Whether or not to be nice to my big family is a decision I have to make daily. Long ago I realized that we as women can be life-givers, or we can bring death. While we carry human life in our bodies, we can also speak words … Read More…
Super powers? Not a chance. Yes, I am the homeschooling mom of 15 children, but there is truly nothing special about me. Here I am shopping, or banking, or at church… I am having a fine conversation with someone; we are discussing the weather or the Lord … Read More…
Sheep are really rather silly! They jump over imaginary obstacles, panic easily, and mindlessly follow the first sheep that makes a break for it. They really are followers. A tame hand-reared (poddy) lamb or sheep can be used to lead the rest of the flock to the sheep … Read More…
When we homeschool we are facing two fronts; we are not only having to deal with the shortcomings of our children, but we are also being forced to face the realities of who we are (or aren’t). This, I believe, is the amazing aspect of teaching one’s own … Read More…
There was a time when homeschooling looked crazy and dangerous. I was convinced that it harmed children, and I was sure it could never work. But, here I am, 27 years later, still teaching reading, writing, and enjoying a host of amazing experiences with my 15 children. I’ve … Read More…
If children do not know where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing, they get creative trying to figure things out, and the results can be disastrous! I once passed a park in a rural area and witnessed a fascinating display. A … Read More…
It takes more than just a little ingenuity to feed a large family in a small family world. I grew up in a family of three–my mother, my sister, and me–so there was little opportunity to learn how to whip up a batch of 6 dozen cookies (that … Read More…
This post is not about looking one’s responsibilities straight in the eye, although that is a good subject to cover! No, this post will be all about creating a “neat” out of a mess! It’s obvious that, no matter how we try and keep a lid on clutter, … Read More…
It could be said that most of our time is spent dealing with all of our “stuff.” We have to shuffle it around, polish it, maintain it, categorize it, pick it up, stow it, etc. This is only exacerbated when your family has been multiplied by love! Along … Read More…
In my last installment in this series, Large family crisis reduction: getting ahead {part 1}, we discussed the basic ideas behind doing things ahead, or, as Don Aslett puts it, creating a “frontlog” instead of a “backlog.” Of course there are times when even the best of plans … Read More…