Now those of you who know me,  know that when I say I'm going to do something each day, I don't actually mean EVERY day.  You have to take into account the forgetfulness factor, contributed to by the lose-half-your-brain-with-every-pregnancy factor (I'm down to an eighth . . . of my brain).  Anyway, for me the key is don't give up even if you forget!  So . . . .

Today I'm thankful for the opportunity to homeschool.  Often I feel like life is so chaotic and crazy because I homeschool.  My house is usually a wreck.  The kids argue all the time!  I feel like I have to be mean all day to get schoolwork done.  "Why do I do this?" I think.  But then, every once in a while, I get a glimpse of what our life really is.  We aren't in the car all the time . . . or even most of the time. The boys might fight a lot, but they also play together (sometimes!).  They get to be a part of serving other families in the church through childcare or other things I do or that we do together.  They have many of the same friends regardless of the age of the kids. 

And did I mention the education they are getting.  No, we don't do much art . . .or music . . . and P.E. only when I feel like doing it at the YMCA.  Their education is probably not as "well-rounded" as those kids "in school" are getting, but what they are getting is tailored to their strengths and considerate of their weaknesses.  One of my boys is a dreamer and has a hard time focusing, but together he and I are working to come up with solutions to help him work more effectively.  And I know when he's had a particularly hard day, and can adjust his work accordingly instead of making him feel like a failure.  Another of my boys moves all the time.  He even sleepwalks it's so hard for him to stay still!  His education is done on the move.  And in spite of the fact that I sometimes wonder what he is actually learning and remembering, I heard just today that in Sunday School he has unusual insight for his age and fits in just fine.   My oldest has already finished almost a full year of Language Arts--in just one semester!  And he took a Keyboarding class and almost knows more about our computer now than I do (which is why I fully intend on insisting he take some programming and web design!). Their education may not be completely conventional, but they are clearly getting a good education.

And well . . . OK . . . I'm busted.  I love homeschooling for me.  I'm thankful for all the things I'm getting to learn that I never knew before. (Because hey!  I went to public school!)  I LOVE learning with my kids and then getting to share with them my grown-up insights into whatever WE are learning together (while they give me that glazed over yeah-lets-just-get-on-with-it look). 

Four years ago, I thought my homeschool aspirations were going out the window because I had become a single mom.  I'm so grateful that God knew how much I still needed to learn!  And I'm thrilled that He has decided to homeschool us!