Every quarter Scott has a business meeting in LA that I get to accompany him. His meeting is an all day event, which gives me time to think and reflect alone, on our first day there, which is such a blessing. Recently, we've started to try and stay over the day after his meeting. On day two Scott is able to use the morning to digest all he has learned, and we are able to use the afternoon to do a little family planning. Taking time each quarter to do some reflective thinking and family planning has been a HUGE blessing. We evaluate our progress over the last quarter, set goals for the upcoming quarter, make plans, and get creative with how we're going to make our family the best family ever. :)
We just got back from our Quarterly Planning meeting last week, and I just had to jot down a few thoughts about it. This quarter we created our Family's TOPs (top operating priorities). These are the TOP 5 things we want to accomplish as a family in the next quarter.
This Quarter's TOPs
1. Create a Balance Workload
2. More Peace on Prince Ave.
3. Get More Innovative
4. Be MORE Social
5. Create a House of Learning
Scott and I the created about 20 SMARTs (specific measurable achievable realistic time bound) or to say it simply goals for the quarter. SMARTs are basically the little to do's or daily items that have to be done to accomplish the bigger goal. Tonight we presented the plan to the kiddos in our Sunday family meeting, and it was FABULOUS!! Each SMARTs was assigned to different members of the family, and when we told the kids what they were responsible for doing they got so excited...it was BRILLIANT!!
I am really starting to love dividing the year into quarter sections. I have a year long plan, but sometimes its hard to plot the actual course I need to take to reach my year plan. For me, dividing it into quarter sections has really started to help me break it down, and start making real progress. Its exciting.
Right now I feel like I have a renewed energy and excitement about my role as a mother and a wife!! I love the power I feel right now...or maybe its rather a belief that I CAN get creative and innovative in my journey of creating my 'ideal' home and family!!! I'm going to keep holding onto that belief. Here's to another Martineau Family Quarter!!!
Showing posts with label master inspire plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label master inspire plan. Show all posts
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
INSPIRE NOT REQUIRE...PART TWO!
[preparing]
This summer I realized that I wanted to focus my personal studies on anything and everything I thought would help me be Inspiration Mom (do you like my super hero title)! So I read lots of books, looked at tons of materials, researched varied philosophies (I am a total TJed'er, but I believe there are so many true principles in other homeschooling methods, that can enhance my understanding, skills, and tools needed to provide a TJed style education for myself and my kids), prayed a ton, pondered a lot, took lots of notes, googled resources, and eventually started to put together The Martineau Master Inspire plan for 2009-2010. Man it was draining, exciting, and stinking hard!!
[the Master Inspire Plan]
Like I said, eventually I started to feel prepared to put together my plan. As the plan sits now its still lacking a TON, but after two years of trying to create the perfect plan and not getting anything together really, (because I wanted it to be perfect), I figured what the heck an imperfect, incomplete plan is better than no plan at all. And so, it began.
[HELP?!]
I've loved the principle of Inspire NOT Require from the first time I heard it 4 or 5 years ago, but what does that really mean? I know that it is a true principle, but had no idea how to make it work in my family. I wanted rules I could follow to ensure I was inspiring, oh yes and where was the inspiring curriculum that would promise to inspire my kids to want to learn of their own free will. I mean I wanted results, and I'd prefer if those results equaled 3-5 voluntarily hours of studying a day from each of my children. I knew in my heart, that such a thing did not, and could not exist, but that didn't take away my hidden wish that it did. I knew I hadn't up to that point really been inspiring my kids very well to make their beds, so how was I going to get my kids to choose to read instead of watch TV.
When I started homeschooling my kids, using TJed principles, I was given some great advice, which helped me relax, take time to digest the information I was learning, and create a plan to implement it. I think this period of relaxation, digestion, contemplation, and formulating was crucial in allowing me to create my current Master Inspire Plan and Inspire System. Some of the great advice I was given that first year I was homeschooling is advice I still live by. The advice came from many sources and people, and ended up being the way I transitioned from being a 'happy public school/I'm done pushing myself educationally' mom into a 'super excited HIP TJed homechooling mama that wanted to have learning a part of my everyday life, and someone who believed that I really could change the world.' Wow it was stinking exciting, but boy oh boy, was I overwhelmed, and unsure of exactly what I should be doing. I felt insecure in my ability to figure this awesome thing called Leadership Education out, because there was no 'right' way to do TJed.. I am extremely thankful for the few guidelines I made for myself in response to the advice I got. Here's what I came up with: 1.) read aloud like crazy to the kids, 2) start reading like crazy myself and share my excitement for what I was learning with my kids, 3) turn the TV and electronic gaming devices off, 4) make time to think, ponder, and digest what I was learning and experiences, 5) put God first, 6) make family devotional a number one priority, 7) heal/strengthen/grow family relationships, 8) write down thoughts/ideas/plans/etc..., 9) take time to create a personalized plan for your family.
I obviously am only now figuring out how to do number nine, but all the other items are getting easier. WOO-HOO to that!!
So that kind of brings me back to what's been happening more recently. I believe that creating what I'm finally starting to create for my family is a result of what I've been learning and going through for the past three years. Its a process, and I love that!! What's really exciting, is that I can already see how in a few months from now, my Inspire System will evolve, better fit the needs of our family, and continue to shape our family culture. I love that naturally process of growth and progression are part of the plan because life is all about growth and progression. Isn't that FABULOUS!!
So now for the specifics in what exactly my Inspire System and Master Inspire plan look like...I guess that will have to wait because it's 11pm and I'm SO TIRED!! Pictures, details, and explanations to follow...stay posted.
This summer I realized that I wanted to focus my personal studies on anything and everything I thought would help me be Inspiration Mom (do you like my super hero title)! So I read lots of books, looked at tons of materials, researched varied philosophies (I am a total TJed'er, but I believe there are so many true principles in other homeschooling methods, that can enhance my understanding, skills, and tools needed to provide a TJed style education for myself and my kids), prayed a ton, pondered a lot, took lots of notes, googled resources, and eventually started to put together The Martineau Master Inspire plan for 2009-2010. Man it was draining, exciting, and stinking hard!!
[the Master Inspire Plan]
Like I said, eventually I started to feel prepared to put together my plan. As the plan sits now its still lacking a TON, but after two years of trying to create the perfect plan and not getting anything together really, (because I wanted it to be perfect), I figured what the heck an imperfect, incomplete plan is better than no plan at all. And so, it began.
[HELP?!]
I've loved the principle of Inspire NOT Require from the first time I heard it 4 or 5 years ago, but what does that really mean? I know that it is a true principle, but had no idea how to make it work in my family. I wanted rules I could follow to ensure I was inspiring, oh yes and where was the inspiring curriculum that would promise to inspire my kids to want to learn of their own free will. I mean I wanted results, and I'd prefer if those results equaled 3-5 voluntarily hours of studying a day from each of my children. I knew in my heart, that such a thing did not, and could not exist, but that didn't take away my hidden wish that it did. I knew I hadn't up to that point really been inspiring my kids very well to make their beds, so how was I going to get my kids to choose to read instead of watch TV.
When I started homeschooling my kids, using TJed principles, I was given some great advice, which helped me relax, take time to digest the information I was learning, and create a plan to implement it. I think this period of relaxation, digestion, contemplation, and formulating was crucial in allowing me to create my current Master Inspire Plan and Inspire System. Some of the great advice I was given that first year I was homeschooling is advice I still live by. The advice came from many sources and people, and ended up being the way I transitioned from being a 'happy public school/I'm done pushing myself educationally' mom into a 'super excited HIP TJed homechooling mama that wanted to have learning a part of my everyday life, and someone who believed that I really could change the world.' Wow it was stinking exciting, but boy oh boy, was I overwhelmed, and unsure of exactly what I should be doing. I felt insecure in my ability to figure this awesome thing called Leadership Education out, because there was no 'right' way to do TJed.. I am extremely thankful for the few guidelines I made for myself in response to the advice I got. Here's what I came up with: 1.) read aloud like crazy to the kids, 2) start reading like crazy myself and share my excitement for what I was learning with my kids, 3) turn the TV and electronic gaming devices off, 4) make time to think, ponder, and digest what I was learning and experiences, 5) put God first, 6) make family devotional a number one priority, 7) heal/strengthen/grow family relationships, 8) write down thoughts/ideas/plans/etc..., 9) take time to create a personalized plan for your family.
I obviously am only now figuring out how to do number nine, but all the other items are getting easier. WOO-HOO to that!!
So that kind of brings me back to what's been happening more recently. I believe that creating what I'm finally starting to create for my family is a result of what I've been learning and going through for the past three years. Its a process, and I love that!! What's really exciting, is that I can already see how in a few months from now, my Inspire System will evolve, better fit the needs of our family, and continue to shape our family culture. I love that naturally process of growth and progression are part of the plan because life is all about growth and progression. Isn't that FABULOUS!!
So now for the specifics in what exactly my Inspire System and Master Inspire plan look like...I guess that will have to wait because it's 11pm and I'm SO TIRED!! Pictures, details, and explanations to follow...stay posted.
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