I must admit that I have always enjoyed this time of year. School supplies in mass quantities on sale. Everyone gearing up to have a great “new” school year. Haircuts. New shoes. All kinds of great fun.
And then, two years ago, we began to homeschool our kiddos. I started to get excited for new reasons. Well, I mean, I feel like I speak for most mommas when I say “who doesn’t enjoy school supplies in mass quantities on sale”. But there were other excitements now. Not needing to spend a ton of money on “back to school” clothes and haircuts. (Oh, Joey wants to wear PJs all day… no problem.) No packing lunches. (Can I get an Amen?)
Then the real excitement. The reasons we decided to homeschool in the first place. Being able to spend more time with our kiddos and spending more time focusing on God.
Below I have listed four tips to help you stay focused this (Not) Back to School season. I pray that you will find encouragement through these tips and that you will find enjoyment in this time.
Be Diligent
Okay parents, here we go. Another school year is ready to begin. Curriculum- check; Awesome school supplies that you bought in mass quantity on sale-check; Kiddos awake and out of bed-check. Time to begin. I know you will have all the excitement that a new season brings. I also know there are days ahead that will be trying. The kiddos will test your patience. The “school day” may get hard. You find yourself wanting to take extra-long “bathroom breaks” because let’s face it, sometimes, it’s the only break we get. But remember parents, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 directs us –
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Be diligent parents. The work, tears, all the early mornings and late nights, lunches in the car, they will all pay off. And don’t forget parents, there will be smiles, and laughs, and cuddles, and so much priceless time with our kiddos. Be diligent. This work is so worth it.
Be Flexible
I am a creature of planners and schedules. However, I am the only person in my family who is such a creature. I have fantastic plans of completing tasks and marking them off of my to-do list. Lovely ideas of being organized and orderly. How, then, do my days become chaotic and messy? How does a to-do list end up going by the way side? Well, that’s just life isn’t it? We must all learn to be flexible. It just takes some of us longer than others to learn. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set you minds on the things that are above, no on the things that are on the earth.”
Set my mind on the things that are above? Friends, our kiddos and time spent teaching them; they are some of the things from above. Our to-do lists, totally of this earth. It’s okay to be flexible. Go outside, take a walk, have a day in your jammies and cuddle. Cherish this flexibility and remember, “The things above”, that is where our focus should be.
Enjoy the Journey!
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 tells us, “12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
Y’all! What a gift! Take time to enjoy this journey with your kiddos. Be joyful. Laugh. Spend time doing fun things together. Make memories. This is God’s gift to you! Accept this gift with a glad heart.
Remember Why You Began this Journey
So yes, the days might get long. They might get hard. But remember parents, the Bible tells us, “17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17) Why did you being to educate your children at home? I am willing to bet that somewhere on your lists of reasons was the desire to do what was right. Not right by man, but right by God. Do EVERYTHING, it tells us, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Remember, our kiddos are our mission field. They are worth the effort.
We are glorifying God when we follow his word and teach our children diligently, set our minds on the things above, enjoy our time with our kiddos and do everything in the name of the Lord, Jesus. Take some time today to thank God for the opportunity to educate your children in a way that glorifies Him. I pray that this (home)school year is a fantastic season for you and your family. God Bless.
(All scripture taken from ESV)
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Stephanie is the Homeschool Review Crew Manager and is married to Joe and mom to two. She is grateful for the opportunities that homeschooling has provided her family. She loves getting to spend time with family and she also enjoys reading and is always up for a game of trivial pursuit!
Welcome to day two of the Not Back to School Blog Hop for 2019. This year we have 30 home educating Mom’s writing daily encouragement to equip you for the year ahead. Each day we will introduce you to a few of our team and the topics they will be writing about and at the bottom of each post is a linky where all of our bloggers will be sharing their posts with you
- Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses – ABC of Homeschooling
- Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
- Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling
- Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills
- Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years
- Monique D. @ Early Learning Mom – Homeschooling With Autism
We invite you to grab a cuppa and share in the encouragement as you visit our bloggers who are shareing their hearts with you today in the Linky below.