First "real" schooling day of the 2018-2019 year

I am SO excited. We are homeschooling this year in a very different fashion. We are going to our co-op on Mondays. On Tuesdays we have a lot of activities. On Wednesday and Friday we are homeschooling with my cousin's family at our house. Here is our gang: 

From back left: Genevieve (pre-K), Hannah Joy (pre-K), Eoin "Owen" (K), Ana (6), Abigail (1), Kari (4), Isac (4), Gabe (7), Sidge (4)

Below I am including just random photos that Hannah Grace (my cousin's wife) or myself took during our first big homeschooling day. We are schooling from 9-5. We have it incredibly well-organized with a detailed schedule of where kids are moving when. I'll tell the rest of the story with some pictures (in no particular order). These pictures are exciting to me because not only are we schooling but our house, while not completely finished, is basically done and quite usable!

We started off the morning with our history: Drive-Thru History. All nine kids started off watching but our three "kinders" soon broke off to do their own thing.  

We are working to be incredibly organized during these "days of nine children" to keep things easier for us. For example, this is where you keep your water bottles. Everyone has their own and keeps them there to keep getting drinks (and cup usage) simple. 

We are doing snacks in "groups." For example: hungry between 9-11? Your choice is apples. No other choices. Eat it or leave it. :) (P.S. We don't have all of our living room furniture in the house yet so the couch and table won't be in those spots eventually.)

Hannah Grace is in charge of the three littles. Genevieve will be five in December. Hannah Joy just turned five yesterday. And Eoin has just turned six. We are doing the same thing with all three (basically kindergarten curriculum) but pushing Eoin slightly harder than Hannah Joy and Hannah Joy slightly harder than Genevieve. 

I must say that God orchestrated our families connecting so perfectly. Hannah Grace has a GIFT for the little kids. And while I love them, my patience in gifting (thus the fact that I was a high school English/Journalism teacher) is definitely high school. Basically Hannah Grace "dealt with" the three younger all day while I managed the six older. Both of us was SOOOO glad we didn't have the other job.

We have created quite a few "nooks" for kids to find a quiet place to do their assignments. 

We have two desktop computers, one laptop, and one iPad to rotate among the kids. We have headphones available for times that they feel the room is just too loud to focus. 

Here's a view of two different kids working at the same time. Sidge is on the computer while Kari is curled up doing some reading on the window seat.

Ana and I are going to be working together on her creative writing this year. Here she is working on a story for me that I will help her edit, rewrite, type, and go through multiple rough drafts until she gets the final paper done.

We did lunch in three groups. This allowed some kids to get on a computer while another set were eating lunch. We have three very clear delineations: the younger kids, the girls, and then the boys. It is really split very well despite some differences in age.

Our younger group is going to be doing a letter of the week. This week, being the first week, the letter was A. 

The Letter A courtesy of Hannah Joy.

Genevieve's A!

We are doing a scripture of the week that starts with the letter "A". The younger kids are learning a simplified version of the full verse. 

Today was a special day because we celebrated Hannah Joy's birthday with Grama's famous ice cream cake with the family. We actually had fourteen people there (kids and grown-ups) and I feel we could have put fourteen more before it got crowded. My dream space came true!

Nine kiddos around the table. This table is not our final table but it seats ten easily.

JB did a science unit with the kids on fungi. He will be doing some science when his off day correlates with home school while Uncle Eddie will be teaching some Latin. 

Working on their experiment.

Studying the water level.

The group of bigs (and Abigail who is right in the middle of the two groups but would never want to be with the little kids.) 

We also worked on art as a whole group studying Georgia O'Keefe.

Art time!

Check out Eoin's "A" crown. See, these are the things Hannah Grace does that I would not want to do. And yes, of course the U.S. Open was on anytime the computer was free!

I am actually in a photo! Here I am working with our three fourth graders with a group discussion project. You can see Eoin in the background doing activity on his own. 

Trying it without me. And check it out, two different kids working in the background. Lots of rotations going on.

Gabe doing some reading and comprehension work. 

"Hey! What are you doing there? Can I copy your work?"

What a cutie!

Hannah Grace did such a good job moving these guys between activities. Boy oh boy was my Hannah EXHAUSTED by days' end. The days are big, but we really love the way this worked today. It truly went like a dream with absolutely nothing that we felt we needed to change. I know everyday may not go quite as good, but man oh man was this fun. Truly the funnest homeschool day I have ever had outside of our co-op. 

I LOVE COMMUNITY!!!!!!!

Tribe Life Tuesday: Community & Honor

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 

sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!

Hi! I am Carrie and I am so excited to be sharing with you today. As we dive in, I’d like you to consider the following questions:

1. Am I happy? 
2. Am I with people who make my life better? 
3. Am I contributing to making the lives of others better? 

Continue pondering your answers to these questions as we begin our discussion of two subjects I’m deeply passionate about: community and honor.

Community: 
A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals; joint ownership or liability

Honor:
High respect; esteem; a privilege

So, how do these two gifts pair up? I immediately think of a hot air balloon – it’s massive, there are two main parts, it has a unique woven design that is stunning when it rises to fly, and it doesn’t explode under pressure.

In this metaphor, community is the balloon (referred to as the envelope) and, like the beautiful colored balloon, the tapestry of humanity choosing to share life with each other is a design that is unmatched. Your community is much like the balloon with its fabric intricately woven together. It is no accident that you have ended up where you are, with the people you are with.

Now honor is definitely the basket. It’s the weight that contributes to the sturdiness of the entire structure. It holds everyone together.

The balloon doesn’t fly without the basket and the basket doesn’t fly without the balloon. You see, community won’t be all it can be without honor and honor can’t be fully achieved without community. And, none of this happens without a little fire! There will be moments in community where fire is present, it will get hot and probably uncomfortable, but the balloon has a protective sealant preventing it from burning up. Covered with the right coating, the fire is an accelerant that allows you to take flight.

This is COMMUNITY!

When you are with the right people, even the difficult moments, like having an honest conversation, setting healthy boundaries, and being vulnerable, don’t seem as hard because you are covered by the right people who will protect you.

So how does this apply? What does this look like walked out day to day?

Well, one of the most important things to keep in mind as we pursue being in community with people is keeping the main thing the main thing. We have to be sure that we are seeing people in their best light and not looking for fault or failure in them. Community really is about coming alongside and helping each other live our best lives.

Here are a few tips that you can keep handy as you do life with others – consider this your pocket guide to community:

• Everyone is welcome into community 
• Community is about relinquishing the desire to control others
• Community is a gift 
• Honor makes us better humans 
• Be wildly rebellious, brave, & strong & find community

See you next Tuesday!

Carrie

Tribe Life Tuesday: The Art of Living in a Modern Day Tribe

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 

sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!

TribeLife is the notion that living in community is far more rewarding than living independently of it. So today let’s talk about the basics of the art of living in a modern day tribe. 

TribeLife is not easy for sure, it is not for the faint of heart, it is uncomfortable at times, and in my opinion it is worth it. The brave hearts of the world will live in community. 

Does this idea of TribeLife sound appealing to you?

I think, initially, it sounds awesome to live among people who love and care for you. A place to belong is something we all desire. Walking out our belonging is where it gets tricky. For many it’s here, that it gets unappealing and not worth it. But when I tell you it’s worth it, I am speaking from MUCH experience. Living TribeLife is worth the discomfort. 

When I stumbled upon this story five years ago, it grabbed me and just wouldn’t let me go. There has been tremendous controversy over its authenticity and, whether it's fact or fiction, it speaks deeply to my heart and soul and that is enough for me. 

In this African tribe, when someone does something harmful, they take the person   to the center of the village where the whole tribe comes and surrounds them. For two days, they will say to the man all the good things that he has done. The tribe believes that each human being comes into the world as a good. Each one of us only desiring safety, love, peace, and happiness. But sometimes, in the pursuit of these things, people make mistakes. The community sees those mistakes as a cry for help. They unite then to lift him, to reconnect him with his true nature, to remind him who he really is, until he fully remembers the truth of which he had been temporarily disconnected: “I AM GOOD.”

I cannot read this story without crying. Water works E-V-E-R-Y time, it is ridiculous. 

Like I said, whether fact or fiction, there are many things we can learn from this. For instance, when someone in our immediate circle does something harmful, whether directly against us or against another, what should our response be? Do we contribute to the harm they cause? Do we dwell on their wrongdoing and make them pay for it? There are many ways we can respond, take a moment to reflect on the last time someone in your community hurt you or someone else. 

What was your initial reaction? Are you okay with how you responded?

This story teaches me something I forget more than I’d like to admit: Mercy. 

I took one of those strengths tests and scored the lowest on Mercy! HA! So this one takes a conscious effort on my part. It’s apparently not innate for me so my awareness levels are peaked post non-merciful response. That’s why there is a tribe… they gently remind me and help soften my hard edges. 

I have fought for this TribeLife way of living for many years and continue to fight for it daily. So let’s talk basics, because everyone, whether you like to admit it or not, belongs to a tribe and it is important that you find yours. 

TribeLife Basics:

• Selflessness- there are more times than not when tribal living means putting others first. When their needs override yours. 
• Do the hard things- it’s easy to “live” alone, to stick with my way of doing things, it’s comforting and stable in a world of instability. It’s much harder to let others into my life where my weaknesses are exposed. No matter how tough humanity (you and me) is, we are more fragile than we think but when you are exposed in honest community there is covering that shields you. 
• Sacrifice- similar to selflessness in that others come first, but the intent is different. In the tribe, it is a gift to give up to make a way for another. 
• Flexibility- tribe=flex…flex=tribe…..they are almost interchangeable. Being with the people
• that make your life grand is irreplaceable and many times that means flexibility. Life changes,        people change and grow, tragedy and celebrations happen, and with each of these events, people stretch and change. Some seasons pull you close together and others make you feel far apart, but what remains is that you belong and so do they. So be flexible with these relationships, give space when necessary then be present when it’s time to be present. 

TribeLife does NOT happen without the next 2:    

• Honesty- paramount to all things. Best described as being free of deceit and untruthfulness. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I am no longer as concerned about saying something that is untruthful, but find myself rejecting truth more frequently. We can all be mistaken about something, but in community we allow each other to be the voice of truth in our deception. 
• Accountability- this helps to keep us grounded and focused on the right things. Being accountable to someone else is terrifying and liberating! Please surround yourself with people who love you enough to hold you to the dreams you've dreamt and the goals you've written, and who don’t give up on you! They are your tribe!!

If you are looking for community, I implore you to reflect on yourself. Search your heart and begin to become the person you want to be in community with. Make the hard choice upfront that you will fight those who you are designed to be in community with, no matter how uncomfortable it gets. 

   

Living in a modern day tribe is an art, not a science. And more often than not, it’s an abstract piece. 

We're on a journey to live fully and to be present in each moment we're given. We like to equate this to painting a watercolor picture with a toothbrush. It's messy, abstract, and takes time to see the beauty. Grab a toothbrush and let's do it!

Thank you for reading and see you next Tuesday!

Carrie

*Please note that content in guest blogs is not necessarily shared by the station manager (i.e. Wendi!)