Homeschooling Mama to 7 on earth, 2 in heaven

Happy New Year’s Eve!

This is such a fun time of year, I love reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what is in store for the new year.

Over the past few days I’ve went through all of my 2019 photos, it reminds me of all the cool things we’ve done and how much the kids are growing and changing! My three year old is writing words, my oldest went to prom, they've made new friends, volunteered hours at church and dance events, spent even more hours outside playing, I have one kid learning to play guitar and writing a novel, my boys have built amazing lego designs, we've completed a couple 1000 piece puzzles, caught several crawdads, my 16 year old and I went to an AWESOME concert together, we went to Shakespeare in the Park with friends, had a blast at the pool all summer...this is why I take pictures! Let's face it, I have a lot of kids and not the best memory, I need pictures to help me remember everything!

My 2019 reads, not counting the 20 I read on my kindle!

I just gathered up all the books I’ve read this year and I have to say it is pretty impressive, I beat my records from past years! Although my teenage daughter beat me (again), she read like over 115! The kids and I also gathered up all our read-aloud chapter books so I could snap a picture, we’ve read some really great ones!

Our 2019 Read-Alouds

Some of their favorites were:

The Wild Robot

Bob

The Strangers

Winterhouse

The Boy Called Christmas

The Bark of the Bog Owl

My favorites from our read-alouds other than what they said were probably The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic and The Wishtree. I also had the kids gather up a few of what they thought were the best books they’ve read on their own. It’s awesome seeing them get excited over how much they’ve read too.

Some of their individual reading favorites

Our homeschooling style and routines have changed throughout the years, especially as the kids get older but I’m really liking the place that we are right now with it. We do as much as we can together as a group (besides my high-schooler) and they have a good routine with our book basket, memory binder, and some individual things so that even when we have busy days they are still able to get some “school” in, whether we actually all sit down at the school table or not. We regularly get together with friends every other week to do Brave Writer activities, play educational games, or discuss books. Homeschooling high-school is no joke though, Algebra II and Chemistry are NOT my specialties by any means! Give me history, literature, writing, art, Bible…anything but high-school level math and science! Luckily, we know other homeschoolers who are using the curriculums she uses and have been able to help!

This year I have had the privilege to teach a lot (well over 50) of American Sign Language classes, currently I teach a class for pre-school/elementary age and another for middle/high-schoolers. Also throughout the year I have taught adults, kids summer camp, Girl Scout group, and baby sign. My kids are all part of the different classes and I love that I get to involve them in what I do, my older girls have also helped teach.

One day each week we spend several hours at church getting things done (I help with many things in our elementary department) and I am so thankful for all that the kids learn through doing that, to me that is just as important as getting “lessons” done at home. My husband and I have worked in the elementary department for 5 1/2 years but over the past year or so I have felt called more and more into the children’s ministry. I’ve had the opportunity to learn and do a lot within the ministry, even when it’s pulling me out of my comfort zone (like speaking to a large group), I love it! I am actually getting ready to take a pastoral class that starts next week. I’m a little nervous to be going into a classroom setting after so many years, having essays due, etc. but I am excited to see where this leads, at the moment I have no idea what God has in store I’m just taking the steps I feel called to do.

Many people ask me how I do it... whatever they mean by "it"...sometimes it's having so many kids, sometimes it's homeschooling, or being a stay-home mom, or having well-behaved kids, or living in a small house with a large family...and I don't always know how to answer the question on the spot, but reflecting on it I think what helps me enjoy this season of life so much (homeschooling 7 kids, which isn't necessarily easy) is taking time to do things that fill me up. I meet up with a friend for coffee and/ or a meal about once a week, we do bible studies together, practice ASL, and talk about anything and everything. I read (a lot) late at night. I wake up before the kids to do bible studies, devotionals, read non-fiction and have quiet time with God and my thoughts. I learn new things because I want to learn. I paint, write, scrapbook, spend time outdoors, go on dates with my husband often, etc. So, I guess that's how I "do it", so much of life does revolve all around the kids, as it should be, but that can also lead to burn out as a mom, taking time to fill yourself up also needs to be a priority.

This year our baby turned 3, we had another officially become a teenager, our oldest turned 16, and we celebrated our 17th anniversary! Life is full…crazy at times with three kids in dance, three in basketball, preschooler tagging along everywhere, work with church, teaching sign classes, etc….but I’ve also found ways to simplify, this school year I have tried to have a day or two each week were we have no where to go, even if that means not making playdate plans or going on a field trip that maybe last year we would have said yes and went. The things we have added this year are important to me, which meant saying no to other things that are good but would overwhelm our schedule if we tried to do it all.

I can't wait to see what God has planned for 2020!

Some of my favorite photos from the past year: