Simplifying Does Not Give Us Less...It Gives Us More

There are many great speakers if you have been following the 2014 Not Back To School Summit geared towards homeschooling families.  I personally feel that every parent, no matter what form of schooling they choose for their children, will greatly benefit listening to these wonderful speakers who have so much knowledge from personal experiences that they want to share with everyone.  Two speakers spoke to my heart on current needs that were important for me to hear on that first day, as I have just begun with another homeschooling year and I have been wanting to implement a few changes that could greatly benefit my family.

My husband and I have three amazing children and they sure keep us on our toes.  A seven year old boy and a set of four year old twin girls.  Let's just say that there is never a dull moment in our home and I am glad.  As a parent I have been trying to create the best environment for them to help them be nourished and to grow.  Rachel DeMille and Donna Goff's talks both gave me that comfort  I needed with new things to pray about and to be guided on at a whole new level.

Rachel DeMille and Donna Goff both talked about simplifying our home and removing the distractions.  I have been wanting to do less and I am making sure that our family calendar has less things filled in.  The reasoning is that we need to be able to have that time that is not tied down.  We all need that down time.  Parents and children included.  Having less things on the calendar also helps me to be able to fill it in with things that can greatly benefit my family, such as special programs at the library that my children would love to go to.

I already knew how important reading to my children is and we have been doing more and more as we have started TJED.  This just confirmed how important it is and how I am doing so much more than I think by doing this. Discussing with my children what we are reading has also been a precious time for us.  A lot of our schooling is done through reading and children soak up so much information by this alone.  We add other tools of course, but so much has been taught through the reading.

Having less in my house helps us to enjoy what we do have more and in return we have less distractions.  It is a great feeling.  Our homeschooling environment has improved already by incorporating so much from both of these wonderful speakers.  I have seen a difference in myself and how I look at things now, then from when I first started this journey over two years ago.  Family work is another one of those things.  My children and I work together as a team to get things done around the house and it has been a great bonding experience.  We like to compliment each other on how we have completed a job.  This can be a special time for every family and turned into having fun, not be a downer.  After all, everyone enjoys a clean home.

Simplifying truly does give us more of what matters!