to make it.

“Merry Christmas” is not a vulgar term, it is a well wish.  I take it for what it is.   Sometimes I say “Merry Christmas” other times I say “Blessed Yule” or even “Yuletide greetings”.   If your faith is so weak that you are offended by a well wish and you fear you will become a Christian by just hearing spoken words, you need to rethink your path.  As a Pagan, I am not offended that my holiday was stolen, or that most of the traditions of the holiday are pagan in origin. It’s pretty funny to me.  So I put up my Yule tree, and enjoy the yule log, and celebrate in my own way.  I put lights on my house because they are pretty and I decorate because it is FUN.   

There are things to fight over. There is evil in this world. Take the well wishes with the good cheer they are intended, and if you are at a lack for something to say, how about “happy merry everything”, or just a simple “you too”.   Stop getting offended by kindness.

Grammar Police and Other Things You Don't Know About Me

Did you know that spelling ability is not a sign of intelligence?  Read this article; I hope you will learn about my struggles with dyslexia, and grasping the nuances of spelling in the English language. I have an editor or two for my blog so that I don’t make any glaring mistakes here, but left to my own devices, and without the aid of spell check, you would be amazed at how bad my spelling really is.

As a homeschooling mom I am blessed with a child who is a natural speller.   He often corrects my spelling of things.  I figure it is great practice for him.  I do not hide the fact that I am a bad speller, or that I need help to spell on a regular basis.   In fact, I have have come far, and I am proud of how well I do, versus how how I did even a year ago.

I love to read, and fought for years to be able to figure it out.  Dyslexia was some foreign concept. As I got older I learned that I had Fibromyalgia as well, and anyone who suffers with Fibro Fog can tell you that some days it is hard to remember in what order to make the coffee let alone spell it.  

Now, that is not to say I don’t try.  I really do.  I spell check, and ask for help, and change my words when I can’t spell the one I want to use.  Sometimes this is to no avail. I still screw it up and I don’t have an editor for my Facebook statuses, or my text messages.  

My awesome close friends have learned to deal with my spelling mishaps, and are good about just letting it go.  They know I try.  Sometimes I will even note that I have no idea how to spell a word but I need to use it so they know what I am trying to convey.

All that said, it still stings when my lack of ability is pointed out in a public forum.   I guess I could stop using public forms, or just get a thicker skin.  It is hard when you know your spelling just sucks. I am not giving up though.   I will keep trying to do better, and keep learning and working hard to overcome my shortfalls.  

Seasons Change

So here we are at the change of seasons again.   Changing of the summer to the winter clothes.  Time to work on planning Thanksgiving, Yule shopping and winter baking. Time to send my son on his fall trip to my mom’s house.  Let us not forget our 30 days of thankful on Facebook.

I love Autumn.  I love the weather, the colors and smells.  I love my fuzzy socks and jammies, and the cooler weather.   I do NOT like the weather change.   As someone who lives with Fibromyalgia the weather change brings on PAIN.  Pain for weeks until the weather stabilizes.  So I am in my loose clothes and praying for the bipolar weather to end.

Caleb has turned 12. YIKES.  My last baby is a tween.  We are doing well in school, so he is in the middle of a two week trip to his Nana’s house,  where he gets two weeks of time to relax and I get to try to rest up for our next few months of school.   

I have my menu planned for Thanksgiving and I am working on my Yule presents. Every year I swear I will be ready; one of these years I will be.  I enjoy this stuff: cooking big family meals, planning to have the family all together for the holiday.  This brings me joy and peace.

So I am on the bandwagon and doing the 30 days of thankful on Facebook.  What I have discovered in doing this, is that people have no idea what it is to be truly thankful.  Not to say that is everyone is off base; it bothers me to see how shallow some people really are.   I need to let this go.  Go outside and ground myself by looking at the beautiful colors.

I am excited to get over this flare so I can do some baking and enjoy this season.   I try not to dwell on the few weeks of pain but on how great things will be when it passes and I can enjoy this, my favorite season.

Never All Grown Up

Never All Grown Up

Life is short.   Way too short to take yourself so seriously. If I have learned anything in my forty years on this planet, it is that you need to enjoy life to the fullest extent possible.   We all have responsibilities and problems, but we can not allow them to eat away at our enjoyment of life.   To that end, I chose to express my silly side during Halloween.   

My modest decor only hints at my love of this holiday. My children's costumes give a much bigger clue. Of course, I always dress up; however, usually my focus is on the kids. With my older two living away from home I focus my energies on my one remaining child.  My soon to be 12yo son gets the brunt of his parents love of the holiday.  

Every year I say we should do something easy. I lie to myself often, it seems.   I swear I will not be sewing a costume,  or that we will not do something that takes hours of makeup. One day I will learn to not make such proclamations and just go with it. In the end we enjoy this time of year.

I leave you with some examples of our love of Halloween

Halloween 2013

Halloween 2012

Halloween 2011

You just know

Even before my eyes open I know what kind of day it will be. I lay there trying to decide how I'm going to attack the day.  When you deal with chronic pain you just know how your day will go.  As I slowly get out of bed, I make note the most painful parts of my body. I take a grim stock of my pain level for the day.  Head hurts, hmmm, my skin hurts. My knees, neck and lower back all hurt.  Wonder what I did to trigger this flare.  

I am tired of the daily fight to be productive.   I know better than to give into the pain.  So I mentally go over the things that I wish to accomplish and start to prioritize them.  Getting dressed is not as important as homeschooling. Do I do laundry or dishes?  Vacuuming the steps can wait for another day. Dinner is easy if I can hold the migraine at bay.

Some time ago this would have been frustrating,  but now it is part of my routine.  The years I have spent with chronic pain have taught me to meter out my energy in small doses.   My "do a little,  sit a little" mantra rings loud and true.   Still, I can't help feeling a little down as I shrink the list of things I will accomplish today.  

Wow, the energy required to shrink my list makes me need a nap.  Guess a second cup of coffee will have to do.  I am required to assist in math review.  Sometimes it hurts to exist, but I would not change my path. I am strong in ways I never thought possible.

Homeschool Adaptation

Monday morning on a busy week.   Time to wake up and get started.   Wake up my sleepy boy and make sure he gets fed.  We watch our episode of Pokemon, a daily occurrence here at Casa G, and then our day starts.

My pre teen son goes off to do his morning grooming and I review our lesson plan for the day.  We have pressed hard over the last few days to make sure that we are ready for tomorrow.  We will be out of the house for most of the day, so he has worked hard to make sure he does not get behind as we take a day off to run errands.    

I am not the catalyst for the push, he is.   I have worked hard to instill in him the importance of hard work and honesty.  Each year of our homeschool journey, I have given over to him more and more of the responsibility in his studies.   This has not always met success.   There have been more than a few bumps in the road.    

My end goal is to have a young man who understands that hard work and focus are needed for success, that his success is dependent on his ability.   I have chosen to use a curriculum because my son seems to crave some structure.  The curriculum is not the end of our education.   He is learning to to cook, a skill that will prove useful his whole life. My husband is teaching him to work in the shop.  

He plays with kids of all ages, both online and in the neighborhood.   My son, who will soon be 12, loves to play his keyboard.   This child who did not like to read is learning to have a love of books.  We just had to find something that interested him  .

No two homeschoolers are alike.   We are like snowflakes.   What works for one family may not work for all.   The joy of this homeschooling journey is that you and your child(ren) get to choose the path that works for your family.  Some kids work better sitting on the floor, some at a desk,  Some learn by reading aloud and some by quiet study.   

One of the very best parts of this journey is that you adapt it to your life.   My son likes to sit on the floor, we are not really desk people I guess.   He likes to read aloud, he is very verbal.  The young man in my house likes to do his learning in the early day.  He would rather have his afternoons free.  Some kids are more receptive after getting some  exercise.  I found this to be true when he was younger but not so much now.  

When you choose this path remember, the road will wander.   Sometimes you will have a bad day or week, but you will find your way back to the path you have chosen.   That sometimes a lesson is a trip to the store with a list of things for dinner. I am thankful daily that I was able to take this path with my son.   I think that we have both learned much for the time we have been on the road.   I know there are more lessons to learn right around the corner.

Motivation

As a homeschooling mom, I find that sometimes I need to help my son gain motivation.   This is the first year I have really run into resistance with him.   After talking to other moms and reading other blogs, I know I am not alone here.    Somedays, I just feel lost in how to reach him.

I am not going to lie:  Not every day here is sunshine and roses.   Sometimes we struggle to make it through the day.  I do my best to keep my cool and not get angry; I don’t always win that battle.   I am human and as such, I make mistakes.   I take my role as teacher very seriously.  My son takes his role as student very seriously, sometimes too seriously.  

Most times, I try to lighten the mood; sometimes I have to walk away and count to ten.   Mostly, I try to change the problem into a learning experience for us both.  When your child is testing his boundaries and pushing his limits, when his hormones are beginning to stir, life as a homeschool mom can be stressful on both of you.   

I try to meet each day with a positive attitude no matter what the day before held.   You can’t hold on to the negative. If we have had a bad school day, I try to give us both some space to cool off after.  Then we go on about our day with the negative forgotten.   Again, we are not perfect, so this is something we have to work at.

For the most part we do great, and my son does his work with enthusiasm, but we all have hard times.  Facing the frustration with calm and a positive attitude can change a fight into a giggle, and hard times into productive learning opportunities.

If I can do it so can you

Homeschooling is a choice.  It is a lifestyle. It is a family decision.  Once you make this decision you feel overwhelmed and unburdened all at once. My family, when backed into a corner by the public school system, had no choice.   We decided that the best thing for our son was to take him out of the system.  This would give us a freedom to teach him the things that we felt the school system was lacking.  Now with Common Core in full swing, I am so glad we made that choice.

When you tell your friends and family that you are going to homeschool you get all kinds of responses.  Mostly about how your child will miss other kids, and that you can’t do as well as a teacher with a degree.   Well I am here to tell you I have done just fine.  My son is at or above grade level in every subject.

The one thing that makes me laugh is when people tell me “I could never homeschool.”  My answer is, if I can do it so can you.   I have listened to every excuse under the sun, from “I don’t have a degree” to “I don’t have the patience.”  These reasons are pie crust excuses - easily made easily broken.  As a high school graduate with no degree, and little to no patience, I can tell you that you will be amazed the change in you and your child once you take the indoctrination of the public school system out of the equation.

So three years into this homeschool gig I have to tell you,  my son can stand in a line, take turns and even play with peers.   All things that people believe your kids can only learn in the public school system.  It seems amazing that he learned these skills without a “teacher” to guide him.   With him being my only child living at home, how could it be that he knows these important lessons?   Well he is a kid.  If he wants to play with other kids he needs to take turns, and as for standing in line, we do it at the store, at the movies, and many other places.   

My son plays well with his peers, and kids both younger and older than him.   It seems amazing that a child who is basically being raised as an only child has learned to play with kids of all ages.   Frankly, he has been exposed to kids of all ages his whole life.   If he were in school he would not interact with kids of so many different ages.

My son is learning to study and learn with minimal adult direction.   Now I do give a lot of credit to Calvert School, this amazing curriculum has been a wonderful guide for our educational path.   Homeschool gives us the option to take a lesson and expand it so that our whole family learns.  I am my son’s learning guide, but my husband is the Science guru and helps him with experiments.  Homeschool, for us, is a family event.   We all participate.  Even my older girls have been known to jump in and help from time to time.  

Before you tell yourself that you could never homeschool, take a moment to consider that it is a growing movement (interesting article).  You no longer have to go it alone.   With the amount of Co-Ops and online resources available, you can find support for whatever you needs may be.  Think about the simple joys of not having to catch the bus, or pack a lunch.   Parent teacher conferences that will happen around the dinner table.  

I know this path is not for everyone, each of us need to make our own decisions and do what is best for our family.  However, I honestly believe in the growing movement.  I have seen my child remember what it is like to enjoy learning.  Our family has grown closer as we all pull together to help our child learn.   The dissenting voices have been quieted, and I am happy to be able to choose what I think is important to learn.

Before you say “I can’t do it” remember my mantra, If I can do it, so can you.