Preserving the Why and the Wonder in our children can help them be more creative, brave and successful in life.

Who knows…it might just help keep you inspired too!

Have you guessed what it is?

 It is LOVE.

Love is something we all share and when our  heart is open,  meaning not closed off or hardened, it can break through barriers giving us more opportunity in life.

Love is like our own real life super-power!  It gives us undeniable strength, resilience, passion, emotion, inspiration and drive.

We have all walked hard roads in life at one point or another, we have all been tested and we have all had the experience of feeling….”How did I EVER get through that?”

We get through it all with LOVE.

It has different meanings and works differently in all our lives, but we all possess this key to success.  The question is…are you using it?

We can use love to power through life.  Love can  give you the courage to take on a new challenge, or to make hard decisions easier.

Choose to love your way through trials v.s. allowing negative thoughts to creep in and take over.

Always go back to the love in your heart when you are too tired,  or down and out.  It is an amazing pick me up!

LOVE can be the extra fuel to your WHY.

Lately I have had some quiet  reflection time and focused on LOVE.  It is an infinite topic, so here are just a few of my personal reflections to share with you.   L O V E

• The feeling you have when you first hold your newborn baby…That’s LOVE.

• The nagging intuition or gut feeling…

• The extra push you have to finish something…

• The smile you give or receive…

• The shoulder you give…

• The empathy you feel…

• The scared feeling you have at the thought of loosing something/someone…

• The feeling of your heart living on the outside of your body…

• The hand someone gives…

• The inspiration…

• The charity you give or receive…

• The generosity you show…

• The hope you have, the hope you can give..

• The sleepless nights of caring, worry or prayer…

• The burden you carry…

• The sacrifices you make…

• The tears you shed…

• The strength you feel…

• The courage you need…

LOVE is eternal, a universe all it’s own, a motivational force, encompassing all other virtues. Protect and nourish your heart, let it be free to both give and receive LOVE.  Witness it’s infinite possibilities in your life. Spend some time each day to reflect on what LOVE is for you and what you can  do to harness it’s power!

What are some of your possibilities if you let LOVE fuel your WHY for today and for your future?

I used to really dislike getting bombarded with this question since it seemed like no matter what I said for my reasons why we chose to homeschool, they never seemed to be enough to satisfy those who were asking.

Then I had a bit of a revelation…

The Power of WHY

Knowing your why will empower you in your:

• home school

• life

• business

• relationships

• sports

• workouts…..etc.

The list can be endless, the power of WHY can empower your whole being!

So, when you get bombarded with the question “Why do you homeschool?” for the 273rd time, instead rolling your eyes and brushing them off with the quickest answer like…”we just thought it would be better”; use it as an opportunity for growth.

After all, you don’t know the motive behind that person’s question.

Perhaps they want to know because they have been yearning to homeschool their children and are searching for a mentor.  Then again they could be people who just don’t get it or even feel threatened somehow that you homeschool.  Either way, taking the time to answer  this WHY question will at minimum empower you, but it also has the ability to reach out and empower others.

Reasons Why We Homeschool

23 Reasons Why:

1. My children  They are the best little people I know…I do it all for them!

2. I love their inquisitive nature!

3. The sparkle in their eyes!

4. I want them to love books….and they do!

5. I want them to be properly prepared to know how to gather information.

6. I want them to learn how to apply that information…which doesn’t always mean writing out a report.

7. I want to free them from “busy work”.

8. I want them to be on fire for knowledge.

9. The extra hugs.

10. The family read-a-loud times.

11. The great discussions.

12. The ability to handle situations as they arise.

13. The fact that I am more aware of any situation almost immediately v.s. a week or more later if child was at school.

14. I can celebrate with them when they learn to tie their shoes, or print their name!

15. Our playtime is far more productive.

16. No useless worksheet after worksheet.  We do real learning for our current needs.

17. We can make a mess.  We have fun with our projects!

18. I get to be the one to wipe the tears when they are frustrated or sad.

19. I have the power to outsource if need be and I also get to search for the best possible person to help with aerodynamics (as one example).

20. I get to laugh with them when they say the best one liners.

21. We have time to volunteer.

22. More time for sports and extra curricular activities.

23. We can instill our family values day-to-day.  Again I am aware of situations and I am available to them to help figure it out and guide them.

There are so many more reasons why we chose to homeschool.  These are just 23 reasons why, that I had on my mind this sunny afternoon.

Here is another post I wrote that fits well with this topic:  “Why Do You Want To Homeschool?”

This post is part of the “Why We Chose to Homeschool” link up at iHomeschool Network.

To read more “Why We Chose to Homeschool” posts from my fellow iHomeschool Network bloggers, click the photo below!

Why We Homeschool

Although it pertains to business, it relates closely to us moms and dads who have decided to homeschool.

Why did you start?

What prompted you to research homeschooling in the very beginning?  Every homeschooling family will have different reasons and we also share some common reasons too.

Why Do You Homeschool?

Some of My Why:

I started because sending my sweet children off to Kindergarten did not seem natural at all.  Nothing about it felt normal to me.

Here we were teaching all the important life skills they would need like walking, talking, reading, playing, dexterity, motor skills etc.,  in a comfortable loving environment.  Not only that, my kids were thriving, having fun and were on fire for any kind of information they could get their  cute little hands on.  They wanted to know about dinosaurs, trucks, animals, bugs, flowers, trees, building things, touching things, you name it they were into it and wanted to know more about it.  I loved every minute of it answering all their why questions and they loved my answers prompting them to ask even more!  We had a good thing going, so WHY would it make sense for me to stop the flow of information, to change the structure of our days by sending them off to school?

Together we went out  to the library, the local museum, we were always taking in nature on our long walks collecting leaves, rocks and whatever else they could convince me of.  My kids were learning real life patience, understanding, empathy and social skills needed for any situation.  Scouting groups and sports were also part of our week and gave them an outlet to be independent with other children and adults.

This is one part of my “Why”, how about you? 

What gets you motivated everyday?   

Do you forget your ‘why’?

Sometimes  we can get  caught up in our day or whatever family drama that may be going on and we can loose our focus.  It happens to everyone:  homeschoolers, business owners, employees, we are all vulnerable.

What can we do to guard ourselves and get back on track?

In order to restore some sort of  “normal” and to bring everything back into focus I like to write little reminders.  Write down why you started or why you want to start on some nice paper, or in a journal.

I like to use pretty recipe cards for these ideas, after all my why is part of my recipe for our home school  success!  When I feel a little burdened, tired or burnt out I make a cup of tea or coffee reach for my box and relive my excitement for our family and our home school.

Decide right now  to take some action and gain some focus by writing down your “why”  using whatever works for you, but make sure it is written on something that represents who you are, I am not a journal person, thus the recipe box idea.  Also make sure it is always accessible and that you remember to reach for it to either fill in more of your “why” or for when you need a refreshing reminder.

Be loving, strong and courageous and continue on your homeschool journey.

My Free gift for you:

HSI Bookmarks to print and record your “Why”.

Enjoy and Happy Homeschooling!

 HSI Bookmarks (blue) and HSI Bookmarks (natural/gray)

Want more reasons?

Check out:  “23 Reasons We Homeschool”