Tonight is one of those nights you treasure. Sun sinking low in the sky, kids chasing bugs and playing in the water from the hose, not a sound for miles other than their voices. Not a sound in my head other than happy thoughts. It has been a hectic couple of weeks. I love to travel, though I love errands far less, and in general I am becoming very protective of home time. It is a precious commodity in a hurried age, little appreciated in our quest to do ‘more’.
Old friends and I have been discussing upcoming schoolyear plans lately and the recurrent question is usually "Is it enough?" Followed by "Should we be doing more?" Basking in the glow of the setting sun tonight the only answer I could come up with is there ‘more’ than this? Can you find this someplace else? Would it be better?
A thread on 4Real this week was contemplating the normalized child. In Montessori terms this would be a child who is collected, calm, focused. All good things. I have been thinking about this all day and wondering if it is even possible to impart those things to a child if we are not those things ourselves? I am not sure there is a book, method, or technique that could ever come close to imparting those qualities half as well as having a beloved parent demonstrating them gently, surely, day in and out. That is a stiff challenge however. It is much easier to instruct than to demonstrate. However, while we search for answers in methodology books or curriculum lists we often miss an unparalleled opportunity to quiet ourselves and give them more than we can imagine.
For a lot of my teaching and parenting years I was in the *more* cycle. So many opportunities abound for homeschoolers today. So many classes, support groups, clubs, teams. But inevitably it was the home team that lost when we became committed to those things. It is clear to us that for every day we are away from home it takes another day for us to recover and get back on track. It now has to be an awfully worthwhile activity to warrant upsetting that peace we have found while moving at a slower pace. I guess this is all part of my ongoing goal to do a few things well. Less really is becoming more for us these days. Not only are we enjoying the things we do immensely, but we are gaining quiet – inside and out.
Starry Sky Journal 
I found your blog while looking up Rebecca Sower. I am so impressed and inspired with your posts. I am a mom also (Five wonderful children.) I grew up on a farm and we now live on two acres which seems so confined. I struggle with the same issues, even though I scrap I am an artist of life. I will spend time just creating, whether it be in my journal, the kitchen, the garden, or helpng my children’s delicate minds to find that peace. I do not do homeschool, but I wish I could. Our family time is most precious and under valued by the world.
I recently set up a blog at candiceelton.typepad. thanks for the inspiration, I am a farm girl!!!
Awesome post and pictures. I’ve been here a few times before and you are inspiring. This is especially meaningful to me because I fall on the “more” side of things. We are gearing up for fall and I was already feeling overwhelmed. You wrote about everything I strive for. Beautiful!
Kim, we are kindred spirits. I love this post! Surely there must be a few (dozen) extra acres next door where I could move my family. : ) You radiate the peace and calm that I so desire—I want to soak it up and let it flow into my own home. How do I get to where you are? I’m sure that twenty decade rosary would be a good start.
Thanks for sharing!
Kim, I am echoing all the other comments and am SOOO missing my ten acres of peaceful tranquility. Thanks for this refreshing look at the quieter times and why they are so important. JMJ
I’ll be sharing this post with a few of my friends. Starting year 8 of homeschooling & we are so at “less is more.” Thanks for putting it so eloquently.
Very well said, Kim. Seems like the “less is more” theme is really resonating with so many of us right now. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is telling us all something?
This is so well spoken, Kim.
Thought-provokingly excellent. 🙂
Kim,
Sometimes I feel guilty for wanting to stay home and move at a slower pace. I appreciated this post. It’s getting me thinking – what activities are the most worthwhile?