Teaching the basics to Children

Just a quick post.
We started our baby in Junior Kindergarten!
This is a first for us!
I've homeschooled all the others through these years, sometimes I wonder why I'm doing this.
I won't get into that now. The kids will be home in 30 minutes.
This week, Dylan is going M, W and Friday.
He is taking a nap here beside me as I write.
Full time JK is just too much for me!
It must be for him too, because when we got home from lunch duty  he voluntarily laid down and promptly fell asleep! Maybe I will write about that another day..

If you are reading this, I want to ask you a question.
What would be a valuable blog topic, purpose, direction be to you or someone you know?
Sometimes when I blog I feel like it is just a bunch of my thoughts.  I guess that is okay, but
I like to do things on Purpose.  Hummmm....

I've been pondering my long buried, or tucked away dream to teach Home economics.
After I graduated, that was the direction I was heading.
I loved my home economics classes at Hinkletown Mennonite School, as well as in High school!
Garden Spot and LMH.   They were my all time favorite classes.

I'm not sure why I never pursued a teaching degree, but somewhere along the time line I decided that my deep down goal in life was to get married and have a family.  And to me that meant staying home and raising my family full time.    That goal outweighed my desire to teach Home Ec.

Fortunately, both goals have been accomplished.  As I raise my family, I am also teaching "Home EC!"
It is just to a very challenging crew of kids that don't always want to listen or learn from their "teacher" Mrs. Mom!

All that to say, I was talking to a friend this morning about blogging and was wondering how I could use this outlet as another way to "teach" home economics? Or is it even something that is needed?
I ponder that as I think about how I learn, and how the circumstances in my life have shaped me.
I learned some valuable lessons through the years.  Some I want to teach others, so they don't have to learn the hard way,  and some I would rather not pass on.

Losing my Mom, (Betty) when I was 10, and my Dad (Glen) when I was 20, has definately brought its challenges.  If that wasn't enough, I decided to move to Canada!   30 hours away from my brothers and sisters and my Mom, Ruth Ann.  I was 23, ended up meeting the love of my life getting married and making our home in Red Lake Ontario!

Moving to a different culture, a different country, to a different climate, different church, and a new family has been quite the learning curve!
It hasn't been the easiest road, but it has been worth it.
I am so grateful for the family God has given to me.  I don't want to ever take them for granted.

Through the years,  I've come to really see how our Grandmas and Grandpas, Moms and Dads and aunts and uncles have sooooo much they can pass on to children. We need to take the time.  We need to be intentional about it.  

I think so many people take for granted the things they learn when they are raised in a home where routine is normal. Where family is "normal" and maybe then just expect that others just know how to raise a family, clean a house and take care of their homes.   I didn't learn routine when I was little.

If you are privilegded to have your family close by,  be careful not to take for granted having them stop by and do projects together, cooking, cleaning etc.  During those times you pass on things, you learn from those older than you the skills you haven't mastered yet.

Some things I see in myself is that I've been learning things on my own.  Things that families usually pass down, from generation to generation. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I would make my rounds to my Grandmas house, my aunts houses because I loved seeing them work.  They would teach me things I never learned.   I miss that, and long for it... but I have adapted. If I want to learn something, I just need to find someone that knows how to do it and ask lots of questions.   I know that there are others who don't have that either for various reasons.  I wonder if not more and more with the world we live in today.  That is why I ask the question, would turning my blog, or starting a new one with the focus of
"Bake to the Basics"  be valuable?

As a child, my mom Betty was in the hospital a lot with Luekemia, my Dad was a long distance trucker.
Routine was not a word I knew! If there was any routine in my life I didn't recognize it! We were taken care of by different babysitters,  or to differents aunts and uncles, until my Aunt Velma came to live with us.

Later when I was 12, my dad remarried Ruth Ann.  She was really good at routine, and structure.
Unfortutely,  as a young teen I didn't want to have anything to do with structure and routine!
(I'm sorry Mom!!!!    I really love you and am very grateful for what you taught me!!)
I was angry, I missed my mom and on top of that I now had chores to do,   I bucked everything!

I've been privilegded to watch some moms, my friends,  with their kids when I just had Alabama.
My friend Iris, she taught me to start them young on the jobs around the house. I didn't have a clue how! I had to learn on my own!  Through trial and error, we are still learning!  I am learning how to be consistent, how to teach my kids life skills!

If you have the chance to teach your young kids that work if fun... Do it!  For them!
Work alongside of them, they love that.  What is better than washing dishes with mom? You know what I mean, the dishes part isn't always fun, but if you can do it with someone you love, have time to talk with them..... Think about it?

When your little toddler wants to help you put soap in the dishwasher, help him! Teach him how!

When your child asks to vacuum, let them, it doesn't have to be perfect!
 They learn that helping out around the house is just what we do when we are a family.

Don't miss it!
If you start teaching your children when they are teenagers, you will have a much harder time with their co-operation! Trust me, I know! I was not a very coopertive teenager!

You are raising children to become adults who contribute to society!
What you teach them as a young child can help them become contributing adults!

I know it isn't always easy or feasible to have kids help, but know it is worth it when you can....

Know that YOU have something Valuable to pass on!

Alabama watching to make sure mommy does it right!

Alabama making cool whip for the pudding cups

Trevor helping Dad build the tree fort

Dylan age 3 helping set the table

Alabama age 6 helping take the garbage out

Well, so much for a quick post......
So as I am teaching my children life skills, I ask, would you think that  a blog with that purpose be valuable, and if so, video tutorials etc?  I'd love to hear from you if you took the time to read this lengthly post, what your thoughts are.