The Joys of Homeschooling!

 Every now and then I take a step back and stand in awe as I watch my life. It's funny because I never, ever dreamed I would homeschool my kids. When I graduated college my plan was to teach Kindergarten in a public school forever! I thought we would probably have 2 or 3 kids and they would attend the elementary school I taught at. I could have never, ever imagined the path God had planned. I have to say though, His plan is so much better! I absolutely love the life He has blessed me with.

Today as I took a look at my life, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to homeschool my kids. One of the things I love most is the ability to move at our own pace in the mornings. Ankylosing Spondylitis causes me to have overall muscle stiffness and in terrible pain in the mornings. It takes an hour or two to be able to move around the house without pain. It would be next to impossible for me to get the kids to school by 8:00am. God knew all along that I would suffer from this disease--His plans are perfect!

I took some pictures to help show why I love this homeschooling life. Here are just a few reasons.

We aren't just a family, we're also a school! When we registered our school with the state of North Carolina, we had to give our school a name. We decided on Carlisle Christian Academy. Carlisle is the name of the road we lived on during our first year of homeschooling. It will always be a special name because we took a giant leap of faith that year! The boys decided on our school colors (red and black) and our school mascot, the Fire Ant! I ist based upon Proverbs 6:6  which says, "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!"

This morning, the boys got dressed and headed downstairs before me. It often takes a while for me to feel up to walking around. Thankfully Bryan works from home a few days a week, so he helped them with breakfast. Dylan and Evan made homemade pancakes from scratch for their younger siblings. 

I don't think too many other 7 and 10-year-olds are learning to cook on a Thursday morning! That's a neat perk of homeschooling! We get to be flexible and learn through life's normal tasks. One of my goals is that my boys will be able to cook for their wives! That's not on the NC standard course of study but with homeschooling, we can focus on more than just math and science!

Another thing I love about homeschooling is that the boys get to spend time with the little princess! We are all together, all the time. I know it seems like we probably get tired of one another, but we don't for the most part. Its really a joy to be together. I love watching the boys interact with Allison!

Each morning, after breakfast, the kids have to complete all their chores before we start school. I know they wouldn't see chores as a positive part of homeschooling but I sure do! I have heard so many families say their kids don't have chores because they're time at home each day is so limited. I completely understand that but I think its important for everyone in the family to help out. I'm glad my kids are able to have some responsibility and it's also helpful because they take some of the burden off of me.

I absolutely love doing arts and crafts with kids! I often try to incorporate an art project with the lesson plans. Today Evan read in his Science textbook about the 4 seasons, how the Sun's location affects each season, and how God created them purposefully. So, we made a tree for each season! 

  

Tyson is currently in Pre-K. He has actually already completed all of the Pre-K work and is already reading very well! He moves at his own speed! Some days he doesn't want to do school work at all. Other days he will spend hours doing his work. Today he practiced writing letters and numbers, painted for a bit, put letters in alphabetical order, and sorted geometric shapes. Oh, and he had to put together this Alphabet train puzzle! He loves puzzles! Because of homeschooling, I can teach my kids at their level and at their own pace. The pressure is minimal and they feel the freedom to learn in ways that suit them best. That's really incredible!

Dylan spends about an hour and fifteen minutes each day on the computer. He is learning French and how to play the guitar. He has also taken online Spanish and typing in the past. I could never teach him the guitar or French and he wouldn't learn those in public school either. I am grateful to have access to online programs to help him have a well-rounded education. I am so proud of him! He has learned so much! Just listen to that video!

I could go on and on honestly. Each day is different but there is never a dull moment! My one goal for each day is to complete all the school work I have planned. Sometimes we're done by lunchtime, other times it's much later in the day. The flexibility is really perfect for our family. My kiddos are doing very well academically and they're learning a lot of things that wouldn't be possible if they weren't home with me. I never dreamed I would spend each day at home with my kids, teaching them every subject but now I consider it one of my greatest blessings! It isn't always easy but there is so much joy that comes along with homeschooling and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do it!