Humble Pie

Oh, friends, I have had my fair share of this flavor of pie.  God serves it to me often and shows me just how great and powerful and all knowing He is.  I trust Him completely.  I have learned to stop telling Him "never" or "I'm done". 

Remember the days when you had no children?  Weren't you the perfect parent?  I know I was.  Even though I taught over 125+ other children 3rd grade, I ate a HUGE piece of humble pie the day my sweet baby boy came home.  "My child will NEVER do this or that." or "My child will always be well behaved."  If God "snickers", He has giggled many times at me telling Him just how my life will go.   I'm here to tell you that almost all of my NEVERs I have ever spoken have been flipped.  My plans are not always God's plans.  And don't I want His plans?  Absolutely.  I want to be obedient to Him and what He has laid out for me because if it were up to me, my choices would leave me at a huge dead end.

"Not me!  I will NEVER home school." I told one of my friends many years ago.  I rattled off a million reasons why that was just the craziest idea that I had ever heard.  "They won't be socialized or know what the real world is like."  "They would be too sheltered."  "I wouldn't have anytime to myself."   The list goes on and on and on.  But God kept saying in a small voice, "Teach them."  I ignored it and went on my merry way.  But everyday I could hear Him calling me to do something I was not at all ready to commit to doing.  

Last year I was running 100 different directions with a baby and two kids at two different schools.  Family time was rare on the weekdays.  Up, eat, out to the bus, drive H to school, run an errand,  clean up breakfast,  pick up H from school, lunch, homework, bus comes home, snack, homework,  to soccer, dance.......really a typical schedule for most families.  But it felt so hurried.  So unfulfilled.  And God continued His pursuit, "Teach them".  I talked with Chris about it and told him how I was feeling about home school.  He was beyond supportive and really wanted us to try it out.  Ok.  So, lets try it out.  

Fast forward and here I am "never" homeschooling and I love it.  There are a million reasons why I love it but honestly my heart is finally at peace about how we spend our days.  I am being obedient to God and I trust Him to let all the pieces fall into place.  Is our life less hectic?  A little but not much.  Am I getting more quality time with my children.  Yes.  Is homeschooling for everyone?  No.   Chris and I promised that we would prayerfully consider each school year and what God wants us to do.
Humbly.

And what do we do during our school day...

We start our morning off with reading our devotions and prayer time

Then we drop everything and read!  (aka D.E.A.R.)

We start our academics with math and independent work.

Hayley and I were working in her Math Meeting Book. 

She is writing the date and figuring out the pattern of the day.

Hannah is counting (sort of) and eating her activity, Cheerios.

Luke working on a timed math facts quiz.

Hayley has been learning about math stories.  She was working on a story of her own.

Part of Luke's independent work this day was to illustrate the characters and setting of the current biography I am reading aloud to them, Helen Keller.

Here we are having Bible Study and exercising between practicing our memory verse.  Last weeks verses:

Matthew 6: 19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.  That moth and rust destroy, that thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  That moth and rust do not destroy, that thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

Luke and Hayley working on our science experiment about water tension.

So thankful that God's plans are so much better than my own.