Put On Your Thinking Caps!

Yippee! We started school today. Everyone is excited. Don't school supplies just get you in the mood? The kids wanted to start on Saturday when we set up their desks and organized their folders; but even I have to draw the line somewhere. We are homeschooling, so we can do it whenever and wherever we want - but I still want my weekends off ;)

The kids and I made "Back-to-School Thinking Caps" for our first day. (We even gave the baby one, although he's not too crazy about it.) When my son sat down to start school, his DVD teacher asked everyone to "put on their thinking caps" so he felt very prepared to start 2nd grade.

A day like today makes me thankful that we decided to homeschool again. However, I know the hard days will come soon enough. I need to remember what this feels like. For those of you who are skeptical about homeschooling, just know that we are human. We have good days and bad days just like everyone else. But, in the end, we feel like this is what's best for our family for right now. I make a lot of mistakes, but sometimes I get it right (with the help of the Lord.)

This summer while we were camping, a family who was camping a few spots away from us came over and asked me..."Do you homeschool your children?" Uh oh... this is one of those moments where you know that your answer is going to shape another person's entire perception of the whole homeschooling population. A thousand questions ran through my head..."Where are my kids right now?" "Did someone just get in trouble?" "Where is the soap to wash their mouths out?" Anyway...I stood tall and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact we do." She said, "I knew it. I could just tell. You have such articulate and smart children, and they work together so nicely."

WOOO HOOO! My heart did a little party dance. When all I can hear is the bickering and complaining, it's nice to know that a stranger can see the light shining through my children. Thank you Lord for calling me to teach my children to be salt and light in this world. Keep me focused on the goal. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 4