Our decision to homeschool

My husband and I decided this year I would homeschool our oldest daughter. She is 6 and in first grade. From reading this blog you see ALL my grammatical errors!! I didn't graduate from college, I finished 2 years mostly for my parents sake (love you Mom and Dad). I was never a great student I did well but I had to work hard. Math and reading were always a challenge for me, I majored in social studies, I mean "SOCIAL" studies :) I NEVER thought I would move away from home and I did when I was 19. I never thought I would have babies at home, I had all 3 that way. I never thought I would run a marathon, I DID! I never thought I would covet a mini van I absolutely do and I NEVER thought I would home school!! What is it...Oh yay... never say never!

I find myself hundreds of miles from home missing my parents, sisters and extended family. Here in the midwest it is Me, my husband and our 3 children. It is hard to go at life with no support system around, no one to call to watch the kids so you can go to the Dr. or grab lunch with friends.. well babysitters but let's face it they aren't FREE and they aren't family :). No one to share in the joy of seeing your child in their first piano recital, no grandparents or cousins at birthday parties, or to share in the sadness of putting yet another pet down or just the daily woes of everyday life. I have the phone, I have Skype, I have this blog but it does take a village to raise a child and it would be great if that village consisted of my family. Unfortunately it does not.

When I say it takes a village to raise a child I mean that in these terms. The people that are in your child's life no matter what in ways start to influence, shape and mold them, whether you like it or not, thats "the village" They end up influencing things like religion, world view, self esteem all the way down to clothes, friends, sports, general attitude and everything in between. Not having my family around has changed my view of what I want my village to be, because we rely on the people in our lives for friendship and relationship. Though I have not lived near family in such a long time I have been beyond blessed with GREAT friends every where I have lived. Husbands and wives that love each other, love the Lord and love their families. God has given me family every where I have lived and for this I am most grateful. At this point in our lives I am still able to choose friends for myself and my children it won't be this way forever.

I get to choose because they are young, they are my responsibility to protect, raise and guide at this phase. Too many people in my opinion let their children make decisions that they are not ready or capable of making, or just plain shouldn't be making. It really doesn't matter if my child agrees with me at this time or not. We are making decisions about and for their lives after prayerful consideration and 100% out of love for them. I can not say that my 6 year old would do that, therefore she does not yet get a say. She is told what to do and she does it because she knows we love her first she trusts us to protect her and steer her right. We are her guide at this point. That doesn't mean we will never mess up or will never be wrong.

This is not a put down of public school or parents that send their children, I LOVE public school! My children will most likely at some point attend a public school. I have felt after prayerful consideration however that this is the avenue God is leading us down for now. We have been blessed again with a fantastic village! Some of who are homeschooler' s some who are private school kids and some who are public and where we fit into that is under homeschool because of our life right now. I would be blindly sending my daughter to school to be with people I have never met 7 hours a day at age 6. You can't tell me that their influence would not begin to take root. While most of it I am sure would be positive I do not yet feel that my daughter is ready for certain decisions at this point. So we choose our village... her village to have the home and parents as the main influence and when we are not home we are surrounded by people who will help us, pray for us and support us. You may say well that's not reality, well it is our reality right now, not forever but for now and how cool is that?!

I speak for me and my family only. I do believe it is possible to do all of this without homeschooling just not for me right now at this time in my life (my disclaimer) Children grow where they are planted and watered. I just need my little girls roots to grow a bit deeper and stronger before sending her out. Training so that when she faces influence she has the ability, strength and knowledge to handle it. Not that she and my other children will be perfect because of this (they surely will not be)but I believe the Bible and what it says. Train your child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it. That is all I am trying to do. At this point in her life she is literally still learning right and wrong. Just like a solider I am training her and with her my other children so that when the time comes and they have to stand on their own they will have the faith and knowledge of God rooted in them. Then my job will be to pray the Lord guides their steps and that they will hear His voice and obey.

I will not always be my daughters best teacher but for now I feel I can be. It excites me to think into the future, when she and my other children are able to make their own life decisions. I am excited to see how God uses them. They will mess up and they may try to pull away from where they were planted but those roots will be strong! I hope from this you understand our families decision and support us. It is all out of love for them and wanting God's best in their lives.

The BEACH

Just a few hundred pictures...I actually forgot my camera (and diapers for Pia) on this trip so these were ALL taken with my phone. Booo, but better than nothing!

Sophie's Dedication

All of my children were dedicated shortly after birth. It is basically a commitment from the parent to raise your child to the best of your ability, committing them back to God and acknowledging that you will raise them in a home with Christian beliefs and principles, so that when of age, they on their own free will, will accept Jesus as their savior.

My other two were done in church, but for Sophie my husband and I decided at the beach with my whole family would be the perfect time. I had asked my father before the trip if he would pray over us and our new baby girl to dedicate her. It was beautiful! Right at dusk with the sand in our feet, the ocean breeze, we stood in front of one of God's most amazing creations the wide vast endless ocean horizon. My father with my 2 sisters, cousins, husbands, grandparents, three generations stood in the sand and dedicated our baby girl. It was perfect. My father laid hands on all of us prayed for our children and for us.

Standing there for a moment with my family, those most dear to me and looking out at God's creation, holding my new daughter and looking at my other two children. I must say I had a moment. A moment when looking out at the ocean realizing how wide, how deep, how endless is our Fathers love for us. Amazing His mercy and grace are in my life, thank you God, thank you for your many blessings.

Man vs. Food

Victory for MAN
The crowd went wild
pouring the syrup on the giant pancake
let the challenge begin
I don't know if anyone has seen the crazy show Man vs. Food? I am not even sure what channel it is on, but my husband LOVES the show. I think mostly for the funny, energetic host that in some ways actually resembles my husband. Not looks just general attitude and sense of humor. Plus it is a show ALL about food in different places. I must admit the unusual charm of the host keeps my attention too, but when it comes to the Man vs Food Challenge I am usually disgusted at the gluttony! It always involves an eating competition of large amounts of food. Sometimes a GIANT burger, or a humongous taco. Well on vacation with my entire immediate family my husband some how got sucked into a Man vs. Food challenge.

Everyone was up eating breakfast my Dad was fixing his famous blueberry pancakes. All of the kids and adults were eating while my husband (always the last one out of bed, I come from a LONG line of early risers) slept. My Father had made an extra batch of batter and asked if my husband would want any. I said sure when he gets up.

In the mean time my Dad got a great idea to take ALL the left over batter and make a GIANT blueberry pancake for my husband, who is also a giant size guy (6'9", 2ooblahblahblah ;) pounds) When he awoke he found his giant size breakfast awaiting him, with kids surrounding cheering eat it, eat it, eat it, he took the first of many bites! The pancake took up the entire dinner plate, with hot maple syrup the challenge began. One bite at a time the Man vs. Food challenge ended in a victory for Man...he ate the WHOLE thing! The kids I must admit along with my husband had a great time and to my surprise my husband still managed to go on his daily run on the boardwalk! GO MAN!!!!

She'll always be our baby

When this 8lb 6oz. 22" long ray of sunshine entered the world it was ironically a very rainy day. She was born in the afternoon in what she tells people a," bathtub in Arkansas". That is the truth but this little girl was something special from the very beginning. She was a great sleeper when she fell asleep but would cry VERY hard to get there. The first thing I thought when I saw her was she has dimples and looked just like my husband. She had a beautiful round head and big blue eyes. That bundle grew and grew and has grown into a beautiful, smart, articulate young girl. She fills our house with giggles, imagination and endless possibilities. She's sees the good and makes it great! Her smile lights up every room she walks into and her welcoming spirit draws people to her. Just like the day she was born she brings sunshine to rainy places. Not only is she beautiful but she is God's precious gift. She is a treasure and He gave her to us, how blessed we are as parents to call this child ours. My darling Khloe Daddy and I love you. Always and forever you will be our baby girl! Today is all yours!

Khloe turns 6!!!!

beautiful baby from the outside in
Our baby girl
Khloe and Daddy the day she was born
Happy 6th Birthday our darling girl!!
Khloe at 6 SAME pj's maybe they will be a tradition, Thanks Mimi!
Khloe at 5, notice the pj's again
Khloe at 4 notice the pj's thanks Mimi
My princess
The smile that melts all hearts
baby girl

You know by now I am BIG on tradition. I think it's because it helps me remember. How do you learn and remember...by doing things over and over, that's tradition to me. Doing things the same over and over so you can remember.

I got the idea from a friend when Khloe was 4. She gave her son a cupcake for breakfast every morning of his birthday. I of course took this one step more and started taking pictures every birthday with their cupcake. Never to late to start I began doing this when Khloe was 4. My husband and I even include our selves in this new found tradition, even though he also gets eggs benny in bed because that is his favorite breakfast(also a tradition). He says mine taste just like Aunt Jane's...maybe better ;) he can be a bit of a suck up, but that's beside the point and yes it works!

Tradition is so important to me because it helps me remember, gives us all something to look forward to, a constant, a little something predictable in an unpredictable world. I hope my kids and husband look back at the little things that make up our traditions, take a few like I did from my family and here and there and build on them and make them their own. The memories of these traditions will stick with them and maybe even in some ways mold them, not to be ruled by them but guided. I know its working because my daughter and son have already told me today's my birthday I get the special plate. Mommy did you get my breakfast cupcake, I am picking what we do and where we eat. These may sound like small inconspicuous things but believe me they remember and hopefully always will with a smile and a fuzzy feeling inside! Cheers for Tradition!

Some of our birthday traditions from here and there

birthday cupcake- Amy Long

special plate, a plate you eat off of only when its YOUR birthday- Devlin family

eggs benny for Daddy-Jane Monrean Christmas breakfast

birthday prayer-Mable Monrean

getting to plan the day from what you do to what you eat-Devlin and Brown families