I've not been here too much recently and although some of that has been sheer busyness, some of it is on purpose too. I've been in a reflective kinda mood recently and have really been thinking about what kind of memories my children will have of their childhood. I feel I've been too focussed on school, chores and obedience and I've missed out on some fun times with my kids. So after some quiet reflection on my part, I have decided to become a more purposeful parent and focus on how I spend time with the kids and although I initially started this for the kids sake I think I have been benefiting the most from it!! So often I spend the day chasing the kids around, getting them to finish up something or correcting them or sending them away to go play as I am busy cleaning, cooking or on the computer I have missed so many opportunities to enjoy life and to spend time with my little ones. They are little for such a a short period of time and it may be a cliche but it is - true they really do grow up quickly!
We have been having fun just hanging out enjoying each other's company. We've played games, read books just for fun (not only school books!), baked cookies and made fudge, spent time outside, built cities out of blocks, raced cars, snuggled up to watch movies and generally just had some fun conversations. I've learned that chores really do wait, that learning can take various forms and that my children are really great kids who can teach me a thing or two!
Christmas is a natural time of year for me to think about making memories, but this is not something I want to be a once a year thing. My goal each day is to live it like it is my last day with them. I want my children to remember that they were loved and that I really enjoyed them. I want to teach them that being a parent is not only about getting kids to act right and to graduate from college successfully. I want them to know that I am learning from them and that each and every day I am growing as a result of God giving them to me.
If you are interested in seeing what we do on a daily basis I've started another blog - an online home school journal. It is mainly for me to see what learning we have done each day, and might not make inspiring reading ( school isn't always a picture of perfection) but it's there if you want to see what we get up to each day!
