Hello Dear Friends,

As the chaos in our country continues to escalate, and our inner worlds incessantly throw us curveballs right and left, I am choosing to be intentional with my thoughts and selective with my time. Only investing myself into activities and thoughts that are cultivating good and beautiful things in my home and in my life. I will be taking the advice of Lydia Sherman when she said,

"No matter the chaos outside, home is where we can create our own calm. Pour a cup of tea, make your plans, and focus on the blessings of today."

One area in my life that is requiring purposeful planning right now is the upcoming homeschool year. I have recently been incredibly blessed to have been invited out to coffee with a group of local homeschool moms and it was such an enriching experience in which I gained much wisdom. As a homeschool mom with 5 years of teaching under my belt, I am no longer a rookie but there is still a vast world of methods, curriculum, and tactics to be explored. In order to be the best teachers to our children we can be, we must never stop educating ourselves, I am a huge advocate for that. So naturally, there was something staggeringly profound about coming together with other women, who are far more seasoned than I, and simply chatting (over the most delicious, steaming cup of blackberry lavender latte) about the parts of the homeschool journey that I have yet to walk.

It is our job as parents to be the ones to train our children up in the way they should go, not the Sunday school teachers, or pastors, and certainly not who they may encounter in the public school system. The foremost place for children to learn is within the walls of our own homes under the guidance of the biological teachers God has given them and who know them best. For instance, I have found that my children absorb material more efficiently when I allow them to progress naturally at their own pace of understanding and not rush them based on what the board of education says they should be comprehending based on their “data”.

Additionally, nature a wonderful teacher and I try to center my homeschool methods around that very important concept. God created this world to be enjoyed and marveled at. His works are painted delicately in that of a blossoming field of fragrant wildflowers, the glistening shimmer of dew on a summer morning blade of grass, and the fresh breeze that wafts salty sea spray against the sandy shore. With intention, anyone can cultivate a memorable, out-of-doors centered schoolyear that reflects the beauty to be found outside.

As I finish my preparations such as gathering supplies and sorting curriculum, I must keep as the spine of our days, the ideals that our family holds most dear, faith, kindness, and time spent in God’s creation. Which brings me to an excerpt of this poem that I will leave you with, the poem is titled: Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier.