Well, will you look at that...it's been a year! A year of trying and changing curriculum, a year of being mommy, teacher and principal. A year of fervent, and sometimes desperate, prayer. Yes, friends a year of homeschooling. And I made it! Are you as shocked as I am? :)
See, here's the thing...when we decided to start homeschooling I was terrified. Not just "really-tall-roller-coaster" scared. I was "staring-out-the-open-door-of-a-plane" scared. I knew it was the right decision, but I was worried, anxious & generally freaking out. It wasn't only the academic part of it, though I was a bit concerned that I might actually make my children dumber instead of smarter.
No, my main source of panic was the fact that my kids would be with me all...the...time. Now I love my children. And I love spending time with them. But sometimes I need a big, heapin' dose of quiet or my occasionally questionable sanity stops being questionable and flies right out the window.
This time last year I had quite a few people look at me like I was nuts. Even I thought I was nuts. "Homeschool?" they'd say. But here we are, a year later. Still homeschooling and already planning next year's curriculum. Both my children survived and are officially, as documented by an objective third party test giver person, smarter. And I am absolutely amazed at what happens when you decide to trust God completely and jump in with both feet knowing that He will catch you.
If God brings you to it, He will lead you through it.
So, what's the traditional one year homeschool-aversary gift? Ummmm...chocolate, of course.
Glad you made it. It can be an amazing ride that is far more enjoyable than one ever imagines it could be.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the first year and wishing you many more years of happy homeschooling! We are in our 8th year and still love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in the Hip Homeschool Hop!
Congrats! The first year is the hardest...until you hit high school. This is our 5th year and I can't believe it's been that long. My girls love it, too.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't found one already, may I suggest joining a homeschool co-op? The kids can make great friends and you can find a local support system. Good luck!
I was happy to discover your blog today. I was unable to find a contact link. I hope it's OK that I'm contacting you through a public comment. I've developed an educational program for Windows called SpellQuizzer that helps children learn their spelling and vocabulary words without the battle that parents often have getting them to sit down and write them out while the parents dictate to them. The parent enters the child's spelling words into the software making a sound recording of each word. Then the software helps the child practice his or her words. It really helped my children with their weekly spelling lists.
ReplyDeleteI would appreciate your reviewing SpellQuizzer in Does It Come in Chocolate. If you are interested in hosting a giveaway of a SpellQuizzer license I'd be happy to supply a free license to the winner. You can learn more about the program at www.SpellQuizzer.com. There's a video demo you can watch at www.spellquizzer.com/SpellQuizzer-Demo.htm and a community site where SpellQuizzer users can share their spelling lists with one another (www.SpellQuizzer.com/Community). Finally, there's a page targeted to homeschooling families at www.spellquizzer.com/spelling-software-for-homeschoolers.htm. I'd be happy to send you a complimentary license for the software. Please let me know if you are interested.
Thank you very much!
Dan Hite
TedCo Software
Dan@SpellQuizzer.com