Letting Go and Hanging On

"You just have to own it."  These are words of my sister after I hammered her with questions about homeschooling.  How do you assess your own teaching?  How do you assess them?  Are they missing out on the classroom experience?  Do you worry that you are depriving them of something?  How do you keep them socially adjusted (Whatever that is.  Furthermore, do I really want them to be "socially" adjusted in our society...but that is a totally different post, for perhaps a totally different blog)? She looked at her oldest daughter, smiled and said "what do you think Sid, do we have fun?"  Sidney's face lit up and smiled right back.

  I wrestled with the decision of whether or not to send Libby to preschool this year (I wrestled all last year too.)  I know that she would thrive in a classroom filled with other children.  I know that they would do   amazing things and that she would learn a lot.  I get excited when I see what children around us are doing in school and it is not that I don't want that for our children.  Kev even encouraged me that sending her would give me a break and special time with just Maggie.

 I did pray and  think about this a lot.  Here is the conclusion that I came up with. There was something inside of me that felt unsettled with the idea of sending her to preschool.  As a mother, I have learned that sometimes, it is advantageous to listen to that unsettling feeling...that gut reaction, the mother's intuition, or that nudge from the Holy Spirit.  

I have of been given the gift of staying at home with my children and it is my hope that I can fully take advantage of this gift through doing school with them at home this year.

I'm already learning so much! I am letting go of the need to go-go-go every day in an effort to wear them out.  Mondays and Wednesdays we are staying at home so that we can do school.  I am finding creative ways to let them go, you know, so they are socially adjusted :).  I am hanging on to every day that I am given as their mother.  It is gift that I don't want to waste.

Here are a couple of pics from our newest activity.  GYMNASTICS!!!!  I signed them both up.  They were both so excited to go.  Maggie was a little shy getting started, but she warmed up and in the end was moving from one actvity to  the next faster than I could keep up with her.  It is adorable and so much fun...

Stick it!  Phrase of the week...

Grace and Peace

xoxo