I Don't Even Need A Million Dollars

I have not posted a lot lately...there really is not a lot going on right now.  I continue to have half the children here with me as we prepare the house for showing.  I continue to waiver as I wonder from day to day if the house will sell or not.  Of course, it will eventually sell and then we will have a grand adventure in a new town.

The other half of the drew are with Michael at my mom's house.  They are enjoying these last few days of summer...swimming and playing at the park.  Michael even took them to an amazing outdoor store that is like a museum of animals.  And, they almost ended up in an antique car parade driving home from the pool last week!

Michael continued his exciting week by losing his wallet at a gas station...finding it only to run out of gas to go back for it...sleeping in and being an hour late to work one day....and the next day having a flat tire that made him a half hour late to work!  I am so glad the work is flexible and he is OK...he says he is already tired of the long commute so I ask that you all continue to pray for us to be patient in this transition period.

However, that is not why I started this post today...while I have this 'free time' this week...I have been planning out our next year of school.  For the past few years, we have used a box curriculum.  It came at a time when I needed a little less stress and a lot less planning on my part.  It served its purpose and we made it work for us.  However, we truly love the Charlotte Mason style of teaching and so we decided to back away from the box this year and get back to our roots!  Quite literally, as we will be spending more time outside and looking closer at the world around us...even the roots of the plants and trees we love so much in nature!  I am excited about the new school year and I hope I can carry that excitement over to the children.

So...I thought it was funny to read my all time favorite comic strip this morning to see the children talking about homeschooling.  The children are talking about school and the young boy says that he asked his mom to homeschool him but she agreed only for a million dollars.  I will save the punch line for you to read yourself.

But it got me thinking...

You know...I have some wild...crazy...whirlwind boys...but I do not need a million dollars to teach them about this world.  I do it because I love them and want them to have the best.  I want to be there when they discover new things and see their eyes sparkle in wonder.

Are there times when I am frustrated with them and wonder why I am doing this crazy thing called home schooling?  YEP!!!  Oh yeah!  But usually this happens when they are frustrated too...and I have found that if I step back and think about what is happening that I have an "ah-ha!" moment and we can get back on track.  This is one of the reasons I love the CM style...I can go with there interests and new interests to get us back into the joy of learning.  I don't need a textbook to teach about the world.  I can find a good living book or go on a nature walk and teach so much more!

The greatest part of my day is when one of my children shares with some one else what they have learned.  That is when I know they truly get what we are learning.  That does not come with a standardized test or cookie cutter curriculum.

So, you could not pay me a million dollars to home school my children...what I enjoy with my children is priceless.  And I look forward to this year with joy knowing that I will be right there learning along with my children...there is no price tag on that feeling!