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There's so much for moms to do in December. In addition to finishing homeschooling, there's baking, shopping, wrapping, tree trimming and decorating.
I encourage you not to go it alone! Let your family help. Let your younger children get involved, too. It'll be more fun, and you'll be making special traditions and precious memories along the way.
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It was exactly a year ago when Austin returned from the dress rehearsal for The Frederick String Initiative's annual Winter Recital. I remember standing at the sink putting a few plates into the dishwasher. "Mom, I have some issues with the timing - just in a few spots," he said as he looked down to the floor and slowly lowered his viola case. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to play the concerto tomorrow."
"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa." -- I'm sorry. I said that phrase hundreds of times during our eleven years of homeschooling! Mess-ups, errors, mistakes. When you're homeschooling and spending tons of time together as a family, everyone sees what you do throughout the day. Mistakes become evident to all. Like the time I was vacuuming and heard all those little things get sucked up into the cannister....jpg)
As I taught the vocabulary and spelling lesson that Friday afternoon, I kept my head buried in the teacher's manual, trying to stay focused and get through the lesson. I paid no attention to the clock but knew that the hours were waning. I wrote on the dry-erase board, "C followed by an e, i, or y, makes an s sound. Just like the words city, citizen or cymbal." I lacked my typical enthusiasm as I dreamily looked out the window to a sunny May afternoon. I saw each nine-year-old take quick glances to the window too...
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Among the many things I learned during the seven weeks of my flight attendant training, were passenger safety, customer service, cultural sensitivity, and how to deal with terrorists.... All very interesting and needful topics for my foray into the friendly skies. 
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Are you wondering why I chose this golf picture? Well, I have a good explanation! Every athlete has a goal; they're aiming for a successful end result. Golfers want a hole-in-one, baseball players want the homerun, runners want the quickest time. They may not always achieve their goal, but they're certainly trying for consistency on a daily basis. Similarly, in teaching, we have certain goals to accomplish each day in order to achieve our end result - kids who graduate high school and are prepared to do whatever the Lord calls them to do..jpg)
