How is it possible that it is June 1 already?  Really?  It really makes me wonder if I am truly redeeming the time.  I am constantly overwhelmed by the many options facing me from day to day.  It is hard to stay focused on a daily basis. One of the many things I took from my years of being in the real estate business is that one question looming in the back of my mind - am I doing the best possible thing I can do with my time right now?  Every year I would set goals for my business:  How much money do I want to make?  How many houses must I sell based on the average home price in my area to meet my goal?  Finally how many clients/customers must I "touch" by way of phone, emails, face to face contact to generate a closed transaction?  I haven't sold a home in over 4 years and that formula still rolls right out of my head.


I wish I could find a similar formula for homeschooling. How do the daily activities I undertake help me to reach my goals?  First, what are my goals?


To raise confident, God-fearing woman in a culture that seeks to steer them otherwise.   I want my girls to leave my home having placed their faith in Jesus Christ and armed with the tools needed to live a life for his glory.


I guess that is more of a mission than a goal.  What goals feed that mission?


1.  Spiritual preparedness by way of biblical steaching & apologetics
2.  Academic preparedness by way of challenging curricula that meets their needs to think critically and communicate effectively.
3.  Practical life skills to know how to live independently and interdependently with others.


What drives these goals?


1.  Curriculum choices.  Do they allow me to reach my goals while catering to the learning styles of my children?
2.  Extra curricular activities.  Do they allow my kids to learn skills that are in step with my goals?


So what choices am I making everyday that hinder my ability to accomplish my goals?
The one thing that comes to mind is T.V.  It is a complete waste of time in my opinion.  With the exception of the news and shows that are historical or scientific in nature, what is really the point?  I have really been contemplating whether or not to cut it out all together but I just can't bring myself to do it.


I really could break down these goals into daily tasks but I would make everyone absolutely miserable trying to follow them.  However, these tasks could be a benchmark to see where we are more so than a schedule to follow.  I'm really trying to sell this to myself because I am trying to figure out why we didn't accomplish all the things I set out to accomplish this year.  For now, I think I'll end on a more encouraging note and focus on what we actually accomplished this year (with the younger two):

• 10+ writing assignment on various topics.  Grammar and Style improvements through the revision process and concentrated grammar instruction in specific areas (pronoun/antecedent agreement, proper comma usage, varying sentence structure, summaries, constructing narratives, organizing from brainstorms, etc.)
• novel completions (Almost Home, Amos Fortune, Mary Jones and Her Bible, Tom Sawyer, Bound for Oregon, William Carey, many personal pics)
• Poetry study
• Lots of bible reading and prayer
• Math skills progression (multiplication speed drills, fractions, decimals)
• Garden planting
• Improved spelling skills
• new friendships & maintaining fellowship with those friends
• Science knowledge, lab reports, and experiments
• Science Wrap-Up with Disney Imagineering Videos (all 11 of them!)
• Music study / one great piano recital

• Drama production (stage presence)

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