The Dark Side of Progress: Why We Want To Live Life Differently

I have friends, as I'm sure you do as well, that boycott Facebook in an attempt to protect their mental space from the negatively charged climate we are battling on a daily basis.  If you are tapped into early childhood education, you have heard the battle between higher test score advocates and the call for play-dominated education.  Are you struggling with chronic health problems?  There is a lot of discussion about the dangers of our modern agricultural approaches undermining the God-given nutrients and immunity my grandparents received from their food and microbiome.  While modern conveniences are amazing in their own right, there is troubling evidence that suggests a blind-following of current trends in the name of keeping up is rapidly eating away at our quality of life.

About a mile from our house, we have experienced an oil site construction that has finally come to its maintenance state.  It was only a matter of weeks when another began just down the way from it.  No one in the area has been pleased with it and my animal loving kids were disgusted at all the animal homes they were destroying (in the tree clearing) just for the sake of money!  I had to calm my little activists down and explain how we do benefit from the oil even if we don't like the process and location.  I'm not in denial about some real benefits of progress and technology advancements, but this current wave of technology and internet-dominated living comes with side effects we do not generally consider.

My upbringing was extremely health-conscious and certainly not the norm of my culture usually.  To her credit, my mom was advocating for health and wellness choices that would become mainstream years later.  So, I remember how certain the 'experts' were about the evils of butter and all manner of fats.  Turns out they were off-base and there are quite a few good fats that are vital for overall health.  Let's not even talk about the smoking and the tobacco industry.  My point is, just because something is new and popular never means it is safe, wise or a place to set up camp.

I always hated the 'back in the good old days' talks or the resistance of progress simply because it is new, but I'm starting to understand their motivation.  There are some things in this world that do not change and our incessant need to upgrade or revolutionize what already works is getting us into trouble in some cases.  Spending time outdoors in nature is good for you - mind, body and spirit.  Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is important for mind and body function.  Being creative and keeping a slow pace is a mandatory part of life in order to sustain the times of necessary work and fast pace.  These are things that do not change no matter how fast your computer is or what new gadget comes on the market.

It is clear that our mental and physical health as a country is failing.  From suicide to cancers to chronic illness - all of our technological advancements aren't enough to truly change the direction of our health nationally.  I am so thankful for surgeries and procedures being more precise and revolutionized in many areas.  Like the oil that is being harvested down the street, there are good, even life-saving elements that come from progress.  But my hope is that we don't walk into the future blindly as if there are never any dangerous costs or side effects from all this progress.   A big reason why we choose the lifestyle we do - homeschool, hiking, gardening, cooking, etc. - is to protect and preserve a healthy way of life for our children.  I cannot control what dangers may arise from modern advancements, but I can invest more heavily in the decidedly good parts of life in order to side step or in some cases prevent the negative fallout of our march to the more, the better and the new.  

The Value of Gardening in Education

Whether it is a few pots on back porch or an acre of land carefully planned out in February, having a garden is an incredible asset to your family’s education. Even though I remember a time without cell phones or computers, my children never will. With all the extreme changes our culture continues to experience, it can seem hard to keep from getting caught up in the fast paced, social media dominated lifestyle that is glorified everywhere. Planting and harvesting (and everything in between) is something that we have in common with every generation before us. While your family may not rely on your garden the way my grandparents did theirs, the process is still this incredible hands-on tool for enhancing education.and keeping our hearts grounded – pun fully intended!

By tending a garden of any size together, you are given a zillion teachable moments to share with your kids that have the power to power up their learning experiences and shape the person they will become.

Science. So many of the scientific concepts that we expect our children to learn are demonstrated in some way in the garden. Life cycles, water cycles, photosynthesis, weather patterns and the food chain are just a few things that you will face tending a garden.

Evidence of God’s Creation. Have you ever considered the power of a seed? A complete blueprint for a plant and its fruit is hidden in each little seed. Have you considered the uniqueness of planet earth and the many forces that come together to keep us alive? Even just the faith that is required every time you plant a seed points to our Creator intimately designing all parts of our existence.

Work Ethic. Maintaining a garden is not like a drive-thru window. You can’t just pick the food you want to grow and show up a few months later expecting a harvest. In order to have a successful garden, you have to keep up with a lot of things. Planning, researching, tilling, planting, weeding, watering, praying and repeat! Even after all that work, there is still no assurance of success when the weather gets involved. This process of managing living things teaches so many lessons about life and what our attitudes must be.

Immune Boost. Going outside regularly, getting your hands in the dirt, and any form of exercise (walking, squatting, lifting, etc.) builds up your immune system. It’s good for the body. Healthy bodies produce better learners!

As we walk this path of homeschooling, we are trying to ignite the spark of learning and discovery every day. Incorporating a garden into your rhythm of school is this perfect laboratory in which to do that! We see concepts demonstrated in real time while learning discipline and activating our immune systems at the same time! We can’t keep our culture from continually changing, but we can make choices that root us in what is real and true. Investing in a garden is certainly one of those great choices!

Originally posted at The Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog in March 2019.

A Hard Day's Work

 I am sincerely grateful for the hours and hours of work that were put in to landscaping and planting in the past.  With spring in full force, we've just started to see the lush green of everything.  When you move in in December, it is a little brown and unexciting, but now I feel like I'm getting a show!  In rose bushes alone, I feel like I've hit the jackpot!

Trouble is - and you knew it was coming - maintaining someone else's large amount of work is still a lot of work!  And I get overwhelmed so easy.   Too many people, I get overwhelmed.  Too much to do, I get overwhelmed.  Something not what I excepted, I get overwhelmed!  So, with all of the spring blooming and the vegetable garden we're trying to install, we spent the weekend working in the yard.  It turned out to be a good experience for everyone.  Mr. Butler worked really hard setting posts for a fence to go around the vegetable garden and J was a big help.  Miss Z mostly just looked for ladybugs which was it's own educational experience.  A few barely escaped drowning because they apparently needed a bath. I pruned rose bushes, planted some veggies, and assisted when necessary in the midst of getting dinners ready.  

It reminded me of my Granny Elmore who cooked so much more than I do and daily chores were more involved to boot.  It was exhausting - so much so that I finally took a bath in our new tub - but a very satisfying day.  It is easy for me to look for a quick and easy solution, but if that's where I live, then I miss out on some really great things in life.  And so would my family.  Like I mentioned, I get easily overwhelmed, but I also got a double portion of conviction or principle or something.  I think Miss Z did too, but she's still in the relentless stage without educated principles.  What I'm seeing in myself is that the really important things are big undertakings.  I'm really passionate about things like eating well, spending time outside, and using the most simple things God has provided for us to be fruitful for our own needs and His good will.  Growing food yourself, cooking meals yourself, even reading for yourself all takes extra time, extra energy and sometimes extra money, which can be overwhelming.  We know this, but all too often we believe the message that says because it requires anything extra, it isn't worth it.  And in my experience, that is generally NOT true.  We all have different stages of life, circumstances and priorities so my particular worthwhile activities may not resonate with you, but if you are honest with yourself, you'll see some of what I'm talking about.  

In light of the gardening progress, don't forget to get your free gardening resources now through the end of April!

Gardening Giveaway

Over the weekend, my little family made a visit to Sunrise Acres to buy some vegetable starter plants for the garden.  The owners there were so helpful and I love that it is just down the road from us now.  There was a moment when we were checking out that struck me with such gratitude.  Mr. Butler had asked about growing sweet potatoes and was getting a very knowledgeable and thorough explanation (his favorite kind).  J had found a basketball and Miss Z was trying to keep up with a couple of dogs.  I was thankful for kind people in the world doing good things with their life.  I was thankful for a Saturday when we were allowed to do several things as a family.  I was thankful for the hope in the air you feel when you get a whiff of a tomato plant or cucumber vine.  Planting and keeping a garden is good for the soul.

If you're new to planting a vegetable garden, you might not realize how important planning is to the whole process.  Thanks to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Molly Green, throughout the month of April you can get in touch with your inner gardener and be prepared with some great free books!  Just use the code ABCREW16 at checkout.

 I would love to see some pictures of your garden, big or small! Just use the tag #getupandgarden or #writebalance.

Get Up and Garden Month

Do you grow vegetables at your house?  Have you ever tried?  This month is Get Up and Garden month here at the Butlers and Write Balance.  Mr. Butler has just finished building and preparing some raised beds and here in Oklahoma it is about time to plant.  My entire life  I have had a grandparent, parent or in-law growing a vegetable garden in some fashion.  It is my hope that my family will grow up understanding the importance and value of growing much of their own food and I believe this is the best way to do it!  Years and locations are all different with what is possible in growing and maintaining, but investing in locally grown food is a must!  The health benefits alone demand that homegrown food can NOT go by the wayside.  With the health of our country growing worse, we can't ignore every family's need for nutrient dense food.  What better way to provide for your family than to grow some delicious veggies in the back yard!  And yes, they will taste different than the store bought usually and that is a very good thing!

So, throughout the month of April I'll be giving away some great resources from The Old Schoolhouse and Molly Green to help you Get Up and Garden!

How to participate:

Tell me how YOU are going to Get Up and Garden.  Share this post, share a picture of your gardening hopes, and/or use #getupandgarden and tag me on any of the social media sites below.  That's it! Once you do that, I'll send you some great resources for FREE!
Instagram: writebalance
Facebook: Finding the Write Balance
Twitter: @writebalance
Pinterest: amylizz9

Tips for a Balanced School Year

'Tis the season for new beginnings at school and it can be hard to find balance in the midst of sometimes chaotic and stressful happenings.  These are important and special times that won't flourish without care and focus.  Here are some tips to help you and yours stay on track.

-Start your day with a prayer.  My days spin out of balance so quickly, especially when things don't go the way I want. And since we can't deny that happens every day, the best defense is beginning the day asking God to be a part of it.  Instead of staying out of balance, God will use any event to show us more of Him.  That somehow balances out beautifully!

-Require hard work and then plan for fun!  Follow through is a big issue for me so requiring the hard work is a MUST.  Non-negotiable, no questions asked, necessity! But also, to keep that motivation up, fun and reward has to be strategically placed as well.  Commit to balancing your work and play this year!

-Quit comparing! Stop comparing yourself, your friends, your family, your anything.  Take stock of where you're at and where you want to be.  Figure out ways to get there and then don't worry about anyone else.  This is often so hard when it comes to our kids.  Help them stay focused on what they are capable of and remind them how important they are - not everyone else - to you.

-Grow a plant. Yeah, I said a plant.  Staying balanced requires a lot of maintenance.  Deciding to grow a plant - and actually sticking with it - is a beautiful symbol of growing in our life.  If you neglect it, it will die.  You can't give it all the water it will need forever the first day.  And you can't put off caring for it until a day before its dying and expect great results.  With daily attention, shifting and accommodating new needs, life brings joy and peace.  If your family needs a focal point, a coming together for the new year and new goals, caring for a plant together could be a fun and meaningful project!

Closing the Loop - Project Feedback

Last year about this time, I made up my mind we were going to have a garden this summer. And we did. Now that its about time to start clearing everything out, I'm taking some advice from husband and reflecting on how things went. It seems unnecessary at first, to give yourself feedback, but without it I will most definitely charge in again blind, hoping for the best. This way, I will stop and think about what worked and what didn't and how I should improve in the future. So, here we go.

The premise of last year was really an anything goes attitude. I was going to dive right in, trying whatever I wanted, ready to accept the mistakes and beginner ignorance. So, because I felt like it, I planted things pretty much wherever I felt like it, mix and match, with only a little attention to the needs of the plant once growing. This worked out about half the time.

Things that went well:

-We had lots of lettuce and spinach that tasted great! Next year I'm going to start a little bit earlier (inside if I have to) so that I can replant hopefully after the first round finishes.

-Without even trying we had close to 50 tomato plants of all kinds (cherry, grape, roma, etc) that are still producing delicious fruit. I guess I threw out some old tomatoes onto the soil before we had a compost pile that settled in and sprang forth plentifully! They seriously took over EVERYTHING! But, tomatoes are something we eat continually so no complaints here! :)

-Our blackberry bush produced more fruit than ever (still not much) so I'm hopeful for next year!

-We have some great anaheim peppers still producing. They started late though b/c of tomato takeover. Next year I'll definitely give them more space.

-Our okra turned into trees! We have some good looking plants. I just planted them late and not very many. Start early and plant plenty.

-The corn was the same as okra. Needed to plant earlier, more of it and with more space.

Things that didn't go well, at all:

-In sheer stupidity, I planted watermelon plants EVERYWHERE it felt like. They grew and grew and started producing melons like crazy. It was beautiful but overwhelming to all the plants around them. So, definitely designate a spot just for vine plants. Then the squash bugs hit. And KILLED ALL OF THEM! So frustrating but now we know that we have to spray from the get go and never let up. Lesson learned.

-Carrots grew and grew and we had plenty of them. But they never tasted any good. Always bitter. Worked out for the horses down the street since they ate most of them! :) Any idea how to get carrots to taste good? I'll have to study up on that one.

-Cucumber, Pumpkin and Cantaloupe did the same as the watermelon only I had less of them and they didn't live as long or produce as much. Biggest problem was not enough space and the squash bugs.

For a first timer and a detail hater at that, I'm satisfied with the experience overall. I'm hoping to get Randy to build me another bed for vine plants in the next couple of months. And very soon I'm going to start planning for next summer's produce and maybe some landscaping back there too. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and don't want to think about any of it, but I've figured out what really helps me. I don't ever have to think about all of it. I give myself permission to just think about a little bit - baby steps is how anything is done!