Today as I get ready for the day, I'm actually a little scared. As I consider what I want to do and how to inspire my children my mind has drawn a blank. I spent some time reading through past Daily Inspire emails that I get through Tjed Online to try and gain some needed inspiration and I'm just stuck! I think I've read so much about curriculum's that people are starting that I'm doubting myself.... add to that the fact that I'm just getting back to running my household, and it's a recipe for disaster. (Speaking of which, if you remember my post on Learning to Work might I throw in that RETEACHING your children all those lovely habits after they have done little more than veg in front of the computer for about a month is not fun... it's even less fun than the initial learning process. Unfortunately, despite my desperate plea that the children at least do their daily stewardships while I was down, my husband was a little to overwhelmed himself and the children didn't do anything. And I blame them getting the stomach flu on the fact that not everything was wiped down at least once a week with Clorox Anywhere Spray. Regardless, it is all really my fault, I've made my husband pretty obsolete as far as doing things around the house and I actually don't apologize for that but the explanation will probably have to have it's own post! Here's to hoping things work like clockwork after this baby comes and the children don't need the directions to get their work finished.... they would have this time but the computer spoiled their brains.) :-)
So, as to my difficulties today as I contemplate facing my children. My husband and I have a vision for our children. We have desires and hopes for them that they will cultivate a love for learning and an appreciation for the world around them. We desire that they will learn to work for what they receive and understand that they are a part of humanity and that they need to give just as much or more than they get. Our vision of life down the road includes scholarly discussions with children who come to us with topics that they've chosen and set off to engross themselves in and enrich the rest of our lives with their insights. We see congregating in front of a fire or lantern and discussing the scriptures with each other. I can see everything that we want, and I normally have no problem keeping that in perspective, but my path is considerable cloudy as I try to get my life back at the moment. I'm pretty spoiled, we decided early on that we wanted to homeschool, and we figured out when our oldest was 3 that the Thomas Jefferson Education Philosophy made the most sense to us. So, we've never had to "come off the conveyor belt" and reprogram our children.... until now. My children need to be reprogramed and I fear that my lack of energy will take us no where. Which then leads me to want to rely on some kind of curriculum, which is fine but can get very convoluted very quickly so that makes me a little leery.
Solution? Well, I have no idea... hence sending my thoughts out into the abyss :-). I know that baby steps will at least do something, so I'm going to focus on reading and trying to help draw my children in today. While breakfast is getting ready we'll open the scriptures, and after breakfast I'll set a timer to see how much of a stewardship we can get finished in 15 minutes, and then I think we'll grab our Little House in the Big Woods book that we've been reading aloud and perhaps I'll pull out a puzzle or some pattern blocks that little hands can play with while we learn about the Ingall's life (which we think is pretty fascinating.)
Anyway, I know we'll get where we're going so long as we never stop. I don't want to miss the learning and teaching opportunities that are available to me and my children at this time in their life, but I thought you should know that I get overwhelmed too! I definitely have had a lot of "what am I doing?!" moments lately and I felt like my readers needed to see the imperfection that lays beyond my carefree exterior. I do know that I'm the best teacher for my children (well, not at the moment, but that's just one of those deep down truths that I can't change despite myself and will eventually re-realize when the superficial stuff that's bogging my mind wears away), so pressing onward we must go!
2 comments:
Great post, Cherie. It seems like every time a baby arrives, or illness, or vacation, etc, it derails everything we have going so smoothly before that event. I think you've got it figured out though. That year and a half my husband was in Iraq (5 children, the youngest being only 3 months old) he basically told me before he left that he wanted us to do NOTHING more than read together as a family, work together, play together, and for me to gather the children around my knee every day, and make sure they felt loved in his absence. That was actually how and when we discovered TJED. It was after we had been following many of the Core Phase principles by accident. I was so amazed at how much we all grew and how much more the children learned that 18 months. MUCH more than they had the years before (pre-TJED) when we were doing "conveyor belt at home". We've found that when these crisis come, be they good or bad (illness would be bad :) just making sure the basics of Core are happening are sometimes all we can do, and that's okay. The rest gets back on track as soon as it is able.
Now, on a different note, now that we have two in Scholar Phase, two in Love of Learning, and three in Core Phase, I've found that I've had to modify the way I always thought carrying out TJED was suppose to be in Love of Learning and Scholar Phase, just to be able to be there for all my aged kiddos. We were recently ill here (for 5-6 weeks by the time it made the rounds through our large family!) and my new take on things made things run SO much more smoothly than it ever has with such interruptions. Email or call me if you're interested :)
Cherie, it is so nice to know that you have those moments too:) Lately I have been having the feeling of dread building, "How are we going to adjust and get back in a rhythm after baby #5? Will I ever be in control again?" etc. I try to remember to enjoy the benefits of where I am, then comfort myself that the trials will pass.
Thank heavens for TJED that helps us keep perspective on the phases and crucial lessons of CORE especially:) I am so glad that I am no longer wasting my time and energy on keeping up with the conveyor belt.
Hang in there Cherie and know that we all have those days, weeks, months when the priority is survival:) It's good for our kids to see real life and there are lessons that they can learn only through crisis.
I hope Heather will share her wisdom/experiences regarding a smoother home routine with all of us:)
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