Homeschool

How To NOT Go Insane When Your Kids Move Out – 3 Things You Need To Help Bubble Up

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Get a life, friend! (Yes, I’m talking to me, too.)

Elderly woman with walker on house steps

“No! I’m not going insane. Why do you ask?:

Above was the response I gave all weekend, like hitting a ping-pong ball back to the person who launched it at me, again and again.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

I was at an in-person homeschool Year-End Celebration event this weekend with Logos Online School, and I gave the same response (above) to the same question that all the other homeschooling parents kept asking me.

And then even a stranger not at our event rolled down his car window and asked me a question. “What in the WORLD is going on here? I haven’t ever seen that many people in this park since the County Fair!” he exclaimed. We were elbow to elbow at the outdoor English Country dance at the Year-End event, where kids of every age (AND their parents!) danced together for several hours, everyone smiling unwittingly.

I attempted to explain, “Oh! There are simply people from nearly every state in the US and many provinces in Canada, plus some internationals here, dancing together with people of all ages for fun!” I waved him off with a smile. His eyebrows furrowed deeper.

Homeschooling is hard to explain sometimes.

Even God (!) is surprising us with our collective homeschooling adventure because homeschooling has been growing exponentially.

This growth in homeschooling is a good thing for our culture for many reasons, including those discussed HERE, HERE and even HERE.

Oh, and the part about many people asking me if I’m going insane? Oh, that’s because it’s my last year homeschooling my kids after 20 years at this job, teaching them from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (I know! I’m shocked I lasted that long, too!). It’s a new season for me.

So I may be feeling a bit disoriented.

And my last kid is moving out this year. (I’m advanced at keeping my kids nearby! And we missed a few milestones, such as the one for Kindergarten kids, “Watch at the school bus takes them away!”)

So I desperately asked for advice at this homeschooling event to every parent I knew who had just finished or was about to finish homeschooling their kids, like a drowning person asking (politely!) for a life preserver.

A quick summary of what I heard, through their tears and their joy, is that in this changing season, we need to let three things bubble up:

  1. Thankfulness: For example, massive cultural hope is a reason to be thankful, don’t you think? Well done, homeschooling parents. You loved these kids, and a well-loved kid is a gift.Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.The Message
  2. True Feelings: I, for one, have generally preferred squashing feelings so I can be more productive. However, I’m trying to let my true feelings surface for even 10-15 minutes without judging them. This practice will (hopefully?) reduce the necessity for quite as many expensive counselling sessions if I go a little bit nutso later on from pushing down my feelings.
  3. The Next Thing: What’s the new thing, friend, that God has for you in this next season? Let’s let that bubble up a bit, too. What excites the heart, friend, in the quiet moments of the morning, when you and God are chatting? (Hint – Try to do more of the listening.)

For example, as the song below sings, “it’s gonna to take some time,” and “be patient with the process,” what do you sense God stirring in your soul, friend? God time for a listen? “If you want a resurrection,” what “dying has to happen” in your life, friend?

In my case, I wonder if maybe my kids can go ahead and save the world while I put my feet up for a few decades to celebrate a homeschooling job well done? (See Point #1 above). OK, maybe God has something new for me, too, in this next season, but that’s a discussion for another time. (I keep forgetting to do Point #2, above.)

Yes! I’m OK! I’m NOT going insane!

Why do you ask?

And I will try to forget about all those martinis I DIDN’T drink on the bad homeschooling days. I’m FINE! (I hope you are, too, friend.)

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – FINALLY Leaving Home, Are We? by Mobio Marketing on Unsplash

Surprise! Look In Your Tears To Find Your Authentic, Best Mothering Gift

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Some gifts arrive in surprising packages. I hope you find yours, friend.

woman in black shirt with yellow hair

If you are downcast and wondering how ON EARTH to be a great mother, look no further because I am wearing my cape of excellent motherhood for you!

(I will also write about humility, but that’s not till next week, so we are safe for now!)

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

How can I assert myself as a great mother so you will listen to my advice? Good question! As I have recently learned, we have to find a way to convince others that we are experts before we tell them what to do, with enough confidence that they MAY even listen to us!

Well, here is some proof:

My kids drew these pictures for me over ten years ago!

Note the following close-up details:

One child wrote, “I wanna [sic] to be like you when I grow up.” Should I remind you all that perhaps the 10th item on my list of nine reasons to homeschool is that if you keep them at home with the curtains drawn and doors locked all the time1, your children MAY actually find that if there are no other adults in your children’s lives to look up to, so the adult they look up to is surprisingly . . .YOU!

Also, in the details of these pictures my children drew, you can see that one child wrote “Power” on her drawing of me! This comment is proof of my gentle assertiveness, I can assume! I don’t think she is talking about being afraid of me, like she said here, as that would be unhealthy, and the point of these introductory paragraphs is for you to realize that I am an expert.

However, unlike my usual writing, today I DO ACTUALLY have ONE piece of advice that can help you, so before you slam your laptop shut, you may want to stick around for that tasty candy I’ll soon toss your way.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Wait for it . . . (Building suspense)

Fifteen years ago, I was at the women’s retreat, and my tears surprised me.

Something a woman said at the conference echoed and clarified something God seemed to be whispering to my soul.

One wise woman figured there was probably a lesson for me in these surprising tears, so she patiently sat down to listen and to help me find the message after handing me the box of Kleenex.

And this message within my tears became one of the important anchors that helped to salvage my parenting from shipwreck.

Sometimes the message within our tears and prayers frees us.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to discuss this next time because this newsletter is getting too long – I think it’s your attention span is too short, by the way, not mine.2

However, you’re in luck because I have no idea what topics I’m even writing about,3 and so I accidentally posted two articles out of order! So this month, I ALREADY posted that amazing advice I found in my tears HERE!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credits – Woman Weeping Holding Hope by engin akyurt on Unsplash, Drawings And Notes by Two Incredible Children

1 That statement was a trick because homeschoolers are out doing stuff WAY more often than they should be if they were actually serious about meeting every Learning Objective the teachers tell us is essential (They are not essential). For definitive proof that we homeschoolers are home much less than we “should” be, watch this funny video on homeschooling myths.

2 Just sayin’. Wait – What were we talking about?

3 (Or why – But that’s another topic!)

Advice: Your Bridge To Hope After Your Kid Moves Out

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How To Avoid Sorting The Tears Into Happy / Sad

green trees near brown wooden bridge during daytime

I’m mad at you! At all of you with a child over seventeen years old who left home! I hate you all! Why didn’t you tell me it would be this hard to say goodbye when they left for college!?

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in fifty-eight countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

Mother’s Day Hack! This Is What Happened When I Grew As A (Slightly) Better Spiritual Guide

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Have you opened the full gift of you for your children to be amazed at, yet? I hope you do.

a woman holding a baby in her arms

My last post definitely proved that I am a good mother!

If that weren’t enough proof, check out this mug my daughter purchased for me!1

And now that I have established my authority as an excellent mom, let me tell you what I learned about becoming a slightly better Mom!

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

When Your Storm Ushers In A Deeper Calm – How To Find The Path

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Got time to reach out for a bit of peace to hang onto during your storm, friend?

seawaves

So previously I talked about the day that our child received the diagnoses of:

  • Specific Learning Disorder -SLD
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- ADHD, inactive presentation (previously Attention Deficit Disorder -ADD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder -ASD

So clearly, the night skies weren’t predicting clear skies and smooth sailing for this child. These diagnoses were the first true storm that woke us up to trouble ahead. Up until that day, we thought our growing feeling of seasickness was due more to our own queasy stomachs than to the ominous, ongoing waves of the sea that were making us feel unwell.

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

Ancient Text 

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

I was devastated by these diagnoses in all honesty. Our beautiful, kind daughter, the one who tried so hard, loved so completely, and who still had her whole life in front of her, seemed to be in a fog most of the time.

We tried to wake her up with “Enrichment Activities” the experts recommended when she was a baby, but she still slept for 20 hours a day, piling up her milestones behind her while she slept.

It seemed that the horizon of her future would be truncated and shorter than the full expanse that we hope for each of our children.

What now? We were ushered into the new world of “Autism and Special Education” appointments with experts, which were like annoying fire alarms set into our otherwise peaceful homeschooling days. Having fun quietly playing a board game with a sibling?

“TOO BAD! You HAVE to go to X appointment RIGHT Now!”

Sometimes, often, she would scream in protest at these new, unwelcome interruptions, but I would force her into the car, strap her seatbelt so she couldn’t resist, and drive away, my supermom cape trailing behind me as I drove.

“Experts knew best!” I reminded myself as I drove! Except when they don’t. And they usually don’t in these situations.

But that’s for another time.

Got a stomach that can handle some seasickness, friend? Maybe take some Gravol for the seasickness before you read on. There.

Are you feeling better?

And now let’s sit for a bit by the seaside before we decide to board that boat together. The journey I am suggesting will require learning some sailing skills and building our physiques. Up for a challenge?

If so, what challenge or storm has surprised you on your journey?

Let’s sit here by the ocean, friend, and ask God for your next steps.

And so, how do we find the path through your storm?

  1. We listen for His voice, whisper, or gentle nudge.
  2. We go where He leads.
  3. He lean on Him to give us strength for the journey.

As the song below plays, imagine that Jesus is right next to you. He is! Smile at this knowledge! Do you feel your soul relax? As you ponder the lyrics, “You are the peace in my troubled sea,” or “Your great love will lead me through,” consider sitting in the quiet for a few minutes and asking Jesus, “How can I stand behind You, and then row this boat ashore, with You guiding and directing, to help us sail through this storm?”

And I pray that God leads you through your storm, friend, as you listen closely to Him guiding you.

The journey is a thing, but you’ve got this, holding the hand of the one who walks with us on raging seas and sometimes even calming the seas raging in our lives. Oh! And our child was healed of the negative challenges associated with all of these diagnoses.

But I’ll have to tell you that story another time.

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – Some Storms May Look Like This by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash

How To Make Homeschoolers Clean Up! (The Impossible Is Possible With This One Remarkable, Guaranteed* Hack!)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Ready for a bit of magic to explode in your life, friends?

a woman and a child are making christmas cookies

This advice could make you feel like a Superhero Mama (like me in the photo below – just sayin’) in Clark Kent clothes (OK – Clark Kent clothes with finger paint on them. Who’s looking THAT closely?) because this article is FILLED to the brim with advice about how to make your homeschooled kids clean up!

(Or at least there SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE piece of advice in this article! I hope you find it! While you’re looking, have you seen any pencils? We lost all of ours, so it’s becoming harder to do math.)

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

The Truth About Holy Spirit Attempting To Awaken You To Something More

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Rubbing Your Eyes, Friend?

We are serving up some previously published articles for you to feast on this week, while our family is on spring break.1

Goodbye, winter!

Hello, flowers in Victoria, Canada! Enjoy some of this site’s top articles from around this time last year.2 And may these articles help you stride confidently through life!

(As usual.)

Yeah, so I might have had a slight touch of fear now and then over my lifetime.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

Advice: One Unknown Truth To Make Your Plant (Life!) Thrive

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Sit by me, friend, and live a ridiculous life!

a person holding a plant in their hands

With desperation, I can ALMOST (!) hear you, then, asking me, “What is this one unknown truth that makes my plant (I.e., life!) flourish?”

Great question! I’m glad you asked (me!)!

It’s the following truth:

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

God has terrible math skills!

And so, in today’s article, we will:

  1. Prove that God (sometimes!) has terrible math skills.
  2. Explain how God’s bad math skills will help you to soar in your life!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Part 1

“How can I have the MOST productive, important life?” I asked God over and over.

Not that I am neurotic or anything, but I obviously asked this only so I could best help others thrive!

Well, that part came a bit later (it’s still coming a bit), but the point is that we ALL want to be IMPORTANT and AMAZING, if we push past the clutter of our words that we try to make ourselves believe when people are listening to us.

When I had my first child, I was almost immediately asked by a helpful (?) family member what everyone else was thinking: “Can you earn more money if you get someone else to take care for your baby, versus if you do it?” (I.e., He was basically asking me something like, “Do you have more earning potential than an unskilled nine-year old?”) Yes!

I did!

“Then you’ll put your kid in daycare,” his brain automatically assumed. He was talking without thinking. Makes sense!

The math adds up!

But then it seemed God was asking me to care for and then homeschool our two1 kids for twenty years.

That kind of math does NOT make sense.

God doesn’t seem to care much about math, because there was a LOT of other stuff I could have done during that time. God is not as PRACTICAL as the rest of us. This complaint is actually one of the (many) complaints I have had about God over the years.

Dr. Robertson McQuilkin, a prominent author, educator, and former president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary, famously resigned from his prestigious position in 1990 to become the full-time caregiver for his wife, Muriel, who was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: Focus on the Family: Love In The Midst Of Alzheimer’s

Part 2

And so, how do God’s bad math skills help you to soar in your life?

For one, you can write online (if God is calling you to do this2). And then, you can write online with confidence! And if only ONE person (your mom?) reads your stuff, then you can still trust that your life is amazing!

I can trust that my small life, in the palm of His hand, is stewarded well as I do my best, falling as I go, to walk along the path He chooses for me because God carries the responsibility for what exactly a life well lived consists of!

[God] rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Ancient Text

So you can relax and follow God, and not care so much about what everyone else thinks of you or about boring stuff like whether your life is a good use of time, as valued by something as dumb as math skills! And that is freeing (once you can become socially adjusted enough not to care what others think of you, which took me twenty years3). But the IDEA is freeing once I can finally trust that my life has value as I trust Him to lead me!

And one day, I sensed in the depths of my heart God comforting me by whispering something along the lines of:

I won’t waste your life4.

So keep having a life that makes no sense, friend!

(We know better, regardless of what the math says.)

Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit: Me (N U) In God’s Hands by Jennifer Delmarre on Unsplash, Me (N U) Soaring by Alfonso Betancourt on Unsplash

1 No! That’s not eight or twelve!

2 If you are a Christian who believes EXACTLY the same stuff as me, then You should be writing online, too! At least that’s what I think: We need more people to spout off and to say things just like I would, and to be exactly like me, is basically what I believe, though I would say that in a more nuanced way, if I were ever to mention that above a whisper.

3 And I’m not there yet!

4 Would I believe Him? Well, that’s for next time. But know that I did (!) start writing online! And then, my Mom even read what I wrote once! And now, even YOU read it! (More on why or if that matters another time.)

Homeschooling In February? Know The Most Important Mistake To Avoid

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Sit by me and be encouraged to take this anti-seasickness medicine, friend!

woman in gray long sleeve shirt sitting beside boy in blue sweater

As mentioned last time, I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out1.

And if you are still deep in the throes of homeschooling, friend, or are trying to get through another nearly impossible situation this winter, well, JUST GET THROUGH FEBRUARY.

You got this.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)

3 Hacks: How To Actually Thrive In February

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Got a minute to defrost, friend?

a plant with snow on it in a snowy forest

I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out. What that involves is figuring out all the ways I messed her up, and then gently revisiting those topics to say things like, “Ha Ha! I was kidding! Of course!”

That type of process is what motivated our first daughter to begin her own healing journey, so I’m hoping the same method works again!

Click HERE to continue reading.

Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)