I am in awe that I am beginning my 15th year of homeschooling my kids. When I began this journey, I knew I would be in it for the long haul, but it’s crazy to see how much has been accomplished, enjoyed, and LIVED over these years.
I have already graduated one child, and the next one is graduating THIS year. When I began this blog, I had 3 toddlers, and now THEY are all teenagers! PLUS I have 2 more kids and they are tweens. WOW! What a wild ride it has been.
As we are getting into our back to school routine, I’m reminded of how hectic it used to be for me. I would spend part of the spring and all summer pouring through curricula and devising a plan for each subject for each kid for the next school year.
These days, things are much simpler. We know what works and what everyone likes. I know what our schedule will look like, and so do they. We have had a big dry-erase board calendar so everyone knows what’s happening and when. Recently, we got a bigger one and started color-coding for each person. They know when I’m unavailable and busy, they know when people have appointments or extracurriculars or we’re visiting grandparents. It also has a little chart on the side sharing our schedule for dishwasher days. With 7 people in the house, we each have a day where dishes are our responsibility.
Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace structure. To listen to my intuition. To have clear, honest communication with my kids. To only say maybe if it’s an actual possibility. To admit when I’ve messed up. To say no when it’s not a good idea or there’s no time or money or possibility of something happening. We have a fairly consistent life. Stability. Reliability.
We’ve also adjusted to my husband working from home for the past several years. I had always hoped he would be able to, and when it happened suddenly due to COVID shutdowns, we all rejoiced! That is until it dawned on us that we had to be quieter with him at home. That was a wake-up call, but also came at the perfect time as my youngest kids were growing older and outgrowing the completely wild stages of being little. To be clear, they’re all still a little wild, but they do that upstairs, away from the office, and are a little quieter about it.
Back to school is a beautiful time for us. A time to focus again, enjoy each others’ company, and turn our brains on for some learning. Even me. I continue to study things that bring me joy and purpose, enriching myself as they learn about the world around them.
It’s really a sweet stage of life that we are in. I’m grateful. I love my family and the ability to be home with them. I feel blessed and overwhelmed with gratitude if I sit and think about it for too long.
A simpler time, back in the early days of our homeschool! We learned any time and everywhere! Even bedtime.
Blessed
In my 15th year of homeschooling, my 15th Back to School time, I am celebrating this path in life and the choice I made 17 years ago to educate my children at home. It was the best choice. I’m thankful.
