Tried In All Things

Home school has finished for the day. I'm eating cheap chocolate buttons with cheap peanut butter - it's not as good as better chocolate and better peanut butter but it's filling the shot of energy I'm in need of.

Today as my husband was reading Saints Volume 2, he read aloud "my people must be tried in all things" and I clicked! ALL things! Many times over I've said out loud "haven't I been tried enough!?" Well obviously NOT! If I'm being tried it's obviously because I haven't reached ALL THINGS yet. That was comforting for me - maybe not to someone else but for me, it was the answer I've been seeking.

Doctrine & Covenants 136: 17, 21-22, 28-31

Go thy way and do as I have told you, and fear not thine enemies; for they shall not have power to stop my work.

Keep yourselves from evil to take the name of the Lord in vain, for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.

I am he who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and my arm is stretched out in the last days, to save my people Israel.

If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.

Fear not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands and I will do my pleasure with them.

My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.

So far I'm yet to be tried at being rich and this is my first round of being locked down in a plague scenario but I've been feeling blessed despite. Admittedly, the Alert Level 4 took me by surprise. I thought we were doing ok at containment; I noticed kiwi's going nuts in the supermarket, I had a moment of frustration with a supermarket worker that I regret (and have since prayed for her and all our supermarket peeps) then "tah dah" here we are one day to lock down! I've sewed face masks for my family that have replaceable filters. Our oldest has just got his first job and it turns out he is essential because New Zealand and the world still need to eat. Now he has a few masks to wear. This is an interesting time we are living in. We are of course delighted to have our Dad/husband back home. He only just went to work after two years looking after me and here we are again enjoying his company. Anyway blah, blah, blah, me, me, me ... I could tell so many stories but the purpose of this blog today is just to share: Keep Calm & Home School While some of us are just realising the challenges of the coming weeks, my family is in our third year of home school and we have learned some things worth sharing for all the potentially stressed out Mama's, Papa's and kids. In the words of Angela Braniff - a YouTube homeschooling Mum of eight

"Give yourself grace"

These next four weeks may seem like cabin fever, which may or may not come swiftly but be kind to yourselves you are not as sucky as you think.

What we learned:

• For every year your kids have been in school, it takes the same number in months to un-school for both kids and parents! Homeschooling looks very different to school environments. In 4 weeks you're not going to be masterful at home school so be gentle on yourselves and your expectations.

• Watch documentaries together They're educational screen time, you can all really learn a lot and have great discussions. A great free documentary series on YouTube is Most Dangerous Ways to School. You can learn geography, cultures around the world, empathy for hard lives and in our home, our kids gained gratitude for how easy it was and had been to go to any form of school. A new peace descended in our home realising how hard walking through the desert, snow or rivers filled with alligators is, instead of rolling out of bed and making your way to the family table.

• Letting kids cook with you is education - life skills are important lessons. Note: I personally hate cooking with 12 -13 year olds. Their brains don't seem to work properly at this age. I know this from many experiences with two sons, including the ultimate; I asked one son to put water into a pot, he proceeded to throw water from a cup at the pot from where he stood, at the kitchen sink. "Whaaaat!?" Only cook with your kids if you've thought the process through, including any potential arguments over turn taking, statements like, "Mum said she loves me the most" (again "Whaaat!?") and most importantly - you are in a decent state of mind. Otherwise cooking with kids sucks and you will suck the joy out of it for yourself, them and possibly the day too. Only speaking from experience.

• Home school taught me that my husband and I are not as nice as we thought we were But ... We are also very capable of learning, repenting and trying again; we have really gotten to know our kids. For example, we have learned the depth of our kids anxieties at school, at church, socially, emotionally and mentally. We have also learned how our kids got out of doing work at school, techniques like showing the teacher yesterday's work when she asks what you're doing because you and your friends have been talking all through maths time. And finally we have learned that when everyone is home together - all the time, everything is not peachy! We get in each other's faces and it's frustrating, everyone needs a bit of mental space. The only place in our wee two bedroom home that locks and has some space is the toilet. Many a child and parent have retreated to our toilet for a little space. (When everyone's home the toilet needs cleaning much more frequently but it's not that bad, having to clean the toilet, knowing that it's going to be a lovely clean space - just for you for the next 5 - 15 minutes!)

• This home school year we focus on Come Follow Me It's legitimate learning! The Holy Ghost is the ultimate maths, literature, art, P.E etc, tutor so teaching our kids how to learn from the Holy Ghost via the ancient prophets life experiences is working in this house. CFM is also geography, horticulture, anthropology, reading, vocab and art - if you are curious enough to Google locations, word meanings and people or pull out the art supplies to draw what you're learning.

• Don't try to do it all! Just stopping to laugh with your kids, make them feel safe and loved in uncertain times is also helping kids develop necessary brain connections in dealing with stress and trauma. The foundations of making kids feel safe, valued by hugs and positive times is preparing them in ways you literally can't see for adulthood. (Read The Body Keeps The Score on Kindle if your needing a book to fill your spare moments). Things we love to do with our kids that seem like nothing but are something:

1. Boggle (it's spelling too)

2. Word wipe online (no one in this house can let you play without telling you the words they see - annoying but great that they know stuff and want to share, it's like back seat driving.)

3. Playing old school Street Fighter in rounds exactly like when their Dad was waiting at the fish and chip shop with his Dad in the 80's (Family History).

4. Chasing flies out of the house (we live rural they are still crazy here, we get sick from sprays so we gather as a family and wave arms and blankets and pillows towards a door - it's like herding cattle but ridiculous)

5. Reading stories (and then taking a nap)

All the best these next four weeks! Praying our nation can do it so that as many of us as possible can enjoy freedoms of life once again.

Be gracious to yourselves in the coming days as you look to find ways to have moments of delight for everyone. ... If life is really getting outta whack and other than the life line of prayer, try checking out these Mama's on YouTube for ideas of how to school in lockdown. Big families, block scheduling, easy ideas for school: Jordan Page

Angela Braniff

I know I watch them and feel better. ... Writing this used all my short burst energy from the chocolate buttons and peanut butter. I am going to have a 5 minute nap

As a final note, I use this quote in the "signature" section at the bottom of all my emails because I thought it was so profound

"Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved.”

Elder Marvin J. Ashton, General Conference, October 1984