Persevering In 2014

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My word for 2014 is PERSEVERE! Persevere means, "to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult." I think many homeschool moms will agree with me that being a stay at home/homeschool mom is not an EASY job. Add in life stresses like a job, financial strains and health issues and it can make our job even harder.

So this year I will be focusing on PERSEVERING in these areas homeschool, blogging/social media work and household chores.

Perseverance is a special character trait because you can only use it when things are difficult. It is a character trait that ordinary people depend on just about everyday at work, home and play. Perseverance keeps us pressing on even when tough circumstances come our way. As mother's (especially homeschool mothers's) we definitely persevere everyday and it is our job as mother's to help our children persevere too. We as mother's need to hold our children's course steady and encourage them to use this valuable character quality. But perseverance cannot be taught. Instead we must set the example for our children. We must show them how we persevere through our own struggles and weakness and persevere along side them.

Here is how I am persevering and hopefully helping my children persevere as well in 2014!

Homeschool:
I firmly believe in our delight-directed/unschooling learning style but it can be really hard some days to trust that we have made the right choice. There were times this year I was second guessing our choices, comparing our homeschool to others and ready to throw in the towel on homeschool all together. In the New Year I will persevere and remember the reasons we chose to homeschool. I will remember that we want our children to have a love for learning and to follow their interests and dreams...NOT fit into a mold or box. I will NOT let the words of other break me down and second guess what we decided was right for our children and our family.

No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education. ~ Plato

I will help my children learn how to persevere when they are tackling something tough and getting frustrated by showing them how I persevere and by letting them know it is okay to fail and make mistakes. I will show them that patience goes hand in hand with perseverance.

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. ~ Julie Andrews

I will let them pursue topics that are meaningful to them. I will let them set their own goals and be there to support them and help them work through any difficulties that arise. I will provide all of the resources and environment they need to persevere. I will guide them on the choices they make so that they can find perseverance on their own. I will NEVER compare them to other children and will let pave their own path.

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. ~ John Quincy Adams

Blogging and Social Media Work:
There were several times this year when I was ready to give up on blogging and social media. It is very time consuming and hard work. It takes time away from other things I love doing like scrapbooking and hiking. And sometimes it even takes time away from my family.

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Author Unknown

When I started blogging it was a fun way to document our homeschool journey and I hoped that along the way it would help a few fellow homeschoolers. But over the last 2 years it has become more than that and my tiny blog has grown more than I ever imagined it would. Blogging has allowed me to supplement our income and provide for our family. It has become a way for me to help fellow homeschoolers on their homeschool journey through valuable insight and resources. And it has allowed me to meet some really awesome people across the country and even the world who have become both "in real life" and virtual friends.

Persist and persevere, and you will find most things that are attainable, possible. ~ Lord Chesterfield

I showed perseverance this year (with the support from my family) and will continue to press on in 2014. I will get more organized and stay caught up on projects and reviews. I will lighten up some of my commitments and focus my attention on my passions. I will utilize more of the valuable tools available to bloggers like scheduling apps.

Try not to do too many things at once. Know what you want, the number one thing today and tomorrow. Persevere and get it done. ~ George Allen Sr

And in turn I will show my children through my own perseverance that hard work and persistence is possible in everything we do, even blogging. And that making sacrifices for my family makes all the hard work totally worth it!

I am a slow walker, but I never walk back. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Household Chores:

I think this is one everyone can relate too. You clean the house or even just a room only to turn around and find a mess again. Children are like mini tornadoes. They make messes and destroy just about every thing in their path. 

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~ Newt Gingrich

But with a little perseverance and teamwork household cleaning and organizing won't be difficult and exhausting. Be sure to read my New Year Cleaning Tips post too! In 2014 I will persevere in household chores by not being afraid to ask for HELP around the house even when I think I don't need it!

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.  ~ Albert Einstein

I will ask EVERYONE to get involved, even the children, in cleaning and organizing. If children help to clean up messes, fold the laundry, wash the dishes, etc they will learn valuable life skills, perseverance, patience, time management and the value of helping others. It is up to you whether or not you offer incentives (we reward with $1 allowance each week) but either way children need to understand that as a family it is everyone's responsibility to clean up and help out around the house not just mom's. I have even had my children help with breakfast, lunches and dinner and they are only 6 and 7 years old. And did you know that learning to do tasks, helping out around the house, and being relied on by others in their family can help build self confidence and self esteem in children?

What ever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” ~ Walt Disney

Health:

As I was writing this post I thought of one more area I will show perseverance in for 2014 and that is my health. Some of you may know about my health struggles this year, which started a little over 4 years ago. Over the last 4 years I have seen countless doctors, had numerous procedures and accrued hefty doctor bills (some which are still unpaid). But a few months ago I had enough. I refused to become the medicated zombie that the doctors said I needed to become due to a garbage can diagnosis of fibromyalgia. I refused to continue living in pain, sleeping all day and pushing my family away. 

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacle's, discouragement's, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. ~ Thomas Carlyle

So I researched and researched and low and behold I found a great Chiropractor who was willing to help me heal my damaged body. Turns out I have metabolic issues, food allergies, a twisted atlas (small bone at the top of your spine on which you 12 lb skull sits) and an injured shoulder. What caused these issues is uncertain. It may have been the mold exposure from our house (that we left in 2009), my intestinal surgery (to correct the malroation of my small intestine in 2000), hormone changes from having children and/or the bad fall I had a couple years ago while ice skating. Or perhaps it was a compilation of all the above. But whatever the cause may be I am happy to report that I am healing. It has been a slow process and it will continue well into 2014. After all it took years to get this sick. But thanks to a caring doctor Cliff Griffin, gentle manipulations, amazing supplements, exercise and a restrictive diet I will continue to persevere in my health in 2014 and continue my road to recovery.

I can do everything by the power of Christ. He gives me strength Philippians 4:13 NIrV

Also be sure to head over to Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog to read about more words for 2014 from the TOS Crew.

Also in case you are interested here are my top 5 posts for 2013.

1) FreeBEE Friday - Wonders of Creation *

2) FreeBEE Friday - Subtraction Concept Based Download *

3) FreeBEE Friday - Lego Learning Resources

4) FreeBEE Friday - Be My Valentine Lapbook *

5) FreeBEE Friday - 2 Limited Time Freebies * 

*Please note many of the freebies above were limited time freebies and may no longer be available.

Our family wishes you a happy New Year! May all your hopes and dreams come true and your perseverance pay off in 2014!



Linking up with: List It Tuesday