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So after much wrestling...with myself...I decided to put away the rest of Beyond for the summer...We only have a few weeks left and I had planned on being done by mid August...and getting on a regular schedule...Then I found myself getting so burned out...I was thinking of putting my daughter back in ps...a different one but knew that would not work well...yet I have been really struggling to keep going....and felt so overwhelmed by starting a new program that was more intense in Sept....I got up this morning and realized....I have not given myself any time to grief...the recent loss of my nephew....and than 2 weeks later the loss of my brother....I just put it all aside...and homeschooling became almost unbearable...I as really concerned with Brooklyns math...and so this morning...the Lord just laid it on my heart...to just let it go....put it away for now...it is okay if we go into June next year! I was trying really hard not to!

I read posts here and am so impressed with the committment you all have with homeschooling...and at the first sign of being overwhelmed I am ready to *throw that baby out with the bath water* and put her back in ps! I see I have to really work on some of this in my life....I see so many positives with homeschooling....and I still struggle with whether I am cut out for this or not....I often wonder how so many of you come to the decision to hs than do not waver from that...It must be a heart issue for me...knowing what is best at this point for my child...yet....resisting it as well....

So I guess I am just trying to make myself feel a bit better for *giving up* by posting about it here! So for us....We are officially on vacation until further notice!!!!! And it might be just what my daughter needs to get over what seems like a block with math!! Beth in Idaho

Sometimes putting something away for a while can really reinvigorate the journey. I have a friend right now that is giddy about this summer and doing NO school. You have had some very tough issues to deal with. You need time to mourn. You do not need to start a new program every fall. Many of the women on this board carry over a few weeks of school into the fall after taking a summer break. As to the question about how "we" view homeschooling, I can only answer for myself. We started out when my oldest was in K. I figured I couldn't mess K up! We took it a year at a time for a couple of years and then found that there was no other option that would accomplish our goals for our family. My oldest graduates this coming year and we have never looked back. There is no other option in our mind now, which makes homeschooling much easier, in my opinion. My children are doing well academically, but more importantly, they are learning about Christ throughout the day, and in the end that is all that really matters. At this point I only have 16 more years to go. Our youngest (for now) is 2. It really has been an incredible journey that has changed our walk with the LORD more than anything else. It is just what we do and who we are now. I cannot imagine another life. I didn't get here overnight; we did not get here without struggles. Everything worthwhile takes work and determination, but the benefits are beautiful! Take a break, rest in your Savior, and wait for his comfort, encouragement, and healing.

8arrows wrote:Sometimes putting something away for a while can really reinvigorate the journey. I have a friend right now that is giddy about this summer and doing NO school. You have had some very tough issues to deal with. You need time to mourn. You do not need to start a new program every fall. Many of the women on this board carry over a few weeks of school into the fall after taking a summer break..... There is no other option in our mind now, which makes homeschooling much easier, in my opinion..... they are learning about Christ throughout the day, and in the end that is all that really matters..... It really has been an incredible journey that has changed our walk with the LORD more than anything else. It is just what we do and who we are now. I cannot imagine another life. I didn't get here overnight; we did not get here without struggles. Everything worthwhile takes work and determination, but the benefits are beautiful! Take a break, rest in your Savior, and wait for his comfort, encouragement, and healing.

Yeah that! Please give yourself some grace after all you've gone through. I can't imagine.

The enemy will do all he can to make you doubt yourself. Rest in the Lord that you can do this.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." ~Philippians 4:13

I think you definitely should cut yourself some slack as you have experienced HUGE losses this year. This year my husband's grandpa died and my aunt died, and my parents have been going through a divorce. There are times you need to keep up normalcy and then there's times when you need to take a break, you just have to listen to the Lord like you did.

Please remember that most of the time on the computer, boards, blogs, etc. most people put "their best foot forward". We are all humans and have struggles and doubts. We just don't always share them. With that being said, the Lord has used homeschooling to teach me more than I could ever teach my children. It seems to bring my weaknesses, faults, and failures to the forefront like nothing else. I mean being a wife and mother does too, put homeschooling just adds that extra pressure. I once heard a preacher say that when you're under pressure, you're like an animal that's dead on the side of the road in very hot weather. You know, how they swell up really big? All you have to do is poke them to see what was inside them and it'll come out. Homeschooling just adds a different dynamic that shows us as women what's really on the inside of us. It's not always pretty. With that said, none of us our naturally pretty on the inside, this is where we just yield to our Lord and cry out and ask for His grace and for Him to mold us in His image. No matter how much someone looks like they have everything on the ball, they don't.

Praying for you.

Oh, sweetie. Taking a break is not giving up! I also think you've made a good decision; I've taken breaks like this mid-year and have found that it helps all of us dive in and enjoy things more when we come back to it. Don't feel guilty! Take your time to grieve.

We've been homeschooling since 1995. One of the biggest things I've learned is: dealing with life is one of the most important homeschool subjects! If we aren't allowing school and life circumstances (good and bad) to flow together in "perfect unity" all you will be doing is schooling at home. Home schooling is a much better approach!

In our journey of homeschooling we've experienced: loss of a child, broken back, babies and bed rest , 4 surgeries in a year for mom (plus having a baby the same year), divorce, more than a 1/2 a dozen moves, chronic nerve pain, job loss, etc. Some years we did school in bed. Some years we did more science (learning from life as it was happening) than anything else. Together! we have lived life, learned to be servants and and learned to God in everything.

One of the most memorable times for us was 3 weeks after my dh left us. My, then 6 year old son and I, were doing a math lesson and it was talking about how elephant dads don't live with the rest of the family. In tears, my son opened up and talk about what was going on in his heart and mind as he grieved the loss of his daddy. We shed a lot of tears and praised God for His goodness that day! Healing started right then and there over a math lesson!

May God grant you healing and lots of bonding moments as you walk through this together!

I think you made a great decision. You do need time to grieve and I think it is fine to let your children see that you need that time as well. People often don't finish a guide and then pick it up at the beginning of next year. The great thing about that is you get to start next year with an old friend and that takes pressure off as well. If you had your child in ps know that they often do not finish books either. Only difference is no chance to go back and that is part of why they end up having to review so much in the beginning of the year. The luxury of hsing is that we get to let school work around life. Sometimes that is for fun things and sometimes it is just out of necessity.

I would not let the enemy get you thinking that this is some sort of lack of commitment on your part to hsing. All of us that are committed to hsing no matter what still have our moments where for a minute it seems it would be easier to quit. The only difference is we put that burden on God and ask Him to take us through the rough spots. A long time ago I prayed for God to show me His will with hsing and also how he wanted me to teach my children. I really feel my call is for the entire way through hsing no matter what. And no matter what has come around a lot of times. But God is faithful to show me that we can still do it and He will take us through the hard times as certain as He does the easy times. But that does not really mean being more committed on my part. It is only that I feel it is a call. A call I am so meagerly equipped for and one that I will constantly have to depend on Him to take me through. But in all honesty isn't that the way God always called people in the Bible. He did not call the well equipped, He called the meagerly equipped and brought them through so that His glory instead of theirs could be seen. I expect you probably fall into the same place the rest of us do. When we hit a bump for a brief moment we question. We often feel ill equipped and that perhaps God might not have know how ill equipped we were when He told us to homeschool. And some feel it is for a season and for them that call may be for a season. But I think more often the ones that stay had no deeper call they were just willing to turn to Him when the rough season came and ride it through to see the blessing on the other side. I expect God has a blessing waiting for you on the other side of this year.

Hang in there. Take some time for you with God and rest in Him. Next year will be fresh when it gets there. Praying God brings you comfort along the way.

There is so much wisdom and comfort in what has been shared here, Beth. I too think you have made a good decision, and that you need time to grieve the loss of your nephew and your brother. I am praying for this to be a time of renewal for you, a time to refresh your spirit, and a time to relax. Homeschooling is important enough to do what we need to, to keep doing it, and sometimes a break is what we need most to keep pressing on. There are seasons when we are weary in the soul, seasons when we are weary in the body, and seasons when we are weary in the mind - sometimes there are seasons when we are weary in all 3! Taking time to rejuvenate enables us to keep going and to do so with a renewed spirit. I absolutely need my summers off. Taking my summers off gives me time to celebrate the close of the last year and get excited for the beginning of the next year. I have 5 weeks left of Bigger Hearts to do with Riley. I have LHTH to finish with Emmett. I'll start a new guide with Wyatt. I am at peace with where each of them are in their schooling. You are not in any way "giving up", you are "getting ready". There is all the difference in the world between the two. I hope you have a wonderful break - you deserve it!

Love in Christ,
Julie

Wow I'm so sorry for the loss of your nephew and your brother. Don't be hard on yourself. I wouldn't hesitate to take a couple months off. ((hugs))

I think you absolutely did the right thing! I am so sorry for the loss of your brother and your nephew. I know that stopping school will be a blessing for you right now as it will give you time to grieve, but will also give your sweet daughter time to grieve as well. God be with you and may he bring you peace regarding school decisions. Have a wonderful month off!