6.17.2010

My First Blog.

June 17, 2010

This seems strange. I'm writing a blog. I'm not exactly sure where this is taking me, but, my intention is to chronicle our day to day as a homeschooling family.

I guess I should start with a little background. I am a born-again Christian. I have been married to my husband for almost 18 years now. We met in high school and started our relationship as very good friends. Obviously it grew... and here we are, 4 kids later. We had trouble getting pregnant for our oldest daughter. We spent years, alot of money, more doctor visits than I can remember, and unnumbered tears. And it was worth everything. She is an amazing person. She is so mature and responsible. She has confidence in herself I can only wish I had at her age. Our oldest son was born almost exactly 2 years later. He is very smart and has a bit of a comical side to him. He loves laughing and making others laugh. His vocabulary rivals most adults. Our next son was born 2 years later and is a sly little guy. He is somewhat of an instigator and has a hard time refraining from touching his siblings. He is a very hard worker! Our youngest was born 4-1/2 years later. She is the queen. Has been since birth. She is sweet, funny and into everything. She plays very well by herself and I am amazed daily at how smart she is. My husband is simply AMAZING. He is my hero. I admire so much about him. He is a hard worker and one of the most unselfish people I have ever met. He is a good friend and an amazing spouse. Along with our kids, he is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to grow very old with that man.

My kids did start public school. Karli completed 3rd grade, Drake completed 2nd grade and Brant completed Pre-K. I pulled them out in March of their 4th, 2nd, and K years respectively. Brant was having some trouble we'll say. He wasn't learning how to read and was at risk of not advancing to 1st grade. Freddie was adamant that he was not going to repeat Kindergarten and indicated that he wanted me to homeschool before we held him back. I did not want him to advance to 1st grade if he was not ready to do so. This is what started the whole process. I began to consider it. Previously, I would have never dreamed that I would have the ability on any level to homeschool my kids. But, God began to work on me. On a Monday in March of 2009 I knew that God wanted me to homeschool my kids. By that Wednesday, God said- "no, you don't understand- I mean you are to homeschool them NOW". That Friday was their last day of public school. It was a scary decision made with lots of prayer and research. But when God tells you to do something, you do it. I found curriculum for the two older kids on CD for the computer and I found an "open and go" curriculum for Brant. We (Brant & I) took that first year slow and he did not learn how to read no matter how hard I tried. I continued to research and ask questions until I found a program to teach him how to read online. It has been amazing to see him flourish. The child who had NO confidence in his abilities is now learning how to read and is bringing me books to read to me! We have begun our 2nd year of homeschooling. Karli is in 6th grade, Drake is in the 4th and Brant is in 1st grade. They are doing really well. The older two will continue with the same curriculum they were using before and I have changed what I am using for Brant.

Homeschooling may not be for every family. It works wonderfully for us. I hope I never offend anyone who chooses to send their kids to public school. I certainly do not think that it's the worst thing you can do to your child. I just was so frustrated with our experiences over the years, and God dealt with my heart, and I had the opportunity as a SAHM to be able to homeschool. People always tell me "I would never have the patience to teach my own children". To that I say "don't underestimate your ability". You would be surprised at what you and your kids can accomplish. My kids love being homeschooled. And you know what? They are SO much closer than ever before. They are "best friends" of sorts. They still have other friends, but they have an unbreakable bond. Do they drive me crazy? Sometimes. Absolutely. But, they would whether or not I was homeschooling. Are there downsides to it? Yep. I would LOVE to be able to go shopping without them. They are not the most fun shoppers. But, our lifestyle makes up for that. My kids play outside- and hard! My yard is always messy because they are constantly digging, building, and who knows what else. We can sleep a little late and go to bed a little late. We can go visiting or go to the library on a weekday. We can take a fieldtrip whenever we want to. We can meet Daddy for lunch and make our own schedule. It's a different life. A little bit slower paced than most. We are enjoying this time!

I hope you will enjoy with me where this journey will take us!


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