TOS Review: Apologia Educating the Whole Hearted Child

When I began homeschooling out of necessity, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew I was fed up with public school not providing for my child and that I could certainly do better than the education we were told he would get in his local school district.

Little did I know how much our lives would change with homeschooling. It is a lifestyle, not just something we do for a few hours everyday to satisfy an education requirement. But I knew very little about the lifestyle when I started homeschooling. I focused on education and “catching him up” - laying a foundation that was not there. Had I known about Educating the WholeHearted Child when we began this journey, I think the first year or two of homeschooling may have looked a little different. (And perhaps it would have been quite a bit less stressful!)

The Mighty Macs (A Review)

I love a good movie. But I have loved very few sports movies. Mainly because I have seen very few good sports movies. And The Mighty Macs is a good sports movie. But there is so much more than sports in The Mighty Macs. Set in 1971, Cathy Rush is a recently married woman whose odds are against her. The world (and her husband) are still pulling her to stay home and be a wife. She wants to pursue a dream. 

This Blog is Not my Home

It's not my job either. I thought I wanted it to be my job.

I love writing. I love blogging. I love the blogging community. But I love my children more. I love my calling more. And my calling is my children.

A few months ago I began consciously noticing how much I was on the computer while my kids were awake. Then I noticed things that didn't get done because I was blogging. Or emailing. Or Facebooking. Or reading others' blogs.

Then I started thinking about the legacy I was leaving for my children. Did I want them to remember me on the computer? Or Facebooking on my  phone? Or blogging?

I started listening to myself ...

"Let me just finish this post."

"I need to send one more email."

 "After I finish reading this, we can do that."

Or do I want them to remember we played? And built forts. And created art.

Do I want them to remember that I was there for them - not just caring for their daily needs, but getting down and living life with them. 

This blog is not my home.

This is.

And this.

Amy at Raising Arrows wrote on a similar subject this week.

It took me over a month to get this post ready since I am only writing now when my kids are not awake. I have some reviews and other commitments that will take precedence over more personal posts, however, know that I am not abandoning my blog. I just have more pressing things on my plate at the moment.

Like homeschooling my boys and building forts. :)

Cooper and Me

 Cooper and Me is a cute little book written by a mother-daughter team. An artist from a very young age, Alexa Peters, wanted to give back to others through her illustrations. The idea for this book was found in her sketchbooks.