You’d think that those free radicals that mutate cells and cause cancer would know that homeschool moms are too busy to deal with cancer. But no. Unfortunately that’s not even close to true.
In fact, every year in the last five years, there’s been at least one member of our local homeschool group battling cancer of some type. We’ve mourned the loss of one of our members, and prayed over others. Just recently a dear working, homeschool mom of 4 who’s been battling breast cancer was pronounced clear. Yes!
But unfortunately, another member of our group is battling breast cancer. This time, I ask you to pray with us, as it’s Living Life at Home contributor, Karri Fieglein.
Karri is an amazing mom to 6 kids, ages 14 to 2, and an awesome resource in the homeschool community. But even more, she has perseverance and heart that I so respect.
Right around Christmas 2011, Karri was told she had cancer. On January 3, 2012, she was told that it’s stage 3A. Since then Karri has been pouring into research and information about cancer, juggling being a mom, homeschooler, and patient.
On Monday, March 26, she begins her 11th chemo treatment. But in all of this, Karri has been blogging and sharing information she’s learning, things she wished she had known at the beginning, or even before, this journey…And she and a friend are starting up a new University Model School that will open in the Fall. Really.
Karri doesn’t let life stop her, and is claiming the future. Up to now, I’ve not shared Karri’s blog or story with you out of respect for her family’s privacy, as it started out as a care calendar blog. But Karri has ported it over to Blogger, and has given me permission to share it with you. And she is asking for the information she’s sharing to be shared with others “who have cancer on their plate.”
Please join us in praying for Karri and her family, and her support team, and please visit her blog and share your support. If you know someone who can benefit from what Karri is sharing, please feel free to share Karri’s blog with them.
…Shannon
Karri Fieglein’s posts here on Living Life at Home:
A dear person in Greg and I’s life is struggling right now with parenting and her role, and reconciling her situation to what she dreamed of, and Greg pointed out to me how fortunate we were.
I look at him puzzled, not quite understanding his point, and he clarified:
“Our lifestyle make is it easier for us.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him say that, because we’ve certainly had our challenges, and it hasn’t been necessary easy. But by making that firm commitment that we were going to make sure that one of us was home with the kids, raising the kids, no matter what it took, we have made life easier for ourselves.
Not everyone has that choice, nor will make that choice. And quite frankly, some families should not make that choice (I’m sorry but when a child feels safer at school than in their own home…. okay that’s a side rant…)
Back on topic… We chose to make sure there’s a parent at home with our kids, to raise them. It is a commitment that we take very seriously. It’s an investment we have made – of time, energy, and resources.
Because of that commitment, that investment, we’ve been able to pour time and coaching into the kids. We can make course corrections in our homeschooling, in our parenting at will and immediately.
With homeschooling, we choose to customize the kids’ education – both academic and life – to fit who they are and encourage them and grow them to be the best at who they are and who they are designed to be.
That is important, each child is a gift and has something amazing to offer this world.
Because financially we aren’t in a position yet to live on one income, we’ve invested heavily in our own skill sets so that we have the skills and knowledge, and mindsets, for one of us to work from home.
And we actively try to find that balance between living frugally and working, so that not only our financial needs are met, but our family’s emotional and physical needs are met.
There have been times where I’ve worked 5-20 hours a week while Greg was off working full-time plus, times where I’ve worked 60+ hours a week while Greg worked from home 5-10 hours a week. and there’s been times where we both were working full-time and times where we we were both working part-time.
But as long as we’ve kept our eye on what we hold true, the opportunities have presented themselves.
We’ve had to make some difficult choices, face some difficult times financially. That is normal, for everyone. But God has always seen us through and provided for our needs.
And we’ve stayed rooted in our commitment as parents and homeschoolers. It’s not something we take lightly. We truly believe that it’s an investment that will pay off hugely – not financially but in a more important way – in the people we have been charged with raising.
And yes, Greg is right, because of our chosen lifestyle, some things – important things – are much easier. And I’m thankful for that too – but even more so that he’s come to realize that too.
Eleven months ago, for the first time in 14 years, I stopped working. And for the next six months, I focused on what was truly important in my world.
It was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do. To Step away and have faith that everything would work out – everything work wise, everything financially, and everything that was happening in my world.
But, it was necessary. I had gotten out of balance again. Personal, family needs pulled at me, work pulled at me, volunteer work pulled, I was failing at everything, and not doing anyone one bit of good.
I looked at my values, at my vision for myself, and realized that I wasn’t meeting any of them. None!
The little voice in my head told me to “stop working”. Articles came across my email and screen that caused me to ask: what would happen? Could I trust God with our world, with meeting our financial needs, if I wasn’t out there doing my part to earn income for our family? (Duh!, silly me.)
I actually fought this a bit. I’m trained to produce, to work. My father expected it from me, my husband expected it from me. I expected it from myself.
But everywhere I turned, it seems I either was being smacked with the pressure of another failure, another missed deadline, or another family need. Then one day the ladies at Living on a Dime sent out this little free ebook called “When Queens Ride By“
Oh how this little story hit me between the eyes.
I was doing and feeling *exactly* like the main character.
I re-read it several times. Kept it near my bedside…
I wanted the message to be true, could it be possible? Of course it was, but still… for me? for us?
I Pondered it.
And discussed what I was considering with my husband.
And finally, I stepped back. No, that’s too gentle. I *dropped* everything. Everything, except my husband and my kids.
I disappeared from the online world for months. My business had no revenue for months. But finally in October I emerged. Revamped my business, and finally I’m here again. Focused on regaining your trust and sharing things I’ve learned along the way.
God took us through and had us covered the entire time. It was necessary. I learned a lot. But, I missed talking with you, my dear reader. I missed sharing things with you. I have 11 months of pictures to remind me of things to share with you in coming months.
And I feel better now. I’m healthier again. And even more importantly, I’m balanced again, and my family is balanced again.
Thank you for your patience and for sticking with me. It’s a good year, things are coming together in ways that are amazing and I can’t wait to share them with you.
…Shannon
P.S. By the way, if you missed “When Queens Ride By“, I highly suggest the read. It’s a short, but powerful read, and worth the time. Just click the link or the ebook cover above and download your free copy.
It’s that time of year again, where homeschool moms and teachers alike start to feel that weariness of the school year. Homeschool burnout isn’t a new thing – in fact it isn’t even unique to homeschoolers. I have friends who are public school teachers who experience burnout about February/March each year too.
My biggest tip for overcoming homeschool burnout is to give yourself permission to take a break, or change things up – like taking the day off to celebrate Robinson crusoe day . Take a ‘unschooling” day or a field trip. Try a new project. Curl up together and watch movies (yes they count as schoolwork too!) or listen to a free audio book from Librivox.org or the library. Or my favorite, play in the garden, or head to the park for the day.
Learning will take place. Taking time off from the schedule or plan will not set your child back – in fact it probably will help you all focus more. As homeschoolers we have that flexibility. There is no reason why things “HAVE” to be done on a certain timeline. It will get done – learning will happen. I promise.
The key to overcoming homeschool burnout is to let go a little. Recharge, Get re-filled. Spend sometime in God’s world and in God’s Word. And know that through Him, by trusting in Him, it is possible to overcome the dullrums and weariness that cause homeschool burnout, and that your children are wonderful, creations of His, fully capable of learning.
Here a few more resources/articles that we’ve shared on Living Life at Home in the past, that are still relevant. I hope you find more encouragement and ideas for overcoming homeschool burnout here:
Overcoming Homeschool Burnout – Part 1 - More of my thoughts on overcoming homeschool burnout and how I plan for the inevitable February burnout period.
Homeschool Mom Encouragement from Karri - Karri Feiglin shares more of her great insights for those times we become discouraged as homeschooling moms, and for when homeschooling and parenting seems so hard.
Dealing with Lack of Motivation & Laziness - I share a conversation I had with my oldest son during a time when he had very little motivation to do his schoolwork and laziness was taking over.
Joy in the Journey - Homeschooling, work-at-home mom Kimberly Eddy shares her thoughts on finding joy in the journey of life and all the roles and challenges we face
59 Ideas for Taking Care of You - Vetern Homeschooling mom, Cindy Rushton, of Rushton Family Minstries, shares her 59 tips for taking care of you. My favorite tip: “Go Fly a Kite!”
Take Homeschooling Outside with Spring Science Notebooks - Here’s a fun thing to do when the kids don’t want to be indoors anymore – take learning outside with notebooking – another great article from homeschooling vetern, Cindy Rushton.
Heart Disease – Heart healthy – you may hear these terms and think of them for others, maybe even your husband. I know I do. But do you ever stop and think about how they relate to you?
Are you taking care of your heart?
February is American Heart Month, and that relates to us women as well, especially those of us who tend to put aside our own health needs while we are taking care of our families and our work.
Heart Disease is the biggest cause of death in women in the United States – bigger than even breast cancer.
I’ve written before on the importance of taking care of you, and how not taking care of my own health while balancing work and family has caused problems. But are you taking it to heart?
In Dec of 2008, a dear friend, a fellow homeschooling, work-at-home mom, had a heart attack. Ever since, she’s struggled to regain her health and her life.
She’s spent more time in hospitals than at home, her young daughter (who is a year old than Little E) has stopped homeschooling and is going to a public charter school and she’s been bounced around between home, friends, and family while her mom works hard at becoming healthy again.
Heart disease in women is very real. Are you taking care of your heart? What would happen to your family if you had a heart attack? Sometimes waiting to take care of your heart until you are in my friend’s condition is just too late.
This month, I encourage you to take some time and evaluate your own heart health. I’ll be sharing some free heart-healthy cookbooks throughout the month. But to get you started, here’s two free resources to learn more about heart disease in Women and help you evaluate your risks.
But unfortunately, another member of our group is battling breast cancer. This time, I ask you to pray with us, as it’s Living Life at Home contributor, Karri Fieglein.
. Take a 
The Heart Truth for Women: An Action Plan
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