Where Life Meets Homeschooling
Having navigated many seas of home education for nearly 20 years, I am pleased to share what helped us get through the occasional – and chronic - storms of life, as well as how to wait out the doldrums with joy and a sense of adventure.
As the homeschool graduation of my last born nears, I’ve been looking back as often as I’ve been looking forward.
Not that I’ve ever really been the black satin with a string of pearls kind of gal. More like …
The future is most likely somewhere between pearls and macaroni. And that’s sounds good to me.
“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11
Well, for the most part anyway. Today. At this moment. Regarding pearls. And macaroni. 
We can’t escape it. We live in it. We are not of it – if in the company of those redeemed by the blood of Christ – but we are still in it. And sometimes it hurts.
And sometimes – at 4:30 in the morning – we wake up needing to hide from the day, the week, the lifetime.
So we plan to go somewhere. Do something. Add to the world that crushes us so we don’t feel the pain.
Like pinching the fleshy part between thumb and index finger when our head is pounding. Or pounding our fist when we stub our toe. Or biting the inside of our lip when our heart is wrenched out of its comfortable socket.
Anything to distract from the pain. Even if it causes us more pain.
How many times have I been there?
But I got get kind of tired of self-inflicted pain on top of the world-inflicted hurt, so I sought seek Him. And found find a spot. A refuge. A fortress even. A hiding place. Over and over again …
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Seek and you shall find that He is your very safe hiding place, too.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Mathew 7:7
“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah “ Psalm 32:7
On days I felt abandoned by God, left alone to face the transitive verbs, multiplication tables, and do-I-hafta’s, I thought He was making me fend for myself.
But I found He wasn’t making me walk the line alone.
He was letting me.
He let me try to walk everyone’s tightropes (including my own) even when they led crosswise to each other, each counterclaiming: “This is God’s will.”
When I fell from the myriad ropes spread before me like a maze of jute, He caught me. Every time.
And then He taught me, when I sought Him. Really. Sought. Him.
Oh good, it’s Thursday! Just the right day to share a 2013 Goal Planning idea.
We’ve seen to-do lists, planning calendars and goal sheets based on productivity, productivity, productivity and a little stress management to keep us on our toes and not pass out cold.
However, I’m seeing a new need in the planning department. Now that we have Mega Input Opportunities (MIO’s) from sources in our own communities (newspapers and news stations), and from across the world, we can get lost in gathering intel, but not have time or energy to output what we’ve learned.
Anyone with internet access know what I mean?
Add in social media, and we could live with our fingers on the keyboard 24/7. But there’s a real world out there needing our involvement, too.
“In our love for input, let’s remember to output.” <— Click to Tweet
That’s why I created an Input Output Goal Sheet for 2013. If I get feeling a little overwhelmed – or underwhelmed – I can look at my list and see where I am lacking.
Am I giving so much of my time and energy that I’m not soaking in some love (or information) for myself?
Am I spending so much time gathering (and creating) recipes that I forget to cook? (Yep, that’s me.)
Do I collect crochet patterns, but forget to crochet? (Nope, not really. But I do get hooked on – tee hee – a favorite pattern and tend to make it over and over.)
I just noticed my year’s goals begin and end with food! With food allergies in the house, it makes sense. I just have to make sure I have healthy input and output levels. I can get mighty obsessed with hunting down recipes!
In the spirit of output, here’s a little help: a blank worksheet to help you plan a healthy balance between what you are putting into your life, and what you are sharing outwardly. (Document will open in Google Docs, if all went well technologically.)
Speaking of output, I’m looking forward to tonight’s foray into 3-D snowflake making!
For more on goal planning and how to teach your children to be goal-oriented, pop on over to Bright Ideas Press for my post: Six Ways to Teach Children Goal Setting.
Happy Planning and Happy Doing!
REALITY CHECK: Just because it’s on my to-do list doesn’t mean *right now* is the time to do it. 
Love 'n' life, one dust bunny at a time,
Suzanne
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