a new year

a new beginning.

I just thought I would chronicle some of the latest changes in our lives and I hope you are not too bored in reading along. Past this point ... you can't say I didn't warn ya!

Probably the very biggest change in our lives is regarding home school. For 10 1/2 years, I have home schooled our children. As of this past week, that particular hat was hung up. Both children are attending our town's public schools. Katie as a sophomore and Nathan as a 7th grader.

Katie had started the school year off in the fall but Nathan did not follow until this past week.

We live in a rural area and a lot of the kids are bussed in.

After we all said good-bye at the door and several times of Nathan looking back at me, the bus arrived and took them off to school. In the silence of my home I cried for the first couple of hours.

I have never not had my children with me. For 16 years, they have always been home. I was at a loss as to what to do first. I finished my coffee, took my shower, and went in to town for a hair appointment. It was strange driving by both schools and knowing my children were there. I am sure this is an adjustment most moms and dads make when their children head off to kindergarten or even pre-school. So I am behind a bit in this area! :o)

God called our family to home school when Katie was only three. He did so that far in advance because He knew it would take that long to convince me that He in fact was telling me to do this. Oh how I went around and around with the Lord on that matter. Me? The one who went to school for strictly social purposes only! Who still could not diagram a sentence if you laid it all out before me and anything past basic algebra was Greek in my book! But that is where the sweetness and grace of the Lord began to filter through my being. He led me each step of the way, like a baby learning to walk. Every fear I faced and laid before Him, He instructed me through and gave me the courage to succeed.

I can remember entering a higher stage of History, of all subjects, and panicking! Seriously, I was scared to death. As for diagramming sentences?! I can do that with my eyes closed now, as can each of my children. It wasn't that way at first though. Oh ya, don't leave out Geometry. I sat at my husbands feet in tears telling him that there was no way under the sun that I can teach my children Geometry!! You know what Woody did? He sat down with the text book and first taught me, that way I would have the knowledge to pass along to Katie and Nathan when the time came.

Amazingly, each need was met. Even the financial side of matters. We attended a couple very large home school conferences that were ... might I say ... not free! They were always provided for though. Every penny, even the unnecessary - "IknowIwillneedthiseventually" spending - which if you are home school mom, you know exactly what I am referring to! Yes, in the long run, those expenses were paid as well.

Today, I have been cleaning out my home school armoire in our designated home school room. I have oodles of books to take to a home school consignment store this coming week. I had a little head start, last summer when we were enrolling Katie in public school. But as I look through each book ~ they are just so full of memories!

When my shipment of books would come, at different times, just depending on what I was buying, you would think it was Christmas in our home!! My children have loved reading since they were old enough to sit with me as I read to them. Nathan taught himself to read at age 4!! I am not kidding you. When he would watch Katie in school (we had a relaxed atmosphere) he was right there on my hip and just blended in. No matter what the subject.

A real fond memory I have (amongst literally hundreds) is when we bought The Chronicles Of Narnia Book series. This was about 6 years ago. It was during the winter months, we were living in Florida, and we had a fire place. I called school off for a few days, lit the wood in our fire place, and read each book out loud. We hung on to every word with anticipation for the next! I will cherish that memory for as long as I live! I am sure they will too!

Sitting here at the computer, my mind is flooded with memories. Wanting to know how big a dinosaur would be in real life ~ we took side walk chalk out to our court and drew it to scale! Imagine what the neighbors must have thought when they got in from work! Spelling tests with side walk chalk. Finishing up our assignments early and heading to the beach until dinner time. Watching my daughter struggle through math challenges and mastering them, one at a time! Pride just can't touch the feelings you get when you see your children press through a difficult subject and do so successfully! Reading their school papers that required them to be creative on a topic and being filled with amazement at how profound their words were. And continue to be for that matter!

We have been anything but perfect in our mission to home school. Some mornings I drank too much coffee and other mornings I didn't drink enough! You connect the dots! :o) Some days I was a saint in the area of patience and other days I wanted to pull my hair out.

It is a little surreal to think this chapter of our lives has closed and we are in a completely new one. Often times I wonder, "when did ____ stop happening?" Like when did they stop calling me "mommy" and started to call me "mom"? When did I change the last diaper? When did they no longer need me to make their lunches? When did they grow taller than me? This will not be a time of asking that question, because I already know the answer and I am taking a few moments to record my set of mixed emotions.

I don't doubt the choices we have made for our children to go to public school ~ it is just time to do so and there is a peace in my heart about it. However, because this is a new place for me, especially for me, I feel a bit displaced.

Once again, I find myself at the feet of Jesus asking Him for direction. And again, I can count on Him to show me the way. I am so thankful for ALL the experiences we have had over the years and I am even more thankful for the bright future that is laid out before us.