The Mindful Homeschool

I consider myself very fortunate to have this awesome, talented, and gorgeous yoga instructor teaching at our local fitness club. (26)  She is smart; she is knowledgeable; she is strict; she is beautiful; she is strong and she is one of the best yoga teachers I have ever had.  I have learned so much from her and she has inspired me to take my practice farther and deeper.  She has also encouraged us to practice carefully/mindfully so as to avoid injuring ourselves.  (She told us that she wants us to be able to continue doing yoga with her decades from now!) 

Today I was able to go to one of her classes and I had a great workout. (27)  I even attempted bird-of-paradise and was able to do it rather well. (28)  Not perfectly, not even close, but well enough for Kristina, my teacher, to say, “Gorgeous, Lucy!”  Now I know that you are not going to see me on the cover of Yoga Journal doing bird-of-paradise anytime soon but nonetheless, there is something to be said about being complimented in a class full of other students.  Being acknowledged for attempting the pose and being somewhat successful is a huge day brightener!

I told my dh not too long ago that if it weren’t for yoga, I would not be HSing.  Now I cannot say that with total certainty but I do know that yoga helps me relieve stress.  It helps me stay clear-headed enough to deal with all the extra stressors that parenting and HSing bring on.  I remember that in one of my first classes with Kristina, she complimented me on my practice and my flexibility.  Well, it is true that a good compliment can last a person a week or more.  That compliment was one of the first genuine compliments I had had in months, maybe years.  As a SAHM, and as a HS mom, I find the compliments on my work as a parent and a teacher to be extremely rare.  So hearing those words of praise from this gorgeous instructor made my heart sing and kept me flying high for quite a while.

Yoga seems to be something my body cries out for.  After practicing for about 18 months or so, I can tell when my body needs a good stretch.  Doing sun salutations and other basic poses make me feel so good.  Through my study of yoga, I have learned more about what makes a good teacher.  I have learned about Sanskrit, about what poses are good for what conditions, and how to do certain poses safely.  My children have been learning right along with me.  They know a lot of the poses and they know some of the sanskrit words used to describe certain the different asanas or poses.  They are also learning that the learning you do in life does not stop when you reach a certain age.  Learning is a life-long journey we all need to embark on.  Daily.

I hope that I will never grow tired of yoga.  Studying and practicing yoga has been a life-transforming experience and I hope that my enthusiasm for this ancient practice will inspire others to check it out for themselves.

C had art class today.  The featured artist was Claude Monet.  As usual, she had a good time and came home with some lovely art.  We have always thought of her as our artist-in-residence so I am so grateful that she is taking these art classes with a wonderful teacher who is fun, kind and creative.  Oh, and she also knows her art!  I am grateful that my daughter has been given these opportunities to learn more about and practice more art.  My deep gratitude goes out to her teacher and those who arranged the classes for our HS group. (23)

We also went shopping for shoes for the children.  We bought a pair for each of the boys; they ended up with the same shoe only in different sizes!  (For the second year in a row!)  I am grateful that we have money to buy things like this and that we don’t have to put it on our credit card.  (24)  I have been reading lately about HSers who are facing very difficult times financially and otherwise.  Of course, these financial troubles are affecting everyone, not just those of us in the HSing communities.  I am grateful for dh’s steady employment (25) and my thoughts and heart go out to those who are facing a lot of financial uncertainties and stress right now. 

Both of the boys are so excited about their new shoes.  My 3 yo was especially happy and he told me, “You have a nice family!”  LOL. 

Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience has inspired me to write this list of 1000 gifts.  It is a list of gifts I have.  I think it is so easy to focus on what I don’t have and what I want that it is easy to lose sight of what I have.  I am hoping this exercise will help me stayed focused on the here and now and all that has been bestowed upon me.  It has been much too easy lately to get into a rut of wishing for things I don’t have, things that others have, things that I lack.  Focusing on what I do have, I hope, will make me realize how blessed I am. 

I am grateful for another day.  (22)  I am grateful for the blogging community which never fails to inspire me.  (23)

For more information, please check out Ann’s Blog:  http://aholyexperience.com/

I am grateful for the opportunity to express myself through the written word. (1)  I am grateful for my physical health and wellbeing. (2)  I am grateful for this free blog! (3)  I am grateful for my mental health. (4)  I am grateful that I have discovered the transformative power of yoga. (5)  I am grateful for my education, something my parents, esp. my mother, sacrificed a great deal to give to me and my siblings. (6)   I am grateful for my life, being given yet another day in which to love and be loved. (7)  I am grateful for my three beautiful children and my loving husband. (8-11)  I am grateful for the sun shining bright and beautiful. (12)   I am grateful for my home. (13)  I am grateful for poetry and poets. (14)  I am grateful for our public library system and our town’s beautiful new library. (15)  I am grateful for running water that is clean and oh-so convenient. (16)  I am grateful for the ability to smell (17).  I am grateful for the health of my children and family. (18)  I am grateful for this time alone and the ability to type without interruptions. (19)  I am grateful for the trees, birds, blue sky and all that nature brings to us on a daily basis.  (20)  I am grateful for the owl hooting outside my window. (21) 

Yesterday was cloudy and cold and everybody was dragging.  It has been a long winter here for which I have no complaints.  It has been great for ice skating and sledding and snowboarding and just plain playing outside.  But it is April and thoughts are turning towards spring and warm weather and the growing season.  We are ready to let go of the winter weather and move into a new season.  Papa had a bad headache and I was needing a good nap to perk me up.  And it was that time of the day when we usually stop and have a bite to eat and I indulge myself with hot tea and something yummy.  

The other night I had read something on the internet about HSers who regularly participated in Tuesday Teatime, a time when all else is put aside so that one can put on a special tea party for their children complete with china, treats and hot beverages.  During this tea time, the children are invited to read poems and of course, the moms, too, take the opportunity to read from some of their favorite poets.

 Yesterday, despite my low energy level, I was able to accomplish putting together a “Tuesday teatime” even though it was Saturday.  Somehow, I found the energy to lay out one of my late mother’s table cloths and busy myself with making the table look warm and inviting.  There were lighted candles, teapots, fancy china tea cups, saucers and plates.  There were lovely little decorated Easter eggs adorning the table and there was my family sitting around the table.  Even my dh, who had been lying on the couch, joined us and seemed pleased with the layout of food and fineries.   I was impressed that a little effort toward making a beautiful table for tea time could bring the family together and lighten the mood the way that it did.  My dear husband even added to the ambiance by putting Bon Iver in the CD player - a perfect match for our day.  I would like to do this Tuesday Teatime once a week, if possible.  I plan to read bits of poetry and maybe some other books to the kids during this time.  Saturday’s tea time was such a day brightener, I have got to do it again.

Easing Stress with Gratitude

*This post is reprinted in its entirety by permission of Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience.

Interested in Easing Parental Stress?

A university student (and mother) who reads here contacted me, inquiring if any parent who passes through this out of the way place might be interested in participating in a research study to reduce parental stress— through practising gratitude… Yes! Care to join me?

She writes:

WANTED: Parents who desire to reduce child-related stress.

COST: A little bit of your time.

PERKS: Improved outlook and better parenting relationships! HOW? Introducing an exciting study in the works with an outcome that will benefit you! We are happy to present you with the chance to participate and hope that you will find this helpful to your daily life. Read on for more information ~

The Purpose of the Study:

- To consider gratitude as a method for reducing stress in parenting
- To measure instances of parenting stress using the method below
- To measure the potential benefits (and maintenance) of gratitude as a means of stress reduction in parenting

The Method of the Study:

The 2 Simple Steps:

[Prior to beginning, compile a list of 10 specifics for which you are grateful. This should make the required expressions of gratitude easier.]

#1: When you experience a moment of stress related to one or more of your children, “reset” your thinking by verbally expressing gratitude, either in reaction to the current stressor, or by reading/saying something from your list.

#2: Add a mark to your daily tally (so that we have a record of how many times this happens each day).

That’s it.

This exercise will be carried out for seven days, beginning on Tuesday, April 1st, followed by a seven day break, and then repeated for a second seven day period.

If you want to participate, please e-mail gratitude.study@gmail.com by Tuesday so we can have an idea of the size of the study. Give your name, age, and gender—although you are welcome to participate anonymously, if you like. Feel free to spread the word to as many adults that you know that wish to participate. (This would make a fun project to do with friends and/or a spouse—men being specifically encouraged to participate as most studies tend to neglect the impact of gratitude from a male perspective.)

What’s in this for you?

Multiple studies have shown that people who feel more gratitude are much more likely to have higher levels of happiness, lower levels of depression and stress. They are seen as more empathetic, agreeable, and extraverted. Grateful people should be more likely to notice they have been helped, to respond appropriately, and to return the help at some future point.

You mean, you’ll get all that, just by adding some gratitude to your life? YES!

Definitions, for the purpose of this study:

Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.

Parenting Stress is defined as those moments when life as a parent seems overwhelmingly unpredictable and uncontrollable (based on the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Within the context of parenting,

- you become upset because of something that happens unexpectedly.
- you feel you are unable to control the important things in your life.
- you feel nervous and “stressed.”
- you feel you cannot cope with all the things you have to do.
- you become angry because things are outside of your control.
- you feel difficulties are piling up so high that you cannot overcome them.

Obviously, this will be a largely subjective assessment—that is the difficulty in measuring an emotional state. Just try to be as aware as possible.

Thank you! We look forward to sharing the results of the study.

Join us at gratitude.study@gmail.com by Tuesday.
(Feel free to repost this post in its entirety. Let’s give thanks in all things!)

(Lucy says: It looks like we missed the deadline.  I just heard about it yesterday but love the idea just the same….)

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-Robert Frost

This is the poem that my former college professor recited to his students on more than one occasion.  It was said that he made many of his students memorize this poem.  At his funeral mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary, three poems were read.  The last one was this poem by Robert Frost.  The whole congregation was invited to read it out loud together. 

I learned a lot from this gentle and humble writer, poet and teacher.  I am grateful that I was able to be a student and a writer in Jon Hassler’s classes.  I wish that he had more time to spend here on earth with all of us.  The literary world has lost a good writer, friend and teacher.  I plan to re-read some of his works this year.  And I plan to memorize this poem.  Jon Hassler died on March 20, on the cusp of springtime.  He left this world much too soon.  But his words, his books and the lessons he has taught all of us will go on forever.