Our Homeschool Schedule

Friends!!!

We have completed our school year!!!

 ~ Woohoo!!! ~

Aren't you proud of me?! Haha...

It always feels like such an accomplishment! 

We settled nicely into a comfortable school schedule that worked great for us this year. 

I'd like to record it here in today's post...

But first! ...

It's lilac season!

Out of everything that blooms in our farmhouse gardens, the lilacs have always been my favorite!

(Well, I say that every year until the peonies open up in June, then I say those are my favorite.)

Of course, the only sane thing to do is take pictures at every direction...

Until I hear a crash or scream and then I remember, Oh yes! There are children here... back to my responsibilities! 

One, of course, being our homeschool day!

I realize my children are still young, and I haven't been homeschooling for years upon years, but so far I have really enjoyed it!

It is such a nice life!

I love having all of my children all to myself every day!

There is no one telling me what time my children have to be at school, and what time I can get them back... There is no one telling me what books they must read by a certain deadline... And there is no one telling me when we have off for holidays or when we can vacation... I call all the shots!

(Hmmm... Maybe I have control issues?? ... Nah, that can't be it. *wink)

Anyway! 

We had a very diligent year, and I am proud of these kiddos...

Roman completed his 3rd grade curriculum...

And Nola completed 1st grade...

At the start of the year I wrote out a general guideline for how I wanted their day organized.

I taped it above their school book shelf so they could look at it easily and stay on task throughout the day.

Here it is...

(Keep in mind, this is the children's daily schedule, not mine. I have a master schedule I use for myself but that's a topic for another post...)

* Wake up  

1. Get dressed

2. Folder worksheets

3. Quiet free time

* Breakfast 

1. Morning routine

2. Moring chores

3. Piano 

4. School lessons 

* Lunch

1. Finish up school

2. Elsa nap

3. Select books for quiet hour

* Quiet Hour

1. Snack

2. Free time

3. House tidy

* Dinner

1. Clear table/ table chores

2. Dad time/ family time

* Bedtime

You'll notice I didn't include times on their schedule.

This is because I don't prefer to live according to a rigid schedule, where I might feel stressed if I were supposed to begin something at 9:00 sharp, but couldn't get to it until 9:15.

I want our home life to feel peaceful.

I figure as long as we're all working hard throughout the day, and everything's getting done, we can go about it at the pace that suits us.

The schedule above was written in a way so that the children could clearly see what was expected of them before the next big break or meal in the day.

Some things on their schedule that I may have to explain...

Morning routine and chores:

I've written about my children's morning routine on this blog before, but in case you are new here...

The morning routine is what I call four basic morning habits I have taught my children.

They are - brush hair and teeth, make bed, tidy room, take dirty laundry down to the laundry room.

They each have their own separate chores that I assigned to them individually.

They are tasks such as - empty bathroom trash cans, sweep kitchen, switch laundry over from the washer and start up the dryer, etc...

Another thing from the schedule that I may have to explain is folder worksheets.

These were school worksheets that were separate from their school books.

I had supplementary workbooks that I would tear pages from, and keep the children's folders continually stocked.

Each child had two folders...

One was for fresh worksheets that they were working on, and one was for completed work.

I used these cursive and manuscript workbooks...

The last thing I'd like to explain is our quiet hour...

I would like to keep this going through the summer because we would spend the hour reading, and it always felt like a nice break every afternoon.

First, I would read to Elsa then lay her down for a nap. Sometimes I would make myself a cup of tea, then I would tell the other children to find two or three books and a cozy spot to sit and read.

Soren's not a fluent reader yet, so I would read out loud to him, whatever books he would choose. (Usually books about sharks or dinosaurs. *smile)

With Nola, I would read one book to her, and she would read one or two to me.

(Usually Golden books or books from the Step into Reading series.)

Roman had a few chapter books he read through this year, so I rarely saw him during quiet hour. He liked to go to his room where he could read without distractions. Since he's older, he was also responsible on a regular basis for writing one-page essays about whatever he was reading. 

This was our schedule on days we stayed home... Of course we incorporated other activities into our homeschool life that took us out of the home, such as art and gym classes at our community center, church commitments, and piano lessons - but I'll have to write about that on another day. 

It's easy to feel inadequate and overwhelmed when homeschooling. But I'm learning to take one day and one lesson at a time. It's also important to create and follow a reasonable schedule, and pray continually for wisdom and patience.

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

If you're a homeschooling mama, how was your year?! I'd love to hear about it!

I look forward to your comments!

xo,

~ Courtney ~

A Small Peek at the Family Room

Well friends...

I was really hoping that my next post about the family room would finally be an "after" post, but we are still in progress.

I am extremely excited about how it's coming along, though, and just couldn't wait to share some photos with you!

Would you like to see it?...

Ta Da!!!...

Yes, I realize this just looks like a normal family room, but here's a "before" to give you an idea of how far we've come...

(My Roman sure is a monkey, isn't he?)

The biggest and most expensive hurdle was the flooring. 

We decided to replace the carpet and I am very happy with the result.

This room has been the kids' main play area over the years, and I wanted to keep it soft and cozy for them.

(We have hardwood floors everywhere else.)

Here's a picture of the old carpet...

(If you can look past the cute kid showing off his Lincoln Log creation, HA!)

It was green, and from our best estimate- a couple of decades old.

I was thrilled to see it go...

And even more thrilled to watch the new carpet get installed...

Oh happy day!!!

Here's my new carpet "after"...

I knew that I wanted a very neutral oatmeal color when I came home with the board of swatches. But of course, didn't know the perfect one to choose. There were so many to pick from! And I really didn't want to make a mistake!

After pondering it for days, and looking at the swatches in all different lighting, I finally narrowed it down to one.

The next day a friend of mine happened to be over so I asked her to give me her opinion. I didn't tell her that I had liked one in particular. I just told her I wanted a color that didn't lean yellow, but also didn't lean grey.

She picked the exact one I had picked!

Awesome!

The day after that my mother happened to be over and I repeated the process with her. I showed her the sample board of colors but didn't tell her the one my friend and I had picked.

She too had selected the same color!

Unbelievable!

I felt as though my decision was clear.

I placed the order for the carpet and never had a moment of second-guessing.

"Thank you, Lord," I found myself whispering under my breath... "for making this big, expensive decision so easy!"

Here is this same wall "before"...

And where we are today...

(I can't decide if I like the couch with or without the check patterned pillows... Which is why, if you were to zoom in real closely, the tags are still on them...)

Even though the carpet was a bit of a splurge, we saved a lot of money in other areas. This couch, for example, I found on Facebook Marketplace for $100. The brass chandelier is an antique, and I also paid $100 for it. And I found the floral ottoman at Goodwill for a shocking $15!!! I told a friend about my $15 ottoman and she said, "I think they forget a zero on the price tag!" Haha... My thoughts exactly. I feel very lucky to have found this!

I only share this to say that lavish spending isn't necessary when decorating a home. 

I've decorated my entire home with hand-me-downs, antiques, and thrift store finds.

So be encouraged, if you're on a tight budget! Be willing to hunt around second-hand stores and scroll through Craigslist. Beautiful things can be found very inexpensively!

Like I said at the start of this post, we still aren't finished in here. But I am so thankful for the progress that has been made so far!

Micah is currently working on building a new mantle piece for our fireplace...

But I don't let that stop me from decorating the bookcases around it...

(And watching Bugs Bunny with my kids, haha...)

(The driftwood piece came from the ocean shore in Costa Rica when Micah and I were there for our anniversary last year. *smile)

I look forward to sharing more about this room very soon!

But in the meantime, thanks for letting me give you a small peek!

xo,

~ Courtney ~

P.S. ~ Please don't ever hesitate to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!!!

A Home for Traveling Strangers

I've been experiencing some sadness...

A couple of sweet girls that have been staying with us, moved on to their next adventure.

And now the house feels quiet, empty, and sad...

The morning they left was dreary and rainy, which matched our emotions about them leaving perfectly.

These girls were an absolute delight, and I have missed them greatly since they left.

I cried as I watched them pull out of our driveway for the last time...

I knew that these two young girls who I had opened my heart and my home to, were two young girls I would probably never see again.

But so it goes for the life of a missionary.

Always traveling to a new town... Ministering to a new church... Adjusting to a new host family...

"I realize that you are used to coming and going... But I am not used to it. My heart hurts. I will miss you!" I said to them as they stood by my door with suitcases in hand.

The night before we had stayed up laughing with them, praying over them, and talking about how we just couldn't believe that their two weeks with us was already over.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I knew that our church had scheduled a revival summit, and I had put it into my calendar so that our family could attend, but I didn't know the role I was to play while the revival team was here.

Our associate pastor called me one afternoon and asked if I would be willing to house a couple of the team's members. 

He said he was having a hard time finding enough families to host, and would I consider providing meals and beds for two of the girls on the team.

I instantly thought of Isaiah 58:7 which says, "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the wanderer with shelter..." and I knew I had to say yes. 

I got to work right away on preparing the house for their arrival.

We technically have a guest bedroom, but it only has one bed and I didn't know how these girls would feel about sharing it.

So I decided to let them have Nola and Elsa's bedroom, because that way they would each have their own bed.

This is what their room looked like once it was made perfect for them...

I had so much fun getting this room ready!

I scrubbed and cleaned and washed up all the bedding...

I bought fresh flowers...

And put together a little toiletry tray and vanity for them to use...

Nola made this precious welcome sign...

And I stocked the room with snacks, chocolate, and water bottles...

Once they arrived and settled in, they made themselves right at home, which absolutely delighted me!

I said to Micah, "What if in ten years Nola comes to us and says, 'Mom and Dad, I have joined a revival team. I will travel the country and stay in stranger's homes.' I would be a nervous wreck! I want to approach this company with the mindset that we are taking in

somebody's daughters! I want them to feel at home here."

Micah agreed, and we did everything we could to bless them and take care of them.

Although in the end, I realized that they were the ones who blessed us!

They were always cheerful, and appreciative of everything we did for them. It was a treat for me, as a mother, to watch my kids open up to them and play with them as the days progressed. And I was so grateful to them for showing my kids what godly young adults look like.

"They were not your typical nineteen and twenty year-olds," I said to my dad after their two weeks with us was complete. "I was so impressed with how mature and joy-filled they were... Always looking for ways to bless us!" I said. "And to think, they are from the 'entitlement' generation!"

But my dad replied, "They are Christians. Christians are peculiar. They've always been. They never fit into the mold of the culture."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After they left I went into their room to begin the process of getting our 'normal' back, and I found this...

One of the girls left us this precious thank-you note.

It read...

Downs Family,

Thank you so very much for taking in a couple extra kids. I'm so grateful to have had the privilege to be a part of your sweet family and humble, lovely home. I felt truly welcomed since the first night. Thank you so much for sharing your space and treating us so kindly. I hope to have a home as cozy and warm as yours one day.

God bless you all!

Until next time, 

Emma

Oh, how that did my heart such good!

My only wish through the years has been to make a wonderful, restful home for my family and for visitors. I've never cared about trying to impress or make my house into a trendy show place. I've just wanted it to feel like home. 

God used her words to minister encouragement to me that I am on the right track.

Home is a powerful feeling.

It can restore and comfort you.

And what a treat it was for me to be able to share my home with others.

"Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

(Side note- In case you're wondering... Our family room renovation is still not complete! I felt self-conscious of that at first but in the end I learned a lesson. I learned that I don't need to wait to have the perfect house before offering hospitality. I made sure the girls' needs were met and I did the best that I could with all the other rooms. They made me feel like that was more than enough!)

I will miss their smiles and laughter, their presence around our dinner table, and the meaningful conversations we had, but I am thankful for the experience.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:10 

(I have decided not to include photos of our guests to be respectful of their privacy.)

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog today friends!

I'll be back soon...

xo,

~ Courtney ~