I knew being a Mom would be demanding, but no one can truly prepare you for the experience. I definitely have more appreciation for my mother now that I have my own children, but more than that I feel my eyes are beginning to open to appreciate new sides of motherhood. New perspectives on what is possible, rather than what is expected. What a freeing concept to realize that there isn’t only one road to travel…

When we bought the farm, we were idealistic. We saw the whole farm as a studio for our artistic ventures. A place to be inspired and creative. Plans to turn the hayloft of the barn into a workspace and daydreams about producing stunning original works of art together on our “Art Farm” danced in our heads. But then real life in all its raw complicated glory of bills, house repairs, and doctor visits started to steal our daydreams. What were we doing?

Despite the bumps we are starting to realize that it’s not about giving up creating art together on the farm. It is about intertwining our dreams with our jobs, beautiful babies, and real life. Weaving together an intricate tapestry. I’m not saying we have everything figured out. I’m saying we’ve decided to take it one step at a time “doing life” in a way that fits who we are. Homeschooling is one of the things we are exploring together. This year Cami Grace started K4 and we are slowly developing our little Bryarton Farm Academy.

As the girls grow we want them to feel a part of our dream, because they are our greatest masterpieces, our legacy. But how could I add classroom activities to my already busy Mommy/artist/historic preservationist/hobby farming life? I realized that in times of chaos I respond well to atmosphere. So though we don’t have much extra space in our half finished farmhouse, I thought it was important to set aside a classroom space. This would hopefully help us be focused and more productive.

Before

After a makeover

This antique secretary was exactly the piece I needed to execute my idea of turning a little 2ft x 6ft corner of our living room into a studio/classroom. It had a low profile, a fold out table top, and tons of storage, but it was sponge painted peach. I have no idea why anyone would paint a beautiful oak secretary peach, but the hideous color meant that the price had been lowered. (I enjoy giving unloved furniture a makeover) So along with two antique school desks, we were able to tuck our work space into this sunny corner of the farmhouse perfectly!

As I work on my painting commissions throughout the day the girls love to join me in the “creative corner.” Working alongside each other makes us a team and helps me balance my responsibilities. I love that I can seamlessly help the girls while continuing my paintings, simply leaning over to instruct or correct my little students.

If you follow me on Instagram you know that the paintings I am working on in these shots are illustrations for a book I have been commissioned to bring to life. The book is an allegory set in medieval times sharing the free gift of salvation with tween-aged kids. I will share a link to the author’s blog at the end of this post if you are interested in learning more. The 24 watercolors took me a year to complete from concept sketches to the finished product and I spent countless days and nights hunched over this little secretary desk.

I don’t know if we will Homeschool for our children’s entire education, but I do see now that keeping things simple, practical, and of course beautiful has given us a wonderful first year. So if you are considering homeschooling I would say to you that you don’t need anything fancy. You don’t need to overthink it. Just create a little space that inspires you to do big things together.

Children’s book Author’s Blog: www.ourbeautifulordinarylife.com

Favorite Homeschool Resource: www.mommasdesk.com

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