We made goat cheese this morning. My daughter helped by stirring until the milk reached 190 degrees. I sure appreciated her help!

It is such a joy to be with my people each day. We are enjoying the busy days of summer until our main homeschool studies begin again. I really couldn’t imagine being without them!

Families were made to stick together, not to all go in opposite directions. We are teaching our children that independence is more important than humility and having a servant’s heart, I think. I used to fall into the same trap.

When I was a young child, I left for school each day. Pretty much all of the day was just about me. I woke up in my own room surrounded by all of my own things. I was the only girl in my family. My parents had one girl and one boy, and then they were through. Pretty perfect, right? (I say this in jest. As you probably know, I think being willing to accept God’s blessing of children is amazing!)

The school day was all about what I could accomplish outside of the home. I didn’t learn anything about taking care of a home or family, but I sure did learn a lot about science and geometry.

After school, I usually headed to a dance class or cheerleading practice. Then I returned home and retreated to my room to work on homework until it was time to go to sleep.

My life revolved around me. I can imagine that most children nowadays lead this life, only worse. Now we have social media and smart phones to further distract us. I’m sure a lot of people are concerned about portraying the best image of themselves online. This only creates more of a problem. We are unfortunately a very egocentric society.

This is the opposite of what Scripture teaches.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-5

How nice it is to wake up each day and know that we will be able to watch out for the interests of others in our household. Instead of constantly worrying about our own activities and plans, most of our day is centered around doing what we can to make our home run smoothly. Of course my children have school lessons and free time each day, but I always try to encourage them to work together as much as they can.

When a family spends most of their time together, parents are able to lead their children on the right path. We will have ample opportunities to serve each other each day.

A home based life is what I want for my family. I believe this is the best way to teach my children the importance of family and working together. It also will help learn how to serve others well, instead of constantly thinking about themselves.

Anyhow, I am very grateful for the time I get to spend with my family. Simple days at home are some of the best. I sure hope my family enjoys the cheese!