School has begun!

Actually, it started four weeks ago for us. After a bit of preparation, I just casually said one day, "Ok guys, we start school on Monday!" ...and so began another year. But already, we have taken days off to go swimming, hang with friends, and simply enjoy the rest of Summer.

We are homeschoolers, we can roll like that.

We began a new season of community last week. We enrolled the twins in Classical Conversations last year and we LOVED it. It's an amazing community and a classical education curriculum rich in History, Science, Latin and Grammar. This year, we enrolled all three boys! Our youngest is only four, but we believe he will benefit greatly from being a part of the community.

Ever since becoming pregnant with the twins, I wanted to homeschool. It was a desire I simply had. Eventually, I knew it was a calling.

I hear about a lot of static between homeschooling families and public or "regular" school families, but have never personally been on the receiving end of any negativity. Actually, it's mostly quite the opposite. One time, after explaining that we homeschool, someone commented, "But, they won't be like any of the kids their age."
"Well, that's kind of the point."

Other than that, I get comments about how lucky we are and how terrible the schools are and so on and so on.
BUT, we don't homeschool because "the school systems are terrible". Honestly, that has nothing to do with it at all. 

So, why? Why do we do it?

It's a God-given calling. 

As I said before, there was a desire planted in my heart and I acted on it. God has carried us through this journey and I trust He will continue to do so.

The days are long but the years are short and, I like being with my children.

We have very few years to spend with our children before they are ready to enter the world on their own. I appreciate the time that homeschooling gives us to be together, to learn together, to connect and bond. And most of the time (Ha!), I really like my kiddos. They are fun to be with and truly amazing little people. They bring me great joy and being able to experience almost all their firsts with them is a real gift in itself.

Family and freedom to choose.
Our family is very close and I credit homeschooling for a big part of that. We are together pretty much all.the.time. 

Some say, "But you are together all.the.time!" 

This is where you have to be creative and put in some effort. Being together is important. There's a special bond and connection that grows when you are constantly working and playing together. But, yes, you do need a break from each other and the constant from time to time. It's called, making friends, extended family time and getting out.

 [Again, with the time. You have the time to do all this!]

What goes in, always comes out. 

We pick the curriculum. We know what's going into our kiddos' heads and hearts. We can tailor the work according to their learning style. And when something doesn't work, we can change it.

They get to be kids. 

My children, all children in fact, are a gift. They are amazing and beautiful and full of life. They have the most incredible imaginations and energy that is really fun to witness. When you push a child to grow up too fast, all that beauty and innocence is burnt out quick. Unfortunately, this is happening more and more in this fast-paced world. Homeschooling gives our kiddos the freedom to just be kids longer. While there is work to be done, they have more time to and are encouraged to play more, run more, be wild, get dirty and relax more, daily.

A foundation of faith. 

Homeschooling allows us to weave faith into every aspect of learning. We can connect God to all subjects. We do Bible studies and prayer time before we begin school and we can stop and pray or work on Bible verses anytime we need to. (Prayer gets us through all the hard days!) Because kindness and character are more important than test scores.

Deut. 6:5-7
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.


School is weaved into our life, not the other way around. While there are a few workbooks and we have a "schedule" now, we can be flexible. If everyone has the grumps, we can run outside and take a nature hike or wade in the pond. This almost always cheers us up. We can curl up with a good book or two on a rainy or snowy afternoon, or, anytime we feel like it. We can dive into Science, or not. We can read that book again, or not. We can stop when someone is too fidgety and play a game of Simon Says or hide-and-seek.

Tough stuff. 

 Homeschooling isn't always so "glamorous". (Really.) There are many, many hard days. There are days that end in what feels like complete failure. But, that's just life.
We just pray about it and try better tomorrow. And sometimes, we just go on a vacation.