Physicals... check.
Hair cuts... check.
New shoes... check.
Backpacks... check.
Lunch bags... check.
School supplies... check.
Well, after three years of adoption drama, job drama, moving drama, it only seems fitting that we'd be faced with more. This time we have school drama! Oh, can't I just have my comfortable little life back, please?
Last week, Thursday was supposed to be Meet the Teacher Night at the boys' school, the one that is 17.7 miles away from my mother-in-law's condo where we've been staying all summer. That same afternoon I was playing phone tag with the bus company to find out where our bus stop is located and what time pick-up and drop-off would be for the school year. My jaw dropped to the floor when I heard that my boys would be on a bus at 6:33 a.m. and would return home after 4:00 p.m. That's nearly 10 hours away from home, 5 days a week. The bus ride alone would be an hour and a half on the way to school and over an hour on the way home. My husband wouldn't make a commute that long for work! No way we're putting our kids through that for school! I called my mom in tears over what the bus guy said and Jay thought it was ridiculous too.
Case in point, take our day in San Antonio last Friday - just 1 day after I learned of the bus schedule. Jay's uncle was down there on business for a few days and his wife decided to go along because she loves San Antonio and she offered to treat us to a fun day. It was a wonderful gift after a summer of staying in, spending no money on any non-necessities, going no where to save gas money with no income coming in. We put the boys to bed at a decent hour the night before our day trip. We got up around 7:15, showered, dressed, ate cereal and loaded up the minivan. We were on the road by 8:30am for our hour and a half drive to San Antonio. We picked up Aunt Patti at her hotel and we drove to a museum where the boys learned about Texas history. We followed that with lunch at the Mexican Market and then tried to hit an IMAX movie, but that didn't work, so we just walked the mall and shopped as Patti let the kids each pick out a souvenir from the trip. We dropped her back at the hotel and were on the road home by 4:30pm. My 5 year old Super E was out like a light in the backseat of the van almost immediately. And that day wasn't even as long as a full day at school would have been!
A few weeks ago, when we registered the boys for school and learned that the school servicing our county is over 17 miles away, I expressed my concern on Facebook and my friend Amy in Iowa said I could borrow her old Sonlight kindergarten curriculum should we change our mind about public school and go with home schooling. I kept that sweet offer in my back pocket. After the Thursday conversation with the bus company, crying to my mom on the phone and talking with Jay, I happened to text my friend Hilary in Minnesota to tell her about our last minute thoughts on home schooling. I had no idea what Hilary used for her kids and I mentioned that Amy (a mutual friend of ours) was lending me the kindergarten set. Hilary called me immediately and said she had most of the 4th grade Sonlight curriculum for my oldest son. Thank you, God! Oh, that made me so excited! I just don't think we could have afforded to buy curriculum on our own, at least not right now after the summer we've had with no job. Thank you, Amy and Hilary for offering to lend me your stuff!
A little help from 2 of my best friends sealed the deal -- WE'RE HOME SCHOOLING!!!!!
The plan may still be to investigate public school in October when we move into a house of our own (more details on that to come). We hear the schools are excellent in the town that will most likely be where we set up house. At the same time, if I love home schooling and if our kids are excelling, we may just keep it up for the rest of the year and then rethink things for the next year. Thankfully, I don't have to make that decision until we reach those crossroads.
In both Nebraska and California I was surrounded by friends who home school. I always thought that funny and felt like the black sheep for sending my kids to public school. I always wondered if someday I would home school.
So, pray for me and for the boys, please. School starts on Monday here in Texas. We'll start home school soon, once I receive the boxes from my friends and figure out what the heck I'm doing. Let me know if you know of any fun, free online groups I should be a part of. Leave it to my amazing adoption community to invite me into one already. I love you guys!!!
Here's to a great year for my Super E in kindergarten and Super C in 4th grade!!!!
PS... You won't want to miss my next post. I've been working on a running list of all of L's new words in her brand new English language. I'm even trying to capture some on video. It will be well worth your time to check back in for a few laughs.
Welcome to the crazy, wonderful world of homeschooling. It will be overwhelming at times, but every so often you will have an amazing day and those are the days you hang on to to remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing. When your oldest son who graduated gets mad at you because you start talking about putting your daughter in public school, you know you did something right.(yeah my oldest did that:)!) You can do it! You will figure out a routine that will work for your family.
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