So Excited About BOOKS!

Tomorrow I should be receiving a big ol' package of books at my front door. :)

Chris changed his mind about homeschooling. Now next time you don't think prayer works, think again! A few years ago he thought the idea was insane (and that I was insane too, haha). "Homeschoolers are all nerdy and I'm not having nerdy kids!" is what I heard, along with every other (incorrect) reason he could possibly think of. All of my attempts to change his mind were futile and usually just ended up with me having hurt feelings. So I totally backed off, and prayed... a lot. I prayed that if God wanted me to homeschool, that he would change Chris's heart about it.

Kaydence has been attending a university-model school and we've been unimpressed. I do think it's the second best thing to homeschooling... but even Chris noticed that Kaydence was just doing everything I had already taught her the year before. We even noticed a slight attitude change... you know, the one that seems to come once your child goes to school, and now they're much more annoyed by younger siblings and things. Nothing too bad, but it's not what I like to see. I'm all about family unity. ;)

So I asked Chris about possibly homeschooling next year, and he said YES! I even heard him on the phone later on telling someone we were going to homeschool next year, and that I was a math whiz and had worked with Kaydence so much (which made me tear up because I didn't think he even noticed!) He did a complete 180 on his views on homeschooling... and I know that it's only because of the One who heard my prayers! :)

I've spent the last few years researching all types of curriculum, so I already had it narrowed down to a few choices. We used part of our tax return to invest in next year's curriculum... and my first order of Sonlight arrives tomorrow! YAY! For my non-homeschool readers, Sonlight is a company that follows the "living book" method of education. Basically, you learn most everything from reading GOOD books. This will make the basis of our history, geography, and literature. No more boring textbooks. I always HATED history because of those boring textbooks. I'm excited to actually learn (and REMEMBER) some history with my children now! And my children should finish high school being extremely well-read. :)

Kaydence and Laila will both be in the same Sonlight core, but will of course have their own seperate levels for math, handwriting, and reading. I'm soooooo excited to look through all the books tomorrow, and I'll have to try and refrain from reading all of them right away. They're for AUGUST!

Now while I do have a very academically-oriented reason for homeschooling, I can say that the thing I look forward to the most is being able to spend lots of quality time with my children. Life is way too short, and I want to make every minute count. I'm going to cuddle my babies everyday, until they think they're too old for cuddling... but eh, I'll still cuddle them anyway. At least some hugs! Come on now! Haha :)

Lead By Example (And Hitting Myself In The Head!)

I've always been annoyed about how technology seems to drive families apart. You see families where the kids are staring into their phone all day, or Xbox, or TV, or whatever. Tonight I was reading through the archives of one of my most favorite blogs, and came across this post: http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2009/04/1962.html

And then I hit myself in the head. I AM one of those people on their phone all day. I'm checking Facebook, emails, texting, visiting random websites, all throughout the day! Whenever I have a spare moment, I pull out my phone (which is always in my back pocket). It has become a HORRIBLE habit. A habit that I do not want my children to have! But they see me doing it!

So I must start leading by example, and not pulling my phone out all the time. Maybe limit myself to once a day? Maybe put my phone up and limit myself to computer only (which I normally don't get to until late at night!). Either way, I will quit allowing my cell phone to become a distraction and become a wedge between my family and me!

SO MUCH falls on a mother's shoulders. Her example to her children is one of the biggest factors on how her children are raised. If I have high standards for my children, then I must go above and beyond to model those standards myself.