A New Adventure....
The last time I posted we were about to enter kindergarten, and here we are, a year later, ready to tackle FIRST GRADE!!!
Things, however, will be different this year. I learned a lot over the last year. I learned how incredibly fortunate I am to live in a school district as amazing as ours. I got to spend one day a week in Annie's classroom, help with class parties, and go on field trips....and it was SO fun. I felt really fortunate to have that time with Annie and to be able to serve her teacher in that capacity and help provide some one-on-one teaching to the other 21 students in her class. I learned how much Annie is capable of and how smart that little cookie is! But I also learned a lot about me. And who God has called and made ME to be.
When I got married nearly 14 years ago, Steven and I started dreaming together. We had so many conversations about what we wanted our family to look like, what we wanted our careers to be...and it was only about 7 months ago when the Lord reminded me of what those were and what He called me to. I've dabbled in a lot of things to help our family financially: cleaning, shirt making, photography, real estate staging consultant.... and time and time again we come back to the same conclusion: my place is home. Our life works so much better when I am home. I am less stressed, he is less stressed, the children are more calm, and all around our family blossoms more. It has taken me a lot of time to come to terms with it and to embrace.... that the Lord has called me to be home. That is what we dreamed 14 years ago - to be home. I've shared this before on social media, but I grew up in the lower middle class in a town that was small. Every parent in my family had to work to provide for their children. There were no such things as "stay at home moms" in my family. Moms and Dads had to work to be able to feed and take care of their children. My parents didnt get to come help at school. They didnt get to volunteer at parties. They didnt get to come on field trips. As a child it was really hard to understand why, but as an adult, I get it. They were loving me by working. They had to work to give me a home, food, clothes, and everything I could ever dream or imagine.... and they did. I never went without, even when life was really really hard for them. BUT I still wished they were there. I envied those kids who did have parents that came to every function. That came on every field trip. The kids whose parents got to pick them up from school or take them out for lunch... I envied them because my parents couldnt do that....
One of the biggest dreams I had early in marriage was to be that mom. To be the mom who came to all the parties. Who came to all the field trips. The mom who was present and could be there because I so longed for my mom to be. AND MOM: I know you are reading this.... and so I want you to know that I LOVE you being my mom... and even though I wished you could have done all of this stuff - we had a good childhood. You were there for us in other ways and gave us the BEST childhood that are so full of memories Nick and I are considering writing a book about it!!
Ok wait, now where was I..... OH. So fast forward to this past year, when my girl went off to school - and through a couple of tantrums and identity crisis the Lord reminded me that the dream he planted in me was to be home. AND sometimes that comes with a negative connotation that I am not going to defend, because being home is not a prison. IT IS AN HONOR. It is a PRIVILEGE and I am SO incredibly grateful that my husband dreamed this dream with me and put in the work to make this dream a reality for our family. Without his hard work and dedication this couldn't be possible -
And part of this dream of being home means being available to pour myself into my daughters. To raise them. To train them.....and to teach them. Once upon a time I dreamed of homeschooling, but I was so tired and longed so badly for "freedom" that Annie went to kindergarten in public school last year. And while our experience was great, it just isn't what God has called our family to.... and so to make a long story short: we are HOMESCHOOLING this year!!!! (HEAVEN help me.) I have shared this with people I see and am confronted by so many questions about socialization and whether or not they'll get a good education. My sarcastic answer is "right... because every kid who has ever graduated public school is academically, socially, and emotionally genius." (For a better answer, READ THIS ARTICLE). I know I wont be perfect, just as a public school teacher isnt perfect, but I do have Jesus in my corner. And although I am not always enough, HE is.
I also felt like we just didnt have enough time together last year with Annie being gone 35 hours a week and with her dad working nights and weekends. She really missed out on time with her daddy, so this will give us a more flexible schedule and help foster more time time together. Time that we wont ever be able to get back.
I am sure that I will write much. much. much more about this journey for us - and this is just a tiny snippet into our thought process and our process.... BUT, here we go!!!!
Things, however, will be different this year. I learned a lot over the last year. I learned how incredibly fortunate I am to live in a school district as amazing as ours. I got to spend one day a week in Annie's classroom, help with class parties, and go on field trips....and it was SO fun. I felt really fortunate to have that time with Annie and to be able to serve her teacher in that capacity and help provide some one-on-one teaching to the other 21 students in her class. I learned how much Annie is capable of and how smart that little cookie is! But I also learned a lot about me. And who God has called and made ME to be.
When I got married nearly 14 years ago, Steven and I started dreaming together. We had so many conversations about what we wanted our family to look like, what we wanted our careers to be...and it was only about 7 months ago when the Lord reminded me of what those were and what He called me to. I've dabbled in a lot of things to help our family financially: cleaning, shirt making, photography, real estate staging consultant.... and time and time again we come back to the same conclusion: my place is home. Our life works so much better when I am home. I am less stressed, he is less stressed, the children are more calm, and all around our family blossoms more. It has taken me a lot of time to come to terms with it and to embrace.... that the Lord has called me to be home. That is what we dreamed 14 years ago - to be home. I've shared this before on social media, but I grew up in the lower middle class in a town that was small. Every parent in my family had to work to provide for their children. There were no such things as "stay at home moms" in my family. Moms and Dads had to work to be able to feed and take care of their children. My parents didnt get to come help at school. They didnt get to volunteer at parties. They didnt get to come on field trips. As a child it was really hard to understand why, but as an adult, I get it. They were loving me by working. They had to work to give me a home, food, clothes, and everything I could ever dream or imagine.... and they did. I never went without, even when life was really really hard for them. BUT I still wished they were there. I envied those kids who did have parents that came to every function. That came on every field trip. The kids whose parents got to pick them up from school or take them out for lunch... I envied them because my parents couldnt do that....
One of the biggest dreams I had early in marriage was to be that mom. To be the mom who came to all the parties. Who came to all the field trips. The mom who was present and could be there because I so longed for my mom to be. AND MOM: I know you are reading this.... and so I want you to know that I LOVE you being my mom... and even though I wished you could have done all of this stuff - we had a good childhood. You were there for us in other ways and gave us the BEST childhood that are so full of memories Nick and I are considering writing a book about it!!
Ok wait, now where was I..... OH. So fast forward to this past year, when my girl went off to school - and through a couple of tantrums and identity crisis the Lord reminded me that the dream he planted in me was to be home. AND sometimes that comes with a negative connotation that I am not going to defend, because being home is not a prison. IT IS AN HONOR. It is a PRIVILEGE and I am SO incredibly grateful that my husband dreamed this dream with me and put in the work to make this dream a reality for our family. Without his hard work and dedication this couldn't be possible -
And part of this dream of being home means being available to pour myself into my daughters. To raise them. To train them.....and to teach them. Once upon a time I dreamed of homeschooling, but I was so tired and longed so badly for "freedom" that Annie went to kindergarten in public school last year. And while our experience was great, it just isn't what God has called our family to.... and so to make a long story short: we are HOMESCHOOLING this year!!!! (HEAVEN help me.) I have shared this with people I see and am confronted by so many questions about socialization and whether or not they'll get a good education. My sarcastic answer is "right... because every kid who has ever graduated public school is academically, socially, and emotionally genius." (For a better answer, READ THIS ARTICLE). I know I wont be perfect, just as a public school teacher isnt perfect, but I do have Jesus in my corner. And although I am not always enough, HE is.
I also felt like we just didnt have enough time together last year with Annie being gone 35 hours a week and with her dad working nights and weekends. She really missed out on time with her daddy, so this will give us a more flexible schedule and help foster more time time together. Time that we wont ever be able to get back.
I am sure that I will write much. much. much more about this journey for us - and this is just a tiny snippet into our thought process and our process.... BUT, here we go!!!!
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