Half-way Point

It is mid-January, which means by my late-night exhausted math, we are about half way through our first year of homeschool.  And how did THAT happen?

Looking back on our first half year, I can acknowledge both our bumps in the road, in settling into brand new roles and a new routine, and I can celebrate what wonderful memories we've made, and how much we have all learned so far.

 
When deciding if we should really take the plunge into homeschooling last year, there were some things I did not worry about.  (Amazing, right?)

I didn't worry about the potential cost of an All-Right-There Curriculum, because I knew I could compile one on my own relatively easily.  I did not worry about what it might cost to keep the kids home, paying for workbooks, trips and project materials, because the money I would save on nasty old school lunches alone, and on fund raisers, should make up some ground.  (Also, I am terribly cheap frugal, and can find twelve ways to do just about anything at a discount.)  Plus, I would be spared from hunting down a daytime babysitter, a near impossible feat, for my two smaller children while I chaperoned such trips, because I could take them on the trips...because they are the class!  Win-win!

 
I didn't worry about my sanity.  Okay, fine, I did a little bit.  I had just gotten the taste, that year of kindergarten, for what it would be like less one child during the day.  It was quiet.  But it was also more lonely for both Jack and I, and it kept us from spending days seeing the world because we were always tied down to working around school hours.  And that kinda sucked.  As did the homework. 

I am quickly coming to the conclusion that I am a good mom, a better mom, to wild screaming masses.  I enjoy a full plate (heh, in more ways than one) and I get a high from the every minute multi-tasking that is required in raising multiple children, and homeschooling.

 
What I did worry about was how our kids would socialize, living on a street with slim pickins' for playmates, without a church community, without school classmates.  I still spent the early portion of the the year concerning myself with that, all the while running to library classes and basketball and swimming, to local parks and to playdates.  Finally I joined a second homeschool group, realizing the first was just not a good fit for the ages of our kids, and a plethora of opportunities and a world of new friends from far and wide opened up to us. 

 
The boys jumped straight from basketball into indoor soccer season, and we joined a roller skating class, which offers us weekly exposure to fifty plus homeschool children, as well as their moms and dads. 

 
Toddler size four skates, please.

This class rocks my socks in ways I couldn't have imagined, as a throwback to my own childhood bliss of Pac-Man skates at the Friday night rink, as well as the time I get to spend talking to moms who do what I do every day.  In my experience so far, I have come across parents who are dedicated to their kids and to their spouses, and who really understand and excitedly share the common goal of raising well-rounded, simply good families.  I could eat them up.

 
We've now come across offers for music classes, art classes, science & environment classes, 4H, you name it.  There really is no way to fit all of the possibilities in, and so we pick and choose and thank our lucky stars that it is all out there for us. 

Studying the forms of matter?  Experiment with what you've got plenty of. 

I also worried, when weighing the good against the bad last year, how I would care for a baby and manage a preschooler while conducting many hours of school for a first grader each day.  And thankfully, it turned out to be simple, once we nailed a routine down: breakfast, play and Wii in the first two hours of the morning, and time for me to pull the house together as well as our homeschool list for that day, all before Marin goes down for her nap.  Between ten and eleven we begin our school day- KJ, Jack and myself, and because Jack knows no different he joins in for most everything we do, from science experiments to workbook pages chosen for his ability level. 

 
It takes us only three to four hours per day to accomplish what we need to because I am able to work with each of the boys at their own pace, so there is no waiting for the rest of the class to finish, or to over-explain anything that is clearly understood the first time.  Each of the boys are just about a year ahead of their respective grades.  Marin wakes from her nap somewhere in the range of almost finished to finished, and then we either head out to one activity or another, or I have time for laundry and dishes, checking email and the stock market, and spackling walls.  Our schedule is super flexible, which I love, and the only thing that remains mostly out of the equation at this point is time for me to sit down (which, heh, is how I end up with 2am time stamps on blog entries).  I think of it as practice.  These will likely be our calmer, quieter days, with only three to care for.

 
Part of me wants to say that yes, for sure I will take this on again next year and the one after that, but with the way life has presented us with one thrilling curve after the next lately, I will remain non-committal, promising only to take this year by year, for as long as it works, for as many children as we bring into our family.

Comments

[debi]

I read your posts and then I just sit and smile a while. What a great mother you are. Your happy children tell the tale.

[Nikki]

I think it takes courage to embark on homeschooling, something I didn't do and regret,not least because your description of your days outlines an experience I know my son would have benefited from.I admire the way you embrace challenges and I find it inspiring. Hope you get five minutes the day just to catch your breath!

[sj]

I admire you and find inspiration in just about every challenge you tackle.

You are doing wonderful things for those kids and I think it's awesome.

[Jen L.]

I love reading about your adventures. You've got some lucky kids. Love your new masthead!

[Jenny]

The "fun fact" above KJ's head says it all!

[Stephanie]

I'm so glad I read this post. My children aren't school age yet, but my oldest is getting close and I'm struggling with this decision. I keep going back and forth between homeschool and private school and weighing the pros and cons; it's a difficult decision.

It's funny, but the main thought in my mind was that I'm making this decision now for the rest of eternity. Isn't that dumb? This post was a light bulb moment for me - Oh! I CAN just take it year by year! Duh.

Anyway. Great post. Thanks for sharing.