Insights

Platform
Get Noticed in a Noisy World
By Michael Hyatt

Chapter 5: 'Don't Settle for Less Than Great', page 20
"Here are six ways to find the courage you need to make 'wow' happen."
1. Take a stand for greatness.
2. Connect with the original vision.
3. Remind yourself what is at stake.
4. Listen to your heart.
5. Speak up.
6. Be stubborn.
As I was reading this, I shifted gears. My original intention with reading the book was more about something I could do. I was hoping for some info/insights into how I could do more to share some of the thoughts/insights I have in a way that might have a financial gain. If not - at the very least create something that would help someone else.
I read this part and I started thinking about the kids and what I could do to help them learn and have a better experience in life. I want them to have the best childhood that I can share with them. I want them to thrive. I want them to be happy. I want them to learn how to function in an ever changing world. Somehow I was touched with ways that I could focus more on my kids as I was reading this section of Mr. Hyatt's book. I'm sure it was not his original intention. I don't think he had mothers of homeschool kids in mind when he wrote this book. It's not about educating children. It's much more about being an entrepreneur and providing a product/service that will stand out. So, his suggestions somehow needed to translate into what my children might need.
I think it was truly more of not getting specific advice. But, the idea of trying harder. And, why can't my kids: their lives; and their learning be part of my 'wow' experience here on earth? Why can't I help to make it part of a 'wow' experience for their lives. I think we could just have 'wow' experiences together and all benefit. (Maybe later I'll explain what the author meant by 'wow' experiences - but, for now I'll just let you guess from the context. Or, you could read the book.)
This can be great! I need to remember the original reasons for homeschooling and remind myself that it's a big deal. I will make sure I follow the inspiration I have and rand up for my kids. I will do those things even if I get tired and want to quit because I'm committed to my kids - their lives and their futures.  
This is a good book so far. If you want more details about the book/his ideas. You're welcome to read it. I'm going to continue with it for the reason it was intended.

Good Mythical Morning

The boys and I have been watching Good Mythical Morning on YouTube. Random humor. I'm glad they keep it clean. Here's the link.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4PooiX37Pld1T8J5SYT-SQ

They post each week day morning. I think it's cool how part of their comments are about their wives and kids.

Jonny thought it would be cool to do something too. He came up to me later and said he was going to do something about 'Mormon Myths' and maybe he'd start with something like people thinking we worship Joseph Smith. Loved it! I think I'll be supporting that one. I'm thrilled that he thought of that all on his own. I love that an everyday experience can prompt an idea for a project or something new to learn.

Learning Every Day

I just wrote a post about the kids and how they're learning every day in different ways. I accidentally posted it to the blog we have for them to post on. Here's the link. It's about Jonny being curious and finding out more, the girls gaining insight from literature, and Jacob being committed to just get something done. Love my kids. Love that we get to learn together every day.

First Time For Everything

At dinner, the kids were talking about having ice cream for our family home evening treat. It's Jacob's turn to pick and that's his usual. Megan asked, "When was the first day we started having ice cream?". Jacob stated that "It was when Grandpa Riding first fed it to us.". I had just been having a similar thought. There seems to be a tradition of Grandpa Riding being the first one to give each of the grandchildren their first ice cream. As parents, there are times some of us have realized after the fact. Apparently, there's a repent later theory instead of ask permission first on that one.
Of course, all of this is helped by the fact that Grandma Riding makes sure there's always a variety of ice cream in the freezer.

Location, Location, Location

I saw the lights of the fairgrounds as I was driving home from the store tonight. It reminded me that I love our location. We are close to things like the fairgrounds, freeways, downtown, the airport, and more...and yet, it feels like we're in a quiet tree lined neighborhood. Oh wait, we do live on a quiet tree lined street. We even have a park that's close by - but, not close enough to hear the noise or have people park in front of our house when there's a crowd. Nice. We like it.

An Extra Cookie

I just picked the boys up from seminary. They came out of the classroom with cookies. When they got in the van Jonny made a comment about them. He said that he'd asked if he could grab one for his mom. He then proceeded to say that as soon as the question was out of his mouth - the room went quiet. Needless to say, there was no cookie brought to me. He realized once he was embarrassed what the answer might be. Although, I'm guessing the teacher would have been fine with it if all of the students had already had one. I love that he was being thoughtful.

Reading and More Reading

I was sitting with the kids in our front room this morning. Jonny was reading to us. The idea came to me that this is so much better than rushing to get kids off to school and then not seeing them for the rest of the day. So grateful to be able to be together and work on some of the things they want to do. We're currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) because that's what they chose. I was glad about the choice. I have never read through them myself. (And I call myself a reader. Ha.)

The girls and I are trying to decide what we get to read together. We did some of the American Girl books earlier this year. We want to get back to them...but, would like to do something different in the meantime. We tried starting Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, but Rachel seemed to be a little nervous about that before we even finished the first chapter. (She is the one we see the most about nightmares - so, we're just not going to go there.) There are always more options. We're looking into The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett or Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery). Rachel still likes a few illustrations in her books - so, I got a couple different versions from the library of The Secret Garden - one is hard bound and illustrated by Tasha Tudor and the other is illustrated by Inga Moore and has a soft binding. Both beckon to be opened. Maybe we'll try that first because I just can't stand it. It is one I do remember reading when I was younger.