Mind you, I pretty much homeschooled myself my final year of school (combining my Junior and Senior year of highschool together, allowing me to graduate early).  That probably has a lot to do with it.  I figure, hey, if I can homeschool myself, then I can definitely homeschool my children.  (By the way, my mom fully-intended to homeschool me, but she was in a car accident and was unable.  She helped me pick out some software. And I’d tell her about subjects I was interested in.  I would plan out my work, do it, and let her check over it.)

I was in public schools for a long time, and, my goodness, I just cannot imagine subjecting my children to that sort of torture, especially the sort of harrassment that goes on between classes ranging from bullying to sexual hassment.  Anyway, I’m getting off the subject.

If you do have these sort of doubts and fears, then you have to come before the Lord and lay them at his feet.  Realize that you are not homeschooling “alone”, but there are co-ops, groups, books, software, and much more out there to help you do the job.  You don’t have to rely on your own smarts (or lack thereof), because people have banded together to assist you in guiding your children with wisdom and love.

Of course, that may cause another problem.  What sort of method do you use?  Which curriculum do you choose?  What will work best?  There are thousands of methods out there, all sorts of books and planners, and I know it can be overwhelming.

Pray. God knows your children best.  He knows their personalities.  He knows which method of learning will work the best for them.. and for you.  He know what will work, and what won’t.  God really does care about these things.  He is probably not interested in turning your kiddo into a prodigy child, but he does want to help you raise them, train them, and teach them.

I researched all sorts of curriculum and methods before I finally thought, “Maybe I should pray about this.”  After trying to use methods that really didn’t work well with my children, God opened my eyes to certain things that would, even if they were a bit unconventional.

My children absolutely LOVE projects.  In fact, many a morning, I am awakened with the words, “Mom! Can we do a project today?”  And, once a project is finished, they are eager for another.

Yesterday, we hit up Wal-mart and loaded up on crayons (only 22 cents), markers, paper, folders, and more.  They carried a box of watercolors around until they had to give them up in order to pay for them, and, once home, they begged to paint.  Please, please, pretty please Mom!

The other day, I purchased the book 365 TV-Free Activities by Steve & Ruth Bennett.  It has some great “projects” inside, most of which provide some sort of educational outcome.

I will shamelessly admit that most of our “projects” lately have bordered on child labor, ha!  As we prepare for our move to Houston, the children have assisted me in painting (which, at times, has been disasterous, but hey, it’s all in the name of learning), sorting, and packing.  I love that my children enjoy helping me.  They’d much rather tag along beside me and help me than play with their own toys.

On the subject of toys, we’ve been able to narrow down their stash significantly and donate it.  I think most toys are a waste of money.  We (as a society) have taught our children to be greedy- hoarding more and more and more toys, even though they don’t play with them.  

When it comes down to it, children will be happier with fewer toys than if they had all the toys in the world.  (And, you’ll be much happier because you will have less to step on, trip over, and beg your children to clean up.)

We started donating the toys by the bundle when I realized most of my children’s toys were crowding the livingroom, playroom, and bedroom floors not because they were being played with, but because they had to toss them out of the bin in order to find the “good stuff”. 

A couple days later, I piled the toys in the livingroom and told the kids, “Okay, we’re going to sift through this stuff and only keep the toys you really like.”  We divided the toys into three bags- dump, donate, and keep.  An hour or so later, we had filtered the toys, and had decided to keep only half of the toys.

About a month later, we went through the process again, and significantly narrowed down the keep pile.  It was a difficult process for me because I realized “good money” was spent on most of these toys. My friends and parents had spent hard earned money on these toys, and I felt guilty about giving them away.  Then it hit me that I should feel more guilty about hoarding toys that weren’t being played with when other children could enjoy them.

Soon after we did all of this, my son had a birthday.  I wanted to invite all his little friends, but I thought, “Man, they are going to want to bring him toys- toys that will probably end up at the bottom of the bin or broken.”  I didn’t want to come across as unthankful or rude, but I decided it would be best to tell our guests that they didn’t need to bring gifts, but if they wanted to, we’d prefer they give books, clothes, or even a movie (our kids love Veggie Tales), instead of a toy.

Most listened.  Of course, my parents gave him toys (it’s required of grandparents, I suppose), but most people did listen to our request.  One of our friends said, “Well, it’s his birthday. Won’t he be upset if he doesn’t get toys? Kids don’t want books! They don’t want clothes! They want toys!”

Well, my children get excited about new clothes and books just as much as, or even more than, toys.  Plus, there’s no better time than when they are young to teach them how wonderful books are!

If the toys are piling up in your household and you ache to ditch them, try this. Have your children help you sort through them just as mine did.  Tell them you are going to donate toys to children who don’t have many.  Explain to them that some children are not as fortunate as you are.  Throw away toys that are broken. 

Later, when your children are gone or in bed, go through the keep pile and set half of it aside.  Put it in another bin and stow it in a closet where the kids can’t see it.  A month later, if they have not asked about the toys and have not desired to play with them- donate all of it.

I know a woman who was able to get rid of six large garbage bags full of toys.  Her children chose to keep five toys each (like a box of matchbox cars, a doll, a box of costumes, etc).

Some people think we are crazy when they find out we don’t buy our children toys.  We don’t even buy them birthday gifts.  First of all, children get so many birthday gifts, I feel that it’s “wasteful” for us to get them something on that day.  I’d much rather save that money and purchase them something later when they’ll really enjoy it and the gift won’t have to compete with a dozen other gifts for attention.

Secondly, since we’re on a tight, limited budget, I find it’s wiser to spend money on an “event”- like a fun, educational trip the whole family can enjoy.

Seriously- gather all the toys around your house and pile them in the middle of the floor….. look at how much your family has accumulated.  Teach your children to give and be good stewards, not hoarders.  And, while you’re at it- look at your own junk that has piled up.  You probably have a lot of stuff you don’t use. 

Every time we move, I find so much junk that is just being stored, not used.  Get rid of it.  You’ll probably feel better for doing so.

How do you keep the toys from piling up in your home?  Do you have a game plan?

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation.” 

Nearly every morning, as we enjoy our breakfast, the children and I do a family devotional.  Today’s devotional was focused on prayer.  After we finish our meal, we get ready for the day, then meet back at the table for “projects”.  The kids always look forward to these fun crafts and often come up with a few projects of their own.

Today, we traced our hands and made “prayer hands”.  I read a few verses in the bible about prayer, then we talked about what sort of things we pray for.  We closed with each of us praying.  I LOVE listening to their little prayers.

Nolyn’s went something like this, “Tank yooo for Mommy and Daddy. Tank yoo for letting me sleep in my bedwoom. It’s really cool. Amen.”

Merika’s was a little longer. “God, thank you for Nana and Poppa.  Please help  us to behave. Especially Keagan, because he can be a little booger because he cries sometimes.  Thank you for my ring. It has bunnies on it, and I really like it because I like bunnies, even though I don’t have any.  Bunnies.”  She said a few other things, which I cannot recall, before ending with, “Love you Jesus, thank you.”

Sunday’s topic:
Share your personal history…before you were a home educator. What was life like? Think about things you miss and things you and your family have gained.

Every since I became a mom, I’ve been a home educator.  It’s impossible to be a parent and not teach your children something.  Even poor parents teach their children a lesson, even if it’s not a particularly good one.

Hopefully, I’ve been filling my children’s hearts and lives with encouragement and inspiration as well as Godly wisdom and direction.  So, life before I became a home educator? Well, that was life when I had a job outside the home.  You know, I prefer to be a full-time mom over working outside the home.  I enjoyed my job, but I enjoy my children way more.

I suppose, if I had my children in public schools, I could have a lot of time to myself, lots of time to run errands, lots of time to (groan) clean, but I’d also miss out on so much of their growth… and I just can’t imagine doing that.

I suppose, if I had my children in public (private, charter, whatever) schools, I could find myself a nice little hobby and devote a lot of time to it, but I’d much rather explore my creativity with my children so they can learn as well.

I suppose, if I had my children in public schools, I’d be pretty bored. I mean, I can only entertain myself, clean the house, and run errands for so long.  I could paint my fingernails 10 different colors, bake lots of cookies (eat half of the batter), and count all the change in the couch….. but I’d much rather spend time with my children, discipling them, learning from them… enjoying them.

Here’s the link to see this week’s topics!
http://principleddiscovery.com/2008/03/25/home-education-week-is-here/

Over the last couple months, I have had the privilege of getting to know a new breed of homeschoolers. They’re eclectic, but not very structured. They’re borderline unschooling leaning toward delight-driven education with the ultimate goal of leading their children on the path of the Lord.

It may seem like a new trend, but discipleship schooling has been around since the beginning of time. Over the next few months, we’ll be exploring what it means to be delightfully discipled.

This month, I’ve interviewed a fellow discipleship schooler and good friend of mine, Natasha Pharis. She’s been a blessing to have as a friend, and, without knowing it, encourages me daily………………….
Read the rest of my interview with homeschooler Natasha Pharis over at HeartoftheMatteronline.com

First and foremost, I have to mention Heart of the Matter has posted their February E-zine.  HOTM focuses on Christian homeschooling. Don’t forget to check out my column, which talked about Time With God.

Also, I came across THIS POST in a search for other Discipleship Homeschoolers.  Here’s an excerpt:

“…It befuddles me why so many homeschooling parents work so hard to emulate the public school environment at the neglect of simple biblical discipleship—text books, lectures, workbooks and worksheets—everything you’ll find in public school—none of which will be even remotely alluded to in Scripture. These tools aren’t bad. However, majoring on the minors—focusing on the things the Bible is silent on to the neglect of the things the Bible is explicit on is a bit perplexing to me. I think we really need to keep our priorities in order if we are to use homeschooling for what it is: simply, the best tool available to us parents to fulfill our biblical mandate of discipling our children. We just need to keep our priorities in order.”
              [ValuesDrivenFamily.blogspot.com]

So many wonderful posts at this blog.  I’ll definitely be making it one of my regulars!

Family Christian Academy gives biblical reasoning and guidance for homeschooling in this particular post. It’s a bit long, but worth reading.

You can read the entire article HERE.