Balance

It is hard not to be distracted.  There are so many opportunities to go places and do things as a homeschooler.  It amazes me that people can still ask about socialization when so many homeschoolers are out and about taking advantage of the places to go and things to do.  We are no exception.  We have a wonderful community of fellow homeschoolers who offer friendship and field trip company.  I have to learn to keep a balance, though.  Pray for me.

There are two things we do that I don't have any qualms about.  One is a homeschool gym class.  Once a week my boys are able to take a class with a very good teacher who does fitness, skills and fun with the kids.  They get structured physical fitness time and an opportunity to fellowship with other kids.  My favorite thing about the class is seeing the biggest, 15 year old paired with the smallest 5 year old.  The care the big guy takes with the little one melts my heart.  They are required to run at the beginning of class.  It is a delight to see the big guy come jogging up to the little one, who is walking by now, bend down, put his hands on the little guy's shoulders, say something encouraging and see the little one smile and take off after the big guy.  Lest you think I'm bragging, it is not my big guy I'm talking about.  But the great thing is all the kids have an opportunity to interact with kids of different ages, levels and abilities.  What an opportunity to become prepared for the "real world" when you don't just deal with people of your own age.

The other thing I don't have a qualm about is Discovery Days.  Once a month, we meet with other homeschoolers for coop.  Currently, we study a different topic each month.  The kids in age groups (K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, high school) and the parents take turns teaching.  The boys like being with their friends, and so do I.  It's nice learning about topics other than what we are studying at the moment.  Adds a little spice to our learning adventure.  Since I only have two, it gives J. and D. experience with learning with others in the mix.  Oh, it's just fun.  We all look forward to it.
 
We are blessed with many friends and many opportunities, but as a friend has said, "You can't homeschool if you aren't home."  My struggle right now is to keep that balance.  Pray for me.

Mixing up Something

This is a scene that has played out in my children's lives so many times.  Cooking with Grammy.  Sometimes both, sometimes one, as you see here.  

Wisdom and skill passed on, along with a big dose of love and pride, not in self, but in accomplishment. 

D. decided he wanted to make a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.  Grammy said they would, but life being what it is, there was no time to do it until Grammy came to our house this weekend with a can of pumpkin and the determination to fulfill her grandson's desire to make something.  This must have been a large desire because he never forgot about it, and he never got tired of the process. From start to finish he gathered ingredients, measured, mixed, poured and baked, Grammy with him the whole time, encouraging and teaching. When all was said and done:

And it tasted really good, too!

 

Our School Name

After perusing the prodigious posts from before, you know, years ago, I noticed I never explained the source of our chosen school name. Well, now I will.

When we started schooling my husband had taught a Sunday School class. To build anticipation and interest, he began leaving notes about it all over church; in the pews, hymnals, on the tables in the fellowship hall. On those notes he placed the date the class would start and an ichthus fish. Looks like this, roughly <><. You've probably seen them on the backs of cars. It was a symbol of the early church. Since the class was a study of Acts (very well done class, I might add) it seemed appropriate. Well, the symbol clicked with our family. When the boys were deciding a name for our school, Dad suggested Ichthus Christian Academy. It was an immediate hit. We decided on "uniforms" with the ichthus symbol on them, ICA as the nickname for our school sounded just right. J. and D. were very enthusiastic. So that is how our school, and this blog, got it's name.

Two posts in two days. We're grooving now.

New post

"New Post" it said. Click to create a new post. That seems a terrible understatement of some sort. I haven't blogged in years. Not days or weeks or months, but years!! I reread the last blog. It was pretty good, you know, as amateur first time blog entries go. It was a good event to blog about. I suppose that was my hurdle to blogging. Feeling like I had to come up with fabulous, eventful stuff. Much of our days are not fabulous. Normal, uneventful, some days even humdrum. Yet, four years have gone by that I have been able to spend with my boys. Every day. By choice. It has been a great four years, filled with school, friends, family, trips, traumas and nothing much. I just started reading a book by John Piper (a freebie through The Old Schoolhouse:) called Don't Waste Your Life. While I don't think I have wasted my life with my boys and schooling, I know I have wasted opportunities. God willing I won't anymore. J. is 13, almost 14 already. I don't have much time left with him. I was just praying today, 'Why do we have such short time with our children, and why does it seem to go by so fast?' I can't waste any more opportunities with J. I don't have many more. And D. Goodness, 10 already and almost as tall as me. Not hard I know, but still. As fast as this time has gone, wasted opportunities with D. aren't an option either. So, Lord, Hear my prayer. Let me not waste my opportunities You give me.

And by the way, the name of the blog is precarious. J. is starting high school next school year and he is contemplating a name change for high school. Of course, the principal has final say. We'll keep you posted. Promise.