Tuttle Twins - America and Freedom

I am back after a year sabbatical.  I decided that one way to lessen the stress in my life, was to not force myself to blog every week.  There have been many things I've wanted to blog about but life got in the way.  However, I found something I really wanted to share.

I started teaching American History to a group of high schoolers this school year.  Well, every year that I teach I try to improve on my teaching and my students "learning."  So, I changed things up a bit this year and it is working out fairly nicely except for the massive amount of American History that canNOT be taught in the amount of time I have to teach.  But what made me write this blog post was my realization that one of the books I have been using in my teaching comes from a group that has an immense amount of books, classes, blogs, and podcasts that will help my teaching.  Due to this new knowledge, I will be tweaking my lessons to incorporate current events and how they compare to the history of America.  

Take the time to look into TuttleTwins.com.  Wow!!!  

Make It Work

I don't know if anyone is like me, but I thrive on planning.  My problem is that when I plan I do all I can to stick to the plan.  I am working on it...

I have found that if the plan doesn't work REVISE it.

So today I have revised our weekly schedule.  

My children, well one child in particular, has been telling me that he doesn't have enough time to get his school work done.  So along with revising the schedule a tad, I also typed in times during the schedule that he could be doing "Independent work."  After doing that, I see at least four hours most days that he has time for independent work.  Hmmm....  No excuses!

Actually, highlighting areas will help me to make sure the most important activities in our day are accomplished.

What a blessing!  Revising and, if need be, going with the flow can make your day more pleasant.  If your day happens to be a bit wonky, adjust as you go.  It's not the end of the world if you don't get everything done that day.

Have a blessed day :)

Shot in the Head

 This man was shot in the head about a year ago.  The bullet is still in his brain, but God...

https://notthebee.com/article/praise-the-lord-hans-schmidt-the-arizona-street-preacher-shot-in-the-head-is-nearly-fully-recovered-and-sat-down-for-an-interview-with-local-news

Anxiety

Anxiety starts with being anxious and allowing it to fester.  

How do I combat it in a healthy manner?

1.  Breathe.

2.  Remember, this day shall pass.

3.  Give it to God.

That last one is the hardest to do.  Well, it's easy to do it, but it's REALLY hard to leave it in God's hands.

I always thought that it would get easier as my children got older.  They would be more responsible and be in charge of their own lives.  Now I realize that the older they get and the more responsibility they take on, the more I lack the control.  

This week has been full of anxiety.  I keep telling myself to breathe.  Then I remind myself that they will learn from whatever happens.  Finally, I give it to God.  He is amazing at taking the anxiety away.  Why can't I just leave it in His capable hands?!

Plans

 I remember a saying I heard a long time ago...

"If you want to hear God laugh, make plans."

I might as well join God in laughter :) 

I keep making plans, and then they change for one reason or another.

Electronics for Kids

My kids are playing on the computer and watching youtube and more.  I don't like it, but what can I do about it?  I don't think it's good, but what proof do I have?  When I do take electronics away for a time, life is so much nicer at home.  Can I just say, "No more electronics."?  Yes, I can.  

Here are a couple podcasts to give you a good footing to say just that.

for kids - https://www.durendawilson.com/podcast-1/episode/c33b63fa/healthy-screen-time-habits-for-kids-podcast-534

for teens - https://www.durendawilson.com/podcast-1/episode/bc897dcc/healthy-screen-time-habits-for-teens-podcast-535

I ended up listening to the one for kids while my children were in the car.  My teenage boy turns to me and tells me that he wants me to stop listening to this.  He proceeds to tell me that he will probably use this when he has children.  Score!!!  My son already understands.  I decided to listen to the teen one on our next drive.  Then at the beginning of school this year, I informed them that electronics were not be allowed during the school week except for school use.

Now what to do for the breaks.  I just need to have a back bone and not back down.

A Time for Work and a Time for "Home" Work

Well, a new school year is upon us.  

I taught for ten years in the public schools before stepping into motherhood full time.  During my last year of teaching, I weighed the pros and cons of homeschooling.  I could only come up with one con for homeschooling, and that is, I would not have any time to myself.  I decided I could be "selfless" for eighteen plus years.  

Yikes!!!  What did I get myself into!  Don't get me wrong...  I thoroughly enjoy teaching my children and building a relationship with each of them.  But sometimes it would be nice to leave my "job" at work and come home to "home" work.  Well, I am putting that into place this year.  There is a time for teaching, a time for grading, and a time for tutoring.  If you try to get me to do "work" during my time of rest or "home" work, I say, "Plan better next time."  It doesn't always work, but it is working MUCH better this year.