I am ready.....

I am ready for a new school year.

My curriculum is all here minus the bazillion library books we will check out during the year. Yay for free resourses.

I am trying several new programs this year: Rod and Staff for english, All About Spelling for phonics (will be for Seth), and an awesome set of cd roms: one about the Book of Mormon, One about Latter-day Prophets, and one called Scripture Notebooking where they get to journal about what they are learning.

Keeping with the Saxon Math program for Sasha. I found some fun things called Math Wrap-ups (far right in the pictures). Sasha has used them this summer to help with her math facts and I hope she continues to like using them. Seth likes to swing them around the room like a lasso. I scream "Those are NOT toys!!! They were exspensive!!!". He stops and finds something else to swing around like a lasso.

I am excited for school to start. I lesson planned last night and could hardly sleep because my mind was racing all night. "Did I put too much in one day?", "I want to do this more frequently this year."

If you told me several years ago I would homeschool, I woulda looked at you funny. But now I am here doing it and I love it so much. Yes, it is different. Yes, it is hard sometimes. You won't see me out to lunch with my girlfriends or shopping all alone at Tai Pan. I have to be ready for the comments some people make about my decision. I have to be ready for someone to tell me my child can't read fast enough or well enough if they are behind other kids. (Yes, this happens. I don't understand why. If a public schooled child had a hard time reading, would you go tell his parents? Probably not. But, if a child that is homeschooled doesn't read well, by cracky, their mom will hear about it. I assure you she knows and is praying about it and is doing all she can to help her child.)

But, I am ok with that. Although, I was not prepared when I started this journey to feel so different when surrounded by non-homeschoolers. I often wonder what they are thinking of me. Do they think I judge them. I don't. Do I think more people should homeschool? YES! How cool would that be to have 20 families in the neighborhood that homeschool instead of 3?! It would be great.

I know it might sound self-righteous, but I really do want my kids near me. I have realized more and more lately what true miracles they are. I don't know how they made it here, but they did and I am not about to send them away from me. I am grateful I live in a country where I can educate my kids myself and you can educate yours the way you want. What a blessing that is to all of us! Happy Back- to-School!

I am ready!!