Take a Country Walk

While the mile-and-a-quarter road to my house is now paved and not the single lane dirt road it was when we first moved to the country, it is still a nice place to take a walk with my son.

I did just that this afternoon. I always learn all sorts of things.

I learn amazing events. As we shuffled along, he told me he saw three (!) bald eagles when he went fishing in the river behind our house last weekend.

I learned that HardiPlank makes an excellent fort impenetrable by airsoft "bullets."

(Ignore the photographer and her shadow. She is not too great.)

And that chickens lay their eggs one at a time. (I knew that, but I was glad he did, too.)

I'm not sure why half the things my son tells me on our walks work their way into the conversation, but because I find out about what he's thinking and doing, it's OK.

I find out about what his friend said and how nervous he may or may not feel about his upcoming swim meet. I find out about the weather forecast for the next five days (one of his obsessions). And sometimes he just says something surprising like, "I like being at home with you."

What can I tell you? My one piece of advice is to take a walk with your child when you can. You don't have to say a word. He'll do all the talking.

Love,
TCB

Weekday Thought: "Fishin'"

I know...you're smack dab in the midst of a work week. And even if you're a stay-at-home mom - well, I for one know YOU ARE SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF A WORK WEEK.

So here's a thought for sunny days (which we happen to have right now in South Carolina):

Sunday fishin'.

And here's another thought from my photo archives, and one I'm a little more partial to:

Chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream cones. (Bet I made you want one).

Hey, it's still "Indian Summer."

Have a happy day.
Love,
TCB

The Mother I Wanted to Be

I said I was never getting married.

Oops.

Then I said I was going to have a career and no children.

Double oops.

Then when I changed directions, I decided it was only going to be a little turn. I owned a company, and my new little one would come to work with me (with a nanny) every day until he was old enough to go to preschool. And then he would go to school and after-school care, and I would continue traveling and wooing clients for my PR agency.

So we tried the office thing and frankly, it was a little crazy for both of us. Then I handed him off dutifully for the next few months of his life to a nanny while I continued to run a business. I would show my new son what a powerful, independent woman could do, earning a living for her family and taking care of home life, too. That's the kind of mother I wanted to be.

But something happened to the career woman.

 I won't say she died.I'll just say she learned a little about what's important.

First, she sold her company.

Then she opened an office at home and scaled back her clients to only include those who did not make her travel anywhere away from her nice, country house. Then she told the nanny good-bye forever. And she wiped a little one's tail while juggling the phone on her shoulder and talking to the president of a company. Or a reporter. (Ssshhhh....don't tell anyone).

And although her days were the longest in history, she loved them.

So today, I am no longer the mother I wanted to be.

I am the mother I am.

I homeschool my son. I still work out of my home office, mostly writing for clients and magazine editors and doing a few PR jobs. I cook (and like it) and clean (and like it OK except for the toilets). I travel to swim practice and Cub Scouts and horseback lessons.

And I stay home Friday nights and watch "Harry and the Hendersons."

(He loved it).

And so do I (all of it).

Sure glad I didn't turn out like the mother I wanted to be.

Love,
TCB
**And happy anniversary, Mr. Country Belle.

Homeschooling an Only Child, Part 2

Three days ago, I talked about the socialization issue (or lack of an issue) in homeschooling an only child. There are other issues that lonely-only homeschool students might face that others do not.

For us, not having several students in the class can easily lead to boredom. If I'm not extra careful, we can fall into the rut of approaching history or math or reading the same old way. When that begins to happen, my son seems to just home in on getting subjects done as quickly as possible. And while this has always been an issue because he's a boy and all boys want to do is go outside and shoot a bow and arrow or build a fort, it becomes more of an issue if we start to slip into a school rut.

So, I've set up a daily schedule that mixes up the order of our classes each day so my son never remembers exactly what's coming. That helps to jar us out of any rut we may try to fall into. I also am trying to make sure we conduct every possible science experiment, work geography/mapping into history studies, and work in "breaks" in subjects. For example, my son is working through Saxon Math 5/4, but we will be taking a "holiday vacation" at the end of this year and move to Life of Fred: Fractions for however long it takes us to complete the book. He is looking forward to that.

We add in interaction with other students in three outside classes each week, and it is nice to see his face light up when he sees his homeschooling friends. Everything considered, my son loves homeschooling and declares he's done with public school. I am open to whatever life brings us and want to be flexible for whatever is best for him each year.

Hope you and your children are having a good school year, too.

Love,
TCB

Homeschooling an Only Child

Before I started homeschooling my son, I crazily erroneously thought it could be a lonely experience for my only child. Who is social. And who also lives in the country. Not surrounded by other boys.

I quickly learned that not only was he not lonely, but I had to turn down many opportunities of field trips and get-togethers and "recreation days" with our strong local homeschool network so we could actually get some book work done at home.

There are parties...

And parties...

And play dates at home...

And homeschool field days...

The "socialization" anxiety of homeschooling is simply an old school fallacy. There are so many of us homeschooling today, and we do such a great job of supporting one another that our kids are the better for it.

Love,
TCB

Be Content

I was feeling a little down this past Saturday afternoon when I had to work in my office. I had an article due Monday, and it had to get done. I don't mind working (I love you, my clients), but it was nice and sunny and the rest of my family was outside.

Doing this.

(By the way, do you see how my front yard has become a 4-wheeling trail? The grass in the field doesn't even want to grow in some places anymore.)

Anyway.......then I realized how darn fortunate I am. I have a porch right off my office (from which I shot this photo), and I can step out there, feel the sunshine and see my baby, all while bringing home the grub. Woo-hoo for technology.

I love my job. (How's that for a change of perspective?!)

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4: 11b - 13, The Holy Bible, NIV

Love your job. Whether it's at home or around the globe. It's what God has for you in this season of life.

Smile,
TCB

Fall Fragrance in the Garden

The best smell in the garden this fall time of year comes from....

tea olive shrubs.

You wouldn't imagine an evergreen shrub with the most inconspicuous flowers could perfume the air all around it. I don't even have mine planted near my backyard patio. They are on the side of the house, but the smell wafts all the way over to my relaxing chair out back. In fact, the tea olive fragrance actually gets stronger if you move farther away from it. Stick your nose in the bush to try and take a whiff like you would treat a rosebush, and you won't get nearly the full aroma.

And you know what's so beautiful about them to me? They survived our HOT, DRY summer and the deer don't eat them. Woo-hoo for the country tea olive!

Plant one (or two or three) this fall or winter in your yard.

Love,
TCB