There is a female comedian known for this expression “Can we talk?” Not to be a comedian, but in that vein, “Can we ramble?” When spring rolls around and with it achievement testing, I find myself taking mental inventory. Thoughts of “where’d the time go?” lead to a dozen stabs of guilt. There are a whole lot of unfinished books, incomplete projects, manipulatives yet to be manipulated, half-started unit studies, and a host of unmet dreams scattered all over our home... and my heart.

It seems that the longer I homeschool (year eleven, here), and the more I learn of what’s available, the more I don’t accomplish. Have you been to our state’s home school convention? Other seminars, and conferences? Seen the mammoth book vendor halls? Know bunches of these folk by face and name? Met some authors of our wonderful books? Heard fantastic speakers and attended workshops that make your spirit soar? Got the audiotapes, too? Been stirred to righteousness year after year, and long to raise up godly a generation? Bringing all this wonder into our home - our day to day - ah, now there’s the rub.

We have an array of Bible and character training materials that I’m happy to impart --- but “they” (the 5 here, from toddler to teen) either won’t sit still or are timing me to finish! I love pulling a chair along side one of my “chicks” peering into a lesson from Learning Language Arts Thru Literature, --- but someone’s yelling from upstairs “The baby’s got a bad diaper!”

I’ve so enjoyed the Elijah Company folk and believe in their nature walks, field guides and such, --- but we do well to identify shoes, get out the front door across the yard, and pile into the van!

Have you seen the article “Get up and Get out” in this FHE journal? We really do hope to join in on the Presidential Fitness events this spring, --- but it seems we do well to just to “Get up and get of out” bed most mornings!

We’ve got the Geo-Safari, maps, puzzles and country quiz cards in abundance, --- but mostly we’re trying to locate the pacifier.

I’ve even got a nutritious cooking video and colored 4 x 6 cards to learn and teach meal planning along with the kids --- but most nights I ‘m digging around in the pantry wearily in search of a box of Kraft macaroni!

Etiquette charts and books on manners and virtue deck our tables and shelves, --- but one of the boys still burps heartily, with or without music, and grins, “The baby did it!”

The Cornerstone Curriculum with its love of the arts is spread in full and useful view, --- but splashes of light and shadows on a Rembrandt are met with “Hmm, Mom isn’t it time to color your hair?” And the little ones, in “classical” contradiction, dance around strumming a mean 'guitar' on brooms and feather dusters!

Resource queen, Mary Pride, expounds the advantages of having an array of educational and growth related mater-ials within easy reach so kids can “mess around with them" but I think mine take the mess part to a mirthful extreme!

There are bug parts on my tweezers. 3-D creations are liberally taped, glued and push pinned into furniture and walls. There are Legos in my high heels and band instruments are jammed in the juggling drawer. Computer do-dads are hither and yon. Skeleton parts are stuck to plastic insects not unlike bad boy Sid did in Toy Story!

I could ramble a long time here. (At least the multitude of Cuisenaire rods are under padlock; some ray of sanity in my “Mary Pride life.”)

It does no good to compare myself with the “Greats” in homeschooling. Take the lovely singing McKims (family of 15), for example. Heavens! It’s bad enough that we have our own “wonder woman” and “high achiever” in our very midst! (Love you, gals!)

So what’s an ordinary, no frills, “C+ average” home school Mom to do? Are you in the same boat?

I Corinthians 10:31 is for us all. “Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or what ever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” When we barely have time to read an Our Daily Bread, may God give us a heart drawn to Him through and during the every day stuff. Narrate the lengthy poem or wipe a runny nose; successfully complete the Saxon Math or finally get the laundry put away - do all to the glory of God.

Is one exercise of more value in His eyes? Oh, may He find us all, no matter what abilities He has given us, faithful. May He be pleased and glorified with the process --- and abundantly bless the end results in the lives of our wonderful children (and their weary parents.)

All to the glory of God,
Judy Morales