School

If you can recall, I had a difficult time trying to decide whether to send our children out to school instead of homeschooling.

If you're interested in reading any of the drama, check out these links. :)
To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool
To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool, the Continuing Saga
The decision has been made, I think
Yes, it is decided

Once we actually decided to send our kids out to school, I was very peaceful about it, and I still am. And I am very excited! I can't remember where I left off, but our children will be attending a brand new school that is opening this fall. As I write this, the finishing touches are being put on the building so the teachers can get in and get their classrooms set up in August. God's timing was definitely in our decision because we would surely have been placed on the waiting list for the current charter academy in our town. Since everyone in their classes will be new to the school, it seems like an ideal situation for my homeschooled children - they won't be trying to break into a group of children who have known each other for years.

I can't believe how fast summer is going by. I have to get on the ball to get the children their uniforms - checking out second hand stores, yard sales and eBay before I buy anything brand new. Here is what they'll be wearing. They're all pretty excited, with the exception of the 6-year-old, whose pants were too long. I'm sure I'll be hiring a seamstress friend of mine to do some alterations, since our family tends to be vertically challenged!

I have to laugh at these pictures of Evan. I always said he would be the class clown, even when we were homeschooling! He definitely has an attitude and the ability to make others laugh!

Now, ever since we decided the kids were going to go out to school, I've been having sort of an identity crisis. For the several years, I've been a homeschooler. We decided early on to give homeschooling a try, and Hope was so smart I had to start teaching her at age 2 or 3! Instead of being a mom who chose to homeschool for a time because it seemed like the best decision we could make for our kids, I saw myself as a HOMESCHOOLER, as in "This is who I am", not just "This is what I do." So, now that the kids are going off to school, I'm wondering what I am going to do with myself. Oh, I know I will find a lot to keep me busy - keeping my house clean, shopping alone, maybe even decorating my house and getting crafty, pursuing the ever elusive state of sanity. But I just feel like it's been such a huge paradigm shift for me.

I wonder if that's what sparked my mini-depression. I seem to have 2 predictable episodes of depression each year: one major episode in the fall and winter (like October to March. . . .it's probably due to lack of sunlight); and usually a more minor episode in the summer, for no apparent reason at all. It even happened when I was in the Philippines, and there ain't no lack of sunshine there!

I *think* I'm doing better now. Do I dare say that out loud? I know God is in charge of my family and my children and He will bless our life and our future.

Aren't you glad I told you all of that???