A solicitor came to my house early this morning to try to sell me a set of study guides. I was a little annoyed because 1) he came before 9:00 a.m. and 2) I don’t like solicitors coming to my home. Because he was selling study guides, his first questions were naturally about my boys’ school. I told him we homeschooled. He wanted to know why.

The questions are always exactly the same. And I should be able to answer those questions by now, but I can’t. Why do you homeschool? Do you use a curriculum? How are they doing? What are they learning? Will they ever return to school?

I’m always caught off guard when someone asks me why I homeschool. My first response usually expresses our negative experience within our local school district, but the reality is that our experience with the schools here is one of the less significant reasons why we’re homeschooling right now. Afterall, my disappointment with the public schools was remedied when I enrolled the boys in the charter school.

I know why we homeschool, but I’ve never found a good way to articulate my reasons without it turning into a homeschooling discussion. Sometimes, I don’t want to have a homeschooling discussion. Also, part of me feels like I shouldn’t have to answer those questions. What I need is a good solid answer that briefly explains my reasons and politely suggests that I don’t really want to discuss it further. That’s not to say I won’t share my reasons with people who are genuinely interested, but t’s not really the type of thing I enjoy discussing at length with people who are just curious.

Why do I homeschool? My children are very important to me, and their education is a job I won’t lightly hand over to somebody else.

It’s a true statement that answers the question, but it comes off a little reproachful, don’t you think?

My creative energy seems to come in ebbs and flows. All my energy seems to ebb and flow, for that matter. Right now, I’m at a peak and I’m practically exploding with ideas. Anyone who reads my blog regularly can attest to that. I worry that continuing at this pace will result in burn out. Then again, I’m afraid curbing my enthusiasm will destroy my momentum.

For now, I’m going to ride the wave. I’ve always felt my best when I’m busy, while stagnation only leads to more stagnation. I do believe we all need to take time to slow down and smell the roses. However, I also believe that roses aren’t the only things in the garden worth enjoying.

“I resisted the urge to ‘finish’ the holes. I think it’s better this way. It feels like an underwater scene to me. Are these bubbles? Are they some sort of exotic sea life? I don’t know.”

(Read more…)

I just had an epiphany. Those who rise to the top of their fields are not necessarily the best at what they do. To me, this is… well, HUGE.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve believed that I didn’t have enough talent to succeed. I’m not the best. I think it’s this belief that’s held me back from really pursuing anything seriously. There was always someone I felt was better, and thus, more deserving. But, when I look around at successful artists (actors, musicians, writers, artists) I see many examples of people who are mediocre. Perhaps I need to re-examine my goals. Certainly, I strive for a lot more than mediocrity. But knowing I am not the best shouldn’t keep me from my pursuit.

Now if I can just get the idea to stick in my head, I’ll be okay.

We moved my office/studio to the basement. I’m still not sure how I feel about it (good news: more room, bad news: I’m in the basement.) But the newness has inspired me to try another new blog design. I’ve been working on it for the past few days, and I’m getting ready to install it as we speak. It’s my first time building a blog from scratch, so I have my fingers crossed that things will work correctly. Expect some minor glitches and adjustments over the next week or so.