We have been homeschooling our children since July 1999. Yes, we did begin our then Kindergartner’s school experience in July. I laugh at our over zealousness now, but then we felt we needed to get a jump on his schooling. He could already read. He was getting bored with preschool and continuing to learn the colors, letters, and numbers he clearly already knew.

Stock photo from Pixabay.com

We were moving at the beginning of August. We would be living in a hotel for a few weeks, and knew we’d need to have something to do while stuck inside. Plus, we were expecting a new baby in early October that year, moving at 32 weeks. Yahoo! That’s every pregnant mother’s dream come true, right?

As it turned out, we moved twice in six months after living those weeks in a dirty short term housing suite situation. Our first apartment in our new city was 900 square feet packed with 2 small boys and their toys, an infant who cried for three months, a stressed out mommy with a health scare, no friends or church, and bare bones household goods. It was good to have started school early during those difficult transition days of life!

“Home” schooling gave us routine and a sense of new normal in a place that felt nothing like home.

In hind sight, though, it was Kindergarten. I do wish we could have relaxed and enjoyed more. Kindergarten should be a joyous and fun filled year, not “rigorous.” I wish we had chosen to save that “rigor” for later, rather than doing spelling flash cards in the back seat of the realtor’s van as we house hunted for the second move in our new city.

We fully expected to only homeschool for one year, get settled, and then figure out the best educational option for our children in the new location. At the end of the first year of school, finally settled in the home we thought was for a long term, we realized that we had already been led to the best option for our own children. Seventeen years later, we still love schooling our children at home, and we’ve been able to give them different experiences and a love of learning, in spite of and because of hard things that have happened.

We have graduated two children, but still have two children working through high school level work, one in middle school, and one in elementary school.

One of the areas in which we feared failure back in the early days was math. We wanted children well grounded in math and writing skills. It took about three years to find elementary level math curriculum that worked with my teaching style and was flexible enough to work with each member of our growing family’s different learning styles. We loved what we chose, but the curriculum didn’t extend into middle or high school. We had a few years of middle school floundering, figuring that out with our older boys, and while that was a completely successful endeavor, it was hard on me and my time with an infant or preschoolers in the mix. One of our now graduated sons was able to earn college credit in math before the end of high school.

Finding middle/high school math curriculum for the rest of our children that bridges well with my time constraints of teaching several different levels, trying to run a home based business, managing our home and property, and still prepares for the academic rigor we strive for in our children’s high school years in preparation for college and life is no easy feat! But I did finally find one this past year! The problem is that it is a little more expensive than we are prepared to pay. I prayed for a used, but newer version of the Algebra curriculum to prepare our girls for the next textbook I plan to keep using in high school, and I found it used earlier this summer. I needed a replacement for the same Pre-Algebra middle school curriculum, though.

We’re beginning to make progress in debt retirement. Our goal has been to pay cash for all of 2016-2017 online classes, curriculum, or supplies. My husband and I have been successful so far! Last week, I ordered all homeschool curriculum, except this one Pre-Algebra math curriculum, and we’ve paid cash for it all. We’ve paid for three online classes in full without using credit cards.

I prayed that someone would be offering the Pre-Algebra math curriculum used by our next pay period. The day after I specifically prayed for this, a woman in our homeschool community advertised the very curriculum I’m looking for in our group, and at a price point for which I was also praying.

I shared this with Dr. P last night. He asked how much it was going to be. I said “One hundred dollars, and I have no idea how we’re paying for it. We don’t have the cash for it until next week. We need to pick it up in the morning. I’ve prayed for the money.”

He said “Well, today I got a royalty check for some writing I’ve done. It is exactly enough to cover the curriculum in cash, AND still pay my self employment taxes.”

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of our curriculum, for the finances to be available for curriculum, for tutors to come alongside us when we’ve needed them, for answers to prayers in all of our homeschool journey, and for the blessing of learning perseverance and endurance in this homeschooling race.

We’re gearing up for year 18 of Legacy Academy!

Blessings,

Deb

PS. We had an oven fire this morning, and now our oven won’t get up to temperature. Two burners on our stove top already burned out and in order to not spend money to replace those, we replaced the original coils back. The other two burners are smooth top. Our refrigerator died last month. Guess what we’re praying for in our finances next? Refrigerators and stoves are not just modern conveniences in a home, you know? Pressing on in spite of opposition from the appliance devil.

Last night we were in the ER with our A-Grape who hadn’t been feeling well yesterday, but whose fever got very high, she began vomiting, and became lethargic and limp. Our poor sweet eight year old girl was trying to cooperate with doctors and nurses and answer their questions, but she was too weak for even that.

Do you know what I noticed?

No matter what anyone did to her, or how lousy she felt, every single time a medical professional talked to her, or examined her, or even just came in the room,  she said “Thank you.”

The nurse brought her a cup to pee in. “Thank you, ma’am.”

As the doctor left the room after doing a throat culture that made her gag, she looked at him and said “Thank you.”

The phlebotomist poked her with a needle and hurt her, and she said “OW!” but laid still for him. When he was finished filling his vial, she looked him in the eye and said “That hurt! But you were so good at that. Thank you!”

At one point, the nurse stopped what she was doing and said “A-Grape, I’ve noticed that you keep saying “Thank you.” Can I just say thank you for saying thank you! Many adults do not possess the manners which you clearly have.”

Nurse Kelsey brought A-Grape a popsicle, and she responded with a huge smile and a big “Thank you!”

And even we, her parents, had the pleasure of hearing our precious daughter say “Thank you, Mommy and Daddy, for being here with me, and for being kind, wonderful parents. *sniff* She even tried to make up little poems. 

Several hours after arriving to the hospital, a new and improved feeling A-Grape was discharged for home.

And, as we walked out of the hospital, every doctor, nurse, tech, or intake person she remembered seeing got a big and hearty “Thank you.” as we walked out the door.

Friends, “many adults do not possess the manners” which my daughter showed last night. Social media is fraught with poor manners, manipulative memes on all sides of any argument, and with folks saying vile things. When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell my brothers and I, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all.” It seems time for some adults to re-examine what and how they say things, what they post, and perhaps they need to say nothing at all if they can’t edify, encourage, live at peace, be patient, strive to do what is good for others, and give thanks from time to time.

Can we all give this some thought and behave at least as well as an eight year old?

Thank you!

Be Blessed,

Deb

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Titus 3:1-2 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ² to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

 ^{1 Thessalonians 5:12-18} Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.