Silencing the Background Noise or Why I Blog
While kids and weary husband sleep, I sit at the table and peck through chapter by chapter. I copy the author’s words to help me remember, to help me teach.
I strain for the discipline to just finish the last two chapters, but thoughts buzz. Ideas repeated here and there during the day hum for the moment they can be completed. When is that moment? It’s now, when the silence of the night gives ear to their music.
I decipher the purposeful notes and realize daily multi-tasking dulls my focus. My children too easily become part of the background noise. Walls press in, so I must press out. I need new perspectives.
Today three of us lingered at the window. Flocks of birds visited our feeder. We watched the juncos bounce around nibbling spilled seeds. Their black suit coats contrasted with the white snow. Finches of gold and purple brightened the dead lilac bush.
The fourth person here, my son, glanced out, flipped through books, and started asking:
Can we make a suet feeder? Can I make a bird bath? What about a brush cover?
My active, imaginative son always wants to do. I want to bundle up and hibernate until spring. Instead, I make the effort to listen and gather supplies.
Then I pause, before sleep, to capture a moment to help me remember, to help me teach.
What helps you be a better mother and teacher? What do you do to stay focused?
I need to exercise – preferably outside. A brisk walk clears my head, energizes my body and rests my soul. Then I’m ready to go again!
Melinda´s last blog ..How Do You Love?
Melinda,
Exercise is definitely something I need to fit into my day.
I love this post. I really need to think about your question. I have felt really unfocused lately, especially with our homeschooling. I think some of it has to do with gloomy weather (hibernation sounds really good), and some of it has to do with the fact that we are finishing up our core curriculum. I always wish I could scrap the very end and just move on. I definitely need to figure out what helps me focus! Thanks for making me think.
Sue´s last blog ..A Favorite Salad
Hi
I just met u at the #hsc chat=)
I REALLY struggle with focus this year. We have 2 little babies on top of the homeschooling crew so I slip into diaperland and mush very quickly.
What helps me refocus is when I am REMINDED!! I think God knows I am really distracted and He keeps sending me flares and people to remind me.
I am also very concerned that they really fulfill what God wants them to do and I don’t want them to run into a WALL when they grow up=) LOL
Lois of HisFireKids´s last blog ..PART 2 – HOMESCHOOL vs. CYBERSCHOOL: A PERSONAL JOURNEY
Journaling helps me stay focused. I like to write down plans/hopes/dreams/goals and go back and check on them. I like to write down to-do lists, and also simply reflect/journal on my children’s growth (spiritual and academic). Journaling helps keep me accountable and brings me back into focus.
Nikki´s last blog ..Announcement from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Many years of homeschooling and multi-tasking (don’t they go hand in hand?) have left me with an incredibly short attention span. Be warned, ladies……do whatever you must to stay focused!
[...] Pounding out words helps me remember, but capturing a memory is not the same as creating it. [...]