Mosaic Momma

There is something about that little square with words next to it that just begs for action. It literally cries out for me to grab a pen and make that check mark inside it's precise lines. I love it and I loathe it. I love the feeling of checking off tasks. It makes me feel accomplished...that I can look back on my day and see that I was able to some things. But it also makes me feel that pressure...you know that kind. That mommy pressure we all feel to be/do/achieve more. If I'm not careful that box can do more damage than good in my heart and maybe this is another reason why lists with boxes have somewhat gone the way of the new year's resolution for me the past few years. So, considering all that...I'm not sure what happened, but I'm feeling pretty industrious this week.  -- A few weeks ago as the calendar turned over from 2013 to 2014, I decided that I would once again make resolutions for the new year after many years of avo...

I'm an Admin for a Facebook Group for homeschooling in my area of central California. It's a group I started two years ago when we made the leap into it ourselves. I was so freaked about it, I created a group of about six people -- half were already homeschooling (people I had thought were "crazy" before and now relied on like a well-loved teddy bear) and half were newbies like me. That group of six has now grown to almost 230 people and more are adding by the day as "home educating" is becoming more of an option for many families. And they have the same burning questions that I once did. So I decided to write a FAQ for them. And since I posted it there, I thought, why not post it here? (Keep in mind that this is through the lens of someone homeschooling in California. Some information may be different for different states.) So without further ado: 1.)   I'm considering homeschooling my children. What are my options? There are so...

I was driving the kids around the other day. It was just another day. Another trip across town for a lesson, tutoring appointment, or field trip. I don't really recall where were were going. And it hit me. It's January. More specifically, it's mid-January. Meaning...it's been two years since we embarked on our homeschooling journey. It hardly seems possible. Yet it does when I think back to those early days. Slow mornings filled with zero alarm clocks, an abundance of pajamas and yoga pants, hot, cooked breakfasts (as opposed to cereal) and an ever-present sense of unease because I didn't feel like I knew what the heck what I was doing. That first month as we adjusted to our new "educational experience" was less about delving in to a bunch of curriculum and more about getting used to spending so much more time together, finding out how each child learned best, and asking what they were interested in learning (novel idea, I know)...

In my quest to " Be Resolute " in 2014, I am trying to be more intentional in writing about major life events and goals achieved. As I looked through drafts in my blog list, I realized I had never finished writing the one about my experience in running a half-marathon in November. It is a huge milestone in my Fab4D quest, so if you will indulge me, I will resolutely post it now! -- On November 3rd, I ran my sixth half-marathon. It had almost been two years since I had run the last one and that particular one didn't go well. I will admit to a few nerves as I walked to the starting line. I wasn't really nervous about the race as much as I was with the notion of not beating my personal best time to date. That number loomed over my head in a BIG way. 2:38 ....and some change. I don't even remember the seconds involved in my finish time. I just knew that I had to beat that infernal 2:38. No matter what. No matter that I had dubbed this race t...

Photo credit:  www.health.com For the last several years, I have shied away from making New Year's resolutions. To be honest, I think that I was tired of all the resolutions I have made over the years and then failed to keep. And worse, when I have actually writen them down (gasp!) and then failed to achieve a single one, I then have a permanent record of said failure. Hmmm..maybe that's also why I stopped journaling somewhere along the way. It can be tiring battling against habits that have been firmly entrenched in our daily lives. All too often, it is simply easier to stop fighting and just "go with the flow." Even if that flow is leading us to a Niagara-sized waterfall drop. Turning and trying to paddle upstream or over to another tributary feels like it will just take too much sustained energy. And so we just give up. Maybe it's my year of " Fab4D " that gotten me excited and motivated again about setting goals. After all, I have ...