Resolve: v. cause to go into a solution; bring to an end

Resolution: n. a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner

I could already be discouraged. How many years have I stayed up to watch the ball drop in New York only to drop the ball on my New Year’s resolutions by sleeping through my alarm on January 1? But, I have decided not to be discouraged. I have decided to encourage myself instead.

1. I will continue to do what has worked for me.

I accomplished my goal of reading 75 books in 2010. In fact, I read 76. I will continue this goal for 2011. Maybe I will surpass it by two. Maybe I will just be satisfied to read!

2. I will ignore the calendar and the scale.

One of the reasons I accomplished my reading goal is because I ignored the calendar. I counted books completed after January 1. Therefore, I counted the books already started in December. I focused on my progress rather than the start date.

I think the same applies to ignoring the scale. Why not be thrilled each morning I can button my jeans and gradually feel them loosen when I eat moderately and stay active?

3. I have begun to throw out what hasn’t been working for me.

I realized mid-summer ordering mochas with whole milk and whipped cream was not helping my jean-buttoning goal. So, I ordered them with skim and no whip. A small change, but my jeans suddenly fit better.

The week before Christmas, I organized my bathrooms. According to the expiration dates on several medications, this hadn’t been done in five years. It took two days and several trash bags, but the job got done. I discarded what didn’t help me because I didn’t use it. The same goes for the well-intentioned resolutions from 2010 now expired.

4. I will start.

I am beginning the year with organized bathrooms. There is no need to worry about this task for another year. Done!

I completed my reading goal, but I haven’t stopped reading. I would like to abandon The Idiot by Dostoevsky, but what an accomplishment (and relief) it will be to list it among my first completed books of 2011!

I haven’t written on this blog for a year and a half. I could wait for my husband to complete the website revision. I could abandon this editorial; the first time I wrote it, the site crashed and lost the content. Or I could do what I am doing now…begin again.



When my kids feel overwhelmed by a task, I tell them what my mother told me, “Just get started.” I dropped the ball this morning. Tonight, I picked it up…twice.

Happy New Year!

My laptop computer screen burned out two weeks ago. Consequently, I have had to remote access my computer from my husband's computer in the basement. It's left me limited time for writing, emailing, and blogging, but it has allowed me to gain a different perspective.

Our basement is a disaster! Many, many bags of toys have been dontated. There is still a lot of sorting to be done, but at least the process has begun.

I understand how it got this bad. I'm rarely down there. We call our basement "The Depths" or "The Man Cave" because my husband and boys spend the most time there. So I realized I need to have an active presence in this area of my home!

I gained insight about my husband, too. The lack of organization bothered me in just a few days. No wonder he doesn't feel like the rest of the house is in order! As I discarded way too many broken toys, I realized how disrespected his hard work is in providing for our family. Perhaps my children broke the toys, but I haven't been faithful in making sure they are picked up. I also discovered why his ear phones are so important to him. Hearing the stomping and jumping through the floor boards, I didn't know we were raising elephants!

What's my point? Sometimes a different perspective is needed to see what hasn't been done, to see what one can do about it, to see how someone else views the world. It has made me rethink a few things in my small world. Imagine what can happen in the bigger one!

In our homeschool, we are studying early colonization. We have been reading about those who came to this country because of religious persecution. Most often that persecution occurred when the political (and personal) agendas of the rulers mandated how its citizens could worship. Arguably, our country was also founded by those with profit in mind. No doubt there was abuse against those who lived here before Europeans arrived and those who would be brought to this country against their will and forced to work this land for the wealth of others not themselves. We have fought wars to gain our constitutional freedom for our right to live under our own governance, to establish our own nation, to free those whose rights were ignored, to give land to those who had it stolen. Sometimes we have succeeded, and more often we have failed. But, the goal to maintain our human rights has been behind our drive to fight for not just our country’s freedom, but also the freedoms of other countries.

I learned about this goal while attending public school. My husband also attended public school. Up until this school year, two of our three children attended public school. So why are we home educating? It is not because we desired a solely religious curriculum for our children, although that is a benefit of homeschooling we enjoy. It is not because of political opinions, although we take time to discuss current events with our boys to help them make wise decisions and to be contributing citizens. It is because a system promising to provide the best education for our children failed. We watched our eight-year-old autistic child collapse further and further into self-deprecating behavior because an educator referred to his best effort in a derogatory way. We realized our ten-year-old was being bullied on the playground without any teacher intervention. In both cases, we as parents had to intervene. We wanted public education to work for our children. But, unfortunately, we found that public education isn’t working for every student.

In light of why we chose to homeschool and what we have been studying this week, I am saddened, frustrated, and concerned to hear about the recent court decision in California to make homeschooling in that state illegal without specific credentials. Although my family is not directly affected, I know that rulings like this can cause ramfications in other states. More importantly, this ruling could force many California families doing what is best for their children to send them into a system that may not meet their educational needs. I saw the tear-filled eyes of my oldest son when he heard of this news. I heard him ask “Where is our freedom?” In the coming days, I hope my answer will be our nation’s leaders remembered our country was founded by many seeking a new start and a better way of life for their children. I hope I will never have to tell him “I wish I knew.”

For more information: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803030.asp