Mamahood

Today is a weird feeling for me. As I sat at our dining table this morning, sipping my cup of coffee while two remote control cars jammed at my feet below, I saw all the little ones walking to school. It hit me differently than I thought it would. You see, today would have been my son's first day of kinder. Today I would have sent him off to school and life would have been different around here. Easier? Maybe. Quieter? Have you met my two youngest? But I would have gotten a solid 2-3 hour every day. Crap, is it too late to change my mind? Hold those doors! :)

A little over a year ago, my husband and I felt the Lord calling us to homeschool. I'm pretty sure when I say that to most people, it automatically puts me in the "weird" category. I know this :) I did that and still do that, to a degree. Old habits die hard. The call to homeschool was felt with great resistance, in the beginning. Homeschooling isn't a five day a week thing, it's a lifestyle and it was hard to imagine that being "us". I had to hear it in my soul for a while until I could verbalize it. I think I still need to hear it in my soul. I never pictured myself homeschooling. I didn't feel like I was equipped. I didn't own a denim skirt. Denim cut-offs? Yes. I didn't bun my long hair. But do I rock a top knot? Daily.
 
Last night as my husband and I were going to bed, he said, "Sometimes you're just dealt the cards and you have to make sense of the hand you're dealt." True dat. You don't really get to pick your life. As much as you want to believe that, it just isn't true. Of course we make decisions that effect our lives and do some of the picking, but sometimes things just happen and we have to go with it. Now I know better. Now I am knowing better.

Even though my baby isn't at school today, like yours may be. I still feel like our hearts are intertwined because we're mamas and there is nothing like a mama's love. 5 and a half years have truly been a blink. I'll be out running some errands today. If we see each other, let's hug. Being a mama is tough sometimes.

Thoughts on the first week.

We're closing in on the end of our first week of kindergarten, just as summer is beginning for everyone else. Our son knows no difference, so that helps. Lots of people have asked me why we are starting now and not in August or September, like normal people. One of the many things I embrace about homeschool is that you can start whenever you want. It's our lifestyle, so we're kind of always "schooling." We plan to go year-round, which was always a crazy concept to me, but we won't really be going year-round. We will take a break for a family vacation, we'll break for Christmas and dive into a unit study...we'll take as long as we need to in certain subjects, so nobody falls behind...In other words, we're leaving wiggle room for life.

Yesterday, I had an allergic reaction to some berries that I unintentionally ate. I had to lay down for a while to allow the Benadryl to work, so we had to take a break. Our son said, "That's ok, Mom, I'll just learn like ole' George Washington did..." and he went to his little work table and created a timeline, just like we had learned about in history the day before. He began with a sun that was smiling (as he so sweetly pointed out)- that symbolized the beginning of history. In the middle were 3 crosses- one was red to symbolize Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, which was the middle of history. The last picture was a rocket ship and a birthday cake for the end of history. He told me those were important things. Cake is always important.

Something I've learned in this first week is that I need a really good planner. My curriculum came with places to write down my lesson plans for the specific subject, but since I'm using two different types of curriculum (Heart of Dakota and ABeka), I found it difficult to flip back and forth to find what I was going to do that day. I just ordered this wonderful teacher planner on Etsy from Plum Paper and I think it's going to be just perfect. Plus, it let me pick my start month for June, not to mention I got to put my monogram on it :)

 

Finally Friday

The past two weeks or so have been crazy. At least one of us have been sick. I hear that's the case for so many families out there. Now it's hit the little girl, which just happens to be the most pitiful one of us all to see sick. I'm praying that it's just a cold, although it could likely be something more, since Davy Crockett had a light case of the flu...I just hope not. She's still so tiny.

Needless to say, my goal of doing a complete master bedroom tour will have to wait until all is well in our house. I'm concentrating on keeping the house Cloroxed and every one happy, entertained, and snot free. That's a lofty goal, I tell ya.

Last night I went to my very first Mom's Night Out for homeschooling mothers. I didn't know very many people, but felt so welcomed and had the most wonderful time! I was a little sponge. It's like an underground movement. Homeschooling families don't fit the mold or the stereotypes that they once did, or did they ever? We don't all wear denim skirts, grow our hair indefinitely, and shelter our children from all things of the world. Before I became one of those moms, I felt like I could spot a homeschooling mom from a mile away (and I'm sure I have), but what I'm finding...what I found last night is that they're a lot like me. They're real women with real desires for themselves as individuals, as wives, as teachers, and as mothers. We're everywhere :)I feel like I came out with a wealth of information, encouragement, and confidence. I am so thankful that I was able to attend. Between now and this summer, I have a ton of research to do and books to read, but I no longer feel overwhelmed with all of the information that's out there.

:)

I hear this weekend is suppose to be spectacular weather. I sure hope all five of us are able to enjoy it!

Happy Friday y'all!

Science

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine mentioned how amazing this book was...

 

 

It seemed familiar, like I had seen it before... I figured I had seen it online somewhere, but when I went through all the homeschool story books we had purchased through Sonlight's preschool curriculum, I was happily surprised to see this book already on my shelf!

 

This was a super interesting book with lots and lots of cool pictures, facts, and math. It was also not too long and not too short, so it was able to successfully hold everyone's attention. It's definitely not a Christian science book, but the end of the book leaves things open for some really neat discussion opportunities, even for my little guys.

Afterwards, we did this art project and talked about how God is BIGGER! I think this will be read again and again.