I'm happy to report that I survived my very first National Novel Writing Month, affectionate known as Nano to my fellow writers! Although I didn't "win" by hitting the 50K word count, I came close to the halfway mark, had a lot of fun, and learned so much along the way. Now that I'm not trying to bang out 1,660 words a day, I hope to return to posting more regularly here on my blog.
The week before Thanksgiving, I had to arrive at our Community Bible Study group half an hour early since my older daughter was part of the cast for a play. As usual we were rushing to leave on time so I used all the emergency strategies: breakfast in the van, postpone getting gas, skip the coffee stop, and brush hair on arrival. After I dumped the necessary supplies into my over sized bag turned purse, we were on the way. I made it on time, dropped my daughter off for her costume fitting, and took the younger one to the bathroom in an attempt to transform her bed head into a presentable appearance. My youngest girl loves her long hair (I do, too) but she hates for me to brush it (I do, too)! What's even worse than having to brush her hair every day is having to brush it the day after we forget to do it. To say she gets "tangles" would be an understatement! I silently chide myself for forgetting to brush it because a few tiny tangles turn into a knotted mess. The process is much more painful and lengthy.
As I set about working the tangles out as carefully as possible, it occurred to me that tangles often pop up in other areas of my life, especial in our homeschool. Bad attitudes, disrespectful words, slothful work, lack of diligence, and tempers are a few "tangles" that come to my mind. At the time it can seem easier to simply ignore the issue because it's not really a big deal, right? Often I'm tempted towards laziness. I'd rather not stop teaching - again - and deal with the problem. But if I don't, that tiny tangle morphs into an even larger knot. Then when I take the time to deal with it, it's a more lengthy and painful process for both of us. Like tangles, they tend to crop up daily, but I've found that if I deal with them right away, they come out easily and my child has a much more pleasing appearance!
What "tangles" do you deal with in your homeschool? In yourself? Often I find encouragement when I know I'm not the only one dealing with frustrations that are common to many homeschool mommas!
The week before Thanksgiving, I had to arrive at our Community Bible Study group half an hour early since my older daughter was part of the cast for a play. As usual we were rushing to leave on time so I used all the emergency strategies: breakfast in the van, postpone getting gas, skip the coffee stop, and brush hair on arrival. After I dumped the necessary supplies into my over sized bag turned purse, we were on the way. I made it on time, dropped my daughter off for her costume fitting, and took the younger one to the bathroom in an attempt to transform her bed head into a presentable appearance. My youngest girl loves her long hair (I do, too) but she hates for me to brush it (I do, too)! What's even worse than having to brush her hair every day is having to brush it the day after we forget to do it. To say she gets "tangles" would be an understatement! I silently chide myself for forgetting to brush it because a few tiny tangles turn into a knotted mess. The process is much more painful and lengthy.
As I set about working the tangles out as carefully as possible, it occurred to me that tangles often pop up in other areas of my life, especial in our homeschool. Bad attitudes, disrespectful words, slothful work, lack of diligence, and tempers are a few "tangles" that come to my mind. At the time it can seem easier to simply ignore the issue because it's not really a big deal, right? Often I'm tempted towards laziness. I'd rather not stop teaching - again - and deal with the problem. But if I don't, that tiny tangle morphs into an even larger knot. Then when I take the time to deal with it, it's a more lengthy and painful process for both of us. Like tangles, they tend to crop up daily, but I've found that if I deal with them right away, they come out easily and my child has a much more pleasing appearance!
What "tangles" do you deal with in your homeschool? In yourself? Often I find encouragement when I know I'm not the only one dealing with frustrations that are common to many homeschool mommas!
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