It is so quiet here right now. All the kids are still asleep. I'm having my coffee in silence. Yep, this is going to be a good day...I can feel it!

Yesterday we started writing letters (they both picked Mamaw to write to). They each have a piece of lined paper with a picture of them holding the snake. We are only writing a simple letter. Something like, "Dear Mamaw, This is our snake. We found it at the river. It is still a baby. I like to hold it.". We need to keep it simple and short so they don't get bored or frustrated. Neither of them can read fluently and Isaac still struggles with some letter sounds. I figured that since they both seem to learn best by doing, then we would learn to write by writing to someone they love, about something they are interested in. Then when they get letters and cards in return we can practice reading.

I am really trying to keep this year as stress free as possible...for all of us. It has been an effort for me not to plan lessons and to just go with the flow. I'm getting use to this unschooling thing. I think it  is great but I kind of feel a bit guilty because we aren't doing things like other people do them. But then, when have we ever not been the odd balls?  I don't really care if we don't fit the same mold that everyone else does. I just want the boys to learn at their own pace and enjoy it. Isn't that what homeschooling is about? I have always been worried about the approval of others so this whole homeschooling thing has caused me a lot of stress because almost no one supports the decision and most of the family and some of our friends are always pushing public school and telling me how great it is for the kids and how much more quiet and free time I would have if I would just give in and send them off to school every morning instead  of insisting on acting like a fanatical nut job and keeping them home where I am "sheltering them from the real world". I wonder how comfortable they would feel if the tables were turned and I attacked their decision to put their kids in public school. What if I said things like, "They probably wouldn't have done that if they were not in public school having someone else's moral values pushed at them." or "They have learned such bad habits from all those "friends" they have made during the all important social interaction they are getting in school."

But of course I would never say things like that. Would you?

Gosh, I'm not sure where all of that came from. I think I will hush up now.

In Christ,

Shirley