I’m a homeschooling mom of five, with a passion for knitting and crocheting and getting fit and healthy.

Trusting God is never an easy thing to do. But it can be very rewarding. I’m trying to remember that He knows what is best for me better than I do.

So keeping that in mind, here’s my story.

It starts back in grade school, when I was a young girl going to a Christian school. I have godly parents, who always want the best for their children, so when they started noticing that my grades were quickly going south, they wanted to help in any way they could.

My Dad suggested to my Mom that they try homeschooling me. Homeschooling is big now, but back then, there were very few people doing it. So my Mom was a little scared, but she prayed about it and decided to trust God and give it a try.

Not only did my grades improve so that I was eventually and A student, I also grew closer to my parents and have a special bond with them that many children do not share with their parents.

As I matured and went through college, getting great grades because of my disciplined parents in their educational training, I could see the huge value that homeschooling had in my life. I decided that I wanted to pass that on to my children, should I ever have any.

Several years later, I got married to a very wonderful man, and we started trying to have children. It took us a few years of trying to have our first child, and in that time I again had to trust God that He had the perfect timing for my life. That wasn’t easy because I began to believe that maybe I wouldn’t be blessed with children.

As I trusted God, He brought blessing into my life…. five times…. in a very short period of time! The age span between my oldest to my youngest is only 8 years. I enjoy each and every one of them with all of their different personalities. But the closeness in the pregnancies took a real toll on my body. I ended up with diastasis recti, a separation of the abdominal muscles, and my body was left weakened and worn out.

Being worn out as a homeschooling mother is not a good state to be in. Homeschooling is wonderful, but it takes a lot of time and patience and understanding. And that takes energy.

After my last child, I decided that I was “tired of being tired.” I needed to change the way I was living. I needed to find a way to get more energy. Again, God’s timing was perfect. I was preparing to get surgery to fix my diastasis recti so that I could exercise. But then I learned that I could use exercise to fix the separation!

Being a busy mom of five, it hasn’t been easy to find time for exercise. I am pulled in many different directions all the time. But making that time is so essential because it enables me to have the energy and focus and calmness that is so necessary as a mother.

So now I am a full time mommy and homeschooler, who loves getting fit and healthy so I can enjoy every precious moment with my family.

If you are thinking about starting up homeschooling, here are some helpful tips to remember:

1. Make sure you are using a curriculum that includes at least the essentials, like math and language. You don’t have to use a pre-made curriculum. You can use something that you make up yourself. Just make sure you are teaching the basics.

2. Keep records of your children’s work. This will ensure that, if for any reason anyone questions your child’s education, you can give proof that they are actively learning. It also can be interesting to look back on as your child improves in certain areas.

3. Adjust your teaching to meet the needs of your children. All children are different and therefore they need to be taught differently, too. Some kids learn better with written work. Others learn more when doing things orally. One of my children is very tactile and learns the best by touch. Change it up to see which style is best for your child.

4. Be creative! Don’t forget that one of the great things about homeschooling is the ability to do things not normally available in a “normal” school situation. Go on lots of field trips. If you can’t afford that, just go to a local park, or even your own backyard. For example, If you are learning about plants, go outside and let your children touch some leaves and dig up some grass to see the roots. You can identify the different parts of the plant while the child is actually holding that plant in their hands! Then, for those of your children who learn best by writing, have them write an essay about what they learned. For those who learn visually, have them draw the plant and identify the different parts.

5. Have fun! The homeschooling years are fleeting and before you know it, they will be gone. Treasure these precious moments with your children as you train them to be successful and well-rounded adults.

I am a stay at home mother of five children. I love homechooling my children and teaching them to live healthy lives. I enjoy staying healthy and fit and love helping others to do the same!