The Word Worker

Category: Life

  • Learning Outside the Box

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    I’ve always found it hard to explain to questioners what we do as homeschoolers. Not because I don’t know what we do, but because most questioners have preconceived ideas of what constitutes education. They want to know what grade a child is in, what their letter or number grades are, what subjects they are taking,…

  • It Takes a Village

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    A baby is born. Immediately he is whisked away to be poked, prodded, chilled, blinded, and confused by strangers. He is wrapped in a thin blanket and placed alone in a plastic bed. When he squalls he has a strange plastic thing shoved into his mouth out of which comes far too much food for…

  • Polaroid Moments

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Last week was long. My husband and I had so many responsibilities and obligations that our days began to blur together. There wasn’t enough time for daily chores or time with kids, and certainly not enough time for fun. We ended the week with a wedding. My husband officiated, my five year old participated, I…

  • Mama’s Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very Bad Day

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    We all have them. The days that you know you should have just stayed in bed. Instead you dragged yourself out of the comfy covers and made your sleepy, grumpy kids follow suit. The day that your morning prayer with the kids is an exercise in desperation because in the ten minutes you’ve been awake…

  • Ruts

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    My husband and I love to go fourwheeler riding. Anyone who does any kind of off-road riding knows that trails develop because they have been driven over. Someone found a way through the woods or whatever terrain and others followed the tracks because the first person proved that path was passable. Enough vehicles pass that…

  • The School Closet

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    Homeschooling is such a fluid undertaking. Unlike in a traditional classroom, where teachers repeat roughly the same lesson plans and teach the same skills year after year, homeschooling goalposts shift constantly as children develop and learn. Although some families maintain special “schoolrooms,” most of us don’t have the space in our homes for such a…

  • Memories

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    My youngest turned five this week. It’s an odd feeling to realize my last baby is now officially school-age. I thought about trying to throw a big bash to mark such a momentous occasion, but with all the fullness of life we have going on right now that just wasn’t gong to happen. Fortunately she…

  • Folded Paper

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    What image comes to mind when you imagine a person who likes origami (the art of paper folding, in case someone doesn’t know)? I can tell you I did not envision my nine year old son’s face. I was wrong. I’m not even sure how he was exposed to the idea, but for about two…

  • Balanced, or Teetering?

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Parenting often feels like walking a tightrope. Without a balance pole. Meeting physical needs of growing bodies can alone feel like an insurmountable challenge. That pair of shoes you just bought last month that already don’t fit. The three hundred dollars worth of food that didn’t last a week. Then there are the emotional needs,…

  • The Family That Works Together

    —

    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    It’s a lost art, families working together. Here and there you will find a small family owned business that includes the kids, but thanks to child labor laws that is rare. Our family doesn’t work together because of business. It’s our life. Our lifestyle is somewhat non-traditional. My husband doesn’t work a traditional job; he…