Homeschooling?

It dawned on me today that this blog has been a whole lot more about "Garden" then it has about "Homeschooling"! Smile.
Actually, our homeschooling year, albeit short thus far, has been going well. This is our first absolutely full week -- meaning that we resume piano lessons this week, begin Biology (for Josiah), have our Spanish tutor come regularly, and had our first Treasure Valley Homeschool Speech and Debate club meeting today! Life is full.
Our school days are needing to be more flexible this year. With the advent of two new violin teachers, Speech and Debate, horseback riding lessons, and Spanish tutoring occurring a least a couple of times a week, we are learning to "go with the flow" a bit more. Up until this point, I have held fast to the HOME in homeschooling, and still prefer to be home most days during normal school hours, but we are all learning flexibility this year as well as adaptability.
I've learned over time to let go of what is most comfortable to me (home, order, schedules, planned activities only) in order to meet the differing needs of my children.
For one child this means time to talk (about EVERYTHING!). I'll admit, this isn't easy for me. When you tend to have every last minute filled, it's hard to stop and listen (really listen) and just be present. It's worth it though.
For another child, I need to set aside specific time for him to be alone. Like me, too much social interaction leads him to be burdened and overstimulated. Purposely encouraging him in this alone time benefits us all.
And for my wee one (who's not so little any longer), I must simply allow her to shadow me all day long! :) My little social butterfly needs to be with others and so I must be purposeful to schedule playdates and other opportunities for her to play and learn alongside others -- both young and old and everywhere in between! Unlike the boys, she seems to need a LOT more of my attention and greatly enjoys doing whatever I'm doing. This is a tremendous blessing of course -- God's gift of time to truly train her up. Of course, it is also a huge responsibility and one that I must remind myself will not last forever.
What I'm most excited about this year is our efforts put toward excellence rather than accomplishment. We are being purposeful to spend a portion of each day in Bible study, both individually and together. We are praying with purpose and enjoying the process. Our read alouds draw us together at the beginning, middle, and end of nearly each day. I've told my friends that I'm going for the "Underwhelmed Homeschooler of the Year" award! :) I've done the comparison-can't-keep-up-must-finish-every-page sort of thing. This year, I'm remembering why we chose homeschooling and praying every day that God will keep that vision at the forefront of my mind.
So, this is what we're up to! Learning with books and computers and tutors and group classes, learning through serving others, learning with life lessons, learning through work, and learning by loving each other. This is homeschooling. What a gift.