Hi everybody!

Did you every notice that we all love to talk about who we are and what we do until someone asks us to do it?  OK, here it goes...

My bio:

Heather Shanks, aka Professor Mom, is an author and researcher specializing in education and family life issues. Much of her work centers on creating a positive home environment and the affect of character on educational success. Her website and blog, AskProfessorMom.com, offers moms a productivity and renewal resource to help them maximize their time and energy, as well as business curriculum, education planning and coaching.  Heather believes that children have huge hearts and huge brains and are capable of great things when given the right foundation.  Her goal is to unite American parents in recognizing that character and academics are the twin supports of that foundation.  You can find the rest here.

Now, here is the "real me":

I came from a lucrative job in corporate, but I always knew that I wanted to stay home with my children.  However, I was of the mind that I could never homeschool because I was so used to the thrill of the business deal, and I didn’t think that I had enough patience to be home all day, every day with my kids “just being a mom.”  (Don't you hate that expression!)  So, my husband and I looked for schools and came up short everywhere.  There was just nothing out there that combined really challenging academics with the solid Christian character foundation that I was looking for.  So I started working with a group to form a private academy in our community based on the Hillsdale Academy (MI) model.  Unfortunately, my partner needed to drop the project and then I was struck with an unknown illness (it turned out to be celiac disease).  By the time I was healthy enough to ramp back up, I could not justify the time away from my family that such a commitment (starting a school) would involve.  It was a dark time for me, both disappointing and physically taxing.  But, it was during this time that I sought after the Lord with much more depth than I ever had before.  I have had my faith throughout my life, however it was always more broad than deep.  For the first time, I sat back and tried to listen to His leading instead of pushing for what I wanted.  While I was analyzing my options, I really felt a call to homeschooling.  By this point, I was an expert in education, curriculum, etc. and I realized that this was really an even better option for our family. We realized that we could give our own children what I had been looking for, with the added benefit of lots of family time, flexibility, opportunities for service, etc.   As time went by and I started speaking with other homeschooling moms, I heard some frustration about the lack of business offerings out there for the homeschooling community.  I finally felt that this is what God gave me all of my experience for… I could share it with young people who were just getting started.  And, I could do it without detracting from my own family priorities.  Anyway, I know this has been a lot of sharing, however, I want to really make myself known to any parent who is considering trusting me to educate their children. 

This is such an important undertaking for me… something I really believe in.  Luckily, I have a husband who has really been on board, with both homeschooling our own kids and offering business courses to others.  I am hoping to launch the courses in January... we'll see. 

Kudos to all of you as well… Being home with the kids and homeschooling on top of that involves a ton of sacrifice, and it is so great to meet others who are giving so much of themselves to their children!  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Heather

No, it's mid-August and time to prepare for the start of another school year.  How is yours going to look?

Try this on for size...

Every morning, you wake up refreshed after a full night's rest.  You walk into your clean kitchen and make a cup of your favorite herbal tea.  The kids are still asleep so you head upstairs and savor a rare moment of watching them while they sleep.  It is amazing how beautiful and innocent they are while they are sleeping. 

A glance at the clock breaks you out of your reverie, and you start rousing them one by one.  They know what to do so while you go back downstairs to make breakfast, they start their morning routine (wash up, get dressed, make beds, etc.) 

After breakfast, you start your school day.  Your curriculum is organized and each child has their own station, holding their current work and reflecting their own unique personality.  You pause a moment to smile and wonder at the differing personalities that can come from one family. 

You move through the day as a guide.  Whether teaching math facts or listening to a read-aloud, you are patient and encouraging.  During teaching time, you remain present in each moment, instead of being sucked into thinking about the next 20 items on your to-do list. 

After you enjoy a healthy lunch, the kids stretch their legs and play while you tend to some chores and allow yourself to catch up on a little knitting.  Then, it's back to the books, and the rest of the school day progresses until it is time to switch gears for family time.

Next, it's a quick trip to the backyard to breath some fresh air and cut some lovely flowers.  You get dinner started (based on the menu plan you made earlier this week.)  The house is buzzing with after-school activity.  You let it energize you as you splash some cold water on your face, run a brush through your hair and apply a fresh coat of lipstick.  Your face holds the glow that comes from a day of challenging, meaningful work.  Throw in a load of laundry, have the kids set the table and you are ready for Dad to walk in the front door.

The football is flying around the backyard as Dad and the kids tackle each other in the fall leaves.  The sound of laughter and good-natured teasing is your background music as you make your list for tomorrow.  Looks like it's time for a trip to the farmer's market for some plump, red tomatoes.  You decide a lesson in making homemade pasta sauce will be on the agenda for tomorrow afternoon.

When the kids are safely tucked into their beds, you do a quick pick up around the house, wipe down the countertops (yes, the dishes are done... the kids did them right after dinner) and sink into your softest cotton pjs.  You and Dad talk over the day and share funny anecdotes about the office and the kids.

Instead of watching TV, you write in your journal or get lost in a new novel for a while.  You are suddenly quite sleepy.  Time to turn off the light, sink into the blankets and drift off to sleep, satisfied and thankful for the many blessings in your life.

OK, OK...I know what you are thinking.  "She must be mad!  Who lives like that?"

Don't write off the fantasy just yet.  Allow yourself to see the possibilities of what could be, instead of wallowing in what is.

We are capable of doing so much more than we think we can.  The secret is to work smarter and make choices that reflect your priorities. 

Here's the challenge... pick just one thing.  That's right, which piece of our fantasy scenario tugged the most at your heart-strings?  Was it waking up refreshed?  Or was getting the kids on a routine the most appealing thought?  My personal favorite (and the current bane of my existence) is getting a real dinner on the table each and every night. 

How do we turn these heartfelt desires into reality?  Here are some tips for aligning your reality with your vision:

The Power of Planning - A good day starts the night before.  In order to feel centered, you need to eliminate the fear that you may be forgetting something important.  No voyager ever reached his destination without first charting his course.  Look at your calendar, lay out your clothes, and create an action list each and every day.  If you need extra motivation to build this habit, hit a stationary store and buy some paper that makes your heart sing.  Get into this daily habit, and you will feel stress lifting from your life.

Rut or Rescue? - Routine, it's a word that has been given an unfair hand in the world of connotations.  Often cited as boring, stifling or uninspired, routine is anything but.  I prefer words like life-giving, freeing, and energizing to describe my chosen routines.  Imagine those words when you create routines for yourself and your family.  When you have structure for the day-to-day things you must do, your mind is free to dwell on higher-level thoughts and activities.   

Coping with Curriculum- You have chosen to educate your children at home.  Own that!  If that means switching to a curriculum that gives you a daily plan, like Sonlight, then do it.  If you are a lover of living books, then the Charlotte Mason method is the way to go.  Don't get married to your curriculum unless it truly fits both your education goals andyour lifestyle.  Remember, the more peaceful you are throughout the day, the more your children will learn and love to learn.  It's a proven fact!  (At least it is in our household:-)

Organizing your Home- Yes, there are libraries filled with books on how to do this.  Wasn't it Thoreau who said, "Simplify, simplify"?  Be merciless with clutter; get rid of what you don't love or need.  Be diligent with cleaning in small chunks regularly.  And, employ help.  Do I mean hire a house cleaner?  Only if you can afford it.  Otherwise, make sure that each family member is contributing to the well-being of the household.  Side benefit - your kids will also learn some excellent lessons in responsibility and service.

Meal Planning- I admit with chagrin that this piece is my downfall.  I struggle with this daily and have for years.  I dislike grocery shopping (although I really don't know why.)  I am not a stellar cook and have no real affinity for cooking.  I also eat weird food at weird times of the day (a long story for another time:-).  Getting three squares on the table for my husband and sons isn't my strong suit.  My best advice is to make a meal plan, shop ahead, and keep it simple!  Unless you are a closet culinary contessa (and I know some of you are), keep the prep to a minimum.  Shoot for healthy, simple, satisfying food combinations and you can't go wrong.  Note:  To you culinary contessas, email me with your favorite meal-planning sites, and I will put them in a future post.

Avoiding Brain Drain- What drains you?  My top 4 brain drains are television, most news (papers, radio, magazines), clutter, and too much time without adult conversation.  (I'll get into the whole introvert/extrovert thing at a later date.)  For now, identify your brain drains and minimize them as much as possible.  For example, Scott and I have been on a news fast for a few weeks.  Amazingly, we are not any less knowledgeable about important world events.  We are, however, noticeably less cranky and preoccupied because we are no longer wasting our energy on things outside of our circle of influence.

Renewing your Spirit - On the flip side, look at what energizes you and gives you peace.  For me, exercise, reading, prayer, and laughing with just about anyone are at the top of my list.  Also, realize that when you feed your body healthy food, feed your spirit noble thoughts, and feed your system with enough sleep, you are renewing yourself as well.

There you have it... a preview of the year to come, along with all of the tools you need to truly make it your own.  Cheers!

Too long... my baby blog does not like to be left alone, so here I am mulling what has happened.  Does anyone else out there ever find that sometimes backing away from life a bit helps them to prioritize a little better?  That has been the case for me over the last few weeks.  I have been teaching online courses and trying to create a standalone curriculum, all while homeschooling kids, keeping up with family and home, and trying to stay involved in our various communities.  Just typing all of that makes me realize that I need to start taking my own advice.

I need to refocus. 

I have realized that there are certain themes that pop up in my life... certain passions, if you will.  I have spent the last 6 weeks doing some soul-searching.  My journal is full, and I have moved on to scraps of paper lying around the house in order to capture the deluge of thoughts that have been trapped inside of my head.  Do you want to know what I have discovered?  Life is awesome!  When I say that, I don't mean the "like, totally, dude" variety.  I mean, the meaningful and overwhelming kind of awesome that simultaneously incapacitates and inspires.  My world has so many options, so many opportunities.  I can log on to the computer and be anywhere in the world in about 3 seconds.  I can write posts about world hunger, organizing a kitchen, or corralling a cat and there will be someone, somewhere reading them.  I can order clothes from any store in the United States and most of Europe without leaving my living room.  I walk into a grocery store that stocks foods I have never even heard of.  News is available anytime, anywhere with a PDA.  What wonderful developments, what incredible technology! 

Believe me, I am grateful.  But, I have been getting the feeling that there is just a little too much.  Too much to think about... too much to care about... too many causes to get in, over, around and behind.  Does it ever make your brain hurt? 

That "brain pain" sparked my commitment to refocus.  I took a break mentally and stepped back.  We are all here for a purpose, and I have been reevaluating mine.  I looked for patterns in my activities, my reading, my "electronic interests" (TV, internet, blogs, eZines), my conversations, etc.  I found that most of what I value falls into primary categories - in no particular order: productivity, family life, and the importance of academic and character growth for today's youth.  Do I have more interests than these?  Yes.  However, at least 85% of what I feel called toward falls into one of these categories.

Productivity - I have said this before, and I will say it again.  I love paper.  I love calendars.  I love notebooks and planners and office supply stores.  I love making lists and lists of lists.  Don't ask me why, but it's in my blood.  (You can ask my mother, who provided me - at the ripe old age of 5 - with stacks of old office paper.)  My bookshelves are stocked with books written by David Allen (Getting Things Done) and Julie Morgenstern.  Steven Covey is an old standby, as is Jack Canfield (The Power of Focus).  Organizing is therapuetic for me.  The more I absorb effective productivity techniques into my own life, the more I want to share that peace of mind and home with others.  Full disclosure:  I am not perfectly organized, I simply strive for what I can and enjoy the process:-)

Family Life - If you had asked me 15 years ago if I would leave a successful career to stay home with my kids, I would have politely looked at you as if you were one stick short of a matchbook.  Now, though, I am amazed that God has actually trusted me with these little people.  My husband and I both have found that we have put up some cushioning between our nuclear family and the rest of the world.  Our time together gets more precious each day, and we know that these times won't last forever.  When our nest is empty, we'll probably be more accessible.  For now, we have our hands full with the teaching and training and bike rides and boo-boos.

Education - Again, when I was in the corporate world, the value of education was not even on my radar.  Between my time teaching at the university, researching academic options and teaching my own kids, I now find little else that weighs so heavily on my mind and heart.  I feel as though I haven't enough years left (and I am not exactly pushing up daisies yet) to make a positive impact on how we educate our children.  I want every parent in this country to recognize that character and academics are the true goals of education.  I want every adult to recognize that kids are capable of SO MUCH more than we expect of them in 2008.  They have huge brains and huge hearts, and it is up to US to train them how to use them best.

Doing this exercise - this breaking down of my life into main categories - I found something incredibly valuable... my focus.  When I looked at where my passions reside, I found my mission.  I am aligning my efforts to focus in on 1) Guarding our values as a family to train our little boys to become strong, true men of integrity... just like their daddy,  2) Helping other moms create their own life of peace and value, and 3) Using my experience and energy to inspire passion for knowledge and wisdom in every young person I meet.

I feel recharged and reenergized.  I know now how to guage what invitations to accept, which committees to serve on, and which commitments to add to my calendar.  I now have a yardstick.  By choosing activities that hone in on my mission, more of what I do will be effective.  Even my writing.  Although I missed you all while I was gone, I think you are going to find that this blog community will grow even tighter and more close-knit as we move forward.  I encourage you to think over where your heart is and what it is pointing you toward.  By using that as a starting point, you too can narrow your focus and widen your effectiveness.

I often wonder, "Why are people exhausted from their efforts, yet have little of the yield that they seek?"  For example, stress levels are high, time seems to be at a premium, and yet, rarely do you meet someone who is really enjoying their day-to-day life.  This isn't just a fringe phenomenon either.  Many people wonder how they got to middle-age without anything meaningful to show for it.  Yet, there are people who seem to live life with a joie de vivre that lights all they touch.  What is the secret to a life that yields results?  What results are significant enough to strive toward?  And, how do we measure our yield?

This question prompted me to do some research.  A quick (and notably unscientific) survey gave me some insight.  I asked a few people for the name of someone who embodied a life well-lived.  Once we got past the occasional Donald Trump or Bill Gates, the results were very telling.  Mother Theresa, a soldier who had earned the Bronze star, the couple who runs the homeless shelter, and (you may have already guessed this one), their mother:-) were the types of responses I was seeing. 

This little experiment just reinforced the message that God had placed before me.  Service and sacrificial living are still longed for in this society.  Meaningful living is still personified in someone like Mother Theresa.  Granted, we all won't have the same gifts or calling, but that spiritual light that comes from service to others is available to us all.  Maybe that is the not-so-secret secret.  Maybe, we have been looking at the wrong results.  Maybe our yield comes not from what we have or what we have achieved, but instead, by who we have touched.

Cicero once said, "It is our special duty, that if anyone needs our help, we should give him such help to the utmost of our power."  A simple duty, but not an easy one.  Life moves at full throttle most of the time.  Any spare moments that we have are often dedicated to getting that last email out or another load of laundry in.  Some days, we may not feel very power-ful.  However, by taking a moment to pray for a neighbor, sincerely and with passion, we have served another.  You have given a helping piece of your spirit, anonymously, to someone who may have no other person in the world lifting them up in prayer in that moment.  Powerful thought, isn't it?  By sending another mom a reassuring glance in the grocery store as their toddler throws an "I want candy!" fit, your goal is more noble than you'd probably guess.  You are communicating empathy and comfort in an environment that is probably feeling quite hostile.  What a gift!  By living in that one moment, we are striving to a meaningful result.

Even so, though, we don't really know whether the neighbor was healed.  We can't really tell if our message to the grocery store mom actually yielded what we intended.  How do we measure whether we are "succeeding" in our efforts?  As usual, the Holy Spirit has given us just the metric we need to determine whether we are yielding our intended results.  It is called the peace of the Spirit.  Just as measuring our yield in worldly terms often frustrates, measuring our yield in service and sacrifice instead bring an inexplicable joy and reverance. 

The Father, as usual, gives us all we need.  Sometimes, we just need to measure results with a different stick. As you go through your day, use seemingly insignificant opportunities such as these to serve.  Then, analyze what is left in your heart.  Are you still exhausted?  Or have you instead been given an abundance of peace in your spirit?