Snowing in Spring

Our Cherryblossom Tree

We had a glorious day on Friday! The sky was the best color of blue like cornflower blossoms and the sunshine was good medicine for my tired soul. It was so warm and bright, no wonder the bulbs and seedlings reach out for it pushing through the darkness of the earth. I have felt like that lately, reaching out to the light to be warmed and nourished. It is amazing what an afternoon in the sun will do for a busy mama!


I decided since I wasn't feeling well that we could finish up our schoolwork outside on our new homemade picnic table. The sunshine and fresh air would do us some good! Something about a change of venue and the promise of being outside more often, was a great remedy for our lack of
enthusiasm towards school.


The breeze was balmy and so relaxing. To our delight as it blew through the boughs of our cherry tree it took with it, its billowy, soft-white, petals and then dropped them all around us. My youngest, with awe in his little boy voice said,

" Look Mama! Its snowing..."

It is School Time

Goodbye lazy summer days! It is time for the new year to begin. Yes, any mother in her right mind knows that the new year starts Sept. 1st! Whoever thinks the new year starts in January is completely off her rocker!

I'm sure many of you are like me in some ways, eager to get back to the "normal" schedule of life. Get out all the new shiny crayons and put clean pads of notebook paper into brand new 3-ring binders. Organize drawers, closets, and backpacks. Get schedules and calendars organized. Oh, the beginning of the school year it is still my favorite. I hear many a mother claim,"Oh, I can't wait for school to start!" This has many conotations as you can imagine.

However, the new school year looks a bit different for our family than it did for me as a grade school girl off to catch the bus in my new plaid skirt my mother made for me. The Lord in all His gracious wisdom has lead our family down the homeschooling path, which is a bit different, but,very exciting none the less! I thought it would be fun to share what it looks like for us come September :o)! This is what "Oh I can't wait for school to start" means to me:

• New paper and crayons, notebooks and pencils.


• New clothes and new shoes-we have to capitalize on all those sales of course!


• Organizing schedules and calenders and organize all our meals. No, I am not a Martha Stewart wannabe, it is completely for survival purposes. My family likes to eat. However, I like to do other things with "my time" other than cook (like write, blog, craft, do art, read, make gifts etc.) SO... I do this so they won't starve and I survive mentally- get it?! It also helps me keep our groceries within budget and keep us eating well balanced home cooked meals which I really want for my family too.


• I am also busy, busy, in August preparing lesson plans, curriculum, field trips,co-op, lessons, sports registrations, ballet lessons, music lessons, gym activities and other fun opportunities for our learning, as well.


• I clean out our school room with the help of three little schoolroom elves(my kids-who by the way are benefiting from this home school thing!) We have a great time looking through all that was accomplished last year and organizing it and making room for the new things of this year. Cleaning and organizing their desks and work areas with all that is needed for the school year.


• This year we decorated a half finished schoolroom. I am pleased with the results. This summer I sewed the cushion for the window seat, my chair, and the lace curtain on the bay window. I painted the post on the stairs, my husband finished the carpet on the stairs-nice job honey! I refurbished an old frame in the attic into a bulletin board and we networked the room with a printer and laptop. I also added some decorative elements to the room for my enjoyment and my mom, bless her heart, gave me all the decorative pillows on the window seat. They are from her own home and fit perfect with what I have going on!

This might be different than what you are thinking the beginning of school to look like. While this may sound overwhelming it really isn't! How can that be you ask? Because it is a desire of my heart placed there by the Lord. When the Lord calls you to do something for Him, he also places the desire in your heart and fuels that desire through the prompting of the Holy Spirit!

Thankfully, I don't do all this in my own strength! Not only is the Lord with me, so is my family and we work together towards the common goal of life long learning. This is a large part of what homeschooling looks like for us. It is not all about me exhausting myself and being in control, I gave that up a long time ago...it is just not worth it and besides it wasn't a very good example to the very ones I was trying to influence, our children.

I hope that as you get ready for school, whatever that may look like for you and your family, I pray that the Lord will bless you, inspire you but most of all continue to teach you, may you always be a student ready to learn from the greatest teacher of all!