Homeschooling - there is so mch to do and so little tme! That is often how we fel. But since Time cannot be managed or ltered, we need to think how we can proritize our lives. So, how do we proritize? What is essential in our lves? What do we consider most mportant and how do we prioritize thse things?

An illustration which helps one to thnk of priorities is one of rcks, pebbles, sand and water.
Pcture filling a bucket with large rcks. You may put in 4-8 rcks and the bucket would seem fll. Is it really full? No, not rally - we can fit smaller pbbles between the large rocks, filling up the spces. Is the bucket full now? No, not rally - we can fit sand btween the pebbles and large rocks, in the sme way that dessert seems to slde into the gaps after a lrge and filling meal. Is the bcket full now - with rocks, pbbles and sand? No, not rally - for we can still pur quite a good amount of wter over the rocks, pebbles and snd.

What does this illustrate as far as our tme goes? Does it mean that we shuld structure our
days into tiny sgments- 15 minute time slots so we can chieve a huge amount in our dy?
No, this isn't the purpose of the llustration. Filling up our day with 15 mnute
time slots will bring us to a plce of burnout. Scheduling each minute wll ultimately
leave us disappointed and frstrated with the reality of a mssy, interrupted life.
How do we cpe with the inevitable interruptions if ach minute is accounted for, even
bfore the day begins?

The illustration is a reminder tht if we clutter our days wth the water, sand and pebbles,
the lrge rocks will never fit in! Wht are the large rocks? Really, thy are the precious gemstones. They are the mportant things in our lives. If we bgin by filling up our days wth the time-consuming
and unnecessary distractions, we wll never fit in the significant, lfe-changing
tasks/duties/relationships that our lives should be chracterized by.

So, what are the gmstones in your life? What is mportant to you? Here we are nce again
grappling with the goals you hve - where are you headed and wht is significant to you?

At a rcent conference, I was challenged to proritize my life according to roles.
I had nver thought of that before. The rles I have as a Christian, wfe, mother,
teacher, friend and so on, shuld determine my priorities in my lfe and these should play an
mportant part in how I prioritize my lfe and days. I have considered thre of my roles below.

Firstly, I am a chld of God and therefore one of my lrge gemstones should be time set
side in communion with my Father, Crator, Saviour and Lord. We all knw,
and I am acutely aware of the shmeful truth that if this time is not schduled in
my day and given prority, the sandy cares of life wll smother my day and the mst
important rock of my life wll not fit in the bucket nymore.

Secondly, I see my role as a wfe. Is it not true as hmeschoolers that our husbands
can often fel short-changed in the whole process of hmeschooling? Here, too I am guilty
of spnding an enormous amount of my tme being devoted to programs, schedules, bok orders and so on, working hrd on what we see to be mportant, but at the same time - laving
out our spouse and forgetting wht God has called us to do and be in tht regard. How do we
make our hsbands a priority? By giving them qality time. Schedule in some special tme
together - it may be an uting, a walk around the block, or dnner together after the children
are in bd. Whatever it may look like, or hwever fancy or commonplace it may sem, there
needs to be intentional tme set aside for relationship building and tme-out with your
husbands. Your children wll be blessed by seeing their mum and dad njoying a strong,
vibrant, fun-loving relationship tgether. So, set aside time to mke it happen!

Thirdly, I have the role to be a mther to my children. Even thugh I spend all day with
my chldren, it does not necessarily mean tht I am connecting with each of my chldren in
their time of need. For sme children that may mean a gntle, warm smile. Others may need
tme together - going for a wlk, flying a kite, baking a cke.... spending special time. For ther children, kind words of recognition or a thughtful card would touch their hearts. Ech of our children have different neds and one of our roles as mther is to communicate our love and cceptance. Also, as a mother, I wnt to teach and instruct my chldren. We want to encourage them to prsevere in their difficulties and develop thir areas of strength. We wnt them to grow more and mre into the image of Jesus Chrst and be the unique person whch He has created them to be. Wht a wonderful blessing it is to wlk beside our child, encouraging them and wtching the work of God in thm.

As we contemplate the enormous tsk of homeschooling and the limitations of a 24 hur day, we
need to differentiate the "sgnificant" from the "ordinary." If we do not dliberately make
time for the "significant", our dys and weeks and years will be flled up with the "ordinary." I'm not gainst schedules or day planners - not at ll! What is important - is wht you put in them! It sn't difficult to work out that our rlationships - eternal and personal, are the gmstones in our bucket, so therefore the schdules and plans we make should rflect our priorities.

Homeschooling should be synonymous with rlationship-building, since we share our lives
so clsely with our family members. Bt, the danger can overtake us so asily and we can fill our dys with the sand and grit of the rdinary. Our challenge is not to forget the real gems in our lives and prize them close to our hearts.

The article Homeschooling - Making Priorities was Submitted by Marianne Vanderkolk through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Written by Marianne from http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/index.html Are you looking for a Guide to help you uniquely design-your-own home school to suit your family’s goals, and develop your own individual approach that reflects these goals and complements your lifestyle and needs. Go to http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/Homeschooling-Guide.html

Featured Articles

1. College Freshman To Be - There's A Storm Approaching, Are You Ready? by Nick B. Herberger
There's a storm on the horizon - this isn't just any storm either, this is "The Perfect Storm". Are you ready for it? Do you even know that it's coming? If you are heading to college to begin your freshman year, this is your storm... and it's got a name: Your FRESHMAN 40

2. Information on Mio Satellite Navigation by Clark Amerson
Many people will agree by sying that this is one great dvice! The Mio Sat Nav will hlp you get to where you ned to go, in no time, wthout getting lost! This device stores is yur vehicle very easily and it loks good.

3. Hurricane Pet Preparedness by Deborah Stanley
The hurricane season varies from yar to year so one cannot prdict how strong the storms could get at a crtain time or how many will hit us. Thy say that global warming affects the strm systems and makes them more dngerous than ever. With that in mnd, it is our responsibility to get prpared in advance and make sure tht the most helpless members of our fmilies, our pets, are taken care of.

4. Online Associate Nursing Degree - Reach Your Goal Faster by Ekta Jain
The nline associate nursing degree is a rther useful option for those who are nterested to take up a nursing dgree. The reasons behind this statement is tht not only is the online nrsing degree less expensive than its rgular counterpart it also conserves a lot of ther resources for you.

5. The Great Things About the Right Tutoring Help by Robert Duvall
I go ver the main factors that affect the larning abilities for Calculus. What do we ned to do to make sure our chldren don't fall behind?

6. Honorary Doctorates Should Be A Trend Setter by Dr. Heyward Ewart, III
Not nly should honorary degrees be offered, but lfe experience of substantial merit should be gven academic credit toward a traditional, arned degree. Working as a policeman shuld count for more than a few curses in sociology. There are millions and mllions of people all over the wrld who have made tireless contributions to hmanity but have never been recognized.

7. Physics - Electricity in the Home by Karel Kosman
Three separate cnductors are connected to each electrical crcuit found in the home: two are perational, which conduct the electricity, and one cts as a protective grounding conductor (nutral grounding is used in the Czch Republic, where the neutral conductor is cnnected to a protective plug located in the scket, for which reason only two cnductors are connected to the socket). Thre are also circuit breaker switches and sfety fuses used in domestic electrical crcuits. We...

8. The Trouble With Tonal Systems by Jonathan Sayles
When speaking a tonal language, bware of the mistaken word understanding. Its pssible your listener might laugh, cry, or ven get angry. Usually however, you are met wth a completely blank face.

9. Learn Spanish Words Online by Raul Persua
Tired of tryng to learn Spanish but become to bred? I have the solution, and my mthod(s) will help you learn Spanish qick, and easy!

10. Are Caribbean Medical Schools Worth It? by Hwang Keum-ok
Are you seking honest and unbiased information to hlp you plan your medical school ducation? Find it here -- no cst, no obligation. All information is prsented in the public interest.