I had a moment this week where my mind was focused on the fact that David, H, K and I only have four more years to live under the same roof. And when I tell you it ruined me, I’m not exaggerating. Luckily (?) my Enneagram 7 self (remember that?) doesn’t allow me to stay in a negative state for long, so I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Despite trying to stop time several times, I have not succeeded yet. So I do what I’ve always done and put in my efforts to stay present and enjoy this beautiful life in front of me, which is my literal dream to live every day.
I sometimes shy away from saying things like this because it might be too much, too offensive. But it is true. I am living the life I have always dreamed of and I feel so grateful for each ordinary day. So I will do my best to stay in the present moment. And this week has been good for us.
As girls are growing up, homeschooling has shifted from library books, nature walks, and mother-directed materials to mother’s assistant, assisting with tasks set by cooperative classes. If I’m honest I still have mixed feelings on this. The positive side is that I like the curriculum options and the negative side is that it isolates us more.
This is probably evolutionarily appropriate and really rewarding to see them thrive in these more autonomous environments. However, I have a strong hold on the parts we can do together – one of them is morning time.
Morning time (or sometimes lunch time depending on our day’s schedule) is the time when the girls and I get together and discuss a topic. I wander between art studies (we’ve memorized all the titles and artists this card From this point on), personal development studies, devotionals, read alouds, crafts and history. This often sets a positive atmosphere for the day and is a time we all really enjoy.
This week we are introduced to our medieval history. I know I’ve praised Beautiful Feet before, but their literary-based curriculum has been a hit for us in many subjects. This week it was the catalyst for one of those golden homeschool moments when eyes glaze over, connections are made, and you get that inner satisfaction. Yes, Learning is everything! Let me tell you about it.
We are currently reading 1001 Arabian Nights as part of a unit on the Islamic Golden Age. It is quite entertaining as it is about the clever woman Shahrazad, who tells him stories at night to woo her husband the king and save him from chopping off his head every morning. Of course, there are more details, but that’s the basis.
In her story she tells about Sinbad the Sailor, thieves, caves, jinns and much more. This week we were reading his story of Ali Baba and his 40 bandits. There is a brief sentence where she is describing the beauty of a woman and how a young man can love her so much just by her brow. It’s a quick, emotional statement, but immediately both girls’ eyes light up and they announce, “Just like that.” as you like It!“
Connection!
Yes. Last year he read the Shakespearean play, As You Like It, in which Jacques (sarcastically) describes the romantic “lover” stage of life as one spent “sighing like a furnace, with a sad ballad / On the brow of his mistress”. The children thought the description of a love-struck teenager was funny and were pleased to hear a similar reference in another lesson.
we continued.
In our version of the book, the men accompanying Ali Baba are described as bandits. When it became clear that they were stealing, K realized that they were thieves and she immediately began to sing—”Well, Ali Baba, he had 40 thieves(The girls had recently been part of a theater production on Aladdin).
“Yes!” I had said. And then I released the next line of the song—”Scheherazade had a thousand stories.”
Boom. relationship As soon as he realized that the lyrics were referring to the 1001 Arabian Nights book we were reading. They thought it was great.
This relationship kept changing from questions related to religion and faith to serious and difficult discussions. world clock News stories about the war in Iran and finally ended on a light note as H connected part of the Ali Baba story to an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates (his favorite show as a child). open Sesame!
As the girls proceeded to do their math and sit down and enjoy that morning. That’s one really great thing about homeschool that I cherish. Those moments don’t happen every day, but making these kinds of connections across timelines and cultures feels like real, meaningful learning.
This may seem like a really random thing to share, but due to my desire to lean into the journaling and sharing aspect of blogging, I couldn’t help myself. These moments mean a lot to me. Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend is full of moments worth enjoying. have a good one! <3
