Just Enough, Nothing More

I have a bunch of bookmarks up with different articles about how to be a good homeschooler. Rather than do a post for each one, I’m going to link them all here. Enjoy your mini-lesson on how to get an A+ in homeschooling.

I was acting selfish and was so wrapped up in “poor me” syndrome, I was taking everything down with me. Then suddenly, the thought came to me - Could I imagine Obama doing this? And I couldn’t. What about Buddha? No way. Oprah? Ha! Jesus? Ya right.

On the surface, the power of intention sounds kind of foofooey (yes, I made that word up). I mean, we can’t make things happen just by thinking about them. We can’t control the universe. Yet, there is some truth to the idea that what we habitually think about changes our life.

Yesterday, I looked at the mistakes we made in 2008. Today, I’ll reflect on what worked.

As many of you know, I struggle with the unschooling label. Generally, I don’t consider myself an “unschooler’. Or rather, I wear the label very loosely. I prefer the term “zenschooling,” since it is more in line with how I process the concept of education, and how we practice it as a family.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover another term that resonates with us - “worldschooling.”
Eli Gerzon came up with “worldschooling” as an alternative to unschooling. This is a brief description of what it is, from his website:
Gerzon defines it …

Here’s a simple truth: Worry is not the same as critical thinking.
As with many things, hypotheticals are not bad in and of themselves. It’s why and how we spend time thinking in the hypothetical.
Brad is playing chess. His opponent can do many possible things. One of those things is to come out with a surprise move and win the game. In order to win, Brad has to spend his time in the hypothetical. If he spends his time worrying that his opponent might win, and moves his pieces with that …

So where has Tammy been? She’s been doing too many things, that’s what.
This is a serious concern for us homeschoolin’ mamas who, in addition to educating our kids, have a life of our own. I suppose, this problem is true for every mama. However, with homeschooling, it’s even easier to spread ourselves too thin without even realizing we’re doing it.
The reason? We are in total control of our time. We have very few outward “have-tos” that we can blame our stress on. And if you’re at all like me, you …

A new homeschooling mom on our local list had some questions about tutors, curriculum, and generally freaking out because she can’t figure out the perfect way to get started because she’s afraid of regretting her decisions
I responded to her, and I thought I’d pass this along for those of you who are struggling with fear, regret, perfectionism, or self-doubt. Or, if you are interested in being a stronger, more resilient homeschooler, this post might interest you.
Dear “Alysa”,
I have been reading this thread with interest. After your last email, I thought …

I wrote a post today about my experience at Easter, thinking that I was going to tie it to homeschooling (because, well, doesn’t everything relate to homeschooling in one way or another?)
Well, after I wrote it, I realized it belonged on my zen blog, not this one. So, if you’re interested in hearing about my Easter experience, and little deaths, head on over to ZenPizza. Feel free to comment there or here, if you feel so inclined.

“We are disturbed not by events, but by the views which we take of them.” - Epictetus, 1st century Greek philosopher.
When we think of fearlessness, we often think of daredevils like Evil Knievel or Derek Hersey; people who regularly, and intentionally, put themselves into dangerous situations either for fun or profit.
There are indeed people who like the thrill of danger, but that is not what everyday life fearlessness is about. The kind of fearlessness that we can have in homeschooling and in life, is an acceptance that life is …

Little do people know that when they are on the search for homeschool curriculum, what they are looking for isn’t the best book or superior materials — they are searching for themselves. When they find that perfect curriculum, and that perfect set of activities, projects, approaches to education, they have found what was already inside them. They have found themselves, and they have found their children.
When we know ourselves, and we know our kids, the search for curriculum stops, and it becomes a process of endless discovery.
When we search outside …

What Would Wayne Dyer Do? Apparently, being a jerk is something he’d do.
A couple of days ago in a post about freedom, I quoted Wayne Dyer. His words made me think about my own children’s freedom, about the freedom I ask for myself, and the freedom I allow other people and things to take away from me.
I read the rest of his book, Pull Your Own Strings, and I found myself becoming less and less enchanted with Wayne Dyer’s idea of freedom. In the name of freedom, apparently, it’s perfectly …

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. But I do like to reassess my life and make adjustments when the time is right. Jan 4th is a great time to reassess; the holidays are over, it’s almost time to start classes again, and I have a huge deadline in a couple of days. So yes, it’s time to get my head on straight (again) and move forward.
5 things in 2007 made a difference for me. And for 2008, they will be must-haves for our homeschooling success.
1) A place to work. I’m …

1. Everyone is a genius in their own right. Great mathematicians and artists are not the only gifted ones. There are those who are gifted in communication, in motivating others, in dealing with stress, in explaining things, in remembering details, in managing people and projects, in being organized, in seeing the true nature of people… There are so many ways to be gifted, and most of them are overlooked because they can’t be measured.
2. It’s far easier to fill an adult’s academic and knowledge holes than it is to fill …

I don’t believe in luck. Good things and bad things and neutral things come at us all the time. It’s our choice on how we interpret these things and how we respond. What we choose to see. What we choose to react to.
My husband is a good example. He is a lucky guy. It’s how he responds to his universe that makes him that way. He takes a ‘wait and see’ approach and then responds only to the things that are positive. He doesn’t do it consciously (perhaps that’s why …