Wednesday, July 27, 2011

I got a new job...well, TWO new jobs!!!

So, I got two new jobs that I start on August 8th!  I am really excited and really nervous.  I've been a stay at home mom for the past 8 years.  This is going to be an adjustment.  What are these new jobs?  Glad you asked!  I am going to be teaching kindergarten and 2nd grade...at my house...to my babies.


We have decided to surrender to homeschooling.  Why?  there are many reasons...some selfish.  We really love our public school here.  It is one of the top in the state.  We bought our first home here because we knew one day we would have kids and we knew the schools here were top notch.  My mini-belle went through Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade there and we had nothing but wonderful experiences.  My little cowboy just completed half day Pre-K and truly thrived.  I can't brag enough about our schools here.  However, I hate being a slave to the school schedule.  I hate having to schedule family time around fall break and spring break.  Those are times my husband will never be able to take off of work.  Then there is Christmas break.  My husband's busiest time at work is during that same time so he doesn't get the benefit of having the kids home from school.  And of course, there is summer.  The time that EVERY family in America is traveling and invading our favorite vacation spots.  We would rather take the kids on a road trip in the cooler months...see the foliage...wear a sweater...not be OVERCROWDED!!! 

So there is the scheduling thing but there is more to it.  I truly begged God for these babies.  I am talking about lying face down on my living room floor sobbing and praying and begging to be a mother.  Our mini-belle is an IVF baby and our cowboy is a surprise to even the doctors.  How can I send those babies to school and let someone else who doesn't love them half as much as I do spend 6 hours a day with them 5 days a week?  Senseless! 

But the main reason for this HUGE transition is the Lord.  I really felt the urging to homeschooling a year ago.  My husband...not so much.  This was not a decision I could have made without his leadership.  I had to let it go until he was just as sure.  God moved in both of our hearts and after much prayer and seeking wisdom from fellow homeschoolers and friends, we made the decision in May to take control of the education of our children.  Then...the pressure started...

I attended a homeschool conference and began researching curriculum.  If I had a dollar for every hour I spent online comparing prices and courses and reading reviews!  There were lots of trips to Christian bookstores.  I spent the last days of my kids being in public school organizing closets and cabinets and making room for all that comes with a kindergartner and 2nd grader.  We had to tell our families who are still unsure about it all.  We have researched co-ops and support groups and tried to ease the fears of our own parents who sent us both to public school and see no point in our choice when we live in one of the premier school districts in our state.

All that said, God has done amazing things in confirming our decision.  We have received newsletters and email daily devotions for homeschool parents that serve to further our resolve as well as point out more positive aspects of being a homeschool family that we never even thought of.  The Lord has eased any fears we had about our decision and given us such peace about the journey ahead.

Some have asked if we think it is a sin to send kids to public school.  Absolutely not!  We do not believe God has called every family to do this.  However, it would be a sin for US not to do it because God has clearly asked this of our family.  If we chose not to, we would be in complete disobedience.

The truth is, I am already a little jealous of some of my friends.  They are planning things for the first week of school that I will not be able to participate in.  They are so excited to have their days free since their children will be in school.  They can eat lunch together, go shopping and work on projects at home UNINTERRUPTED!  Yes, I am very jealous.  But, my babies will have Jesus in every lesson thanks to the curriculum we have chosen.  We can go to the zoo or the science museum anytime we want to.  If the weather is exceptionally beautiful, we can go ride bikes.  We have so much fun ahead of us!  What a blessing!

1 comment:

  1. Great post!! I am SO SO SO glad that we are doing this together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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