Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year's

Every year it seems as if the days get shorter and shorter.  Maybe it is because my kids are growing up and they are so incredibly busy that I don't have time to just sit around most days.  One of the benefits of homeschooling is we can start earlier, which means that we can take an entire month off in December to spend time as a family.  Then before we can blink, January is here in full force.  New Years is a time for me to reevaluate life, a time to reflect the good, bad, and downright ugly the year prior.  My motto in these last few months has been to "Love God, love people, and be a wanderlust."  

This up coming year, I plan on making family priority.  Time and again I am reminded just how short life is.  One of the beauties in homeschooling is that my kids are with me a lot, I have seen every major milestone of their precious lives.  I have taught my children how to read, write, do math, science, but also other subjects that are more important like loving people.  Sometimes social media sucks up too much of my time, so this year my goal is to focus more on my family.  One day they will all be grown up, and never do I want them to remember me spending all of my time on social media. 

Kids mirror the behaviors that they are taught.  I am a true believer in the old adage, "What comes around goes around, or you reap what you sow."  Kids need to see you put others before yourself.  2015 was a year of realization for me, before 2015 my world seemed wrapped up around myself.  After reading Interrupted by, Jen Hatmaker, life changed.  It seemed that things that mattered before no longer mattered.  There were hurting people in this world, and whether or not my house was perfect didn't matter to them.  So my family started volunteering around town.  I will never forget when we were volunteering at a homeless shelter.  They'd asked us to pick up trash, my children not only did it, but they were so excited to clean up trash.  My husband had been away on a trip, they called him giggling and bursting with joy over trash.  Teach your kids that life is more about others than themselves, because it is.  

Another beauty to homeschooling is the fact that we can take the classroom anywhere, whether that be my backyard, or a plane ride away.  This year I want to take our kiddos further than they've ever been.  I want them to experience this spectacular earth that God created.  Whether this year or in years to come I want them to see the snow covered Rockies from the sky, the majestic hidden waterfalls in Hawaii, the colossal red woods in CA, and many other locales around the world.  
I encourage you to step out and see all that you can see in this world.  If you are not a traveller, try it, it is addicting.  My children look forward to spur of the moment trips-anywhere.  Happy New Years from my family to yours!

God bless,

Brandi



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