Sickness, Surgery, and Homeschool.

Monday was our first official day of homeschooling. Unfortunatley, it did not go according to plan. I had everything ready. After hours of looking online and talking with other moms who homeschool, I finally decided on and ordered curriculum. I spent several days transforming a bedroom into our classroom. I was ecstatic when my father-in-law brought us three school desk that had been Jeremy's and his two brothers when they were kids.

I filled out the necessary paperwork at the Board of Education, and Friday I picked Owen up from his last day at Wayland. I had to fight back tears when his classmates swarmed his desk to help him clean out the mess of bent papers and books that had no doubt been accumulating since August. It was the first time I had really doubted my decision. Seeing all of his friends hug him and tell him how much they would miss him. Hearing a couple of them whisper to him, "Tell your Mom you want to stay".

As we walked down the hall to leave, I could sense there was something weighing heavily on Owen, and it wasn't just the backpack that we had just stuffed full. I asked him if he felt sad. His reply, "Yeah, I'm a little sad. I'll miss my friends, but I'm more excited than anything." The doubt faded, and I was at peace again.

I couldn't wait for Monday morning! I was like a kid awaiting the arrival of Christmas! Then Sunday night happened. The storms kept me up til 1 am. I had finally drifted off, when I heard Ava. She was at the top of the stairs screaming for her Daddy. Jeremy went up to get her. He took her to use the bathroom, and then brought her to me, and explained that she cried and said it hurt when she tried to go. The rest of the night, I was up every 30 minutes to an hour taking her to the bathroom, refilling her sippy cup with cranberry juice, and googling home remedies for urinary tract infections. I wanted to cry because I knew how miserable she was, and because I knew I would be trading in my morning lesson plans for a trip to the pediatricians office.

We dropped Jameson off at preschool at 8:30 and headed to Owensboro. We were done by 10:40, including getting her antibiotic filled and stopping to get gas. We rushed home, ate lunch, and finally got started on school at noon.

We completed our daily lessons in math, reading, spelling, geography, and health, and finished our school day by 2:30! My friends who homeschool had mentioned how much shorter the school days would be compared to public school, but I was still shocked! Pleasantly shocked!

Yesterday, Jameson was scheduled for surgery to have his adenoids removed, so we didn't even get started on school until 4:00. I'm one of these people that love to be on a schedule. I need structure and a "to do" list to survive, but it's great to know that homeschooling is flexible and when unexpected things come up, it's not a big deal. Owen doesn't have to miss school, we simply reschedule for a better time.

So far, even with the challenges that came with our first couple of days, I am absolutely loving teaching my son! I find so much joy in watching him learn and figure things out, and I'm learning quite a bit in the process too!

Change is Good..... I Can Do This!

Our family is about to make a big change! After much prayer, thought, doubt, and tears, we've decided to start homeschooling our children. It wasn't an easy decision. It should have been, because I've felt called to homeschool for about two years now.
Well, let me start from the beginning. I grew up in the public school systems, and so when I had children, it was just a given that they would also. I never considered homeschooling. I knew several people, including family and friends, who provided their own children's education, but still never considered it for my kids.
Owen attended a christian pre-school, and then started kindergarten at Wayland. When he was in first grade, I remember sending him to school one day and feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt about sending him away for seven hours a day, five days a week. This was my precious child that God entrusted me to raise and teach, and I'm sending him to a place to be taught by people I barely know! Don't get me wrong. We love Wayland, and Owen has been fortunate enough to have great teachers every school year. The problem is, no matter how great a teacher is, no one cares about my child or his education more than me!
The thought of homeschooling crossed my mind, but didn't seem realistic. I mentioned it to Jeremy, and I knew right away that it wouldn't work. He had a lot of misconceptions about kids who were homeschooled, the same ones I had heard for years.
Over the next year and a half, every time I would think about homeschooling, I would push the thought away. I would tell myself that Owen would be fine going to public schools, I mean look at all the children who do. I also knew that without my husbands support, it wouldn't work. Then there was the fear of me failing. But at the same time I knew that anything God called me to do, he would help me through, and make it a huge success!
This past summer, an old friend of mine, and a couple in our church decided to start homeschooling. Around the same time, I started praying hard that if God wanted us to homeschool, that he would show Jeremy, and that he would give me the courage to take such a huge leap of faith.
Owen started third grade this past fall. I still felt the guilt on a daily basis. When God calls you to do something, you won't be happy or fulfilled until you obey him. I know this, and I've experienced it in other areas of my life. So, I knew it would be the same way concerning this issue, and yet I resisted. The main reason being that I needed my husband behind me supporting me and cheering me on.
Last week I ran into a girl I went to high school with who homeschools her two boys. Sunday morning before church I was telling Jeremy about it. My prayers from the last six months were finally answered when Jeremy told me that if I felt called to homeschool that he would support me!
At first I felt excitement, but that quickly turned to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failing. I had so many questions! Which curriculum? Can I still work one day a week, or do I need to quit my job? How do I start? Do I wait until next school year, or start now?
I'm so thankful that I have a couple of great friends who have been there to answer these questions and help support me!
Monday afternoon I was cooking dinner, and I began to to thank God for answering my prayers. The guilt and doubt that I'd felt for so long was gone, just like that! And in it's place was an overwhelming peace and joy! I couldn't stop crying! It's a great feeling to know that you are finally doing his will and not your own!
I am so thankful that God has called me to teach my children. I know it's not going to be easy, and I'm sure there will be days when I doubt myself, but I'll stand firm on his promises, knowing this is the right thing for our family.

They'll be Grown before you Know it.

If you're a parent, you've probably heard someone say to you at least once, "Enjoy these times with your little ones, they'll be grown before you know it." I've always known how true this is, but sometimes it just sinks in more than others. This morning was one of those times.
Owen will be nine in April. Nine years old! It seems like just yesterday, we were outside swinging him in his baby swing. Jameson will start kindergarten this fall, and Ava, my baby, just turned three. I've been so busy, and consumed the past 9 years with being pregnant, nursing, changing diapers, potty training and chasing toddlers, that I didn't really take time to think about how different life would be when all of that was over.
This morning I was lying in bed watching cartoons with Jameson and Ava, and it hit me all of a sudden just how fast these precious first years are flying by. As much as I wish I could at times, I can't make them quit growing, or freeze time. All I can do is step back, slow down, and take it all in. I know they'll be grown before I know it, which is why I'll be sure to listen even more intently when Jameson tells me a story about what happened at preschool, or wants to share with me what he dreamed last night. I'll read that book, and work the princess puzzle "just one more time" when Ava ask for the 10th time. And I'll be sure to appreciate Owen's wit and sense of humor, and always be there whenever any of my three children need me.