The Mindful Homeschool

It has been hard to keep count of all the things I am grateful for.  I guess that in itself is something for which to be grateful! (29)

I haven’t posted for a while and thought I could quickly give an update by stating what I have been grateful for these past few days.

The glorious summer sun and summer heat! (30)  I do not want to hear complaints about the heat.  Get thee to a pool if need be.  I love being able to send the kids outside in just shorts, a t-shirt and crocs.  This is the perfect time to go to the beach, the pool, anywhere you can find comfort when the heat index gets high.

Air conditioning (31) for when the heat and humidity are too much to bear.

My new clothes dryer (32), my temporary clothesline and clothespins (33), my new window fan (34), and the new hard drive in this computer which allows me to stay connected to the world through cyber space!!! (34) 

And lastly, for our health (35).  We have been very healthy this summer and (knock on wood) hope to do a lot more activities before the summer comes to a close.

“Cleaning the house while the kids are still young is like shoveling before it stops snowing.”  –Phyllis Diller

Last week we participated in a garage sale held at my brother’s house.  It was relatively successful and I was able to go through, organize and sell a lot of stuff.  The funny thing is my house does not reflect this.  We still have a lot of stuff that we need to organize, store or sell.  My oldest child will turn 10 yo soon so I have been collecting all this kid stuff for a while.  And it is not all kid stuff, of course, that I need to organize.   A lot of it is my stuff.  But with 3 kids ages 3 to 9, I have not been able to accomplish a lot of housework, or anything else for that matter.

However, I am inspired.  I have cleared out some areas in my home.  I have made some money selling it.  And I have found some things that I had been looking for.  It feels good.  There is good energy slowly moving through the house.  I just need to keep at it until the clutter beast has been tamed.

And I am truly grateful to be able to live in this house and neighborhood.  With so many people being forced out of their homes, I am truly grateful for what I do have. 

The trip to SD was an experience our kids will remember for a long time.  Well, maybe not our youngest, our 3 1/2 yo, but our other children will remember touring a cave for the first time, the Beautiful Rushmore Cave; and seeing the beautiful Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, among other things.

I am very proud of our children adapting to all the new situations and trying new things, esp. in the area of food.  C did have her moments where she was unwilling to do things that the rest of us wanted to do, things like watching the 20 minute video at Crazy Horse but these were balanced out somewhat with the times she was willing to try new things and go with the flow.  As a matter of fact, it seemed to be a “go with the flow” kind of vacation.   And hopefully the lesson she and the rest of us learned about going with the flow will be remembered for a long time.

Our camping at the Sylvan Lake campgrounds in Custer State Park was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  We hadn’t planned on camping in this particular spot but when a park employee told us that the campsites were “rustic”, our curiosity was piqued.  The campground was everything you would want, full of gorgeous ponderosa pine trees and plenty of privacy.  There was an open area behind our campground where we were able to gather wood for the campfire and do some exploring. 

The park employee that we met on our first night there, Tara, was a wonderful addition to the place.  She was the one who recommended our camp site and we started to rely on her for other recommendations for restaurants in the area and other activities.  And it turned out she knew her food too.  She recommended a place in Custer called the Sage Creek and esp. recommended their carrot cake.  We got it “to go” and it was one of the best carrot cakes I have ever eaten.  I am truly grateful for her presence there.  She helped make the stay so much better. 

The weather was sunny and warm but not too warm during the daylight hours.  At night it did get cold, really cold and that became one of the downsides.  The campground was up in the mountains so it was chilly at night and hence, mommy had no sleep that first night.  This was partly due to needing to share sleeping space with my very active 3 yo and partly due to the fact that our tent was on a sloping hill.  The next day, we were forced to leave this particular campsite because someone had reserved it online.  (The reservation process left something to be desired).  The kids were bummed that we had to leave this wonderful site until … we discovered perhaps an even more beautiful campsite higher up in the campgrounds.  It was gorgeous with lots of ponderosas and even more space and “hills” to explore.  Thus, the beginning of C’s “go with the flow” attitude. 

All the kids were awesome in their fearless touring of the old cave near Mt. Rushmore.  I think they did better than I.  The tour guides gave all of us the experience of total and absolute darkness for a few minutes during the tour.  My kids did really well and it seems touring the cave may have been the highlight of their trip. 

C and the other children became quite good at adapting to new places and food.  One particular incident stands out:  Eating Mexican food at a restaurant in Hill City.  They ate food that they never would have tried in our hometown.  Of course, maybe the fact that we ate our meal at 8:00 had something to do with it.  They were hungry!!!

We took some 500 photos and I will try to post some of them later.  We are already thinking about our next camping trip, somewhere much closer to home.  The summer may be particularly short this year so we gotta make the most of it.  I am going to be doing a lot of list making over the weekend.  Making a list and checking it twice… gonna make this summer especially nice…. 

“A hundred times a day I remind myself that my life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give, in measure as I have received, and am still receiving.”

-Albert Einstein (from Meditations from the Mat)

We went bird banding on Wednesday at the local nature center.  It was difficult getting out of the house for the all day event for a number of reasons:  A) H-man said that he didn’t want to go (?!); B) C-chan’s hair needed some serious de-tangling and C) I had to pack lunches for the four of us!  Not something I am used to doing early in the AM!  And my options were very limited, our lunch packing supplies were low, and I heard a little grumbling about the p & j!  But we made it there.  I drove the mini-van while practicing a little pranayama (!) and of course, once we got there we had a great time! 

H-man and I were in a group separate from the older kids which we hadn’t planned for.  The center had not informed us that the kids would be separated by age.  Uggh.  But it worked out fine mainly due to the fact that W and C were able to hang out with the older kids’ group and be with their fellow HS buddies.  (Even though technically W was supposed to be with the little kids group of kids who were 3 - 7 yo).  My good HS friend Cathy was in the group with the older kids.  I am very thankful that she helped coordinate the outing with all the other HS kids from my semi-local group and helped keep an eye on my kids. 

It was really wonderful to be able to watch the naturalist and bird banding volunteers (a HS mom and daughter team, nonetheless) band two chickadees, a hairy woodpecker, and a yellow rump warbler (also known as a myrtle warbler).   We watched as the birds were released back into the wild complete with their new “ankle bracelets”.   All of us had the opportunity to hear a chickadee’s heartbeat; it sounded like a faint purring.  The bird banding volunteer, herself a HSing mom, held the chickadee up to each person’s ear so that we all, even my 3 yo, got a chance to experience it.  The children had a good time doing all of this with other HSing peers. 

I really enjoyed seeing some HS moms I haven’t seen in a long time and enjoyed chatting a bit with some moms I have recently gotten to know.  When we got home I had lots to tell my hubby.  H slept on the back seat of our van which was parked in the driveway while I told Phil all about the day’s events.  I definitely want to go back and see more of the bird banding.  Heck, maybe we could become bird banding volunteers! 

At the end of the day, in addition to the birds that were banded, we saw a red bellied woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, a red-tailed hawk, a pair of trumpeter swans, and a pair of goldfinches.  At least that is all I can remember right now…. 

We will be back to see more.  We heard that this particular nature center is known as the best birding place in the metro area.  And it is not too far from where we live.  Lucky us!    

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) 

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….)