Getting Ready for a New School Year … just sing along with me!

Every summer during our homeschooling journey is like Boot Camp 101, then 102, 103, 104, and so on…time to get ready for another year of school! Curriculum purchases, lesson planning, field trip coordination, calendar scheduling, prayer, and accentuating the positive are the equivalent of pushups, running laps, stretches, target practice, with a lot of mental focus thrown in.

A heap of excitement, a bit of nervousness, a bucket of hope, and a pinch of pessimism all mix together to remind me that I’ll never have it all together and neither will my kids…but we’re all together, and that’s what matters.

I dream about a clean house, enthusiasm in learning, and great attitudes, but I know that we’re going to have lot of messes, lazy days, and grumpy countenances (not just my kids!) along the way during the school year.

Remembering God is in this thing we call homeschooling keeps everything in perspective. We plan for the worst and hope for the best, but more importantly, we trust Him for everything.

And really, bigger than our homeschooling, is the sacred in the everyday things we do as mothers…we are reaching hearts, teaching minds, and training hands for God. Is there anything we do as moms more important than this?

That’s what all this teaching, and training, and nurturing is really about, plain and simple.

In my hard moments, days, or weeks…in the lost schoolbooks, lost time, and lost perspective, I sing a little tune (not really, but this song fits, so I’m going to share it). Hope it makes you smile.

L to R: Jesse, Bethany, Susanna, Charity, Amy, Megan, and John.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS (sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things,” Sound of Music)

Beds that are made and no clothes on the floor
Fingerprints gone from the windows and doors
Toys put away like they’re carried on wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Schoolwork that’s done with a glad disposition
Math facts are learned without much repetition
Grammar and writing and spelling that clings
These are a few of my favorite things

“Yes, mom” and “Thank you” are daily words spoken
Keeping our word with no promises broken
And ‘We are Family’s the song that we sing
These are a few of my favorite things

When I feel like
Quitting homeschool,
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.

Arguments end with kind words and forgiveness
Learning God’s Word and for Him being a witness
Hearts that love Jesus ‘cause He is our King
These are a few of my favorite things.