We decided homeschooling would be our way of life before we started our family. I had a mix of ideas of how it would look as we wanted our children to be able to focus on their interests, but the public school system was pretty integrated into my brain. I tried a variety of approaches to homeschool and oscillated between them and doing public school at home, always feeling a burden and that there was a better way. As each child grew and came of age to "start their education" the burden grew and I wondered how I would survive the years to come.
Around 2005 a friend introduced me to Lifestyle of Learning which was developed by Marilyn Howshall. I bought every book I could get my hands on, and began to see that homeschooling was a burden to me because of the way I was approaching it. My schedule was packed with co-ops and trying to keep up with three children's schooling and a baby, I wanted the freedom I read about and finished out the school year with the intent to drop all outside activities and focus our life on Lifestyle of Learning.
I was searching for answers and wanting to develop the Lifestyle of Learning. I focused on my children's interests, and I saw the need to follow the Holy Spirit's direction. My support system consisted of the Lifestyle of Learning forum group which became very quiet when Marilyn became ill. Being that I didn't develop a deep understanding of Lifestyle of Learning or a strong deep relationship with the Holy Spirit our schooling gradually eased back to include "some" counterfeit education, but I wouldn't fully let go of Lifestyle of Learning. "Some" counterfeit education started to grow into "more" counterfeit education up until Marilyn's ministry resurfaced in the fall of 2009 with the help of Barbie Poling. The new ministry put a focus on educating the mom and teaching "influential parenting" so that a true Lifestyle of Learning could be developed in the home. They started up Association for Influential Parenting and as I began to read more and communicate with Barbie, and sometimes Marilyn, the deepening of my understanding along with my relationship with the Lord began to increase greatly. Barbie and I began to meet and she began to press into my heart. With my understanding growing I began the process of repenting and loving my family at a deeper heart level, I began the process of pressing into my own children's hearts and sharing what I was learning with my husband. The fruit of this process that addresses the attitudes, motivations, and intentions is showing up in deeper more loving relationships of our entire family. This process has revealed and is continuing to reveal how we wrongly relate with various aspects of life, including school.
These changes needed to happen before I could truly begin Lifestyle of Learning in our home. My purpose in creating this blog is to journal the changes we go through that enable us to have a true "lifestyle of learning" and share some of the projects that a "lifestyle of learning" produces.
A DELIGHTFUL JOURNEY A journey of discovering God's design for a delight directed education. Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
