30 day PLAY Challenge

I started the blog to keep myself accountable to the challenge I have set for myself. Inspired by Plat At Home Mom, I have challenged myself to play with and engage my children, every day for 30 days. I do not intend to stop after day 30, I'm simply hoping by then it will be second nature and play will be a normal part of our everyday lives.

I've always looked at the mothers who enjoyed playing with their children, and wished I was like that. Over the years, I've simply accepted that I am NOT one of those mothers. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my children, but I've never been one to love playing Candy Land 18 times, or coloring for hours. I've been a "go play with your toys/siblings" mother. Then it dawned on me while reading Play At Home Mom's blog.... The only reason I'm NOT "one of those moms", is because I've chosen not to be.  Well, the buck stops here. I'm holding myself accountable to be a better mother.

For a couple years now, I've known I would homeschool. Besides the fact that I know my children better than any teacher ever could, or that I can give them more personalized attention than any school, or that I can put God into their daily curriculum... We're a military family. We move A LOT. So, homeschooling was the logical solution. But, I quickly tired of making lapbooks and handwriting and reading lessons. While we WILL still do a curriculum, it won't be as structured as I had originally planned. We are not a structured or scheduled family. So WHY did I think our homeschooling would be?

This is where Play At Home Mom comes into play. I will not only use a curriculum for my children, I will let them learn and explore through play. They will learn to explore things, question things, problem solve, and use logic and deductive reasoning as a part of their learning process. This will also allow them to be independent and confident in themselves, which are two wonderful traits ALL children need.

This being said, wish me luck! I'm rather short tempered and easily annoyed. My children screech like pterodactyls all day long. My ears are normally bleeding by 10am. They wake up the baby, the argue, and they whine (BOY! Do they whine!).  But, they are wonderful, loving, caring, sympathetic, and curious children. God made them that way, so who am I to try to smother those qualities? I will embrace them, the best I can, and guide them in harnessing those traits to become enriched, intelligent, selfless, followers of Christ.

HERE WE GO!