Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost

I've always loved that bumper sticker. But it doesn't really fit here because I want you to follow me.


Even though I rarely blog. 


I mean...Should a blogger really have to blog in order to have followers? Obviously not.


 And I have four new followers since I last checked. In fact, they've been here more recently than I have. Which is pitiful, I know. But why would I keep coming here when I know there's nothing new. (just kidding...)


 But, I bet you get tired of me apologizing for my inconsistent blogging. Well, too bad.  It makes me feel better. Plus, it may be the last time you'll ever hear it because of what I'm about to tell you.


I've been listening to a book (isn't it cool how you can do that?) called Making It All Work. It's the sequel to Getting Things Done, The Art of Stressfree Productivity (GTD), which I recently read half of, then immediately started touting to all my friends....only to find out the book was a best-seller.... about 10 years ago.... and everybody on the planet, 'cept me, has already read the book.


(Although I was too nice to mention this to my so-called friends, but wouldn't you think if they had actually read a revolutionary book about Getting Things Done - even if it was behind my back -that I might have noticed a little stressfree productivity going on in their lives? If you get my drift ....)


 Anyway, if you've been in a cave for the last 10 years and have not yet read GTD, don't read it. 


Just get the sequel, Making It All Work, in which he spends the first few chapters telling you how GTD has revolutionized the known world. (Apparently,...Learn Humility, was not one of the things the author was trying to Get Done. But then, the book has sold a trillion copies - A trillion + 1 now that I finally bought one.) He also summarizes everything from the 1st book in the second book. So it was almost worth waiting the 10 years for.


Because I'm super-smart (if not up-to-date on best sellers), I questioned why one would need to write a book called Making It All Work, if indeed one had already Gotten It All Done. But who am I to question a trillionaire?


So, like I said. Don't get the first book (even though it's dirt cheap everywhere...bein' that it's so old news), get Making It All Work. 


Or don't get it. Just wait and see if it all works for me. (And btw, if you follow me, you'll be the first to know...)


One concept from the book that I've already implemented is the idea of Mind Sweeping. 


Do you ever feel like your mind is full of dirt? (Don't answer that.) 


 Mine. is. full.  I needed an industrial size dust pan to sweep it all up.


 The idea is to 'sweep up' all the stuff that's clogging the corners of your head. When all that fuzz is scattered around, whispering Guilt and Overwhelmed-ness at you, you end up discouraged - maybe even paralyzed. So you just try to put it all out of your mind and go have a bowl of ice cream instead. (The author didn't mention that, but I know that's what you do.)


But when you've gathered everything that is making claims on your attention- things you haven't completed or have procrastinated starting on - you'll sleep better, be nicer to your kids, make more money, and be well on your way to establishing world peace. Or at the very least you'll realize you have too many things vying for your attention. No wonder you're not experiencing stressfree productivity! 


 When I did my mindsweep, not only did I sleep better, but I decided about half the stuff in my dustpan needed to be thrown out. My mind was being cluttered up by a lot of stuff I was never going to act on. Some of the ideas in there weren't even reasonable. But they were mixed in there with all the stuff that really needed acting on. And the two were all mixed up like breadcrumbs in a meatloaf (We've been working on similes this week. Isn't that a good one, kids?)


The point of the mindsweep is to take all that stuff you obsess over; the projects, the errands, the books, the chores - and re-locate them to a place where they can be rationally sorted and acted upon. 


Want to try it? Just get out a single piece of paper and a pretty pen, set a timer for 10 minutes, and begin writing. Think about what David Allen calls "open loops" - everything in your mind that's not closed/finished/done. Start with the easy stuff. The project you're behind on. Anything with a deadline. Every thought that makes you "cringe, groan, pause, ponder, or exclaim."


It may take a couple of sweeps to get everything collected. And then you can start processing it.


But if I tell you how to do that right now, you won't need to follow me, now will you? :)


Just go make your list. World peace is waiting on you.

Coaxing habits

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.  ~Mark Twain



I think Mr. Twain was referring to bad habits needing to be coaxed down the stairs, but if he had kids like mine, he might have been commiserating over the basic process of trying to help them decide on one cotton-pickin' habit to put down on their 100 Day form.  


See my last post for the great idea my BFF Ann(e) came up with. 


 The great idea that is taking the national Blog World by storm.


The great idea that is so simple, yet is making a positive impact on women and children far and wide.


The great idea I'm pretty sure I thought of before she was even born. 


Mine was exactly the same as hers, except I called mine an Encouragement Chart. And mine had a few more than 3 boxes to check. And mine was connected to an intricate system of rewards. And mine was written in fat, black Sharpie with no quotes or cool fonts. And mine had things like "Keep your fingers away from your nose" and "Sit like a lady" on the ones I made for my kids. And there were about 20 things for each child to work on each day - for a year.


Other than that, my idea was identical to Ann(e)'s. (I've always been a little before my time. It's a curse, really.)


But I'm super happy to have Ann(ie) take international credit, us bein' kindred spirits and all. 


 Personally, I had an enjoyable and easy time choosing which 3 habits I would work on for the next 100 days - my only problem was trying to narrow it down to 3.  Leaving so many areas off the list felt akin to saying that there were only 3 things about me that need improving. That seemed too proud for an exceptionally humble girl like myself. But I'm a rule-loving/form follower, so I did what Ann(e) told me to do.


And I had high hopes that my good example, coupled with the lengthy, eloquent instructions I gave, would make the process easier for my own, dear, badly-in-need-of-some-reformation children.


So, I optimistically sent them off to be alone with their form and their God. I patiently waited, with visions of post-100 day children who cleaned under their beds, no longer cracked their knuckles, and looked for ways to make life easier for others/me.


My boys eeked out a grand total of 1 each - and even that 1 seemed negotiable - since they weren't completely convinced it would take anywhere near 100 days to cement their new habit.


Such is the male ego.


I'm just sayin'.


(With threats of no lunch until I saw 3 Mom-Approved habits on the dang miracle form) We ended up each completing our assignments. 


Phew! Now the easy part.  Doing our three new habits each day for the next 100 days.


It is my intention not to check my children's progress daily. I really want them to take ownership and responsibility for this character-building project. (Plus, I don't have time to check on them each day, and it would make my #2 below a little harder.)


Here are my 100 Day Habits
  (1) Drink 6 glasses of water each day - preferably before dinner (for the sake of helping my husband sleep through the night...)
 (2) Publicly praise my husband and children - preferably heart-felt
 (3) Delete 10 emails a day - preferably read first


There were a few things in my top 10 that I easily eliminated because I knew I would have the motivation to do them without the form. Scripture memory - because we're doing it as a family (and the embarrassment when my kids pass me will be enough of a motivator...); exercise (jiggly fat and tight jeans make a form unnecessary) - and there were a few things I realized I wasn't ready to be committed to; daily journaling and no sugar. The beauty of 100 days is that when your 100 days is over, you can choose 3 more things....and then 3 more, all within 2011. That Ann, she is brilliant!


 I've heard from a few of you about things you're trying to put off/put on in this New Year. How's it going? Anyone else take Ann's (originally mine....) challenge? Did you find it easy or hard to limit yourself to 3?

I think I can....I think I can....

I don't often write posts where my sole purpose is to send you to someone else's blog - but some days you wake to the shocking revelation that another blogger has written something better than you did. So, rather than keeping it to yourself (or sulking...), you must share.


Today my dear friend Anne at Holy Experience .... OK...we're not actually friends.  But I bet we would be. She'd probably really like me.


Or pretend she did.


I imagine her as the type of friend who would hang on every word you said as if she was privileged just to be included in your conversation.


She is the ultimate girl-next-door - cute, perky, God-loving, and with a boatload of talent humbly hiding behind a haystack.   Yep. She lives in Nowheresville, and is married to a farmer. That's most likely why I don't write better. My husband is not a farmer. And there are no haystacks out my windows. How can I be a truly humble, profound writer like Anne with no haystacks out my pie-laden kitchen window? For heaven's sake, my husband wears a suit most days. How am I supposed to overcome obstacles like that?!


Today Anne posted a beautiful weekend post of mainly pictures (Yep....she takes glorious pictures, along with her great writing, hunk-of-a-farmer husband, and cherub-faced farm children.....and Nope, I'm not coveting her life. I couldn't stand it. Literally....I could not stand it. She lives in the frigid north, and my typing fingers are already shaking on this high 50's Florida winter day. Brain freeze would keep me from enjoying my children, my farmer,  my pies, and my thousands of blog followers.)


But, it's not the pictures I'm sending you over there to see. It's the 100 days list. It's brilliant, really.  And not because of the poignant quotes on the simple form, or the way she graciously provided a link to share her idea with the masses.  It's the fact that her form only includes Three Blank Lines for each of the 100 days. She's suggesting we find three things to be consistent on for 100 days. Three new habits. That's all.


Brilliant.  Because it's do-able. (And - at least on my list - does not require a gym.)


I printed the 100 Days List out for myself and for each of my children. We're all praying about our 3 things over the weekend, and then on Monday we'll make them known.


My preliminary list:
(1) Eat a candy bar.
(2) Take a nap.
(3) Ask someone to rub my back.


I realize it needs tweaking, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. Anne would want her good friend, Debbie, to succeed. But wouldn't it be fun to check those babies off each day?


(Serious list coming Monday. Perhaps some Sabbath worship will help me redefine my goals :)


If you decide to work on 3 new habits for 100 days, come on back and tell me about them. I promise not to make (too much) fun of you if they're not as ambitious as mine.

This Post Sponsored by...My Conscience

I'm not blog savvy enough to know whether the average reader can tell, but I happen to have a state-of-the-art, big-brother-ish site meter on my blog sidebar. Sitemeter tells me how many visitors I get, where they come from (Brazil and New Zealand...no kidding!) and even how long they stay. (Amazingly, some of my visitors are speed-readers!) 


 I love site meter.


 I hate site meter.


 I love it because it makes my reading audience a little less invisible (especially since many of them apparently have comment allergies....), but I hate it because when I get my weekly report and it shows I had 182 visitors last week (only 100,000 less than Pioneer Woman does per day...), any joy I might glean from knowing I had visitors is promptly squelched by the guilt of knowing that all those visits surely ended in disappointment as they came upon Nothing New. 


Oddly enough, when I occasionally do write something ...My numbers go up significantly. Probably coincidental.


 I have suggested to my (2) fans, that they go back and be re-entertained by the older posts - Some of them are funnier the 2nd time around (and all of them are funnier with a glass of wine in hand...). 


Guilt is often the vessel it takes to kick my procrastination in it's shiny hiney (why won't spell check let me spell hiney, with or without an e?) So, to my faithful readers (that means you, Grandma Lane :), here's my guilt-inspired offering - and I'm throwing in plenty of pictures as part of my penance. Click on them to enlarge. Especially this first one (see below for reason...)

This is the picture I'm sending with our Old Year's letter this year. The whole top row looks washed out - and my beautiful big girls are hidden behind that rail...Shoot, a couple of the boys aren't even smiling - But man, oh man, I look skinny. This photo was such an obvious choice to send out this year :) I'm thinking of having it made into a wall mural for our living room.

Around here, every other year Thanksgiving has to do holiday-double-duty since someone did some very poor planning in scheduling Thanksgiving and Christmas a mere 6 weeks apart. (And I have it on good authority that it wasn't Jesus, or His mother.  Bible scholars say He was born in the spring...a good 3-4 months after Thanksgiving.) My best guess is that the close holiday proximity has something to do with global warming. I hear that's to blame for quite a few of our problems so we might as well just tack this on.)


EVERYone came to our house for Thanksgiving this year, since it was the married kids year to be with their in-laws for Christmas.


And, for the first time in way too long, my sister and brother and their families also joined us. Throw in the brother's mother-in-law and the sweetest step-father on earth - and you get hospitality for 36.  No problem-o, right? .... because surely all us Mother's of Large Families are used to running their dishwashers 24/7 and restocking toilet paper on the hour.  Caring for the multitudes should be second-hand, right? 


Absolutely Not.  I survived by the skin of my weary bones. I'm usually a realist when it comes to holidays, but I spent a good deal of time battling an attitude of taken-for-grantedness. I had plenty of help, but I still worked my tail off. (I'd show you a picture, but I get enough comment spam as it is.) However (as I told my therapist when it was all over) I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was so worth it to have everyone together in one big (clutter-strewn) house.  

Next year things will be a little different. Paper plates. Store-bought tea. Molly Maids.

                                  Grandma Story Time. 

Sophie is up for best-dressed baby of 2010. The fistfuls of white "fur" do make thumb sucking more difficult, but you really can't teach Fashion Sacrifice too early.

Because we are gluttons for punishment, my husband and I tried again this year for one of those "Our Grandchildren Adore Us" photos.


And again, we were not successful. 

I know all the grandparenting lit says not to have favorites, but if we were allowed, this next photo gives a hint as to who I'd pick. (Look at all that sweetness, still posing in the midst of all this uncooperativeness.)

After (too long) awhile, it was time to call in the Big Guns/aka parents for reinforcement..... which did not help one iota.

Thanks to the crop feature, we did get one acceptable photo.

Our oldest children,  affectionately known as the OK's (because the jury's still out on the younger ones, but we feel pretty good about these first six....Or because OK stands for older kids. Your choice.)

Mary-Faith with baby Sophie.

Winston with baby Sophie

Molly with baby Sophie (a very popular subject...)

Sophie with her family (who must have told her a funny joke right before this was taken...)

And how 'bout I end this post with some pictures of exceptionally cute guys? As part of the penance and all....

(Does he look like he's just glad to have it over with? ...)

Until next time (and I'd like to think it will be soon...),

Debbie

Finding Sabbath Rest

Sundays are for worship with fellow believers, delighting in God's care and provision, sweet tea with Sunday lunch (one way we set the day apart), and resting.

With five boys sharing one room, they like to scope out a quieter Sunday spot, grab their pillows (and other snuggly paraphernalia) and head for a tranquil spot. The hammock and the trampoline are two coveted havens.


And then after rest, but before dessert, they need to sweat a little (in preparation for going back to sit still at the p.m. service.) 

Isaiah 58:12-14 (English Standard Version)

 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
   you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
   the restorer of streets to dwell in.
  "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
   from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
   and the holy day of the LORD honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
   or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the LORD,
    and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
    for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Homeschooling Tips Finale

(Did you notice I changed my background color from Pepto Bismal  to mocha dots? Both go with the donut theme :) , but I like to change things up around here so you don't get bored during the long wait between posts.)

Last time, I promised to tell you about Table Time. And I made some pretty hefty claims about what it would produce. Family unity....enrichment learning....higher IQ's.....better digestion....an end to that pesky climate change dilemma.

Well, how about I stick to the first two claims and define Table Time for you? It's very complex and elaborate, but I think you can handle it if you read slowly and deliberately.

Table time..... is a time .....directly after a meal- usually breakfast and lunch- where we sit.... at a table....all together... and learn.

Take a sec to let that soak in if you need to. Maybe read it again, underlining any of the words you need to look up.

OK, I know. It sounds too simplistic to actually work, but the beauty behind Table Time is that you're already all in one place and everyone is happy (aka full), and ready to learn.

Here's the Why:

As our children get older, they are learning at different levels, reading different materials, doing subjects that take longer periods of time - and it's harder to find shared enthusiasm. It's also harder to squeeze in time during the regular school day for picture study (art appreciation), poetry, Shakespeare, geography, character-building literature (like Lamplighter books), hymn singing, composer study, Scripture recitation, and hygiene (my boy's personal favorite to discuss at the table.)

We've done a different combination of those over the years, but normally we start our time together, during breakfast, by sharing what we've read in our quiet times. This is not a lengthy sharing time; they usually just read one verse that stood out to them and sometimes I ask them why. 

Occasionally, they'll have a question that tempts me to want to preach/lecture/exhort/chide - but I try to keep that to a minimum...which they greatly appreciate. However, I love to share with them something the Lord brought to my attention during my own quiet time - and without Table Time, I doubt I would remember to do this. The Scripture tells us a student is not above his master, which is an admonishment to teachers not to expect more from their students than they're willing to give themselves. I want them to know the Word is my lifeline.


By this time everyone has finished eating (or the food is gone), but we stay at the table - not even stopping to clear - and I usually do a character lesson. We've used Doorposts material as well as Character Sketches and Character First booklets. We end the morning time by praying and singing a hymn. We sing the same hymn every day for a month, every verse :) and easily memorize 12 hymns a year. The first time we sing it, I usually have one of the older children read aloud some background information about the hymn and the writer. Some of the stories behind the lyrics are amazing. 


(I should add here that the children I currently have at home are not good singers, but I don't let that stop us. My first four, now grown and singing hymns elsewhere, were very good vocalists and they spoiled me.)

A good source for choosing hymns to learn is your Pastor. I gave ours a list of possibilities and he chose the ones he knew we would be singing regularly at church, along with the Doxology and the choruses we sing after the offering and the end of services. I love watching a child's face light up when a familiar hymn is sung in church. A good hymn for all ages is "This is My Father's World."


One of our favorite morning Table Time reads was Everyday Graces, which combined etiquette lessons with snippets of classic children's literature. We also read The Goops 
a few years back - and the poems we memorized in that book are still (unfortunately) with us. 

Lunch is pretty much the same scenario (without the cereal), but I usually eat before them so I can talk without food in my mouth. While morning Table Time is usually the same thing every day, the lunch subjects change according to the day.
Last year we did Art appreciation and Shakespeare on Mon/Wed and Geography/Health on Tues/Thurs.   Fridays are always read-aloud time. Usually a historical novel (Henty?) or a longer classic.  I used to wait to read until after lunch when we would all retire to the living room, they would color or draw, and I would occasionally fall asleep mid-sentence. I still let them color on Fridays while I read. It keeps their hands off each other, and it gives the older kids a chance to color without feeling silly :)  I get great, educational coloring books from Dover.


For picture study/art appreciation I simply pass around a work of art (from a book, a postcard, a calendar,...) for the children to look at for a minute or so each, then we talk about how the picture makes us feel, what colors stood out to us, and whether we liked it. Many times, after the picture has gone around the table, I ask them to describe it. This helps them work on their attention to detail. As with the hymns, we try to study the works of one artist for a month. If you can study artists that correspond with the historical period you're studying - great. If not, no biggie. Table time is not something to stress over. It should not take lots of planning.
There is no right or wrong way to do it.


For geography, we've used blank maps or library books, or a globe and a cd of songs. The point is just to have everyone working on the same thing (unity, remember?) and to use small increments of time to consistently cover a subject. One year, we did Anne VosKamp's Geography of the World and we absolutely loved it! If you choose something structured like that, don't give in to the temptation to keep the kids at the table for hours. Just take your time and enjoy it! It may take you two years to get through it but that's better than never getting around to it, right?

Well, I hope this little mini-series of homeschooling tips has been helpful. It's been a nice refresher for me. If you're in the Tallahassee area, come hear more of this life-changing information at the September TEACH meeting where I'll be the featured (meaning..only) speaker.  



I always hate to make promises, but I got some great pictures of my newest granddaughter while she and her mom and brother were visiting me recently, that I'm itching to show (off.) We are now calling our home the Haven from Bats. I'll explain later (maybe even this week....although probably not.) .Hey, maybe I can add Blogging to our Table Time. They could all sit around (silently) and watch me type.




 

Homeschooling Tips, Part Three

(Should I apologize for the sorry title to this post? Nah. My creativity dissipated about noon, and refuses to make a comeback, even for a good cause like you!)

Maybe it's my advanced age, added to the number of loads of laundry I do per day - then multiplied by the pairs of shoes in my mudroom, divided by the maturity level of household inhabitants - but most of my homeschooling tips don't have that warm, fuzzy, can-do feeling I wish they did.


I've thought about adding in a few perfunctory tips about edible play dough or make-your-own jigsaw puzzles (both of which I've made x 11), but I'm a Reality Blogger. I don't sugar-coat. I tell it like it is, sisters. Homeschooling isn't for cream puffs and unfortunately for my blog popularity, neither is this series on Homeschooling Tips. 

I guess the truth is I've been at this long enough to know that your children will never grow in wisdom and knowledge until you do, and they will only learn and blossom as they see you daily doing the same. Shucks, huh?

I sure wish I could offer you Ten Easy Steps to an Educated Kiddo, but I don't know any shortcuts. All the paths seem to run straight through the middle of the mother's heart, soul, and adrenal glands. They learn much more from watching you than they ever will from a textbook. They don't tell you that in the Calvert catalog, do they?


I have a new friend who just started homeschooling her three children this year. When we met yesterday, she was so excited to meet a real, live (partially sane) veteran. And then someone mentioned my "series" on homeschooling, and she truly thought she'd hit the jackpot (or did she say crackpot?...) but after about 30 minutes of her rifling me with how-to questions, I had to go ahead and give her the bad news. I told her that teaching several children at home will only be perfected after extensive practice, with plenty of mistakes. My best, most permanent, lessons have been learned through what DIDN'T work. So, I told her to get back with me after she'd failed at a few things. I'm sure she was just so encouraged and empowered by my wise words!

The worst part is that my new friend seems a lot like me - Capable, Enterprising, Decisive - in other words, she's a control freak.
And she's going to find out that if you try to control the show too strongly, you'll not only alienate your children, you'll also miss the whole point of home schooling. (Don't ask me how I know this.)


However, I did lure my friend to my blog with the promise of some can't-miss tips, so I better throw a couple in here so she doesn't hunt me down on the playground for false advertising.


 - A normal day for elementary children should consist of two major parts - work in arithmetic and reading for content. Those are the main areas that must be mastered before the child is about 12-13 and ready for middle school. Aim for getting your child to a place where he can read with complete ease most anything put before him, including magazines, newspapers, periodicals or fiction. History and science can be used for reading. His oral reading should be pleasant to listen to.

- If your child struggles with reading aloud, have him read the same passage aloud to you until it sounds perfect. This might need to be done over a few days. Some children have never heard themselves read with proficiency and elocution, but once they've read the same thing over and over, they can read the material without stumbling over words, punctuation, or pacing, and once they surprise even themselves, they are on their way to being a professional audio book reader- or at least being able to read aloud without causing their listeners to grimace and roll their eyes (and claim bathroom emergencies to get out of earshot.)


- The easiest way to teach diligence, which makes everything in school so much easier, is to do school every day. Some days you may need to pare it down to the essentials, but pick the days you plan to be "in class" and then be there. Every day. 


- Optimal learning depends on the energy of the students as much as the teacher. In fact, if your students are tired or uninspired, it will weary the teacher very quickly. The remedy for this begins the night before with consistent bedtimes and nightly routines. Even with older children, it's good to have a definitive time when things wind down and the house becomes quiet. Then in the morning, put on some praise music, wake them up, and welcome them to the day you have prepared for them (or at least pretend to be prepared....)


Next time we meet (and it may not be this week...School is taking it's toll on my computer time!), I want to talk to you about Table Time.  It's what I use to sneak all kinds of enrichment learning into our day (like art appreciation and poetry and all the stuff that makes your in-laws brag on your kids) - and it's the best way I've found to promote unity between the varying grade levels in our family.


Intrigued? I hope so. And I also hope you'll consider signing up to follow my blog (see sidebar) so you'll be notified when I update. It makes me feel less guilty when I go days (weeks, or months) between posts. 

Even More of "My" Best Homeschooling Tips

Alrighty then, are you done implementing all the tips I gave you in the last post? 
 
Of course you're not - and that leads right in to my next tip. By the way, I'd like some bonus points for this one because it's mine-all-mine (as far as I can remember.....)


(6) As avant-garde home educators, with internet access, library cards, magazine subscriptions, cable (I wish!), amazon one-clicks, email loops, and cutting-edge blogs (ahem....) - information surrounds us. And homeschooling moms are all about knowledge. Curious is our middle name. We want answers (preferably without having to pay extra for the answer key.) 

That's all good, but we need to be sure we give ourselves ample time between all that knowledge-seeking to apply some of the great stuff we're learning. Maybe before we check out another how-to book or drive to another workshop, or read another blog (except mine....My blog is immune to this tip) we should make time to do a few of the things we heard about in the last book, blog, or workshop.  Inspiration is meant to arouse some sort of activity.


OK, enough for the heavy-hitting, conviction-laden, Nazi-Blogger talk. Here are a few practical ideas that I really like. 


(7) Instead of just assigning books for your child to read this year, give them a little ownership in the process. Make a pile, including nature study books, biographies, character-building fiction (Lamplighter books),and books heavy on geography (like the Holling C. Holling series), and let them choose five. Or take turns choosing. Your son picks the short one with mostly pictures, then you get to pick the next one :)

(8) This goes along with #7, and I think I remember seeing this idea on the Ambleside Online site. And if you want to totally ignore #6, you could spend some serious knowledge-gathering, inspiration-seeking time on the Ambleside Online site. I'm not saying don't go there. I'm saying go there. But don't go until you're ready and able to apply some of what you'll learn there.

Instead of making a list of the books your child reads this year, make a color copy of each  book's cover when they've completed their reading. It's really fun to look back and reminisce about the contents and to decide if you really could judge that book by it's cover.  For you overachiever-mommies, you could even have your younger children give you an oral narration to be written at the bottom or back of the copy. For older students, the copied cover can be placed in a page protector and a book summary can be slipped behind it. Won't that be impressive in this year's portfolio?!

(9) Here's something I learned years ago (that I APPLIED - because I learned #6 the hard way...).
Instead of being an eager-beaver starter this year, why not begin with just one or two subjects the first week, then when those are going well - and you have a realistic idea of how long they will take - add a few more?  So many times we start the first day enthusiastically with a full schedule, only to experience burn-out on Day Two. Did you know that private schools get most of their inquiry calls (from homeschoolers calling anonymously) during the first week of school? (I made that up. But it could be true!)

(9b) Daily consistency - if only for short periods of time- gets far better long-term results than trying to work for six hours once every two or three months when the mood strikes. A few subjects done thoroughly and consistently is better than many subjects done half-heartedly and occasionally.

(10) Here's a tip by J'Aime Ryskind, Homeschooling Today, March/April 1999. (I told you I was overdue to clean out my files...)  I struggle to apply this, but very much appreciate the theory.
"Once the child has completed his portion of the work for the day, let him stop. It may take him only ten or fifteen minutes to read a chapter of his book or do a page of math you've assigned. If he has done the work correctly and neatly (always insist on that), he is finished. The child is rewarded for working accurately and efficiently by being able to do what he wants to do - practice music, play ball, putter with computers, read, invent, draw, imagine, daydream - the rest of the day."

I would add a caveat to Ms. Ryskind's admonition. Some children can't handle large amounts of free time. They tend to bother a child who isn't quite finished, or nag their mom for snacks, or nag their mom for Wii time, or gravitate towards the same activity day after day (and it's usually a borderline-approved activity).
At the beginning of each school year I like to make a list, with the help of the children, of lots of different free-time choices. The children know that anything on that list is mom-approved.  If it's an activity that needs permission (or involves food, paint, or fire), I put a * by it and they know to ask first. Seeing the list of ideas, which includes things like Knex and Lincoln Logs, paper dolls, stamping, sidewalk chalk, jumping on the trampoline, listening to a story tape, rollerblading, lizard hunting (as long as they don't show mom their 'catch'), chess, taking digital photos (with the old camera...), and writing thank you notes (Now that's a popular choice!)


OK, On your mark, get set, Apply! :)

(My) Best Homeschooling Tips

In the spirit of full disclosure, those parentheses are in my title because some of these tips aren't "exactly" mine. But some of them are. And even with the ones that didn't "originate" with me, I should still get some credit for recognizing their value.

I've been a home educator for 25 (long...very long) years so my school files are sagging with articles I've clipped, emails I've printed, and notes from talks I've given. Many of them have been re-filed (in the trash can), but lots of them have tidbits worth remembering, and some of those tidbits are worth sharing. Plus, by typing them out here I can go ahead and throw away lots of paper (to make room for more paper.)

I doubt if I'll get all "my" best tips in this one post, so maybe I'll start a blog series. Debbie's Extraordinary, Sure-Fire, Clever, (Stolen) Homeschooling Helps.

In no particular order, but with the most convicting ones first -

(1) If we are always planning to get around to doing something, but we never Do It... we're just playing mind games with ourselves. We may "feel" good because we are thinking about doing it, but nothing is actually accomplished. Don't fool yourself. Some of us are expert planners ....but don't get all that much done.

(2) "Wherever you are, be all there." This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. (Sure wish I could give credit to the brilliant person who I pirated this from.) I say it to other moms (and mutter it to myself) incessantly. What this means in regard to your children is that you need to be an engaging parent who listens to your children's thoughts, hopes, plans, desires, ...and very stupid/repetitive jokes. So many of us give ourselves big kudos for being physically present, when our minds might as well have an outside job.

(3) Too many outside commitments - even really great, godly, crowd-pleasing ones - make successfully HOME educating your child impossible. Make sure there are several days (in a row!) where your van never leaves the driveway and you never have to ask your child to 'hurry up'. If you're always finding reasons to leave the house, try this little tip that works for me - Don't wash your hair, wear make-up, or brush your teeth on the days you want to stay home. You'll be less tempted to leave. Your kids might not want to sit next to you, but they'll learn more.

(4) All activities, curriculum, read-alouds, everything you do, should have a purpose. Different denominations word it differently, but most Christians would affirm that everything we do is meant to glorify God. Start questioning the reason why you use/do certain things. And the answer should not have anything to do with the fact that your friend is using it/doing it. She has a different husband, different children, different finances, different circumstances.

And if this next one doesn't motivate you to get more serious about your school year, then all my plagiarism will have been for naught-

(5) "If we view ourselves daily as having a Master over us, our High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ, how well would we do our work? How well would we plan our days? Does an employer care if you get the work done each day or not? Will you be paid if you venture off into something other than what needs to be done? Would it be a problem if you're too busy talking with friends, being on the computer, or procrastinating to be bothered with the trivial things of your child's life and education?" (Ouch! Ouch! I need a band-aid...One of those really big ones that you have to tape on.) Shouldn't our determination and motivation be all the more strong if we are serving the King of Kings?

Well, that's enough for you to work on today, sweet mommies. Tune in tomorrow (or the next day...) for more. My filing cabinet runneth over.