We can't say for certain what led us to consider homeschooling.   Katherine Dang says that there are certain stages that all homeschooling families go through.  According to her, there's always a divine inspiration and a divine agreement.  Looking back we would say that it was true for our family.  We didn't come to the decision to homeschool on our own.  God put the idea on our hearts and caused us to agree that our family should pursue this wonderful adventure.  As a homeschooling family we have created many wonderful memories, endured a few trying times and most importantly we have seen God bring the hearts of our entire family home.

     One of the hardest things we've ever had to do was tell loving and concerned family members and friends that we were not going to send our child to school - that we were going to homeschool.  Keeping our first born home for kindergarten was all right in the minds of most people because it would give him an extra year to mature socially and he was already advanced academically anyway.  The shock came when we didn't send him to first grade.  By this time we had read books like For the Children's Sake and learned about Charlotte Mason and her wonderful educational philosophy.  There was no way that we could not give our child the superior education and opportunities that homeschooling offered.

     Mom fondly remembers spreading a quilt on the floor and reading with Zach.  Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Fairy Books, The Little House Books, Watership Down and so many more exceptional stories have helped to shape us into who we are and will forever be a part of us.  Hot wheels will always bring to mind beginning addition and subtraction.  There's also the memories of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons mysteriously disappearing from time to time.  That was certainly not one of Zach's favorite books and he was known to hide the book when Mom wasn't looking!  One special memory is tea time and the relaxed learning that took place during that peaceful time of the day.  Zach says that he liked sipping hot tea and having poetry read to him and Tchaikovsky is still his favorite composer.

     We have had a few frustrating and trying times during the years.  The first was the realization that Zach might be dyslexic.  It was frustrating for Mom to try to find the best way to help him overcome his learning difficulties and to Zach because he felt like there was something "wrong" with him.  God sent the answer through Audiblox and Sequential Spelling.  Today every indication of dyslexia is gone and Zach has regained his confidence.

     The other trying time for our family was trying to homeschool through sickness.  At one point Mom was prescribed a medication that she didn't need and suffered great sickness as a result.  During that time most of our lessons took place in Mom's bed.  We wouldn't want to go through that again, but it did create a stronger bond between our family members and we're certain that Zach learned some things that were more important than the academic lessons he was doing.

     The greatest part of homeschooling has been seeing God bring the hearts of our entire family home.  When we began our journey Dad was working an office job and had to leave home early in the morning and didn't get home until late in the evening.  In time he started his own business and has since been able to be home regularly and has also been able to take Zach to jobs with him.  Recently Dad considered taking a job for insurance purposes and while considering the pros and cons of such a move, his first thought was of how difficult it would be to be away from his home and family for an entire day.  His heart is at home and this is where he longs to be. The same is true for Mom, but there was a time when she was dissatisfied and thought she was missing something that the outside world had to offer.  None of us feel that way today.  Through homeschooling our hearts and minds have been renewed.  In the beginning, we thought homeschooling was just a way of educating our children, but we have learned that it is a lifestyle.  It is the greatest lifestyle.  A lifestyle that allows a family to grow together and one that will "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6).

Our family currently has a 13 year old and and an 18 month old, so we will be homeschooling for many years to come.  We are thankful for this opportunity and we will be faithful in the responsiblity that the Lord has entrusted to us.