Alright, I’ve been a mom for over 11 years if you count pregnancy. That’s a long time to have been worried about raising a little person into an awesome big person. Not only that, but we’ve multiplied our offspring quite a bit during that time period. My mind feels like it is just mush. It is hard to have time to remember which bills to pay, let alone study fine literature or keep up with current events.
I have 5 kiddos, ranging in age from almost 17 months to almost 11 years old. We’ve been homeschooling for 6 1/2 years. I’ve been a mostly stay at home mom this entire time. We’ve never put our kids in a preschool or daycare program besides a drop-in type for church or Bible study. I’m constantly with little people!
In fact, today, at lunch, I was trying to eat my lukewarm leftovers long after everyone else had left the table. By the time I had gotten everyone else squared away and got my stuffed peppers and broccolini prepared, they had scattered to run upstairs to play on screens.
The second I sat down, both of my littlest kids magically appeared and were all over me. The baby actually sat in my lap and started helping himself to the best part of my meal (some shredded cheese I added on top to try and revive those leftovers). My almost 4 year old sat right next to me, touching my thigh with his little knees as he loudly chatted with me about things he wanted to do and things he wanted to eat even though he had just eaten. He is totally obsessed with eating, by the way.
Bottom line? I’m always, ALWAYS with my kids. If I’m not with them, I’m thinking about them. If I’m working on something, it usually has to do with them. This blog? I challenge you to find an entry where I don’t mention them. The things I do in my free time are usually at least loosely related to my role as a mother. It seems like I don’t have any time to think about anything else or to involve myself in something unrelated to parenting or being a mom.
I think it’s time that I make a concentrated effort to fill my brain with new and interesting things.
I have told many folks that this is the year of ME. I really mean that. I’ve focused more on wearing clothing and jewelry that make me feel more feminine and grown up. I’ve focused on allowing myself time to relax (usually in a long bath a few times a week). I have been more aware of my diet and what makes me feel best. I am working on being consistent at heading to the gym.
Now it is time for me to take the next step. I have decided that I want to pick a topic to study or read about every week. Maybe I will just read a few internet articles. Perhaps I’ll actually pick up a book. It’s possible I might even find a documentary or even write about it myself. My goal is to expand my knowledge.
Even though I’m not going to let myself choose kid-related topics, I can’t help but think that this will help to make me a better teacher. Not only will I be doing active reading and research, but I will also learn about a variety of topics. If those things ever come up while teaching my kids, I’ll actually be able to teach it coming from a place of recent acquisition myself. My vocabulary will improve. I will erase my ignorance in certain areas.
As an adult, there have been plenty of times I’ve been confronted with an embarrassing lack of knowledge. This is especially true in the fields of science and history or geography. I’m terribly lacking there and will probably head to those subjects for my studies. I want to know more! I want to understand this world I’m living in. I want to stretch my limits and manage my time in a way that allows for personal growth.
Have you ever challenged yourself to learn something new?