Thanks for stopping by! I'm Magi, a scratch cooking, homeschooling mama, learning to raise good kids, good food, and good fun on our teeny-tiny little farm!
I never knew my great grandmother. But looking through her commonplace book, I know I would have admired her. And she probably would have been puzzled by, but tolerant of my my wide-eyed enthusiasm for doing things the hard way. I can almost hear her […]
First things first. You’re going to want to bookmark this recipe. Trust me on this. You do not want a Google search for “Pasties” on your browser history. Now then, moving along. I really enjoy sharing old traditions and starting new ones with my little […]
I see a lot of folks asking what they should tell their children. Regardless of who you voted for an whether or not you felt you “won”, I believe you should tell your children this:
Homeschooling has been such a blessing this year. I love being with the kids (most of the time 😉 ) and I love watching their wheels turn, while they make new connections, and discoveries. And while I’m sure I still have TONS to learn, I […]
Ah fall! It’s my favorite time of year. The colors, the crisp air, bonfires, warm soups and, even the ever present autumn cliche: Pumpkin. Spice. EVERYTHING! It’s also a busy time on the ol’ farm. Not only is there a lot that just didn’t get […]
Have you ever noticed how exhausting a week off is? Needed a vacation to recover from your vacation? I know I have. We have this week off of school, and I tell you I’m beat!
It’s from all the fun activities and extra projects, right?
NOPE. Haven’t done a single honey-do, catch up or special treat. We’ve been surfin’ the ‘net, watching too much tv, eating at weird times and flopping around the house.
It’s been the perfect week for an epiphany, because somewhere in all the hours of “free” time, I read about something called Decision Fatigue. And so much of what I’ve always believed about the power of a routine clicked on an even deeper level.
You see, whenever my kids lose their minds, or are just generally turds, I can almost always trace it to a deviation from the routine. You’ve seen it. The first week of summer break, Christmas, a new sport, whatever it is, it exhausts your kids and they turn into beasts, until you return to your regular routine or the new norm is established. But I never extended that to myself. I’ve been impatient, cranky and exhausted this week, even though I’m not “doing” anything extra. Or am I?
Here’s the deal. When you stick to a routine, you get into habits. The joy/curse of a habit is it is effortless. When I let my good habits (in this case it’s following the school routine -with built in household chores) run my day, the decision is already made. I don’t have to think about every little thing. I’m going to get up, space out and drink two cups of coffee, then the screens go off and the music comes on. Breakfast then chores then math, copy work, circle time, literature and lunch. I don’t even have to think about it. I get no push-back from the kids. It’s EASY!
Here’s what some smarter-than-me folks have said on the topic.
“The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” – Samuel Johnson
“We are all mere creatures of habit. We think our accustomed thoughts, make our usual small talk, go through the trivial round, the common task, without any self-determining effort of will at all. If it were not so– if we had to think, to deliberate, about each operation of the bath, or the table–life would not be worth having; the perpetually repeated effort of decision would wear us out.” – Charlotte Mason
“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days.”
–Charlotte Mason
I know you’re wondering what my point is and it’s this: If you’re exhausted for “no reason”, and you’ve ruled out health/sleep issues, it may be Decision Fatigue.
Here’s what you can do :
As for me, I’m planning now for the rest of my “days off”, and looking to Monday with eager anticipation.
And that is something I never thought I’d say!
One thing that initially drew me to homeschooling, and especially the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education was the idea that “school time” should not take all day. I love the idea of being done with our sit down work by noon, freeing up afternoons for […]
Lately I’ve been noticing a trend in parenting. We’re convinced that our children aren’t getting enough “sensory play”, so we manufacture opportunities to feel a new texture, hear a new sound or absorb a new odor–yeah, I said absorb a new odor. You know you’ve […]
I was recently chatting with one of my oldest and dearest friends who also happens to home school. We were gabbing about homeschool, curricula and perks, when the question arose as to whether I thought there might be gaps in a Charlotte Mason education. My first response was, No, I didn’t think there were gaps. After a few seconds I added that if there were, I didn’t care, which I suppose sounds rather cavalier.
But I’ve given it plenty of thought since then and can easily understand how it might appear to be a rather fluffy education, for those who haven’t seen the whole picture, or even most of the picture , and it’s a huge picture. I’ve spent many, many hours reading, listening, pondering and praying over how to best implement CM in our home, and I still don’t have it completely figured out. In fact when I first started reading her Homeschoool series, I thought it sounded an awful lot like unschooling.
Wow. I was wrong. The method, applied the way Charlotte Mason intended, is anything but fluffy, and in fact, is extremely rigorous. There are books on the first year list (that’s roughly first grade) that I’m intimidated by. And I’m a genuine book worm, folks.
But yes, there will be gaps.
There are gaps in any education. It’s simply impossible to cover everything your child could ever possibly need to know. Public schools, private schools, boxed curriculum, online curriculum, unschooling and homeschooling will all have gaps. What those gaps are will vary depending on your philosophy of education, and your goals for your child. Is your intent to homeschool start to finish? Do you intend to return to public school at a later time? Are you concerned with your child being able to answer questions correctly, or ask his own questions and find answers? Are you more concerned with technology, life skills, the ever important SOCIALIZATION? Do you have a struggling student in a particular subect? There are too many variables to make a given curriculum fit every student without gaps. Indeed what may be a “gap” for one, may be another’s redemption.
Isn’t that why many of us homeschool to begin with?
As for my children, I recognize that when we fully implement CM this fall, they will not be learning the same things at the same times as their public school counterparts. Since I have no intention of sending them back to school any time soon I’m not worried about that. They will be learning to appreciate the Bible, history, literature, music, art, nature, and pursuing their own interests as well. If I feel they are missing an important point or skill I will try to find a new way to present it, heck, if I have to I just may print out a worksheet. There are no Charlotte Mason police to come and shut us down. They will each learn and practice Math and Reading at their own pace and level, until they are able to pass a college entrance exam. And then they’ll go to college and learn some more. Or they might not. I am genuinely unconcerned about it. I expect bumps in the road. I expect attitudes to flare, ground to be lost, regained, and I expect to occasionally feel a deep urge to flag down the school bus.
I’m ready to take it as it comes, gaps and all.
And in the morning the pipes sent forth a mighty gurgle, and the toilet flushed slowly, and Mama said “If it’s yellow, it’s mellow” and it was yellow, but it was not mellow. Because it’s a proven fact that septic tanks only ever get full […]