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When my oldest was about two, I received a generou When my oldest was about two, I received a generous offer from a well-meaning family member to pay for his preschool. ⁣ ⁣ It was a crossroads for me. I knew in my heart that even though a “break” would be nice, I would be setting a precedent for sending my children away from me instead of pulling them close. ⁣ ⁣ I would be choosing to hand over my child to a stranger who did not bear the same responsibility for my child as I did. I was his mother, entrusted with raising him well. If I didn’t embrace that calling, who would? ⁣ ⁣ Furthermore, I would be buying in to the sentiment of “more, and earlier, education”. Start ‘em young! Teach ‘em to read! How to hold a pencil! Sit at a desk! Walk in a line! Raise your hand to speak! Learn what everyone else is learning! Hurry up! Slow down! Listen to the expert!⁣ ⁣ I don’t think I could have articulated all of that at the time, but I felt it strongly. It was almost as if God laid a choice before me. “Will you choose the man-made system, the way most people do it, or will you choose to step out in faith and trust Me for the details?”⁣ ⁣ I was a young, new mom. I hadn’t transitioned well. It was a tumultuous time in my heart, struggling for sleep, struggling to find my place in this new, uncharted territory of motherhood, struggling to release my “rights” to my own schedule, learning to serve and to sacrifice. ⁣ ⁣ But somehow, I knew instantly the choice I must make. I knew in my heart this decision would lay the rails for the course of my mothering.⁣ ⁣ And it did! Little by little, my heart was won over to a homeschooling, life-together way of living. Was it perfect all along the way? No. Is it perfect now? Of course not!⁣ ⁣ But it’s so, so good. So hard and so rich and so right and so good. ⁣ ⁣ “I shall be telling this with a sigh⁣ Somewhere ages and ages hence:⁣ Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—⁣ I took the one less traveled by,⁣ And that has made all the difference.”💕⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣
We’ve had a date night every week, almost withou We’ve had a date night every week, almost without fail, since our oldest was a baby. At the time, I was struggling with the transition to motherhood. Sleep deprived, stuck at home with a new baby, learning to sacrifice my schedule and my “rights”, and missing one-on-one time with Greg. ⁣ ⁣ We didn’t have any money to spare (remind me to share our getting-out-of-debt story sometime) and we had no grandparents nearby to babysit but we found creative ways to make it happen. ⁣ ⁣ Those weekly date nights helped me survive the transition to motherhood, and later, our cross country move. And then came our adventures in homeschooling when weekly date night literally kept me sane. We used to joke that I quit as a homeschooler about once a week, and those date nights were such a lifeline during that time!⁣ ⁣ And then we moved to a farm, and Greg blew out his knee, and it was the most stressful time of our life, and we didn’t like each other very much. But we kept up our date nights and weathered the storm together. ⁣ ⁣ Maybe date night isn’t your thing, but looking at the divorce statistics in our country, I wonder if prioritizing a weekly date night might be better than the alternative. ⁣ ⁣ I’m a quality time gal, and specifically a quality conversation gal. So time alone with my guy, to have conversations using complete sentences and discussing all the things, is what keeps me going. Maybe for you, it’s something else. ⁣ ⁣ But here’s the thing:⁣ Marriage is hard.⁣ Parenting is hard.⁣ Homeschooling is hard.⁣ Life is hard!⁣ ⁣ My advice: figure out what you need in order to stay the course, and then make it happen. It’s not selfish; it’s wise planning. It’s not expensive; it’s an investment. ⁣ ⁣ A few other things that help me stay the course: regular epsom salt baths, daily alone time (mandatory rest time when the boys were little), and annual getaway trips with Greg. ⁣ ⁣ I’m curious…what are your necessary things that help you stay the course as a mom/wife/homeschool mama?⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣
I never planned to homeschool. Then I had kids, an I never planned to homeschool. Then I had kids, and there was no way I could send them away to sit for hours at a desk.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ There were so many things I wanted to share with them: experiences, values, books…so many books! Things we wouldn’t have time to do if my kids spent most of the day away from me. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ You know what else influenced my decision to homeschool? My three year stint teaching high school.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Here’s what I saw…Most students fit into one of two categories: either they learned to jump through the hoops and make the grades, or they gave up. Either way, few had what I’d call a love of learning. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Scariest of all was the look in many of the boys’ eyes. The ones who had given up, who didn’t care anymore, who cheated their way through because all that mattered was the grade at the end of the test. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ I saw what it had done to them, to be punished for talking and wiggling, to be forced to sit still, to feel bored because they were bright or embarrassed because they progressed more slowly.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Every day 6 waves of students passed through my doors for about 40 minutes each. There was no way I could reach them all. It was one of the most impotent feelings I’ve ever experienced. I hated the bureaucracy, hated the over-filled classrooms, hated myself for being a part of it. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ I got out fast, teaching for only three years, having no idea this experience would pave the way to homeschooling. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Looking back, I’m thankful for that time because it fueled my desire to write a different story for my own children. A story in which each child would be cherished, in which we would sit together and read, in which we would do LIFE together. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ Will there be gaps in my kids’ education? Sure, just like there are for all of us. Does this concern me? Not really. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ More important to me than academics is their character. Their values. Their responsibility, dependability, ability to converse well with people from all walks of life. Their understanding of who they were created to be and how they can help bring light to this dark world. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ And those things, my friends, cannot be taught in a classroom.
I didn’t grow up knowing how to grow food, prese I didn’t grow up knowing how to grow food, preserve it, or turn it into meals. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ To be fair, I did grow up on a small hobby farm in a farming heavy community. My dad wasn’t a farmer but always raised a few steers and sometimes we had a few chickens or turkeys. We grew zero vegetables, herbs, or fruits. And I was largely uninvolved with the animals on our farm.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Although I didn’t know it at the time, I do believe that growing up on land instilled a desire for country living and it taught me the possibility of growing food. It wasn’t until I moved away to the city that I realized how much I wanted to get back to the country. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But even in our little newlywed starter home in the concrete suburbs of Dallas/Fort Worth, I did what I could. We jack hammered a concrete hot tub pad to make room for a vegetable garden. I began learning how to cook. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ When we moved to Virginia with a toddler and a baby on the way, we chose a non-neighborhood home on three acres. Our garden grew bigger and I learned how to can. We got laying hens. I added a dehydrator to the kitchen.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ We wondered if we could raise meat birds. We did. We wondered if we could raise beef and pork. We bought a farm. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Our gardens have grown exponentially since that tiny veggie patch behind our first home. We now raise all our own beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, and tons of produce. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Our goal is to grow 70% of our own food, and I’m pretty sure we’ve made it. Is it hard work? Yes. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But it’s amazingly intoxicating to sit down to a meal that started as a seed placed in the ground by your own fingers, that started as a tiny animal that grew under your care, tended by your own hands. It’s kind of addicting and has sort of taken over our lives. We can’t get enough of it. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I didn’t grow up with these skills but it sure feels good to have them now. And if I can grow food, preserve it, and turn it into meals for my family, believe me: you can too!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I might be working on something super special…can’t say much about it yet but I’m excited to share more soon!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ PS: only a few hours left to snag my Real Food Family Meal Plan at 40% off! Use my link in bio. 📷: @beckiekirker
Maple Glazed Kale has three secret ingredients tha Maple Glazed Kale has three secret ingredients that will win over the picky eaters in your life. (Take it from a girl who is married to and mother of certain greens-averse individuals. 😉) Can you guess what they are? ⁣ ⁣ This is my all-time favorite way to prepare fresh greens, especially kale. It’s simple enough for weekday meals, fancy enough for special occasions, and works well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Plus, leftovers can be stirred into soups, folded into omelets, or reheated in the toaster oven for a deliciously crunchy flair. ⁣ ⁣ Grab the recipe at my link in bio and in my stories!⁣ ⁣ PS: Reminder that my Real Food Family Meal Plan is 40% off through Monday! Tap my link in bio for details.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #kaleyeah #kalerecipes #eatmoreveggies #eatyourveg #veggierecipes #paleorecipes #glutenfreerecipes #pickyeaters #healthyfamilymeals #healthyfamilyfood #realfooding #realfoodie #realfoodrecipes #slowfood #farmersmarketrecipes #freshgreens #baconmakesitbetter #cookingwithcastiron #lodgecastiron #igrewthis #farmfood #farmfoodie #nourishingfood #nourishingfoods #nourishingfats #healthyfat #cookingfromscratch #scratchcooking #makeitmorethanameal #gardentotable
14 years ago, I loaded him into the jogging stroll 14 years ago, I loaded him into the jogging stroller and hit the sidewalks of our little neighborhood as often as I could for what I called our “touch and feel” walks. Winter temperatures didn’t stop us; I’d just bundle him well and head out as usual. ⁣ ⁣ All along the way, I’d pause and help him touch everything he could reach: rustic wooden retaining walls, soft lambs ear leaves, fragrant rosemary needles, rough tree trunks, prickly aloe plants. We would literally stop and smell the roses and the leaves and anything else we could find. ⁣ ⁣ At the time, I was a young mom trying to maintain my sanity as well as a connection with the natural world, despite my concrete-surrounded suburban circumstances. ⁣ ⁣ Little did I know how my toddler would grow to notice patterns in nature, to develop a deep love for creation, to study the natural world with intensity, and to exhibit a talent for drawing what he observed. ⁣ ⁣ Mamas, this is what it means to lay the feast: to expose your kiddos to many wonderful and beautiful things in life…music, nature, literature, theology, poetry, gardening, baking, woodworking, knitting, etc, etc, etc. You never know what they’ll latch onto, but you’ll be ready and waiting to cheer them on when they do.⁣ ⁣ It’s been such a joy to watch our young naturalist and artist hone his skills, and I’m excited to announce that he has added several new designs to his Etsy shop, just in time for small business Saturday and holiday gift-giving!⁣ ⁣ If you…⁣ -love to shop small businesses ⁣ -love to support #kidpreneurs ⁣ -are in the market for nature-themed paper goods⁣ …or all of the above, we hope you’ll take a peek at Malachi’s hand-drawn giftables in his Etsy shop. Find the link in my bio and in my stories!⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #smallbusinesssaturday #kidpreneur #etsyartist #natureart #natureartist #natureartwork #handdrawings #coloredpencildrawing #natureforkids #spreadthefeast #charlottemasonmethod #cmhomeschool #homeeducation #thisishowwehomeschool #naturestudy #naturejournal #naturejournaling #youngnaturalist #drawingnature #artistkids #kidswhodraw #sketchbookartist #shopsmallspreadjoy #notecards #naturenotecards
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