The layout of the E-zine is as follows:

• Greetings from Marianne
• Thoughts from a Homeschool Dad
• News
• Joys of a Veteran Homeschooling Family
• Challenges facing a Veteran Homeschooling Family
• Organizational Tips
• Coming soon

Greetings from Marianne

Many Christian homeschooling families can detail the events that brought them to be homeschooling today.

Some families may relate that it was a struggle to get to the decision; a very long process of prayer and reading; For others it was a process of 'skillfully' ignoring the prodding and at last succumbing to the inevitable; For others it was a desire before the children were born.

Wherever you have come from .... we are all here.... homeschooling!

Did God equip you to homeschool? Some families may feel totally out of their depth when deciding 'how' to homeschool and wonder what it should look like. Their friends and family question, "Should they really homeschool?"

Did God equip Moses before He gave him his mission? Was Esther aware of her role when she became the Queen of Persia?

Time and time again, we see biblical characters called by God to service. Many of them are unlikely, fallen characters that God chooses to accomplish His will. In the same way, if we were capable and confident in our own strength to homeschool, God would not be glorified through us. It would mean that somehow we were the 'capable' super-parents and others just aren't!

However, the truth is that if God calls, He also equips. As we homeschool in obedience to our calling, we know that the words of 2 Corinthians 12:9 are true, " . . . My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

So, we homeschool through the easy days - the days when it is a joy; progress is made; children are happy, conscientious, kind and thoughtful; we are healthy, excited and energetic.

We also need to homeschool through the days which are clouded in doubt, fear, indecision and discouragement; bickering children, lazy attitudes, tiredness and lack of joy.

Let's look at the joys and challenges of a verteran homeschooling family.If you see

Thoughts from a Homeschooling Dad

The joys surround seeing your children learning. I don’t think that is confined to a homeschool family but rather as a homeschooling dad you are seeing it up close. It is interesting to see the excitement of some new discovery, a new project , a new subject. At the dinner time you might discuss the Persians and the Greeks and various battles and kingdoms falling. They might have written a terrific essay or you look over their shoulder and see them solving maths problems that you couldn’t figure out anymore. As a dad you love to see your children grow and mature and homeschooling gives you a bird’s eye view.

Another joy is the flexible family time. My wife spoke about long holidays and time away and that is one of the privileges of homeschooling. You can alter your schedule for family priorities and you can take holidays when everyone else is at school. My wife, of course, attempts to make any holiday educational and it is great going to national park and hearing the rangers telling us about the life cycle of animals and plants. The joy is in learning together.

The challenges are in the areas of supporting your wife and reassuring her that she is doing a good job. My wife might question whether one of the children is really learning and then we spend some time talking about how things are going.

Challenges facing both of us are questions about teaching your children at home as opposed to school and what type of approach would suit them the best. It doesn’t take all that much to make you question what you are doing and that can be painful.

Other challenges resolve around being disciplined in getting up on time and achieving your goals. Feeling sick or tired is also a handicap. There are no sick days and what do you do when you are simply unwell? My wife, at times, has gone through periods of sickness which made me think about what we can do. These times are never easy! Goal setting is good but it can also be depressing – especially if you don’t achieve everything you hope to. Still all of us can look back at our own schooling and acknowledge that the teachers also struggled to achieve their goals.

Teaching at home means that you attempt to educate your children with good material. A challenge at times is to find that material and be happy with it yourself. The different learning styles of the different children can also present a challenge.

Still overall, despite the challenges there is great joy in seeing your children make their way in the world and be adequately equipped. I believe that the good relationships that are developed at home school will be a blessing into the future. A good character, good relationships, and a good education about God’s world are, at least in my mind, the goals of a good home education.

News - Monthly Giveaway! Two $50.00 Prizes - Two Competitions!

The February Competition has now closed!

There were some wonderful curriculum descriptions and reviews added during this contest and I thank you as well as those who view the pages of www.design-your-homeschool.com

These pages have added worthwhile content for all readers. How do you know about a curriculum if you haven't seen it? It has been great to have reviews and please add more if you like.

These were the entries:

Curriculum Descriptions which have been added for the competition:

Ambleside Online Curriculum
Homeschooling Online Courses by Thinkwell
Saxon Math
Math on the Level
Mammoth Math
Wordly Wise
Elements of Music
The Musical Life of Gustav Mole
Rightstart Math

Curriculum Reviews added:

Life of Fred : Too good not to continue!
We love Tapestry of Grace
Rummy Roots - Terrific for Vocabulary and Spelling
Teaching Texbooks is Fun
Classical Kids CDs
I Love Alpha Omega Lifepacs

The Book Voucher Winners

1. Nicole and Holly Smith for their many curriculum desription entries and her wonderful writng style as well as the depth of the curriculum descriptions. See her entries here:
   • Wordly Wise
   • Saxon Math Curriculum
   • The Musical Life of Gustav Mole
   • Classical Kids CDs

   Please contact me Nicole and let me know which Bookseller you would like the gift voucher from.

2. Kimberly from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. For her curriculum reviews here:
   • Tapestry of Grace Review
   • Rummy Roots Review
   • Teaching Textbooks Reviews

   Please contact me Kimberly to receive your Book Voucher.

$50.00US Gift Certificates from either Christianbook.com or The Book Depository. - your choice.

New Competition??
Keep your eyes on the Homeschool Monthly Giveaway page.

I also added some pages on Homeschool Music. Read more pages here.

Joys of the Veteran Homeschooling Family

1. Watching the Growth in Maturity

Although my older sons do things that make me shake my head and wonder, it has been great to see them grow in maturity and most importantly in love for God. From since they were born, our prayer has been that they develop into young adults who love God and are eager to serve Him and God has graciously worked in their lives through us, through our church community and through wonderful, Godly mentors. We can only be thankful!
2. Helping to direct their path

It is exciting to see each unique child find their own direction. It often means a lot of discussion time, researching together, deciding on pathways. It is a joy to sit together and be excited about future possibilities. This is the job a career counselor would have done at school - aren't you glad it's you?
3. A Sense of Peace

So many of the early days of homeschooling are dealing with answering friends and family as to reasons for the convictions we hold. Our energy is zapped, questions are asked and often we are left wondering if we are really doing the "right" thing. After homeschooling for a number of years, less and less people ask you why and you are left happily in peace just to go about and "do it." It's great. They might watch you or see if you're coping, or wonder when you'll stop and eventually they'll have to be content with thinking, "Oh, that seems to be what they do!"

It's good to be left alone. And if you are challenged about why you do it, it doesn't worry you as much. I have also gained a sense of peace about homeschooling because it becomes the new norm for your family. To send them to school would be a drastic change!

Having said that, however, I remember an incident just last year that really threw me. I don't know why. I was totally unprepared for some questions and found myself really struggling and being defensive etc... Years down the track you don't always have answers ready and you don't spend huge amounts of time thinking about why you are doing it - it's just what your family does!

So, I suppose it's a good idea to remind yourself why you homeschool - make sure you continue to keep your focus and revisit goals for your family and family members.

4. Having a General Overview

As you continue to homeschool you understand more and more where you are headed. You tend to see the big picture goals and are not as worried about which course or curriculum you might use. You feel more confident not to rely on a particular curriculum and choose to follow your own ideas and even create your own pathway because you see the big picture and realize that there are many ways to the one goal. - hence this website helping YOU to design YOUR Homeschool!
5. Enjoying being a family

Yes, I've had my discouraging days (my husband can testify to that!) It's been hard at times and I've wondered if we should give up. It hasn't always been a smooth trip. BUT...

We have had the privelege of having so many hours, days, months and years with our children which we would have missed out on if they were at school! That's one of the first reasons we chose to homeschool! I want time with them and if I look back on the great experiences we have had because we had "time" together - holidays for months at a time, excursions, read aloud times on the couch, games at night, walks... all because we had "time."

Challenges Facing the Veteran Homeschooling Family

What is specific for the family who has been homeschooling for a number of years?

1. Getting Tired
   There are times while homeschooling that we become physically tired as well as mentally tired. Perhaps we have too high expectations and can not fulfill them and so become worn out. Perhaps we are too involved in outside extra curricular activities. Perhaps our family has continued to grow and we become stretched due to the extra demands on our time due to little babies, toddlers as well as older teens. These are all valid reasons as to why we tire out and in each circumstance we need to assess what we can do to help ourselves. Perhaps we need to pull out of activities - are we dragging our family around to activities where only a few children benefit? Is it the best use of our time, resources and strength? Perhaps we need to re-think our goals. It is good to aim high and to aim for excellence, but are we pushing ourselves and our children too much. Don't forget what is most important.



2. Bored with curriculum or covering the same material.
   At times it is refreshing for you and your family to change curriclum. Perhaps you have been working with a certain textbook or program for years and years. It is okay to try something new just for the sake of freshness. Your excitement and enthusiasm spills over into your family so for their sake it is important to be re-enthused about your calling.

   When I have felt flat about what we've been doing, I have taken a step back and asked my children to find and work on their own projects. This has been interesting to see and good for me to watch and relax as learning was taking place in all sorts of different ways.

   I also learnt during these times, that I enjoy homeschooling far more when I am fully involved in the learning, in reading together, in researching and generally being a very active part of the education process. And so, I was spurred on once again to be active, be focussed, dig up some material or a great book which we would enjoy. Often just spending time reading aloud a funny book or just excellent literature would remind me about what I really love - and that is quality time, not workbook time.

   I would also spend more time going out - visiting an art gallery, going to a park, going for walks, buying a yearly pass to a museum or zoo. Those visits and excursions would always be a great day out - often the trip itself and the people we would meet would make the day very memorable.

   It is also good to consider your support groups or become more involved in a co-op or other homeschooling activities that may be available. This gives both you and your family a great social network and a time to catch up with others.




3. Maintaining Family Time
   As our children get older, and become more involved in our church activities, or on leadership teams, it has become more difficult to find family time. It has also been a challenge since our older two are now working outside the house. It has been an adjustment for them - leaving the house early, coming home after a long day's work and then often involved in outside activities. It has also been an adjustment for the whole family. We have been used to seeing eachother so much (all the time), and now we just see snippets! It's hard! In order for us to keep on track together as a family, we have chosen to have family meetings where we can bring up concerns, and run through the week ahead. Life is busy and I am learning to listen to their needs as young adults, helping to keep them in check so they don't burn out, and looking for opporutnities where we can also enjoy family time. I love it that our home is often a place where many of the teenagers 'hang out'.

Organizational Tips

Christina Parrott has given some wonderful suggestions here about Kids Things, School things, School Assignments, Schedules, and General Organization. Please read her ideas here.

How are you organizing your school year? Please let us know your organizational tips here.

Coming soon...

Since we do not view anything coming by chance, but by God's gracious and fatherly hand, I am thankful that He allowed it to be this way. I have met many mothers who say, "If I had known about homeschooling, I think it would have benefitted my child" or "If only I had found out sooner it could have prevented some other issues that we now have to deal with."

My husband just preached on Lords' Day 10 from the Heidelberg Catechism. Perhaps you are not aware of that confessional statement, but just listen to this beautiful statement of faith.

So in all things, the difficult times and the joys of our lives, God never leaves us, but yet works it all out in conformity to His will, for the good of those who love Him.

Yes.. there will be another competition soon! Any ideas? Let me know.

Until next time, ... Keep-On-Track.....

I pray that you have been encouraged through this ezine - The Joys and Challenges of the veteran Homeschooling Family.