It has always been there, in the back of our minds, home schooling. From the time A1 was little and getting ready to start kindergarten she had asked even then. I just thought that we would clash too much as we are so much a like, top that with her strong will, building our "Barn", a 3 year-old A2, my part-time job and it just wasn't a good time.
Flash forward about 4-5 years. The question was asked again by A1. We prayed some more, did some research and still felt it wasn't the right time for us to do this.
Flash forward to January 2006 and you would find us busy with life as usual. My husband was in Hawaii for his job, the kids were dealing with school and situations there that were not the best(think bullying and fighting back), volleyball and swimming. I was holding down the fort and running everyone to their designated places.
As I prepared our tax return for the year I was very pleasantly surprised to see we were getting back a very nice amount. Visions of finally finishing the kitchen the way we wanted to were solidifying in my head and the process to put this into place was underway after checking the return twice.
God, however, had other plans for that return that I had no idea about. As the end of February came to a close a very dear friend of mine from work died. While reeling from that loss, a week later I was let go from my job as an orthodontic tech of 9 1/2 years due to "scheduling changes". I had never been "let go" from any job in my 39 years. It was quite a shock after it sank in.
My life verse has been Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will set your paths straight." I now knew what that extra money was for. I will not say that through the following months that I was perfect about "acknowledging Him" and that my faith was rock solid every day. There were some days of questions and doubt, but He has been faithful and kept us on the right path despite my short comings. We serve an awesome God.
We quickly stopped the kitchen plans, filed for unemployment-that in and of itself is so hard, finished out the school year with the kids. As summer advanced and thoughts of school would cross the kids minds and ours, they asked quite a few times about home schooling. Andy and I set down and prayed and talked about it. We had pretty well decided that this is the way we were headed by the 2nd week in August, but thought we would ask the kids.
A1 responded that she could get done with school earlier and get her law degree before turning 30 and be one her journey to the ultimate goal of Supreme Court. On days where she was being every bit 14 and strong-willed, I wasn't sure if she would live to make it to college, but when she does she will be an awesome attorney and judge however far God takes her. She wanted me to check on two things first. One the college she wanted to attend for graduate and undergraduate work to be sure she could still get in-no problem. Second she wanted to play volleyball-enter local home school volleyball team. She is all in.
A2 responded in a totally boy fashion who is tired of being bullied and picked on for too many years. He said he would be able to eat whenever he wanted and no one would pick on him any more.
So 4 days before having to register for the new school year, we went in and pulled the kids out. I had immediately order Math and we stopped at a book fair for a text book type curriculum that was in town the same day we were leaving for vacation.
The rest they say is history.
God took awesome care of us. The kids learned a lot. A2 skipped a grade coming home and A1 picked up some things she said that she didn't get at public school. Best of all they learned and are continuing to learn to get along and enjoy each other.
God has sent us down a different path this fall for school-all new curriculum and schedules. I hope you will join us as we learn His story through History using Tapestry of Grace.
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