Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Whew!

Okay, so I am really, really, really, really, REALLY ready for school to be out for summer. This past couple of weeks have been CRAZY busy. Between Havyn's OT and speech appointments, Keegan's prom, end of school stuff, Memorial Day weekend and today Aleigha's kindergarten graduation- we have been nonstop on the go. Thought I'd share it all in pictures. :0)








Also, I have been really praying about home schooling Mya and Aleigha next year. We have wonderful schools where we live but there is just so much more I'd love to be teaching them and there is just not enough time with them gone all day long at school. If any of you home schooling moms have any wonderful words of wisdom to share I'd love to hear them. :0)
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28 comments:

Sophie said...

I've been praying too about homeschooling my daughter, she's not quite 4. Like you there's so much I'd like to teach her and the thought of her being gone all day would make it difficult, also I wonder if being influenced by so many different adults and children is the best thing for our kids.

Sara said...

Glad your life is full...full of the ones you love the most!! Lovely pics:)

Kimberlie said...

We really wanted to homeschool next year our youngest. The thing is though, in our state, the schools don't have to provide services for homeschooled kiddos (only private schooled and public schooled) and we really need her to receive the speech services through school. She's old enough for K but we are opting for another year of pre-K to allow her more time to mature and work on her speech.

I hear ya about having more you want to teach and not enough time in the day. Each of my three kids came home to us between the ages of 3 and 4. That means, I missed out on those years and so soon they are in school all day and their teachers get the best part of their day not me.

We are seriously praying about the 2011-12 school year. We are in process to adopt a 6 yr old boy and I really, really want time to bond with him and for him to bond with his siblings. In my heart, I know that homeschooling is best for our family, but I also know that it's very hard. It's something that my husband needs to be on board with, and he just isn't there yet.

I look forward to hearing what your decision is for your family!

Anonymous said...

Amy,

We homeschool all of our kiddos. If you'd like to pick my brain sometime, feel free.

There is a GREAT video by Voddie Baucham that I encourage you to watch called Children of Ceasar. You will walk away with a whole new understanding of why we homeschool!

Here is a link to a short clip from it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq_tcyPV7Vg

Blessings,
Christina
justthemomforthejob@yahoo.com

nates5bs said...

I homeschool my 5 children and love it! I enjoy being with my kids each day and being the one who teaches them academics, the fun stuff and the important stuff...their relationship with Jesus.

My advice? Pray about individually and with your husband. Make sure you and your husband are in agreement. That will make all the difference in the world!

alicia said...

We have a 2nd grader, a very active 4 year old, and a little 11 month old who keep me busy while we homeschool. Being able to homeschool has been such a blessing for us these past three years. I've been able to see the needs of our children and address stuff for us together. We have a mix of biological, international adoption, and now fostering. Because of these varied backgrounds, homeschooling gives us the chance to change and grow together. It's hard, not easy, but the rewards are so worth it!

Angie said...

I homeschool, and every year has looked a bit different...more children, maybe preschool. Next year, we've decided to put the two youngest in public school and I'll concentrate on the older boys, and our new daughter. I wouldn't trade the time I have with them for ANYTHING! We feel like we can instill a strong work ethic, Christian beliefs, a servant's heart, etc. much easier than trying to do it when they're gone all day. My hope is to have all the kids home within the next few years. Good luck with your decision!

Unknown said...

Love the photos and cheering about the idea you might begin to homeschool! I have a complete resource on my homeschool blog and am here to help in any way I can!

Lots of love,
Jill
www.schoolhisway.blogspot.com

Pam said...

My words of wisdom....keep your girls home and homeschool! You will not regret it!

Sean and Lisa said...

Amy,
Your family is so beautiful! I just see joy radiating from their precious faces!

We have homeschooled for years and I loved it when it was just my 2 olest boys. I'll admit it is much, much harder now with 5 7 and under and so many special needs but we continue plugging away because this is where God wants us. All that to say that if God is leading you into homeschooling HE will provide the strength, the guidance and the grace that is needed each step of the way. He is so good like that. :)

If you have questions or even are looking for something in particular let me know. I have tons (as in bookshelves full of books for every age!)that I'd love to share. My email is covenantkprsatgmaildotcom

Will be praying for your decision and for a relaxing, slow summer. :)
Much love!
lisa

Traci Weldie said...

I home schooled my children for 6 years and this is their first year in public school. I have NO regrets for investing the time and energy into their education and character training...but, I got difficult to balance 5 kids and their various needs and levels. After much prayer, we put our children in school and God has blessed that decision greatly, as they are all doing very well.

My advice for home schooling is to take it one year at a time. If God is leading you to home school two of your kiddos next year, then go for it! You don't have to make the decision for more than one year, and this time next year, you and your husband can evaluate the year and make plans for the next one.

Finally, there is a good book called Going Public which talks about balancing home schooling with public school. The authors discuss how important it is to do certain subjects at home..no matter where your children are (History, Biblical world view, creation, government, etc.). These subjects can be taught as "summer school" or on Saturdays or what ever fits best in your schedule. My children are looking forward to our "home summer school" because they know they will learn a great deal.

Sorry for the rambling :) I could talk about home schooling for hours...and now, I could talk about how our family has crossed over into public school as well.

Praying for your decision,
Traci

Mama in Uganda said...

Go for it--homeschooling! If it is done unto the Lord you will never look back. I could give loads and loads of encouragement, but rather, I recommend you read the book, "The heart of homeschooling." It speaks volumes.

Hugs from the North,
Summer

Jenny said...

I have a family much like yours - 9 kids, age 1 - 18, half adopted, half not, 3 from Africa. Anyway, I home-school everyone and it's definately the way to go for a big family. It allows much more family time and family bonding than everyone segmented. (It's only tough once they hit high-school.)

Feel free to ask anything,
Jenny
www.ourplansmultiplied.blogspot.com

jenandkids@verizon.net

Jennifer P said...

We have home schooled mostly but public schooled at the beginning for one and the end for another. For my adopted kids, homeschooling has been the gift of healing. They can become who they are without the stress of who they need to be in a certain environment. Homeschooling vs. public school depends on the kid as much as anything. But at the end of the day, you can't redeem the time when they spend most of their hours away. Sounds like God is already speaking to your heart and planting the seeds. Follow His lead.

Rebekah said...

I'm not a homeschooling mom (yet), but I was homeschooled. I am commenting to assure you that if you do homeschool, you'll be great! It doesn't take someone with a bachelor's in education, and I learned SO much that I wouldn't have in the classroom.

Homeschooling rounds a kid out in ways that going to school doesn't. Like Angie said, a strong work ethic and just a great understanding of "real" life and how the world operates. The kids see your lives all day, hear you talk about issues, and gain an understanding of how to deal with those things (good or bad).

Anyway, I'll stop rambling, but I hope that God makes it clear that you're supposed to homeschool. (Ha, Ha, just kidding! ;))

Kathleen said...

Amy,
My heart skipped a beat when I read your post this morning…I too have had this very same feeling since February and I feel strongly that God is calling our family to begin homeschooling next year. As you wrote, we too have a wonderful school but God keeps showing me a need for “family connection”. That is not to say that you cannot connect as a family if you use the public school because we have used the public school for five years now and I think that we are a very intentional and close family. I do feel however that God is preparing our family for something new. A season in our lives where we need to step back and make sure we are building deep bonds with our children and giving them the “roots” they need in Christ. We are also beginning our third adoption and we are looking to adopt an older child or a sibling group. God has impressed upon my heart how hard it will be to come from an overseas institution to only be placed back into the institution of school. We will need time as a family to bond and grow together and homeschooling can create that environment. This may just be a season in our lives and because we like our school our children can always return if need be.

I pray that God will bring you peace and clarity for your decision. You might want to read Mary Pride's "The Big Book of Home learning" to get an idea of all that is out there for homeschooling. It helped me to get my mind around "how to start".

Also check out:
www.homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com

Rebekah said...

We will start homeschool our 5 year old this upcoming September, so I haven't had a lot of experiences to share but I HIGHLY recommend reading the book, "Educating the Wholehearted Child".

There are so many reasons why homeschooling is beneficial, specifically because you will not need to spend the entire day doing school work! Really, at their ages, you will probably only need to do a few hours of schoolwork and the rest of the day will be yours to spend together! Continue to pray about it and find out what type of associations are available in your state so that you can get some free resources. Some friends of ours have incredible homeschooling resources and lots of great advice so let me know if you have any questions.

Anonymous said...

As you know, I homeschool our four. In fact, we are finishing up our fourth year of homeschooling now! Texas (and Illinois) are wonderful states to homeschool in because you can do pretty much whatever you want. There are no records to keep unless you want to, no testing, and no one to report to. But in both states you can use the public school for extras like speech, etc. Megan will be going to the local high school here in the fall for just one class per day for only one semester. Driver's Ed.! Anyway, I can't wait to hear what you decide!

Unknown said...

Amy,

LOVE the pictures!! Looks like you all have been busy but having lots of fun!!

I couldn't back you up more on homeschooling. God's really been working on my heart in that area. As of now, when we have children of school age, I am hoping to home school and would love to follow your journey through it!

Will continue to pray about God leading you where he would have you in that aspect!

Love ya!

Taylor said...

My son is not quite 2, but I'm arlready thinking of homeschooling him- actually, I'm finishing my teaching degree online. I recently wrote a research paper on homeschooling. On of the best book I can recommend is Mary Pride's Guide to Homeschooling- it gives a great overview of different approaches, how to get started, etc. Its a great book to help you get started on the right approach for your family.

Janet said...

Cheering you on in your decision making. I have an 18yo out on her own, a 16yo-on the deans list at Pensacola Christian College, 6,5,4,and getting another 4yo in Aug. We have always loved homeschooling, and never regretted it onece! I love the flexability...for example..we school in the summer when it's 100 degrees, and take off for weeks in the spring and fall when the weather is gorgeous.

Gretchen said...

It is the best thing I have ever done. If you have any particular questions just let me know. I have been doing it now for three years and I homeschool 3 kiddos.

Bloggin' Robin said...

Amy - I never thought I'd homeschool, but here we are. Our oldest (of four boys) is entering the 8th grade. The younger years are an amazing time to start and you WILL teach them more than they can ever learn from books! Our boys are successful in school and life. However, the most precious gift is seeing their faith become their own. There are so many teachable moments I would miss if we didn't homeschool. We are on our first adoption adventure, so next year will be full of changes. The one thing I CAN PROMISE YOU is that if you try it for even just one year - you will never regret it! Happy to help you further if I can! Oh, and I enjoy your blog tremendously!

ElderClan said...

Amy,

Just wanted to add my comments to encourage you in home schooling. We have always home schooled (10 bio kids, 1 adopted recently) and I am SO happy the Lord led us down this path. I look at my older two (who are in college now) and I see how fast the time went by and I love that I had all that time to spend with them. Our family I believe is much closer than we would have been otherwise. We only recently adopted (an older child with some medical issues), but I think there are some comparisons. I knew that the adoption would be difficult in some ways, but I didn't realize how much it would bring out some sin and dark areas in my own heart to be dealt with. It think home schooling can be like that also. It is well worth the effort, but it may bring areas out which need to be dealt with either in your life or your children's. But the benefits are worth it. I have never once regretted it and I don't think you will either. The chance to spend more time with our children (esp. in a large family) and the chance to teach our children what is important is incredibly fulfilling.

Kim

Sandy said...

Parents are the best teachers children can have..and to be able to teach them when they wake, walk by the way and at night is best.
Children then can be rooted and grounded in God's plan for them.
Wonderful that you are praying about homeschooling....have read about many families that are choosing homeschool over government run public schools.
We homeschooled three of our 4 children and al our children are adults now. They are well rounded and can deal with many situations that they face.

Created For His Glory said...

Thumbs up to the homeschooling idea :)

Laurel said...

I really think you will LOVE homeschooling, and so will the girls.

Let me know if you have any questions about homeschooling. I'd love to have a phone chat with you any time.

This is my 20th year of homeschooling. I've graduated 6 already, and have 6 left to go. I've got 10 years left of homeschooling. After 30 years, I'll probably be ready to "retire" from homeschooling, but by then will probably be helping with the homeschooling of a few grandchildren. :)

Hugs!

Laurel :)

Mary Ann said...

Precious pictures!