Category Archives: Thinking

Blog book tour: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

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If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me clue you in: I tend to do these book reviews a little differently. I’m not much for saying if a book is good or bad and why. I do go with that traditional approach occasionally; especially if I have issues with a title. I much prefer to write about how a book has affected me, how it makes me think (or perhaps not think.)

That’s the beauty of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller. It’s a book slap in the side of the head to challenge my thinking.

Ouch! That hurts. Ouch! That hurts. Slap. Oh, man. No pain, no gain, right?

Oh, how I wish you we could dialog about it together just like in a real book club!

This is the sort of book you want to re-read once a year just so you can get the kick-in-the-pants feeling that comes with it. I didn’t get Donald Miller when I first read him. Then I tried again.  Brilliant move on my part, because I so enjoyed Through Painted Deserts. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is about…

Right. I’m not much for that. Must know? Go over to Amazon. The only thing you need to know from me is two words:

Book slap.

Ouch.

Go read it. And come back here to engage me in conversation.

What if…

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You lost IT all.

And by IT, I mean everything you physically hold dear. Your house, your car, laptop, clothes, all you have in your closet, attic or squirreled away under your bed.  All those books you’ve collected, treasuring for years, keeping to re-read someday and pass onto grown children – gone, lost, never to be replaced. What about all the photos, scrapbooks and journals? What if they were gone too?

How would it change you?

To thrive again at home

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boys. sand. K'nex and Lego. July 2009

It’s been a long time since I’ve written about how our home schooling has been progressing and it’s not for lack of want or what to say. I’ve lots to say, it’s just that most of it would be rants and complains and much whining. Who wants to read the blog of an angry home schooling mom?

For the past several years, teaching hasn’t made for a happy home life, especially when it comes to instructing my boys. I’ve been reduced to yelling, threatening, and pleading with them to do a math paper or reading lesson. That’s a difficult confession to admit, but it’s part of our story, and I will not edit out my mistakes to make me appear like I have this home school mom gig figured out.

Needless to say, when it comes to a traditional school work approach with pencil and paper, it’s been an unhappy home, with unhappy kids, and unhappy mom. An unhappy home school.

But I’m a fighter. I’m not giving up home schooling.

If I didn’t believe in the importance of keeping my kids home with me, I would’ve put them in public school years ago. This stubbornness must be part God-given determination to succeed, part Irish heritage. The freedom to do as we want, when we want, with no one outside our family influencing our schedule is a lifestyle I will not let go. These four belong home with me. We are a home schooling family. As imperfect as we are, we were created to be together, so together we will stay.

But change must come.

At this moment in our home schooling journey, I don’t have the hearts of my children. The list of subjects to have conquered at the end of the day became more important than love, joy, gentleness and patience.  We started on a good path, but I got distracted by less important things like reading by a certain age and math facts. The point of home schooling is not about the college they attend or the career they chose or if they make a lot of money. Success means my children chose to walk in The Way, with Jesus Christ and in relationship with Him. Knowing Jesus has nothing to do with multiplication tables.

When I first started this journey five years ago, I never imagined home schooling would force me to deal with my own sins.

For our survival as a home schooling family, to thrive again as we once did, my approach to teaching must change. I’m forced to find a new way, one that is a better fit with the personality of my kids.

Change. Specifically, someone must change. Lord knows, I’ve tried changing all the little people around here. Lucky me. I best do the changing.

So.

I’ve been reading, searching the Internet, asking the Lord for answers and guidance. We are told to pray about everything and to ask the Lord for wisdom. I believe He is answering. I’ve found like-minded folks here on the Web that are inspiring me to rethink everything I thought before about how to home educate. Thanks be to God, it’s not too late to change hearts and correct course.

More to come: how I’m being led, what works and what doesn’t and why, and how it’s radically going to change my approach to this home schooling life.  Stay tuned.