Getting Started with Sourdough Baking

I've been baking with sourdough starter on and off for about 4 years.  Lately, friends are wanting to try it, so as a way to simply give instructions to get them started, I've created this.

My current sourdough starter was gifted to me from a friend.  I keep it alive in a pint jar.  When I have plans to bake with it, it's on the counter being fed once a day.  If I'm not baking right now, it lives in my fridge.

If you were given a starter, here's what to do:

Are you going to bake with it tomorrow or the next day?  Great!  Keep it on the counter with a lid on but not screwed on tight.  (It needs some air.)  Feed it once a day.  (Some suggest twice a day.) Get out a scale and set it to weigh in grams.  Scoop / pour out about half of your starter.  This discard can be saved in the fridge for a future recipe, or diluted and put down the drain.  Add the same weight of flour and lukewarm water to feed your sourdough yeast.  I usually give mine 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.  That's 100 grams I'm adding to a starter of about the same weight.  Stir it all together with a fork or spatula.  You can choose what flour you prefer.  I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose.  Some find rye flour makes the most active yeast.  Some prefer all purpose flour.  After feeding and stirring, I like to put a rubber band on the outside of the jar to show the level at that point so I can see it bubble and rise over the course of the day.  Once it has doubled, it's considered "active and bubbly" and ready to bake with.  The amount of time this takes is dependent on the temperature of your kitchen.  Watch yours to learn its pattern.

If you're not going to bake with it for a few days, keep it in the refrigerator with the lid screwed on.  I still like to discard and feed it once a week to keep it fresh if I'm not out of town.

Ready to bake?  Great!  Choose your recipe and make a plan.  If you need more starter than what's in your jar, you can increase the amount of flour and water you add and use a quart jar or other larger container.  After taking out what your recipe calls for, you'll want to have enough starter left behind to keep feeding and alive.  As an example, you could put half your starter into a new container and feed that to increase it's volume - keep it on the counter; but what's left in your jar can be fed and then put into the fridge for next time.

Once a week or two, I transfer my starter to a clean jar so I can wash the one I’ve been working with.

You can do this!  Just find a recipe you want to try, and go for it!

There are many variations of managing and baking with a sourdough starter, so there will be other ideas you can try, but this is what is working for me.

Great website resources:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/guides/sourdough

https://www.pantrymama.com/

https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/recipes/free-video-make-a-sourdough-starter-the-science-of-it/

Sourdough Geeks Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2841604162602509

Recipes I love:

Sourdough sandwich bread:https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/sourdough-sandwich-bread

English muffins: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-make-sourdough-english-muffins

This can also be made as a loaf of English muffin bread instead of spending the time cooking English muffins at the stovetop.  I bake it at 375 for 35 minutes.

Sourdough Artisan Bread: https://anoregoncottage.com/easy-sourdough-artisan-bread/

Sourdough Pancakes or Waffles: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/classic-sourdough-waffles-or-pancakes-recipe

Homeschool to Public School and Back Home Again

I didn’t homeschool all our children for every grade.   Our firstborn began Kindergarten in public school, but within three months, we decided it was going to be easy enough to homeschool her.  And that is what I ended up doing for her K through 2nd grade.

When she was ready for 3rd grade and our next child was ready for Kindergarten, we chose to enroll in public school for a time.  My Army husband was deployed, and I thought it would make my life easier.  It didn’t. 

This particular public school was a good experience.  It was a block from our house, so we walked to and from most days.  The two were in school, and I had a preschooler at home.  Third grade public school buoyed my confidence that I had been doing a great job teaching her at home for the past 3 years (K through 2nd) because she handled her work easily, she scored well on school testing, and was identified as among the top of her class and invited to participate in extracurricular science club.  The school was fantastic.  We had great teachers and a fabulous principal.  The oldest sang in choir, and I volunteered as their accompanist. 

But for the following reasons, I discovered I wanted to homeschool again:

- I dislike packing lunches

- I dislike getting everyone ready for school in the early mornings

- I dislike that my children have homework after being at school all day, especially in grades K and 3.

- We had no time for laid back fun because we also chose to participate in dance and gymnastics after school.

- I dislike mandatory dress-up days at school (crazy hair day, halloween, school spirit day, etc.)

- I dislike the constant barrage of fliers coming home in my child’s backpack

- I dislike fundraisers

- I dislike that my children only had 10-15 minutes to eat their lunches

- I dislike that with our military life and the regular moves it requires, our children would be constantly adjusting to different academic standards in each new school district we moved into.  With homeschool, my student's learning has continuity of education in spite of our moving every few years.

- I prefer to avoid the pressure of dressing my children cute for public school when we can be more laid back with play clothes at homeschool.

- I didn’t like the way my oldest treated her siblings during this time.  Because she was accustomed to spending time with other children her own age, she acted as though playing with her younger sisters was beneath her at times.  This changed for the better when we came back to homeschool where they interacted with each other all day, and at our co-op where she spent time with various ages of children.  My children don’t focus on the ages of their peers as much as they focus on interests in common.

- I didn’t like the negative social influences my daughters picked up from her peers—snarky attitudes toward me and each other, annoying popular culture stupidity and twaddle. 

So, when the Army said it was time to move, I chose to return to homeschooling.  I’ve not regretted it since.

There have been times we have considered public school again, when the school district we moved to had a good reputation and when our child asked us to consider it.  But prayerfully and as a married team, we discussed the pros and cons and were convinced that homeschooling was the choice we still wanted for our children.

In the beginning of our homeschool journey, we took it one year at a time, making the decision on whether we should continue or change course.  At this point, we have one graduate who thrives socially and academically and is college bound.  The other four are learning and growing equally well in this environment, and I have learned an exceptional amount along the way about my children, myself, teaching, and parenting. 

How I Homeschooled High School

Yes!  Homeschooling high school is doable!  If I can do it, you can too! At the time of publishing our oldest child is a few weeks from graduating high school and our second child is almost finished with 9th grade. Here are resources and plans that are working for us.

RESOURCES:

My first source of information comes from “The Homescholar”, Lee Binz at https://www.homehighschoolhelp.com/ .  Her free webinars and ebooks are encouraging.  She’ll show you it can be done, explain how to plan the right high school credits, how to keep records (report cards, transcripts, course descriptions, and work samples—all that scary stuff), how to find scholarships, and more.  She offers a paid support option as well, but I haven’t signed up for it.  

Other places I've gained guidance and resources include HSLDA.org and https://allinonehighschool.com/ . Since 2013, I made a habit of attending a homeschool convention near me at least every other year.  I recommend attending workshops on teaching at the high school level.  I gained a lot of insight and inspiration from them, and I refer to my notes from them often.

OUR CURRICULUM:
When our oldest was in 5th grade, my husband and I attended a homeschool convention, and spent time visiting the curriculum booths together.  I had spent grades 1-4 bouncing from one curriculum to another and was looking for something I could teach from high school.  I wanted some continuity for our children.  I was indecisive, so I wanted my husband’s input and accountability to stop thinking the grass was greener on the other side of the curriculum fence - you know, where that perfect, dream curriculum lies. We both loved what we saw from My Father’s World (https://www.mfwbooks.com/) because it appeared to be rigorous enough to prepare our children for college, should they choose to go.  We also liked that the books have a Christian worldview and teach critical thinking skills.  It is designed that the student be virtually independent, lightening the load on the teacher / mom, though I am available as needed.  The complete 36-week schedule lays out the lesson plans for the student to follow himself/herself.  There is a parent meeting once a week to go through some discussion questions and check in on how the student is doing.  This independence prepares the student for managing responsibility, due dates, study skills and time management - all valuable for adulthood.

For a Health credit, I wasn't happy with the "Total Health" curriculum which MFW recommended, but we have been using Apologia Science's "Health and Nutrition" this year for our second daughter and have been very happy with it. Total Health seemed to have outdated health guidelines and was unengaging. Apologia's book came out two years ago with current information, a colorful workbook with activities to complete, and relevant information for my growing teen. For example, she often let me know what she had learned that applied to the nutrition content of certain foods or how to stretch a stiff neck.

Our oldest is nearly done with her senior year, has scored very well on the ACT, and is accepted to attend the college she chose.  All that said, we are very happy with MFW and plan to continue using it for high school. 


TESTING:

Lee Binz recommends your student should take the PSAT Sophomore and Junior years to get comfortable with the testing process and to see how well you do in each subject.  Our local public high school allowed our daughter to take the PSAT alongside their own students.  We simply paid the fee to cover the cost of the test. She showed a weakness in math, so we got some tutorial materials to help her prepare for the ACT.  I got “ACT Math for Dummies” because a fellow homeschool mom had recommended the “ACT for Dummies” as a great resource.  I also found ACT Flashcards by Barron's Test Prep to be very helpful to my daughter’s test preparation.  I see that some of these flash cards are available for free use on Quizlet.com (HERE and HERE). Understand that the way the ACT, SAT, PSAT and even the GRE exams are structured, the student needs to have some critical thinking skills and strategies to do well in the time allotted for each test. Even if the student doesn't possess a mastery of all the math skills, knowing how to eliminate some of the multiple choice answers because they don't make sense can help. These study resources help teach an understanding of these skills and strategies.

Our oldest did not do any dual enrollment classes, but she is taking 4 CLEP tests to cut college costs and receive credit for some required core courses in college. If your student is college-bound, look into how many CLEP credits they will accept, which ones, and which credits will apply your student's degree program. Then find a testing center near you and arrange to take the tests. The cost savings of 3 college credits from a passing score on the CLEP exam is well worth the fee to take the test.

RECORD KEEPING:
Each quarter, I prepare a simple report card with a letter grade for each class, a percentage grade, and the calculated GPA (grade point average).  At the end of the year, I compile and file all finished work into a hanging file box, divided by class/subject, and I complete the transcript for her high school credits and classes completed so far. 

You can view a simple example report card from my Google Docs is HERE. 

You can also see my format for a transcript on Google Docs HERE.  You'll notice in the transcript, I have created class descriptions.  It's a good idea to have this as some colleges may be interested to know what your classes consisted of, and what resources your student used.  Include in your transcript activities, clubs, and volunteer work your student completes, as well as a list of books and other materials your student has read for school and fun.  Keep samples of your student's best work in each subject as well, as some college or scholarship applications may ask for these.

CREDITS:
When I considered what credits my high school student would need to graduate, I compared what my curriculum suggested, what the guidelines were for public high school graduates in my state, and what a few different colleges required - especially colleges which offer degree programs for what my student plans to pursue.

You may need to create a course or two tailored to your student for an elective credit, perhaps Fine Arts or PE.  In that case, you should know that one credit in high school equals about 150-180 hours of work.  A half credit would be about 75-90. 

For a Fine Arts elective, my daughter is doing a combination of photography and photo-book compilation and painting.  I have her record what she does and how long she spends doing it on a one-page paper with 180 squares.  When all the squares are full, I will consider her finished.  I used a free PDF from All In One Homeschool HERE . 

For PE, she has a combination of volleyball and soccer through our homeschool co-op and some health and nutrition education projects.  She also does self-directed exercise in the back yard or bicycling or takes a brisk walk in our neighborhood to fill some time.

For a foreign language, I have not been happy with Rosetta Stone. Our oldest used it for learning two years of Spanish, and though she gained a lot of simple vocabulary and sentences, Rosetta Stone did not delve much into the conjugation of verbs as a traditional program does. She enhanced her Spanish knowledge by taking a course based on Abeka's "Por Todo El Mundo". Abeka also offers a French course. I would recommend this, either working with a tutor who understands the language well, or using Abeka's video course. Our second child has been doing German through this website. I have created a schedule for her that includes working with the DuoLingo app, as well as learning about the German culture, foods and culture. Our third wants to learn Japanese, so I found a program HERE. The workbooks and textbooks for this program were hard to find, as they are a few years old, and, I suspect, out of print. We found a few on Amazon, and one on eBay.

I hope this gives you the inspiration and resources to inspire you to consider homeschooling your high school student. It has been a rewarding experience for us.

Check out the rest of my series on “How I Homeschooled” for the following grade levels: How I Homeschooled Preschool How I Homeschooled Kindergarten How I Homeschooled 1st grade How I Homeschooled 2nd grade How I Homeschooled 3rd grade How I Homeschooled 4th through 8th grade How I Homeschooled High School

How I Homeschooled Second (2nd) Grade

When my oldest began second grade, I decided to buy a complete curriculum for the first time.  We chose Sonlight that year.  I love Sonlight because there are fantastic books to read aloud and learn from throughout the year, and the curriculum comes with complete lesson plans for 180 days (36 weeks) of school.  I just had to open up the teacher’s manual to the week we were on, do each subject with my child for that day, and we were done for the day.  I recall our work taking us between 3-4 hours per day, if we did everything.  

Sonlight is a Christian curriculum.  I love that the Bible is included in our learning, as well as missionary stories and biographies.  Also, many of the read-aloud books correspond with the history or science being studied.  The one thing I didn’t like about Sonlight was that there was SO MUCH to read aloud.  My voice got tired before I finished most days.  I could have omitted some of the reading, but at the time, I didn’t feel at liberty to do so  (I’d only been homeschooling for 3 years at that point).  My younger children caught some of what we were learning while my oldest was being taught (learning is contagious). It was a tricky year with a preschooler and a toddler.  We were most successful doing independent work (things my oldest could do mostly on her own like math and handwriting and writing) in the mornings, and do “together stuff” (things I needed to teach or read aloud) after lunch while little siblings were napping.

When our second daughter was in 2nd grade, I drew from a number of resources.  For reading, she independently read all kinds of library books.  For writing, she kept a journal, sometimes with writing prompts from me.  She did copywork of spelling words and Bible verses for handwriting practice.  For math, she did Singapore Math 2a and 2b which worked well for us.  (Singapore Math has been revised since we used it 5-7 years ago).  We also belonged to a homeschool co-op that year which gave her enriching classes like kitchen chemistry, human anatomy, dance, and intro to the Spanish language.  We also had a number of field trips and family vacations in Arizona and New Mexico that year where she completed several workbooks from the National Park Junior Ranger Program.  Be sure to ask for these free resources at the visitor’s center whenever you visit a National Park or Monument.  

By the time our third daughter was in 2nd grade, we settled on our favorite curriculum, My Father’s World (www.mfwbooks.com).   I’ve used MFW to teach my oldest through high school, a 30 on the ACT, and college acceptance.  The approach is similar to Sonlight, since it includes a complete year’s lesson plans, great books to learn from and read aloud, and integrates Bible education and literature which correspond with the history and science.  I like MFW better because the amount of reading aloud is not overwhelming to me and their 5-year cycle–designed for 4th through 8th grade—combines all of your children grades 4 through 8 for Bible, History, Science, Geography, and Literature.  Not only that, but your 3rd grader can also participate.  I even fudged a little and included my third born, 2nd grade child in our 4th through 8th grade curriculum.  The topic was “Exploring Countries and Cultures”.  I don’t think she remembered much, but she participated, and we are going over that material again this coming year for her 8th grade.  To understand more about how the MFW 5-year cycle works, go to their website.

All that said, the MFW 5-year cycle combines siblings for several subjects, but the students each have his/her own level for reading, writing and math.  So, for math that year, my daughter did Singapore Math, 2a and 2b.

One fantastic resource for this age is the Draw, Write Now series.  Eight books, each on different topics, show step-by-step how to draw something, encouraging background and foreground drawing.  As a non-artist, it helps me inspire my children to draw and color.

Check out the rest of my series on “How I Homeschooled” for the following grade levels:

How I Homeschooled Preschool

How I Homeschooled Kindergarten

How I Homeschooled 1st grade

How I Homeschooled 3rd grade

How I Homeschooled 4th through 8th grade

How I Homeschooled High School

How I Homeschooled Kindergarten

What to Teach:

My guide for what I needed to teach in Kindergarten came from the book "Home Learning Year By Year" by Rebecca Ropp.

Resources I used for Teaching:

Math:

Math-U-See Primer or Alpha - https://mathusee.com/ .  If your child already used Math-U-See Primer in preschool as an introduction to math concepts, and they know how to write numerals zero through nine, they are ready for Alpha.  The math blocks that go with them are a necessary hands-on component to this curriculum.  They both further learning and make it a lot more fun.

Reading:

Get "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". This book can be started as early as age 3 if your child is ready.  Each child is different.  We used it sporadically between ages 3-6 for each of our children.  Sometimes we took a break because we were busy.  Other times it was because my child wasn’t ready to continue.  So we picked it back up and tried again a few months later.  Its short lessons and methodical process make it both an easy to use and effective book.  Once finished, all our kids took off in reading.  After "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons", pick out books around your home and at the library that he/she wants to read to you, and encourage them to read, read, read.  The last pages of the book even give you a suggested book list that your child should be ready for next.

Writing:

For writing, I focus on teaching how to print letters and numbers properly, how to write your first name, (and last name when they’re ready) when to use capital and lower-case letters, and how to leave spaces between letters and words.

Other Subjects:

Kindergarten is a good time to learn mostly through play.  Keep your structured learning limited to 90 minutes a day.  Critically, keep learning enjoyable.

Read lots of books out loud.  Once again, your local library is an invaluable free resource.  Select books on all kinds of topics.  Look in the children’s section for books on science (animals, plants, astronomy, chemistry, anatomy, geology, electricity, magnetism), geography, international culture and foods, how things work, biographies, nutrition, games, gardening, poems and songs.  

When your child shows an interest in a subject, pursue it further with him/her.  My son loved learning about birds when he was 4.  We bird watched at our feeders and our bird bath and on hikes, and we bought him a bird guide which he had us read to him constantly.  Later he got very interested in Corvettes.  His Grandpa sent him some information from the Corvette museum.  He has also loved maps and geography, and from listening in to his older siblings’ school, he knows all the states and most of their capitals.  He can locate all the continents and oceans, and many of the countries on the globe and wall map.  He loves to use the children’s atlas in the car while we’re on trips to follow the route we’re taking and see what’s nearby.  Our youngest daughter loves dogs, so we are often checking out books with dogs as characters, or reading about different dog breeds, or how to care for a dog.  Although family allergies, among other issues, prohibit a pet dog, she enjoys other people’s dogs when we visit them.

Teach your child their full name, your address, your phone number, and show how an address is written on envelopes.  Try sending notes to grandparents, or at least a colored picture or some samples of work from your homeschool.  

Children are naturally inquisitive at this age, so let your daily discussions be learning times simply by answering their questions all day long-- tiring, I know, but well-worth the investment.  Hands-on activities are important at this age.  Cook together.  Make crafts.  Put together puzzles.  Build with blocks or Legos.  Play with learning toys.  Play simple board games and dominoes.  Make your own jar of butter out of heavy whipping cream.  Sing songs.  Play outside and go for nature walks / hikes.  Study leaves of different kinds of trees, study bugs, watch animals in the wild and at the zoo.  Learn how to swim.  Grow vegetables or flowers or herbs.  Buy caterpillars and watch their metamorphosis.  You can’t do it all, but it’s fun to do what you can.

If your child is beginning to read, you may consider starting them at piano lessons.  If they can read words, they are ready to learn to read music.  Piano is a fantastic instrument to learn.  If they take an interest in a different instrument later, they’ll have a great foundation.

Check out the rest of my series on “How I Homeschooled” for the following grade levels:

How I Homeschooled Preschool

How I Homeschooled 1st grade

How I Homeschooled 2nd grade

How I Homeschooled 3rd grade

How I Homeschooled 4th through 8th grade

How I Homeschooled High School

How I Homeschooled First (1st) Grade

What to Teach:

My guide for what I needed to teach in 1st grade came from the book "Home Learning Year By Year" by Rebecca Ropp.

Resources I used for Teaching:

Math:  For some of my children, I used Math-U-See.  At this grade level, your child may be ready for Alpha or Beta.  There are placement tests available on their website, https://mathusee.com/ .   For others, I also tried Singapore Math.  At this grade level, your child may be ready for 1a and 1b, or 2a and 2b.  There are also placement tests on their website, https://www.singaporemath.com/placement-tests .

Reading:  Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - if you haven’t finished this book already with your child, finish it during 1st grade.  

Work on phonics as well, using a workbook, flash cards, and free printables.  Help their reading ability expand beyond simple words to more complex ones through understanding phonics.  They need to understand long and short vowels, hard and soft consonants, and consonant blends.  Knowing these will help your child sound out new words and learn how to spell words they want to write.  The English language is challenging.  Phonics helps most times.

I also used random workbooks I picked up to teach about subject-verb agreement and irregular verb tenses.  A lot of this is picked up by your child from your speech and the books you read together.  In the ages from 3-6, I consistently correct my children’s spoken grammar when I hear mistakes.

Writing:  For each of my children in 1st grade, I have challenged them to write at least three sentences a day in a composition book.  Use two lines of ordinary wide-ruled paper, as large letters are easier for first graders to form.  I give them a writing prompt, and they write whatever they want on that topic.  The key here is to give them practice with proper letter formation, spacing, use of capitals and punctuation, and learning to spell words.  Be ready to spell lots of words for them, but it's best for them to write the words themselves.  It may be a struggle at the beginning of the year, but progress comes with practice.  They’ll be much better by the end of the year.  Also, a handwriting workbook or free printable worksheets to practice proper printed letter formation can vastly improve their letter writing ability.  

Other Subjects:  Building on methods I use for Kindergarten, I used myriads of library books that I read out loud to them.  Doing that teaches all kinds of subjects including: science (animals, plants, astronomy, chemistry, anatomy, geology, electricity, magnetism), geography, international culture and foods, how things work, biographies, nutrition, games, gardening, poems, songs, and anything more you can imagine.  Many of these books provide activity ideas to try.  When appropriate, let your child read the books or parts of the book out loud to you (and younger siblings!)  Definitely continue to pursue your child’s interests.  Dig around online or on YouTube to find more information on topics they really want to know more about.  We love the “How It’s Made” videos, and other factory tour videos.

Don’t forget to work on fine motor skills like coloring in the lines, drawing, cutting with scissors, pasting with construction paper and glue, play dough, and more.  Continue to play board games and other fun learning activities.  Get outside daily to exercise and explore nature.  Drawing with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, flying a kite where appropriate, learning to throw frisbees and baseballs, kicking soccer balls, and almost any other physical activities you can think of are great ways to develop motor skills, balance, dexterity and coordination.  Bottom line, do lots of hands-on activities whenever possible.

Check out the rest of my series on “How I Homeschooled” for the following grade levels:

How I Homeschooled Preschool

How I Homeschooled Kindergarten

How I Homeschooled 2nd grade

How I Homeschooled 3rd grade

How I Homeschooled 4th through 8th grade

How I Homeschooled High School

Sourdough Bread Making

In January 2019, I began a quest to learn about sourdough bread making.  I really enjoyed the experience and knowledge I gained, and the breads I made for our family over the course of the year.  I have tried to simplify what I have learned and how to go about it yourself, but if you are interested in learning more or diving deeper, reference the websites I used as my own sources which I have listed at the end.

It is possible to make starter over a week or two just using flour and water.  I used rye flour and filtered room temperature water, sourced from my refrigerator water dispenser into a cleaned gallon milk jug that I stored in my pantry.

It is possible to maintain a small quantity of sourdough starter in a pint jar.  I saved the discard in a plastic container in my refrigerator, and once a week or so, I used the discard as part of a pancake or bread recipe. 

You need to know that metal utensils and lids that come in contact with sourdough may inhibit it's liveliness, so use glass and plastic.

To begin, gather:
1 glass jar, pint or quart
1/8 measuring cup or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon
rye flour, or whole wheat
room temperature filtered water or spring water
two rubber bands
a coffee filter or scrap of fabric like a thin towel that breathes but keeps out little fruit flies
a spatula or other non-metal utensil for stirring

Day 1: Put a heaping 1/8 cup of whole grain flour plus just a scant 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) water into your jar.  Stir well so the flour and water are well-combined.  Scrape down the inside contents of the jar.  Secure your coffee filter to the opening of the jar with one rubber band.  Use the other band to mark the level of your sourdough starter in the jar.  Set on your counter until the same time the next day.

Day 2: Remove half of the contents of your jar.  The amount you remove can go in a plastic container stored in your refrigerator which can be used in other bread or pancake recipes that call for flour and water.  Then add the same amount of flour and water and stir well.  Scrap down sides.  Move your rubber band marker up.  This allows you to see if bubbles are forming from the growth and activity of your microscopic sourdough creatures.

Days 3-14: Repeat day 2 instructions.  Over time you'll notice when you come to halve and feed your starter, the contents have doubled and have lots of bubbles.  This is when you know your starter is strong enough to rise your bread.  Once you reach this stage, continue daily as long as you continue to enjoy making sourdough.

Vacation:  If you are going away or need a break from the daily routine, you can refrigerate your starter to be revived when you come back.  It can't be left there indefinitely, however.  Cold makes it slow down and dormant, but it still needs food every week or two.  When you revive it, set it on the counter, halve and feed, and within a day or two it'll be back to ready to use.


I aimed to use mostly whole grain recipes, but sometimes I would use half whole grain and half white flour to achieve the texture I wanted. 

I learned that in order to reap the nutritional benefits of sourdough, my dough needed to sit at room temperature with the sourdough starter mixed in for at least 7 hours. 

My personal preferences for getting good results of well-risen bread led me to decide that I would rather supplement my sourdough recipes with commercial yeast or baking soda.  Whole grain flours, which contain the most nutrition, are more dense and harder for my starter to raise.  Without additional leavening, I found my breads were too dense.  Still edible, but not as pleasant as with added yeast.  The yeasts in the sourdough are more diverse than the one strain found in commercial yeast.  So the nutrition is better using the sourdough.  Also, the process of souring the dough helps make the flour more easy to digest and helps our body better absorb the nutrients.  So I can let my dough sit for 7+ hours to sour and reap those benefits, and when I'm ready to move my dough to the baking pan, mix in my baking soda or commercial yeast. Or I have also mixed the commercial yeast into the dough before the 7 hours souring time.

Here is one of my favorite recipes:
Sourdough English Muffins - https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-make-sourdough-english-muffins - except I turned this into a loaf of English Muffin Bread by just baking the whole batch of dough in my bread pan for 35 minutes at 375 degrees F.  And I’ve made it with some variations: 
Cinnamon raising English Muffin Bread where I add 1 T cinnamon and 1/2 cup raisins
Chocolate English Muffin Bread where I add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 1/8 – 1/4 cup water
Chocolate Chip English Muffin Bread where I add 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Blueberry English Muffin Bread where I add 1/4 cup blueberries 
Pumpkin Spice English Muffin bread where I add 1 T of pumpkin spice.

I tried dozens of other bread recipes depending on what I wanted for our family's needs that week.  I made pancakes, buns, sweet breads, sandwich breads, artisan loaves, etc.  I would just take an ordinary bread recipe and modify it to become a sourdough.  The process takes hours of wait time, so if I start at breakfast, I could be baking by dinnertime. 
1. In a large plastic mixing bowl, mix 1/8-1/4 cup of sourdough starter with the water or other liquid called for in the recipe.  Add any sweeteners and other wet ingredients at this point as well.  I whisked this with a non-metal whisk.
2. Add the flour, other dry ingredients called for in the recipe, and some commercial yeast (my preference, though I wouldn't need the whole amount called for) and mix well with until no dry parts remain.
3. Alternately, instead of part of the water and flour called for in the recipe, substitute some of your sourdough starter discard that you've been saving in your refrigerator.  I'm all about being resourceful.
4. It seems that sourdough dough needs to be a moister dough than traditional types of bread, I think so the microscopic organisms have what they need to work.  So you may want to add a bit more water, milk, than the recipe calls for to moisten your dough.  Different types of flour and even same flours in different environments can be more dry or absorbant.  With experience, you'll find what consistency is your target.
5. Transfer dough to the pan(s) you intend to bake in.  Metal baking pans seem to be fine at this point.  Pan(s) should be about 1/3 full to allow for the rise.  Let the dough sour and rise at room temperature for at least 7 hours, covered with a towel.
6. Preheat oven and bake.


When you make a lot of homemade bread, you need a good quality, sharp serrated bread knife to cut your baked, cooled bread well.  I bought a 14-inch knife and a guard to keep it safely stored in my utensil drawer.


I hope you are inspired to try sourdough bread making for yourself!  I welcome comments about your own experiences!  For more details and information and recipes, you can visit my sources below:


Sources:
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/

https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/

https://www.butteredsideupblog.com/

The Science of Sourdough Video:

https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/recipes/free-video-make-a-sourdough-starter-the-science-of-it/

Friendships: One of the Sacrifices of Military Life

With the next Army move just a few months away, I'm already hearing my friends say, "We're going to miss you."  I genuinely appreciate knowing my family and I matter to them, and we will miss the people we're leaving behind.  My response usually is, "we're not gone yet!" because we are still fully invested in our community here until the day we have to leave.  

But it hit me today that there are so many people I have known throughout my life who I love, admire and appreciate, but we are no longer regularly in touch.  Many I am able to keep up with through social media, but that is not at all the same as face to face interaction.  It simply isn't possible to maintain all of the friendships I have made over my lifetime.  I prioritize the effort to maintain contact with our extended family, and beyond that I invest myself in the relationships in the community where I currently live.  Yet when I think about these people from which we've parted ways, I still hold feelings of fondness and I care for them deeply.  I wish I could have all of my favorite people around me wherever we go.  I wish we all had unlimited time and funds to visit one another regularly.

As a result, my heart is spread out all over all the places we've lived, or the places they have moved.  From my first friends in grade school to the beautiful people we spent 9 months of weekends ministering alongside while my husband completed his second seminary degree - every classmate, every church, every military assignment, every homeschool community.  I have met and known so many wonderful people.  If I've known you, I care about you.  My heart is big.  My heart is spread to everywhere.  My heart is sometimes hurting alongside those I know go through great loss even though they're hundreds of miles away.  My heart rejoices with those who celebrate achievements.  But it is hard to be disconnected from the communities where each person belongs.  I'm not there building the friendship any more.  I can't.  

My dream of post-Army life would be to always have old friends come stay with us wherever we retire, reminiscing, and continuing wherever we left off with enjoying one another's company, and whenever we travel, to see some of them along the way.  That may happen with some.

There have been times we've gotten the opportunity to go back and visit communities we've lived and loved.  We often go back to the church where my husband was the minister for 7 years.  But many of the people who were a part of the congregation then have moved away, switched to another church, or passed away.  A year after we moved away from Colorado, we had a chance to visit our old church and some friends.  A year after we moved out of Kentucky, we went to a friend's wedding and saw several people we knew.  But their community changed when we left, and they formed friendships with people we don't know, not excluding us, but making it awkward for us, the now "outsiders" in a way.  So returning for a visit is never exactly the same.  But we certainly treasure those who are still there that we get to see.  

I know we're not the only ones that move away.  Since we've lived in Oklahoma, several non-military families we know have moved for their jobs or to meet the needs of family.  So even in the midst of our stability in one place, our community changes and people leave to other states and countries.  My daughter questioned how I could possibly have over a thousand friends on Facebook.  But I explained that with all the places we've lived and served, they all add up, and I love to try to keep up with them all, at least a little bit.

It makes me sad that many of the people I know in this community someday will fade into the category of "when we lived in Oklahoma".  Our connections to this place will last, and we may be able to visit, but the remainder of our Army career will probably have us living somewhere else, and we don't yet know where retirement will lead us.  I have DEEP appreciation for each person we know here and how they have enhanced my life and the lives of my children and husband.  I'll definitely be upset to leave.

So I accept this hardship of making friends and moving away, but I don't like it.  There are moments I wonder if I even know what it's like to have a truly deep devoted friendship.  I'm the type of person who is interested in getting to know every new person I can.  My thought has been that even if I only have a conversation with you for an hour and never see you again, we can learn something from each other.  I love meeting all kinds of people and getting to know them.

Because of this, I will bravely jump into the arena of finding my new community in our next assignment location.  I need community.  And that will mean my time is invested in building friendships wherever I physically am.  "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold" - an old Girl Scout song.  I treasure the golds, and I look forward to meeting the silvers.

The Joy that Lies Ahead

"Oh sure, I'll interrupt my regularly scheduled life and do what it takes to pick up and move my family to an island in the Pacific.  Why not?" - me, sarcastically, right now.

This is the second time in our Army career (my husband's career that I support as his wife) that we have had an unexpected assignment to a dream location on an island in the Pacific.  Our first assignment was to Schofield Barracks, HI in 2006.  We enjoyed 3 years there.  It was beautiful!

So our next assignment will be to Okinawa, Japan.  The people we know who have been there are assuring us that once we get there, we will have the most amazing time due to the beauty of our surroundings, the food, and the adventures of exploring the island and the culture.

But there are hard things.  I know that we will be separated from our oldest child who will stay in the US and attend college.  She does this with our blessing, because it is something she is ready for, and we are happy with the plans she is pursuing.  We have great friends and family who will be close to her to support her in our place.  I know we'll be distant from our parents and siblings and their families, so we won't see them very often for the next three years.  We like our family, so it will be hard, but we'll do our best to keep in touch through video calls and e-mail.  There are many decisions to make, such as whether to sell or store our two vehicles, my piano and all the little items that we own.  We have been doing a lot of mental sorting between what we will ship to Okinawa, what we will store, what we will sell, and what we will give away or discard.  There are a lot of things ahead of us to prepare to go, including medical appointments and lots of learning and a bunch of planning and paperwork.  And I have to do all of this extra stuff all the while managing our homeschool semester, including our three oldests' participation in volleyball for the next 8 weeks, and two of our children's drama rehearsals and performances, and our oldest's graduation and celebrations for that.

I see an analogy to my spiritual life here.  God promises that our eternity with Him will be amazing, with no more mourning, crying or pain, and we will enjoy His presence and a celebration, and we will worship Him in all his glory, see Him face-to face, and enjoy the New Earth which He will create.  With this hope, we press forward in this hard life among difficult work and painful experiences.  With this hope, we also press into Him and nurture our relationship with Him, because He walks with us through our life, good and bad, and He provides us with joy in the journey, even when our circumstances are hard and painful.  But all of the Kingdom work we do will be worth it.

I have already accomplished a lot in our preparation for the move.  We've sold and donated and discarded a number of things we knew we won't need.  I have found three good suitcases for pennies on the dollar at local thrift stores.  We've had appointments with our PCM doctor to update our vaccinations and medical records. 

I struggled pretty badly a couple days ago, overwhelmed by all that needs to be done.  But today, I'm back to being motivated to complete as many projects as I can this week.  Whatever I can get done now will lessen what needs to be done later.  I am confident that it will be worth it.

Thoughts on Finding Peace

     My typical weekday is spent at home with our five children, ages 4 through 17.  I have no quiet children.  And they are all very different.  And they’re siblings.  As a result, there’s a lot of noise.  Noise from general chatter, singing or humming while they work on school, practicing musical instruments, noise from me giving direction, correction, and trying to focus them on the task at hand.  What gets to me the most is the sibling arguments.  Sometimes I feel like a referee, arbitrator or judge and jury all day long.  Other times I’m so frustrated by their disobedience or their rotten attitudes that I start yelling.  (I hate yelling, but it seems nobody takes me seriously when I’m asking nicely.)  After school we have noise from the TV, playtime, and Dad arriving home.  During dinner, everyone talks at once.  By the end of the day, I’m ready for the kids’ bedtime.  Noise is everywhere.  I just want some peace!

     I long for peace and quiet, but I also long for peace in my mind.  The struggles in my mind are constant.  How do I handle certain situations as a mom, as a wife, as a friend.  What does our future hold?  What do our children’s futures hold?  Am I preparing our children well enough for adult life?  Is God pleased with me?  Will He intervene in the painful situations I’m praying about?  In the evenings, my husband and I usually watch the news, but much of it highlights tragedy and pain and fighting.  Sometimes it all just drags me down.  Where is God in all the suffering and war I hear about in the news?

     If you’re like me, you could use more peace in your life.  I’d like to talk about a few things that I believe help bring us peace.  We can find peace by guarding our hearts, by cultivating our relationships, and by focusing on Jesus.

     First, guard your heart.  Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  Consider whether you might be taking on burdens you are not meant to carry.  I know there are times when I choose to take a break from watching the news or keeping up with what is happening to my friends on Facebook.  There is plenty to cause worry, or to instill fear, or to make us sad.  Now, if my family and close friends are going through hard times, I want to know about it so I can support them and pray for them.  But with today’s technology, we’re able to hear, see and read about much more pain and sorrow from people around the world.  Sometimes my heart just can’t take it.  I believe we sometimes carry burdens in our hearts that we’re not meant to carry.  I can find peace by guarding my heart from excess burdens.  But I can also find peace by fully trusting God with the burdens I am carrying.  When I pray for people I love, I need to release their care into God’s hands.  God may direct me to act or speak to be a part of their care, but ultimately, my prayers should entrust them to God’s capable hands.

     Second, in order to find peace, cultivate your relationships: with God and with others.  Each of us is personally responsible to cultivate our relationship with God.

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.  So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” - 2 Peter 3:13-14

Our relationship with God was initiated by Him, but we have a part to play in cultivating it.  He can change us to better reflect Jesus only as we are willing to allow Him.  He can speak to us, but we need to be listening.  If we’re ignoring Him or disobeying Him in some area, we lack peace in our relationship with God.  So each of us must be personally responsible to cultivate this most valuable relationship.

    If we do this, we can draw from God’s strength, which enables us to maintain better relationships with other people.  He shapes our character and enables us to extend love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  While our human tendency is to react negatively when we’re offended, God’s strength helps us to:

• Overlook small offenses and extend love and grace to others, especially those who frustrate or hurt you.
• Confront more serious offenses with the Biblical model and prayer. (Matthew 18:15-17)
• Cope and forgive when apologies are not given.

Living a Christ-like life is a world-changer.  We can bring peace to our relationships through drawing on God’s deep, deep love and extending it to each person He has created.

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” - 2 Timothy 2:22-23

“For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” - James 3:16-18

     In a world where the evil one is seeking to steal, kill, destroy, divide, discourage and deceive, we reflect the glory of a God who gives generously, brings life, restores, unites, encourages and is truth.

     Third, we can find peace by focusing on Jesus.  In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  We have everything we need in Him!  When you’re bogged down by conflict or chaos, fix your eyes on your Savior, Jesus.  Soak in His Word as much as you can.  Talk to Him about it.  Remember His power and great love and the hope He has given us.  Sing or listen to songs of worship.

     Praise brings us joy!  Praise God in the midst of weariness, sorrow and pain.  Be reminded of His ultimate control and love, and His presence which is always with us.  Rest in His control.  If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit to help you know God through reading His Word.  What a rich blessing this is to have a Creator God who sent His Son to live among us and to show us what God is like, and who conquered sin and death, and now lives in Heaven to intercede for us, and for those who have made Him their Lord, have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our thoughts and actions!

     It’s amazing to me how sometimes I come to realize I have entrusted God with the destiny of my eternal soul, but I forget to entrust Him with my day-to-day concerns.  He is working in me to change my response to my children when they frustrate me, and make me a better model of character to them.  He is showing me how to train them to work out their differences.  He is giving me insight on how to be a better mother, wife, friend, and disciple of Jesus.  He is showing me what work I can do to help grow His Kingdom and share His news of salvation and great love.  And He is giving me peace in the midst of chaos.  And my peace is a witness of God’s presence in my life that may draw others to seek Him also.  So guard your hearts, cultivate your relationship with God and with others, and focus on Jesus.  Let Jesus give you peace.

PCS to Okinawa in our Near Future

"From Okie to Oki"

After 14 1/2 years of Army life, we expect moves to happen every few years, and we knew this one was coming.  We just didn't see this location coming!  We received word this month that Summer 2020, we'll be moving from Oklahoma to Okinawa, Japan!

My first reaction was one of huge surprise, followed by concern, followed by excitement mixed with anxiety.  The way I deal with anxiety is to gather more information.  So for the past two weeks, we've been gathering information.  Here's some of what we have learned so far:

- We're going to have to store or sell our cars, because it's not financially wise to ship a car to Japan.  They drive on the other side of the road, the Japanese inspection process is picky and hard to pass with cars made for America, and we will be able to buy a used vehicle from other military families once we arrive.  This is a huge bummer as my husband has a sporty car he loves (Honda S2000) and has put a lot of time and work into keeping up, and we had expected to own it for years to come.  My van, a 2016 Honda Odyssey, was just purchased a year ago when our old 2006 Odyssey bit the dust.  However, it's a great time to sell an S2000, as demand for this car no longer being produced is rising, and I already have had 5 people express interest in buying our van.

- We are only allowed to bring 25% of the weight allowance for my husband's rank.  Everything we usually move with is always under our weight allowance.  But now we'll need to leave most of our belongings in storage.  The military will give us all the furniture and appliances we need once we arrive and have a house.  So I'm thinking we will bring our own master bed, and a few small bookshelves (because homeschool), but leave all the rest of our furniture in the US in storage.  I'm making mental lists as I look around my house as to whether it will go with us or be put in storage.

- Okinawa is almost tropical!  It sits just a little way north of the Tropic of Cancer, so it's not in the tropic zone, but it's close.  We had been stationed in Hawaii 2006-2009, so we know what that's like.  We hear the heat is a little less bearable in summer because, unlike Hawaii, there aren't the breezes blowing.  Okinawa is humid.  I prefer humidity over dry air, so I expect to enjoy it.  My skin and hair are happier with humidity.

- Three years from now, our children will outgrow many of the things we own.  So unless they are moving with us, I don't intend to store them.  Some of the sizes of winter clothes and outerwear for playing in the snow can be sold/donated.  Also some of our books and toys have already been given away with this move in mind.  If we won't need it in 3 years, I don't want to store it.

- We're going to have to decide whether or not to store or sell some other items, such as our ride-on mower, and our washer and dryer, and even my piano.  We aren't sure they'd still work after 3 years in storage, which isn't required to be climate controlled, so damage and deterioration is possible.  With that in mind, it makes better sense to sell them, and buy replacements when we return.

- Christmas decor is worth bringing, as it is hard to find in Japan.  So my little artificial tree that I was thinking about replacing with a bigger one next year is actually perfect for the next 3 Christmases in Japan where we hear housing is small.  Everything else Christmas I own has already been limited to 2 plastic bins for our last several years.  Still, I'm thinking I'll reduce it to 1 bin to bring, 1 bin to store.

- In general, I'm enjoying the motivation to purge excess belongings.  I've already sold and given away several things, and I'm finding more and more to unload as we go.  I'm working on using up lotions and soaps, cleaners and batteries, and have committed to only buying what we'll use before we move.  I find that if I know a place or a person that can benefit from my donation, I'm more ready to part with it.  Several books went to a Christian school, babyproofing things go to new moms, more books going to a missionary retreat house, some of our toys were re-gifted to nieces and nephews, and our youngests' toddler beds (modified cribs) we'll give to the local pregnancy resource center.  All my gardening supplies went to a friend who already gardens and plans to retire locally.  We've downsized our games to the ones we actually play.

- Given the ages and grades of my children (currently preschool, 1st, 8th and 9th), I will need to bring the curriculum for teaching K through 4th grades and 9th through 12th grades.  I own all of the high school resources already, and some of the elementary books I plan to use.  I can buy curriculum once we get there, because our address will be an APO.  However, shipping takes longer, so I'll have to plan ahead.  I haven't decided if I'll try to bring a few resources in my suitcase to begin our August 2020 school year, in case we're ready to start before our shipment of HHG (household goods) arrives.

- We have already made appointments with our primary care doctors to be sure everything is in order for our overseas screening.

- We'll be given "no fee" military passports which are good to get us to Okinawa, but we'll have to also buy Tourist passports for travel to or through any other country.

- Our oldest child currently plans to stay behind to begin college.  We have dozens of family and friends ready and willing to support her in our absence.  I'm grieving the distance we'll be and the lack of involvement I'll be able to have, but so grateful for others who have offered to help with whatever she needs.

- I'm on the lookout for a good deal on suitcases, possibly from a thrift store, because I expect we'll fly with our allowed 2 per person, which equals 12 suitcases.  We own 2 full-sized suitcases, and the other 5 are small.  We'll want to bring as much as we can because it will be 1-2 months before we have a house and our belongings.

- I'm also on the lookout for a new ball gown, because Army balls are a thing, and I need a new one, and I'm not sure I'll find what I need in Japan.  And a friend advised me to be sure I have shoes that are easy to slip on and off, because Japanese custom is to remove your shoes before entering a building.

I was talking with someone a few days ago, and she said, "It sounds like you're in upheaval".  That's a great word.  Lots of stuff needs to be sorted, and many plans need to be made.  But I know the next steps to take, and I've moved enough times that I am at peace.  I know that stuff is just stuff, we'll get everything prepared as best we can, and we'll enjoy Okinawa when we get there, so it will all be worth it.

When Love Looks Like a Multiple Choice Quiz

The morning started off roughly between us.  He didn't know I had slept poorly, I was still in bed when he had to get ready for a half-day of work, and I was really annoyed by all the noise he and the kids were making as they got ready for their day.  When I commented that he was so loud, he said he was sorry but he had to get ready for work.  Then he left the room, but didn't close the bedroom door.  When he came back in a few minutes later to let me know he was leaving for work, I turned away and ignored him.  So he went to work.  I laid there thinking how rude he had been to not even ask if I wasn't feeling well or hadn't slept well.  Then I got up and started my day.  

By the time he got home for lunch, I had gone back to bed with my door closed, so tired from insomnia the night before, not really hungry, and just interested in being left alone.  I heard him come in the house, get himself and the kids their meal together, and pondered how I felt.  "He doesn't love me."  That was my primary thought, followed by, "He prioritizes work over our relationship.  I don't matter."  But then I thought, "I'm going to give him a chance to prove me wrong." 

"Let's see, if he wants to show me he loves me, he'll:

1) Come in and check on me, because it's unusual that I would be in bed at this time of day.

or

2) Come in just to put his work things away and let me know he'll keep the family quiet so I can rest.

3) Come in and offer to make me lunch and bring it in to me."

Yes, I really was giving my husband a litmus test on whether or not he loved me, unbeknownst to him.  Really mature, right?

But then I realized how unfair I was being.  Yes, perhaps my expectations for the morning hadn't been met.  Perhaps he didn't perfectly communicate a loving connection before going to work.  But I was ignoring the 20+ years of marriage which is full of evidence of his love for me.  And I decided it was unrealistic to put specific options in my mind for him to fulfill to make it up to me how I felt he had behaved in the morning.  So I added a third option.

"4) Other."  My husband was free to express his love to me in other ways besides what I thought I would prefer or thought I deserved.  His other usually comes in the form of helping me around the house, giving me a break from the children, or a number of other gestures which are thoughtful and done to help me in some way.

Ideally, I might like it if my husband filled my desire to be loved in all the ways that I prefer, but to expect that always is unrealistic.  And it's also selfish of me to have an uncommunicated expectation.  He knows my love language, and I have told him what really communicates love to me many times.  But those ways are not a box in which I should confine my husband.  Instead, from now on, I hope I can choose to look at the ways my husband is expressing his love for me in ways "Other" than how I imagine he should.  He is a unique individual, and I want him to express his love to me in the ways that only he uniquely can.

Yes, I decided, I would be willing to accept option #4) Other.  So I got up, went into the kitchen and ate lunch with my family without a chip on my shoulder or unrealistic expectations, and I'm glad I did.

I Could Never Do That! - Homeschool Edition

I hear it all the time when people find out that I homeschool our children.  Five children, to be exact.  And yes, we even homeschool through high school.  People say they could never do it themselves.  

My response?  Yes you could, if you believed it was best for your children, or for your family.  

I’m really an ordinary person.  I attended public school from Kindergarten through 12^th grade, and graduated.  I have a college degree, a B.A. in Music Ministry.  I have no desire to get any further degrees.  But I love learning!  I’m naturally curious about everything.  And through homeschooling my children, I have learned SO MUCH!  Some of it I had forgotten, some I never learned in the first place, and some I just didn’t have the context to really understand it like I do now.  It is very enriching.  Homeschooling has exposed me and my children to some high quality books on history, science, cultures, biographies, as well as innovative approaches to learning how to write well and to understand math.  I’m grateful for the opportunity my children have had to learn from these resources.  You see, ordinary me enjoying extraordinary resources with my children!

Often the reason my “never” conversational companion states for homeschooling just not being an option is they would butt heads with their child(ren).  Yep.  I do.  I recently took a simple enneagram quiz that pegged me as a 9 “The Peacemaker” or mediator.  Peacemakers struggle when there’s conflict in their environment.  Guess what?  There’s conflict in our home environment multiple times a day because there are five siblings!  I butt heads with my children.  I redirect, correct, admonish, urge, plead, remind, coerce, whatever it takes for us to accomplish what I believe we need to accomplish in a day.  

We will learn, we will complete today’s work.  Then we may relax.  That is, until I give you a chore.  After that, you can relax.  But limit your screen time.  In fact, go outside and play.

Truth be told, butting heads is part of parenting.  They don’t want to do things.  As their teacher and mother, it’s my job to set those expectations.  There are certain things which I perceive will prepare them for successful adulthood.  

When we butt heads, since we have to live with each other, we work out our issues and maintain the mother-child relationship.  It’s not easy.  Motherhood is a tough job.  I am a better person because learning to relate to each of my children well develops my character.

There are scores of reasons why I believe homeschooling is the best thing for our family.  

- I treasure the opportunity to really know my children well as they learn and grow

- I love that we learn from the Bible together daily.

- When we’re done with our schoolwork for the day, we’re done.  No homework for the evening.  My children have time to play, explore, read about things they’re interested in, and create without being overscheduled.

- As a military family, our children would have had to adjust to a new school every 6 months to 4 years.  Because state standards vary all over our country, and even the standards among the districts in each community vary, my children would either be behind or ahead of their grade-peers and have to adjust or suffer accordingly.  We have eliminated that source of stress by carrying our school with us - when we move, our school moves, and my children have educational continuity.

- I know our history is based on the purposes and story of God and the people He loves, and that through studying world history, we can learn lessons to better our future.  Consider this article - https://wallbuilders.com/god-milling-action-american-history/

- Our learning is centered around developing our character.  

- Our learning is not merely for meeting academic standards, but for preparing to serve a purpose of value in whatever community we find ourselves in the future.

Because I see such value in it, I continue.  And as I do, I learn how to do it a little better each year.  When I began, I didn’t know nearly as much as I do now.  Through other homeschool families, books, websites, conferences and curriculum, I have learned a lot.  And I’ve learned the most from working with my five individual children with their various learning styles and preferences and strengths and weaknesses.  Ultimately, the journey of learning from them is what I treasure the most.