If you give a kid a blanket....

With all of my kids birthdays happening in May, July, and August it is that time. The time people start asking me "What do they need?" I always have to laugh, because seriously, is there anything they NEED? Of course, there are tons of things they want and I have to admit that even after cleaning up the playroom for the 800th time and threatening to throw everything they own away, I still find things I want them to have as well. So, just in case you are wondering what my children play with...here you go. We have spent a small fortune on toys, not to mention the gifts from two sets of grandparents, aunts, an uncle and two great grandmas. We also have church members who consider our kids their kids. But...this is what entertains them. A blanket tent.

You may think I am silly, but it thrills me to see my kids do things like this. I think one of the greatest gifts of childhood is imagination. The other day my kids came out dressed to the nines. Sarah had on a fancy play dress and Eli had on his "preacher jacket". Daisy had been outfitted with a bow around her neck. They were playing "dog show" and getting ready to have Daisy "judged". I love it!

We are coming up on our last week of homeschooling for this year and I haven't shared as much about it as I had planned to. So, I thought I would share some of the things I have learned and experienced.

First, I will be totally honest in telling you that I started homeschooling for financial reasons. Straight up, that was my reason. We had been sending Sarah to a private school and we knew that while we scraping by sending her that once Eli started there would be no way we could do it. While it started out as a way to save money, God has turned it into such a blessing and a conviction in my heart. The words of Deuteronomy 6:5-7 have become very real to me. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them dilligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." I feel so blessed that I get to spend so much time with my kids to teach them the things that Josh and I value so much. I know (because I have been there) that there are times when moms have to work and don't get this opportunity so I really cherish it!

I will also be honest in saying that it is not easy! Some days are so awesome. I feel just like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. It's a beautiful time. Chores get done, schoolwork not only gets done but we actually have fun learning. We go to the library and to the park. I prepare healthy, well balanced meals. We share meaninful conversations. I usually get 1 day like that a week. Yes, I said 1!! A lot of days are chaos. Sarah doesn't want to do her work. Eli wants Sarah to play instead of doing her work. Kate is playing with my breakables in the curio cabinet or going through the garbage. I feel like the biggest failure known to man.

Why do I share that? Because even with days like that I have found homeschooling to be so rewarding. I have heard so many people say they just couldn't do it and believe me I was one of them!! If you had told me when Sarah started school in August that I would be homeschooling by Jan. I would have looked at you like you had 2 heads. I can't believe how much my ideas have changed. I got the catalog for the curriculum I plan to use next year and I was so excited you would have thought it was a catalog to plan a summer long European vacation! I am planning to use the Sonlight curriculum next year as it promises to be very literature based and focuses on teaching a love for reading and learning. Those are my main goals for teaching my kids. That is another awesome thing about homeschooling to me. I don't have the pressures of standardized testing that public school teachers do so I feel like we can take as much or as little time as we need for Sarah to really learn and enjoy it. This year we used the Abeka curriculum because that is what her school was using and we had already paid for the curriculum so we just finished the year with the books she already had. We've enjoyed it, but I'm excited about trying something new. I am by no means an expert on homeschooling or choosing curriculum, but maybe I will be in a few years. :)

My main reason for writing this is just to share the excitement God has given me about being a part of my children's education. Even if you don't homeschool, teaching our kids is one of the greatest responsibilities and blessings we have. I have learned that learning is about so much more than schedules, workbooks and tests. Children naturally learn to love. The day of the blanket tent two of Sarah's worksheets went undone. That used to really stress me out. As a public school product I feel the need to have documented proof of what my child is learning. But you know what? We did them the next day. There will be lots of time for worksheets, tests and stress. For now, she's six. Here's to blankets and dog shows!!