I'm a homeschooling mom...say what??

When I first had kids there were some things I swore I would and wouldn't do.  I swore my kids would never be THOSE kids screaming down the aisles of the grocery store.  They are.  I swore I'd raise them in downtown Salem so they'd have a rich sense of art and culture.  We live in the middle of nowhere and hicksville is our culture.  And I swore I would NEVER, EVER homeschool.  Well, guess what?  Yup.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against homeschooling at all.  To each his own.  I think its great if you're a mom who loves spending endless amounts of time with her kids and has oober amounts of patience to go with it.  (Notice the sarcasm?)  But I am NOT one of those moms.  At least in my own mind.  In God's mind however, He apparently seems to think otherwise.  Because when all the options were weighed between driving 20 minutes to the nearest school, applying for a district transfer, or paying $20,000 a year for private school, homeschool won out.  Trust me, I looked at all the pros and cons of this new situation. And you bet I begged God for something different.  Something that allowed more "me time".  Something that wasn't going to stretch me as a mom quite so much.  But in the end, we applied to a distance learning program on a whim and surprisingly, got accepted!

I am writing this blog post to update everyone who has been praying for us on this journey, knowing I am not much of a "homeschooler".  Teaching was not one of those spiritual gifts I was blessed with.  I am a quiet person who likes her quiet time and homeschooling doesn't quite allow for that.  But you know what?  Our first week of homeschool is nearly done...and nobody died!

Our days so far look a little like this: wake up around 6:30 am then eat breakfast and get ready.  By 8:00 am our school day is starting.  We start off with prayer and a devotional from the kids version of Jesus Calling. We do a reading lesson, read a library book, do some math, and take a Spanish lesson.  We take a break or two in between to tidy up any messes, make our beds, etc.  Then we're done...at 10 am!  Now we still have some curriculum on its way, so our day will lengthen with these new courses coming.  But we certainly still have time in our day for free-time, giggling, dance lessons, and our favorite activity, watching movies.  And the lessons seem bearable for the kids, and most importantly, for their mother/teacher.  :)  I know the school days ahead will have its challenges. School is not easy no matter where you go or who your teacher is.  But we now have the blessing of flexibility.  Of choosing to sleep in, take a day off, or learn "real world" stuff instead of just what's in the books.  I'm hoping to grow more flexible myself and learn just as much as my kiddos through this journey. And maybe someday, even consider myself a real "homeschooling mom".  :)      
   

Cheers to 30 Years!

Turning 30 is the pits.  Well, at least 2 days into it thats how I can best sum it up.  Don't get me wrong...I am incredibly blessed and I have accomplished and overcome a lot.  I have a loving, supportive, God-fearing, sexy husband.  I have two beautiful, healthy children.  I recently earned my college degree.  And I am about to be considered a real ballerina (pending I don't have a severe panic attack before entering the stage in my tutu).  But it is amazing the things that cross your mind when you are entering a new stage in life.  Have I done enough?  Am I loved and do I love enough?  Where do I go from here?  And why am I still dealing with the same insecurities I dealt with in my twenties for crying out loud!?  30 is an odd phase to say the least.  Its an in-between stage of selfishly wanting what I want and submitting to what the Lord wants and being mature enough to know the difference between the two.  I have decided to start blogging again because I believe the Lord is going to do something big with this year and I want to document it.  My sister-in-law best compared this in-between and somewhat difficult phase in life to childbirth.  Yuck.  Like I want to re-live that again.  But she is right.  Any of you mommies remember the transitional part of labor?  I do.  Its the part that happens right after you start thinking, "this can't get any worse"...and then it does.  Its the point in which (if you do it w/out the blessed buzz of meds) you basically give up and decide its best to keep baking that baby until it can walk itself out and leave for college.  But its also the point right before something magical happens.  Life and love are offically born.  Your heart immediately doubles in size and every confusing and painful thing prior to that moment suddenly makes sense.  I hope 30 brings that moment again.  No, I'm not pregnant.  Lol.  But I want this spiritual labor to bring God's best for me.  And even though 30 has started out confusing and challenging I trust it won't be for nothing.  30 will bring growth and joy and freedom.  Cheers to 30 years!