Mr Sandman bring me a dream...

Here I am again, going back to homeschooling.  CFIDS has changed my life in so many ways, but one that caused a lot of stress for me was when I quit homeschooling.  It was very necessary, and it helped me get a handle on my illness and allowed me time to adjust to doing nothing but resting, but now it is time to go back.

Back to homeschooling and back to what I know in my heart is what I want for my kids, and for myself, because homeschooling teaches me as much as it teaches them, and it really is less stress than sending them to public schools. 

It was so hard to learn to jump through  the hoops that most people do not even realize are there.  I guess it is probably that I wasn't  trained in them from kindergarten on.  Having homeschooled for the first 4 years I was not used to having to worry about Doctor's notes, vacation time, school lunches and snacks, writing their names on everything they took to school, getting them to do their homework (and tell me when they had it).   Dealing with medications was rough with Pierce's asthma and both of the kids lactose issues (Did you know that the enzyme lactase is a medication?! yeah me neither LOL).  Not to mention the endless junk fundraisers in which we did not particpate (friends and family you can thank me later).  I decided I would rather just doante the whole amount to the school, so I paid for all my kids school activites, and yes I did not get any candies, or pizza kits or scented cadles or numerous other wonderful things, but somehow I do not feel like I missed out.  It is so nice not to have to call in when my son is having an asthma attack or has been up all night puking.  And I really enjoy the flexibility of taking vacations when no one else is.   Ever been to Kalahari in the middle of January during the week when no one else is there?  Cheap, fun, vacation heaven!

Homeschooling is not for everyone, but I know it is for me, even though as of right now I am simply managing and not recovered.  It is one of those things that it is worth putting into my energy budget.  I admit I was nervous when I decided it was time to bring them home again, for many reason but that is food for a different blog post.  I took the month of July to test it to see how I did, and it went well.  It is nice for Brad too because he doesn't have to get them off in the morning, he can go into work earlier and start his day off with no kid stress.  Our school day starts at 10:00 am to accommodate me.  They would be ready to go by 8:30 or 9 probably, but since I need to supervise, we work on my schedule.  They are done by 3:30 or 4 anyway, which is early than they got home from public school last year. And in plenty of time to go play with their friends after school.

I have chosen a new curriculum this time around, cheaper, more classical and more kid driven it is called The Robinson Curriculum.  It is so good in my eyes that I am tempted to do school right along with my kids to relearn so many of the things I have forgotten and read some of the books I have never read.  But for now I will just blog about it LOL.