Thursday, August 29, 2013

Project Update #2: What is the LOVE project?


I know what you are asking.... What the heck is the LOVE project? I thought you were homeschooling.

Yes, I am. But I've never been one to do things the "normal" way. Let's see... I was married too young. I had kids too close together. I have no problems leaving my kids with their dad for weeks as I travel around the world. I like dessert before dinner. I make my kids be independent and I let them watch way too much T.V. I guess you could say that things in my life have never been... expected.

So why should homeschooling be any different for me? I have to do this my way in order to make it work. So, this is my way. In addition to the normal reading, writing and arithmetic, I am adding my own personality and passion to our curriculum.

For the past seven years, I have taught high school electives. There is a reason for that. As much as I know there is an importance to core classes, (I've lost count at how many times I've corrected high schoolers on the importance of "John and I", not "John and me") it's in the electives that I got to teach from my heart because the classes were things that I was passionate about.

I'm just doing the same thing, but at home. I am teaching what I am passionate about. I have the next nine months to pour into my kids a little bit of the legacy that I hope to leave with them for the rest of their lives. That's really how the LOVE project was birthed. So in additions to the wonders of the aBeka Curriculum, this is what I'm going to attempt to do...

The LOVE Project is based on three foundations: LOVE God. LOVE family. LOVE people. After we finish our core work each day, we will be venturing into some assignment or project that will fall into one of those three foundations.

LOVE God is going to start with simply teaching my kids the importance of church and church family and why we "do church" the way that we do. Each Sunday, my kids take communion, they sing songs, they listen to a lesson or a message, but do they understand why they are doing it? They have been raised in church their whole lives, so things that we do out of church traditions or biblical teachings have become more routine to them. Do they really understand what baptism is and what it means? or do they just assume its something that everyone does? I am going to cover all of those things and open it up to Qs and As. Is there something confuses them or things that they've heard that didn't make sense?

We have been blessed to have been able to enroll all three of them in private, christian schooling since they were all in kindergarten and they all could preach on some aspects of our faith, but it wasn't the school's job to make sure they know these things, it's my job.

LOVE family is going to dive into who we are and where we come from. Family is very important to me. Maybe it's because mine is so large; Maybe it's because mine has been through so much, but family should always come just after God and I want my kids to grasp that importance in how they relate to each other. Family - one of the few things in life that we have no choice over, so we need to learn to love them.

My kids are so lucky. They have five living great-grandparents. They have access to some amazing history and family stories and moments. Over the next nine-months of school, we will be studying one branch of their great-grandparents each month. They'll interview family, cook family recipes, and participate in family traditions. I want them to realize what a blessed life they live simply because of the people who came before them. It's history they won't learn in books, but it's history that they should know.

LOVE people is my response to 1 Corinthians 13. I know lots of people think of this chapter has one that is read at many weddings, but I don't know that I agree with the thought that this is only a chapter for "couples". Paul was writing a letter to the church in Corinth and was talking about the church, the body of Christ, when he wrote this chapter. I think that this chapter is all about how we treat people, ALL people.

We are going to step out of "our world" and look around us. We are going to work in our local community and subdivision. We are going to help in our state and in our country. We are going to look at the nations and see what is happen all around us. They need to realize that there is more than just us. They know that mom loves to go "teach people about Jesus", but it's my goal to plant that seed in them this year. I am praying that their eyes are opened to the people living around them.

All three of these will come to a wrap with our end-of-the-year project, a missions trip. It is my prayer and my hope that in June of 2014, we will travel as a family, with our church family, to Honduras. I spent time there this past summer and I want my kids to see what mom does when she travels and I want them to see first hand how important it is to LOVE God, LOVE family and LOVE people.

So that's the WHAT.

Here goes trying to make it all happen.

School starts next Tuesday.

Pray for us.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Lesson #1: Trust aka "The hardest thing EVER"

I think trust is the hardest thing someone can learn. Everyday, we are met with instances where we feel let down. In our jobs, with our kids and families, even at our churches, we all take a step out with hopes and expectations in things and when those aren't met, we immediately step back put up a little bit of a wall. We don't like that feeling that we felt when we took a chance and found it hurting us.  So, we do whatever it takes to not feel it again. Usually, that comes in a form of not trusting something or someone again.

So when we read in scripture a verse that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." (Prov. 3:5), while we immediately want to do so and know that we should, do we really know what it means to trust? Can we grasp the idea of fully relying on the character and strength of God? '

I know I struggle with it.

This whole idea of homeschooling for me is becoming a demand of my trust in God. Remember, I'm not the one that went into this whole adventure with warm, fuzzy feelings. I actually pouted and whined about the thought when it was first brought up. I had to be continually sought after before I began to accept it as a possibility.

One thing that had to happen was that the kids had to be turned down for admittance at a performing arts charter school in our area. My kids love to perform. They all sing and dance and speaking in front of people is almost second nature to them and when we began searching for possibilities for the 2013/2014 school year, this school was the stand out favorite. So, in my "nothing is going to stop us" mindset, we attended an open house and I thought for sure my kids were meant to be there. I signed them all up and put their names into a lottery for acceptance. It would be another two months before we knew, but I said that if they didn't get in there, I'd look into homeschooling, but only because I was sure they'd get in.

They didn't.

God knew what I needed for this school year. God knew what my kids needed for this school year.

But don't you know that just when you are starting to trust, something comes along to test you in that? The day after I finally wrote my first blog post and finally stated to the world my intentions, we got a phone call.

From the charter school. They had opened spots up for the kids.

I wish I could say that my first reaction was, "Thanks, but no thanks. We have this year all figured out.", but it wasn't. Not even close. We've been running into a few snags with homeschooling and being down to one income and all the other things that come with some semi-major life changes and to the earthly eye, this could be an answer to all of that. Except.... all I could hear in my spirit was "Trust me".

Trust me.

So here we are and all I can do is say, "Okay God, I'm trusting". I did call the charter school and turn down the opened spots. I pray that those spots are an answer to someone else's prayers. I would be lying if I said that was easy and that not a single part of me was second-guessing that decision, but I need to trust. I HAVE to trust. This could be the hardest part about this whole experience and adventure. But I don't want to look back and think to myself that I gave up on an opportunity to grow and learn and be faithful, just because it was the easier route. Especially when I am getting to the point of recognizing the Spirits ever-so sweet voice and I know that he said to trust.

So, lesson #1 of "The LOVE Project" wasn't for my kids. It was for me. Thanks God. I needed this one. Please help me be faithful in continuing that, because this is not an easy lesson to learn.

And to anyone who is reading this. Please pray for me? We haven't worked through all the snags and we are hoping for a September 3rd start date for classes, but a few things are going to have to be worked out for that to happen, so say a prayer for me and the husband and the kiddos? I appreciate it more than I could ever express.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Project Update #1: Here goes nothing...


Let's get to the point... major announcement from the Branda house...

We've decided to homeschool for 2013 - 2014!

Yeah. I know. I swore I'd never do it. Not that there is anything wrong with homeschooling, I was homeschooled and loved every minute. I know the benefits, the positives, and all the other great things that happen in homeschooling, but...

For me? I said I'd never do it for two reasons: First, I'm not THAT mom. I don't do all the educational, healthy, motivational thing. I don't count the hours that my kids play video games or watch cheesy Disney TV shows, I don't make sure their lunches have something from all the food groups and I don't let my kids win UNO to boost their self-esteem. The other reason? Oh yeah. I just didn't want to.

But sometimes God has a way of taking what you want and pushing you into something else to grow you into something else and to remind you that he is God.

So here we are.

I had been praying about what to do with the kids for schooling this next year and it just kinda happened. I talked with the husband and we decided that everything just made sense to homeschool. So, I am making the switch. Instead of teaching high school, I will become a one-room schoolmarm for 6th, 5th and 3rd grade.

While the thought of that doesn't exactly excite me, (sorry all you die-hard homeschoolers, I'm not giddy about it yet), here is what I AM excited about. I am excited about taking a year and spending time with my kids. Not just to have fun and learn some stuff, but to take this year and really pour into them what God has been pouring into me.

I am calling it "The LOVE project". Over the past couple of years, God has been showing me how we spend too much time nit-picking and judging, when really God tells us over and over again how important it is to love. As I use the aBeka curriculum, I will be adding my own flair in teaching my kids to love. We will be focusing on three areas: love God, love family. love people. I'll be journaling through these next few months on exactly what that will look like, so make sure you bookmark the site if you're interested in our adventure.

It's going to be interesting. It's going to be fun. I'm praying that it's going to be life-changing.