digging deep

My absence from this little space of mine has not been due to anything disastrous, terrible or stressful. In fact, life has been fabulously full and abundant with joy, growth and lots of life lessons.

I have been super focused lately on what it takes to make our days smooth, enjoyable and peaceful. It seems a full-time job simply to create and maintain the flow of our days- rising and waking, meal planning and preparation, tending to errands and activities and keeping connected with my husband and children. At the end of the day there is little else to do but sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Luca is now 10 weeks old and his smiles aren't the only sign that he has begun interacting with the outside world. He has discovered his hands and there are moments when I just watch him studying them as they move from side to side. Simply precious to watch. I'm feeling so connected to him and have been able to keep fatigue at bay. He is just now letting me put him down for a spell on a blanket or in a little seat. He has been in-arms morning, noon and night for the last 10 weeks and my little baby is now weighing over 16 pounds so there has been some really achy, sore and tender muscles in this body of mine.

The main focus of my nights has been planning our upcoming school year. We are entering our fifth year of homeschooling with a nine year old, seven year old and four year old and I feel so good that I have been able to set aside time each day planning for our days in the upcoming school year.

In addition to planning lessons, ordering books and thinking about our daily routine, I have also been digging deep and asking myself some really tough questions like what is the purpose of education, what sort of home environment have I created for my children, who do I want my children to become, am I focusing on the mind, body and spirit of these little human beings that I have been entrusted with, am I myself choosing to model the behaviors and ideals that I am attempting to instill within my children, how will their lives be enhanced and changed by having had their mother be a mother-teacher?

I have decided that in the end the most important aspect of the homeschooling lifestyle is family life and the ability to educate the whole being. It is not simply about academics, training the mind or working steadily through planned lessons. It is about the journey we are taking as well and about growing as individuals.

I will be updating my blog with some more homeschooling details in the days and weeks to follow. There is so much to share and it feels wonderful to have this space to share it in!