As I write, I’m sitting in the midst of pink and purple Valentines Day icing and tens of heart shaped cookies covered in this sticky, gooey, but yummy substance. These were all made by Alesia, our 14-year-old daughter, just this morning. The table is covered in smears of pinks and purples since her younger sisters helped with the production of these treasured goodies.

Joshua, our 12-year-old son, is outside, slowly driving my husband’s four-wheeler as my husband walks along with him, watching him carefully, guiding him as he goes along. The four-wheeler pulls a trailer full of wood that my husband and our son cut. Later they will work together to get it split and stacked in preparation for next winter. Elsa, our 8-year-old daughter, follows along pulling her wagon, also full of wood.

I am also in the midst of cooking dinner. Our 6-year-old twin daughters, Shaylah and Julia, help me. It’s a simple dinner tonight. Sloppy Joes. The girls take turns standing on their step stool and stirring the celery and onions as they simmer on the stove.

This is our life. We are the Willard family from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. This is a large part of our home learning adventure. The year 2006 marks the beginning of our eleventh year of homeschooling! When I look back over the years, I see how far we have come and how far we have yet to go! Those who do not homeschool think that we as parents are educating our children, but in reality the entire family is being educated by life itself! It is a journey, one that is less traveled than some other journeys because at times it can be much more difficult. The rewards are so worth it, though, as anyone who has traveled this journey for some years can attest!

As a home learning family, I find that winter can be the most difficult time of the journey. The days become long, and the excitement of the new year has faded and winter doldrums may set in. Here on the west coast of Canada, we receive a tremendous amount of rain during the winter months. Lots of rain equals lots of gray, dreary days when it feels like winter might never end! When we lived in another part of Canada, we experienced heavy snows and deep cold through the winter. Often I felt like we needed to hibernate. I find it difficult to desire to be outdoors playing with my children when the weather is dismal.

Over the years I realized there would need to be a change if we were to make it through the long winter months each year. I began one tradition of looking through homeschool catalogues and websites each February. I would make note of what wasn’t working so well for us during the present year and begin researching what we could change for the following year. Browsing through catalogs always helps a homeschool mama regain fresh perspective!

I also realized that I would need to force myself to get outside more. I am very content to be in the home, but through the winter months I can easily go several days at a time without going outdoors. As a homeschooling mother, I’m realizing more and more just how important it is to get out and enjoy God’s great wonders, even when the wonders are muddy! Even through the rain and the wet, God’s creation can be awe-inspiring. When I allow myself to be drawn outdoors by my children, I never regret it!

We also like to incorporate many activities that get ignored during the busy warmer months. Tea parties are a favorite of ours. Our goal each winter is to have one tea party a week. In the morning, we bake some goodies and make fancy sandwiches for our tea party. We set the table with fancy linens, our good dishes, and a tea cup for each of us. We make a pot of fruity herbal tea and light some candles. During our tea party we listen to classical music and discuss who the composers are and which instruments we can hear. Often we will read a poem aloud and discuss what we read. Other times we will look at works from a particular artist. On those days, once our tea party is over, we will try to “copy” the artist’s work and play with the medium that particular artist used. Sometimes we scrapbook. This favorite pastime of many moms can be just as much fun for the homeschooling family! It is also a wonderful way to incorporate lap books or scrapbooks about any subjects the children are learning.

Often our success or failure through the winter months has a lot to do with my attitude. If I allow myself to become as dreary as the skies are outside, things certainly do not go very well. If I force myself to get outside, have some fun, and enjoy the day no matter the weather, it always makes a very big difference.

Peggy, Graydon, and their five children, Alesia (15), Joshua (13), Elsa (8), Shaylah (6), and Julia (6), reside on a small hobby farm on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. They have been homeschooling for 11 years and try to incorporate as much of everyday life into their learning style as possible. Peggy is a work-at-home mom and the creator of and seamstress for www.HomemadeMama.com. In her spare time she also enjoys writing on her homeschool blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/AMothersLove.