School

Never Would I Ever

~ Mama On A Run ~ 4 Comments

I remember playing the game, “Never have I ever…” back in high school and college. “Never have I ever been to Australia, run a full marathon, eaten…” You fill in the blank.

In my adult life, I’ve often said, “Never would I ever homeschool.” And here I am, into my second year of homeschooling my kiddos. 😉

A little background information on me: my degree is in Elementary Education and I taught at two different Title I public schools for a cumulative of 5 years after graduating college. When I had my first child, we as a family decided I would stay home instead of trading my paycheck in for daycare and doctors visits. I have been teaching for VIPKID for the past 4.5 years since being home.

My son was enrolled in kindergarten at a private school for the 2019-2020 school year. He had a scholarship called Step-Up which covered about 70% of his tuition. My plan was when my youngest, Lillian turned four, I would get a job at a local private school to cover the cost of tuition for both my children.

When the pandemic hit, life changed dramatically for us all.

My son’s school year ended online, and public and private schools were scrambling with how to begin the 2020-2021 school year. Virtual? Mask mandates? Social distancing at lunchtime and recess? Honestly, I was sending my son to school mostly for social purposes. Now that those were being taken away, and that the cost of tuition would still remain the same, we had to reevaluate. (Even 30% was a big committment for us.) We began to make a long list of pros and cons and to pray. Lots and lots of prayers.

Continue with private education or pursue the land of “Never Will I Ever?”

I had this plan that I had been holding tightly to for a long time now. I told this plan to many people over the years. I kept my teacher certificate renewed with the possibility of going back into the classroom one day. The plan as I mentioned earlier was to get a job at a local private school and my kids would attend where I taught.

Here’s the thing with my plans. I like planning. I like filling my family’s social calendar with events. I like setting goals for myself. And there’s nothing wrong with those things.

But, God’s Word says, “The mind of a person plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” -Proverbs 16:9

I began to have conversations with other local Mamas that homeschooled, I met with them and picked their brains. I am so thankful for these conversations and the time they took to share their wisdom with me.

One Mama encouraged me to I ask myself “Why am I doing this? What is my purpose in homeschooling?” She also said, “As you are doing your research I would encourage you to pray about what the Lord would have you do. At least that’s what I’ve done and it’s never steered me wrong.”

Godly wisdom.

Another Mama shared that she asks the Lord for a theme or verse to be her family’s focus for the year. An area that the Lord wants to grow them in as a family.

In the midst of all of this, I as an educator kept seeking all kinds of curriculum, homeschool groups, etc. But most of all I desired clarity.

Is this what the Lord had next for our family? Was I willing to step out in to faith and obedience?

As I prayed, I confessed to the Lord that I didn’t want to be a homeschool martyr mom. I didn’t want to talk about homeschooling as a burden, or something the Lord made me do and choose a bad attitude. If the Lord was calling our family to this, I desired to do it joyfully and for it to be a blessing to our family.

I struggled. I wrestled. I prayed. I surrendered. And boy did I cry. Lots of tears.

I asked the Lord for a sign, for confirmation in His Word. In many different seasons of my life the Lord has always been faithful to speak to me through the Scriptures. I wanted something to look back on and cling tightly to, a landmark of sorts at the beginning of this journey.

I woke up on June 17, 2020 to do my quiet time. (I only know this date because I journaled it!) I asked the Lord to speak to me through His Word. A lot of times I do this, but then I rush forward to reading my Bible and don’t take time to pause and listen. This particular morning, I felt strongly to pause. So I did.

When I closed my eyes, I saw a picture of two oxen and a yoke. I heard the Lord say, “My burden is easy and my yoke is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

I needed to be reminded that homeschooling was not something I would do on my own strength, but in His strength!

When I opened my Bible study, the scripture was Proverbs 14:4, “Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but increase comes by the strength of an ox.” You can get more insight on this scripture here.

I was stunned, shocked really when I saw that scripture with oxen after I just was told about oxen. Then as I continued on with my study (which I was about 2/3 of the way through) for the day, the woman who wrote the Bible study mentioned for the first time that she homeschooled.

I had the clarity I’d been seeking.

Now, the point of this story isn’t to say that homeschooling has been all rainbows and unicorns (although Lillian does enjoy both of these). We have had some very hard, intense moments, and even days. We’ve also had dance parties in tutus and knight outfits, and lots of intentional time together as a family.

The purpose is not also to say that I think everyone should homeschool, or that this is what we will do forever and ever. We desire to continue to seek the Lord and ask Him for guidance as we enter each school year, saying “What next?”

The purpose of me sharing the beginning of this journey with you is to ask you, “What do you sense the Lord is calling you to do next? Have you asked Him for confirmation and clarity?”

Mama, The Creator of the Universe desires to speak to you and your heart. He has good plans for you and your family, way better than anything you can plan yourself.

Seek Him, get into His Word, and He will lead and guide your steps.

What about you, Mama? What are you doing now, that you once said, ”Never will I ever…?”

What’s In Your Lunch Box?

~ Mama On A Run ~ 2 Comments

Oh the Lunch Box! It’s only three weeks in, and the lunchbox struggle is real! My son has been digging some PB&J sandwiches on Ezekiel bread, but I have to encourage him to think outside of the box.

Every day I try to include one veggie, one fruit, one protein, and one snack. We really try to limit our kiddos intake of processed food, and have some healthier suggestions listed below. What kid doesn’t like a good snack?

Fruits: Whatever fruit our kiddos are currently digging, but preferably something not too messy. Grapes, apples, blueberries, strawberries, and frozen mango are the current favorites at our house.

Veggies: Kale salad, quinoa salad, leftover sweet potato fries, roasted brussel sprouts, or broccoli.

Proteins: PB&J on Ezekiel bread, kidney beans, hummus and crackers. For the PB&J, I use Trader Joe’s organic PB and organic jelly from Costco.

Snacks: Annie’s bunnies or cheddar squares, Yum Earth gummies, Lara bars, home made date balls, Trader Joes peanut butter crackers, and stove top popcorn.

As a child, I have fond memories of my mom and dad writing me notes in my lunchbox. I try to always include a bit of encouragement for my son on his napkin.

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What’s in your kiddos’ lunchbox, Mama? I’d love to swap some ideas!

Back to School Rhythm

~ Mama On A Run ~ Leave a comment

The back to school rhythm is a wayyyyy different than our summer mornings where we would take our time to play and make big breakfasts. It’s been an adjustment even from VPK that started at 9 am, to kindergarten where Aiden can be dropped off as early as 7:45 but not one minute later than 8 am.

Here’s some tips that we have implemented to make our mornings run smoother and help with our transition back to school:

  1. Uniforms prepped and ready for the week. I wash all my son’s uniforms on the weekend and then my husband irons them on Sunday night. My husband has also taken on ironing his clothes for the week. This helps save time in the mornings-the five to ten minutes to let the iron heat up, open the ironing board, and iron the clothes daily.
  2. Prepping lunch. I try to have most of my son’s foods packed the night before. I simply have to transfer it to his lunchbox and we are ready for the day.
  3. Backpack ready. Homework and folder check are done each night before the school day. His backpack hangs on the door handle of the downstairs closet to make for an easy grab and go.
  4. Meal plan/Grocery shop/Meal prep on the weekend. I’ll write a whole post about this in the future. This is a strategy we implemented a few years ago that has changed our meal times for the better. I try to plan our meals for the week and my husband does grocery shopping for us on Friday nights while I teach. Sunday is meal prep day. I try to prep our salad dressings, baked goods, and one meal to make the week flow a little smoother. I also plan for very simple breakfasts and dinners during the week and am more apt to try new recipes on the weekends.

How’s your family transitioning to the back to school rhythm, Mama? What tips can you share? I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment below!

School of Choice

~ Mama On A Run ~ Leave a comment

My first baby just wrapped up his first week in kindergarten. I predicted I would be sobbing as we dropped him off on his first day, but somehow I refrained. My little man barely glanced back at me as his teacher brought him to class. His demeanor helped stabilize my emotions.

My thoughts were another story…

“Would he remember to use the bathroom and how to wipe his coolie when he poops? Will he drink enough water? Will he be kind towards his classmates? What color will he be on for behavior at the end of the day?”

The first day of school is filled with photo ops and lots of excitement. A new year and new beginnings.

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Deciding where your child goes to school is a big decision that requires research and prayer. There are so many choices. Public? Charter? Private? Home? Montessori? Waldorf?

We decided when my son turned 4 that he would attend VPK and see how he did before committing to a decision for kindergarten. I felt pressured to homeschool because a lot of my close friends were doing it, and with my background in elementary education, I felt almost obligated. Every time I thought about the homeschooling possibility I would get super anxious and have a strong sense of resistance.

I’ll never forget one night when cleaning up from dinner I was in tears. My Babes gently wiped my face and told me I don’t have to homeschool, and released me from that pressure.

I realized, “I don’t have to be super mom.” I can be confident in the things I do well and it’s ok for me to send my child to school and go back to teaching full time one day.  

So, we began to think and research schools. I preferred to send him to private school, but figured that was way out of our budget. I’m so thankful for our friends who told us about Step Up, this awesome grant that offers scholarships to people who qualify based on family size and income. I’ll share more details about the application process in another post.

The cool thing was, we didn’t have to look very far. One of the schools that accepted Step Up is relatively close to our house. I sensed the Lord leading us to this school. We only toured one school, only filled out one application, and only paid one registration fee. In fact, I put down the deposit of $300 to reserve Aiden’s spot prior to receiving the confirmation of the scholarship. I felt strongly that I needed to take that step of faith.

A few thoughts when making the school choice:

1. Freedom to choose. There is freedom in choice, mama. You don’t have to answer or convince your other mommy friends or family of your decision. What works best for your family? For your child?

2. Take it year by year. When we chose the school my son is at for kindergarten, we didn’t have to make a commitment that he would graduate from high school there. If down the road we decide to switch to a different school, we can do that. One year at a time.

3. Peace and unity. Be at peace with your decision, Mama. I think it’s very important for parents to be united in their decision making process as well.

What is your school of choice for your kiddos? How was their first day of school? Answer in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you!

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