How long has it been since you sat quietly, watched your children as they worked on an assignment, and evaluated how things are going?

Note: Originally published in 2012, updated 10/12/16.

I frequently  just have to pause and ask myself…

Is this working?

What could we do differently?

What do I need to change so that he can be successful?

Am I showing my boys how to live, by living what I tell them to do?

Take a little time to ask yourself questions.

If there’s one thing I have learned in 18+ years of homeschooling is that there is always room for improvement!

So I question myself. I question my husband. I question my kids.

How are we doing?

Are you enjoying this subject, that project,  this commitment?

Is it time to kick things up a notch, or should we let this (subject, assignment, project) go?

I have much to evaluate right now.

Curriculum and assignments. My goal of keeping the house up better and planning meals and shopping only for the menu. Bible reading and reading for my mind. Not spending a lot of time on the computer. Training at the gym every day that I’m able to go. Running a few times a week again. Getting back into a daily writing habit. Working toward not having to work as a CNA.

We’re looking at a couple of new churches. This is hard stuff, folks. Character building. Health improvement. Faith preservation.

Question yourself.

Pray and ask God what it is He wants you to step up and improve upon, and set a goal (or several small interim goals) and go for it. Ask your husband what he wants you to step away from, and be ready to listen. Asking questions is only half of it.

You still have to take the action when you get the answers.

For myself, I can’t often see how over my head I am getting, but my husband always can and he is pretty good about pointing it out to me. He forces me to delegate and prioritize the things I take on.

Am I taking on too much?

Am I not doing enough?

What are your non-negotiables?

Everyone has non-negotiables.

Yours may be that you get up at 4am to exercise, get your devo’s in early, and start your chores all before the kids get up. Or it may be that your kids get up early, knock out two subjects before breakfast, listen to classical music at lunch time, and practice piano every afternoon. They can be big like a daily early morning group chat, or small, or the may be ‘safe’, like no computer before school, or they can be daring, like running every morning, rain or snow.

Your priorities will dictate the flow of your days.

They will determine your faith, your health, your relationships, and your childrens’ education.

Never underestimate the need to thoughtfully question yourself.

Dawn

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Dawn is retired 20-year homeschooling Momma and hospital CNA, currently working on her BA in Technical Communication. She lives in Eastern Washington with her husband, the youngest 2 of their 6 kids, 2 yappy pomeranians and an assortment of backyard chickens. She writes here as well as at DawnMariePerkins.com (her personal/geek blog).