I’m sure (99.9% sure) this won’t be the only post on homeschooling.  We have entered into this venture at the start of the school year with Tonchi and I’m thinking it’s about to become my life for the next 15+ years… if we go this route with all the kids.  WOW!  Really… 15+ years?  I know I don’t have the faith for that!

But we are called to have faith that God will sustain us and help us to persevere through whatever He calls us to!  I certainly have faith for today and He will provide faith for tomorrow and tomorrow and the tomorrow after that!

Tonchi is only in kindergarten this year and it has taken a lot more time than I thought… I know.. it’s school, right!  So it should take a few hours at least!  I knew it was going to reshape our week, but I wasn’t quite prepared!

One day a week we do groceries and one day is Community Bible Study (CBS)… that only leaves 3 other mornings to get our work done.  Tonchi NEEDS a nap or rest time daily for at least 1-2 hours, so by the time he is up there isn’t a lot of time before I need to start prepping dinner.  I’ve also try to take them on an outing that is consistent with what we are learning for the week (learning about flight – visit to Air and Space Museum)…. but that just adds another day we are gone from the house!

My hope was to be laid back and not stress about school, but to learn what he was interested in and let that direct what we did.  I do know that he LOVES to be read to, so I thought he would be an early reader, but he really isn’t interested in learning his letters.  We work on it a little, but I don’t force it.  I also know that I need to let go of my schedule a little and let it be a little more organic.

I often get stressed if we have portions of lessons that don’t get checked off or if we only work on 2 letters during the week when I had 4 planned.  I know I need to lighten up, but I’m also worried (Like MOST homeschooling moms, I’m sure) that if we don’t get things done then he won’t learn what is needed by the time he graduates.  “There is A LOT to get done and we HAVE to get started NOW!” is oftentimes the way I’m thinking.

Even though I know I need to let go a little, I also know that I’m glad I got a math curriculum for Tonchi even when I thought that he was going to be more interested in the reading.  Boy, was I wrong!  He begs to do more math pages each day, he applies it daily to what he is doing, and he is really good at it!  I never would have known this if I hadn’t made plans… but those plans have been thrown out the window because he is so far ahead of my schedule!  Good training for me!

Things are going well, although I have struggles as stated above!  I knew that would be the case though!  I was homeschooled K – 12 by my parents and I’m eternally grateful!  I’m SO glad they did!  My mom was/is a super mom… homeschooling 5 kids all the way through.  She was super organized, had plans done in advance, had fun activities for us to do, pushed us to do well (but not too hard!) and is a fantastic example to me!  I SO appreciate the sacrifices that she and Dad made for our family!

Because I’m so thankful I want to be able to hand that down to my children as well!  I think there is a little of that female estrogen competition going on too (“If she can do it, then I can do it!”), but I also have a genuine desire to ‘train up my children in the way they should go.’(Prov. 22:6)  I admire all that my mom did and I want to do things a little different.  I’ve organized my day and lessons very similar to what she would have done and I did because that is all I know…  I think I need to sit back and re-evaluate and see what is necessary, what do we enjoy and how to we want to loosely plan it all out.  I also know if I don’t have a to do list, then I’d be much less likely to get things done… so I know I need to find the balance.  No one can do that for me!  And I know it won’t just happen, but will be a work in progress for years to come and will change with each child!

Anyway… I don’t want to ramble on too long… but that is one of the new chapters in our lives around this place!  It’s an exciting one with lots of work as all chapters are!  I’m sure there will be LOTS more to come, including how we plan out our day and week, what books we use, how we use the library, the community and friends.  There will be LOTS to say!

Stay tuned!