Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

My friend recently shared this homeschooling tip for other mothers:

Homeschooling Tip #2: There is no such thing as “behind” in homeschooling. The worst thing you can do is to push your children through a curriculum just to get it done. The main educational goal in homeschooling is to help your children grow to LOVE LEARNING. This will serve them well in life. Pushing your children to finish assignments established up by well-intentioned curriculum writers can squash the love of learning not only now but in the future too.

Are you finding yourself behind in the books you use with your children? Maybe you use an online curriculum and the pace is too hurried for your child so you've gotten "behind." May this tip encourage you today as we strive to help teach our children to become lifelong learners! 

Lyn~

Happy New Year!

This is one of my favorite times of the year--the first week of a new year! New dreams, goals, visions, and achievements await and all we have to do is imagine. One of the first things I do in the New Year is to choose my "One Word" to help keep me focused on the things the Lord has for me this year.

This year the Lord has impressed on me to just be myself, just be "me"! I am not one person in this group, another type of person in another social setting, and still another at church. I don't try to emulate other people or act like others. I simply am me.

So this year, the word I chose as my "One Word" is: GENUINE. The what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of gal. I have dreams, goals, and ambitions that I want to accomplish, but I don't want any of it if it's not part of God's plan and will for my life. I thrive on achievement. I often say that I am goal-oriented and awards-motivated! If it's shiny and blingy and I get a prize, I want it. But again, I don't want it if that isn't what God has for me.

This year as you think about what you want to accomplish and achieve, I encourage you to choose a word to help you focus on your dreams, goals, and vision for the New Year.
If you don't know where to start or can't think of a word, pray about it. Ask God to show you where and what He wants you to focus on this year. It can be almost any word that reminds you where you're going and what you're aiming to do this year.

If you do choose your "One Word," please share it with us!

Blessings!

Lyn~

Time for Family

For the next two weeks, we will be taking off from regular posts here at Super Mom the Illusion. It is important to prioritize during the holidays and for our family, spending time together and being present during Christmas and the New Year celebrations allows us to make sure that our priorities are right.

I'll post a few past articles, and can't wait to see and hear all about how creating your vision boards has gone for each of you. We're hosting a Vision Board Party at our church after Christmas to prepare for the new year. I'll be sure to write about all of the fun and exciting things we did, too!

For the next two weeks, give yourself permission to dream, set new goals, and expect good things from the Lord in 2016!!

Merry Christmas and a VERY Happy New Year!!


Lyn~

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

This time of year many of us are moved by those who have less than us or are homeless. This is a wonderful opportunity to show your children compassion for others. You might give a homeless woman a flower or two, bake cookies to give out, hand out blankets, or make homemade laundry soap and take it to a local laundromat! Make a list of ideas and check them off as you do them.

Of course these are things we can do throughout the year, but this is an especially difficult time of year for many people. And amid the excitement of awaiting the presents under the tree for our children, it is good to remember not everyone is going to experience that. Christmas morning for the homeless seems like any other day. What better time to show the love of Jesus than during the celebration of His birth?

Merry Christmas!


Lyn~

One Word-2016

For the past four years, I've encouraged you to choose one word to help guide and focus your activities for that year. As we near the end of 2015, I'd like to hear how your "One Word" for the year went. Do you look back over the past year and see your word written all over it?

Words have power and when we get that down inside of us, we will begin to see the plans God has for our lives coming to fruition.

So today, allow the Father to speak to you about what your word for the year should be. He knows what you want, need, and desire, and HE will tell you the right word for YOU!  Write it down!  Make your "one word" clear and focus on it as you go about your days in 2016!

Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets,that he may run who reads it" (NKJV).  So write your word down so you can see it, remember it, meditate on the WORD even when you are on the go! 

My challenge to you is to choose YOUR "one word" and tell us about it, and if you would like, why you chose it!  I can't wait to see all the wonderful words the Lord is giving us to use this year!!!

Vision Boards: Pulling it All Together

This is it! The week we begin to create our vision boards! Are you excited? I know I am.

As we begin to layout our goals for 2016, remember, the order in which we place them on the board isn't as important as paying attention to be sure our goals are SMART. Be as accurate and specific as you can. Use colorful background papers, unique fonts, etc.

Here is an example of my first vision board. You'll notice it's colorful, has lots of pictures, even words. But it is lacking a few things. There are not as many specific and SMART goals, and there aren't very many encouraging words on it. You will want to make sure to include those on your own board and make it as much like you as possible.

Include your own style, your own favorite colors, and your own favorite quotes and sayings. I like quotes from Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and C.S. Lewis! But customize your board and really make it your own.

Maybe you'll want to get together with a bunch of girl friends and have a vision board making party! Take some pictures of that if you do and feel free to share them with all of us. Maybe someone will be inspired by your vision board!

Lyn~

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

As we approach Christmas, it is often a good time to reflect on what your children have learned so far this school year. Take turns allowing your children to share favorite things that they learned or write some of their favorite homeschooling moments.

Ask them what they would like to do in the coming year, too. Do they want to go on field trips and if so where to? What about play groups or learning groups? There are lots of different things to do with your children and with other homeschooling families, even if your children aren't the same ages!

 It's also nice to take some time to evaluate your curriculum. Sometimes a particular curriculum just doesn't achieved the desired goal of engaging your student. That's okay!

Listen to your children. They might just tell you something about their learning styles that will help you teach them more successfully!


Lyn~