Adventure

School today was much like a wisdom tooth extraction. If I hear, "This is too hard", "Why can't we just do 2nd/5th grade (respectably) work", "This book is wrong", or "Ms. So & So didn't do it that way" I may just have to pull out what's left of my already thin hair. Never mind the fact that "bedtime" is pretty much a joke now, and that you got to sit at Butcher Shop and enjoy an awesome breakfast while leisurely sitting back to have your Bible & Character stories read to you this morning. One day, I hope they will understand and appreciate the sacrifices that we have been willing to make to give them what, we feel, is best for them. I began typing this post about 5 hours ago and I'm just sitting down to finish it. One child had to spend most of the evening at the dining table with his father overseeing him finish, what should've been, a simple English assignment. I refused to listen to moaning and complaining during our regular school hours & told him he would have to take it up with the "principal" when he got home. I got them set up at the table, handed the answer key off to dad, and then headed out the door for some fresh air and retail therapy...Does stopping by the pharmacy to pick up thyroid medicine count as retail therapy? I'll take whatever I can get. Just kidding, sort of. I did spend an hour in a retail store near the pharmacy. What is a girl to do when she can't find clothes that fit the way she would like? Resort to shopping for house ware items- and that's what I did. I bought a turkey baster, new hand towels for my bathroom (since the acne wash...yes acne wash (that I have to use at age 30-something) bleached out the previous ones) and a gravy separator. I'm so excited about the gravy separator! I was just telling my hubby the other day that I needed one to strain the fat off of chicken broth so cooking chicken & dumplin's would be easier. Guess what's for dinner tonight? Yea!!! Shopping for myself wasn't a complete bust. I found 3 pair of shoes for fall. If you've followed my Facebook statuses in the past, you will understand that this is a huge feat (no pun intended...get it? HUGE FEeT :) I also found a backpack for myself that will come in handy on the kid's field trips to tote hand sanitizer, wipes, kleenex & the camera, as well as a smaller crossover purse. I don't know if that's what they're really called, but the kind that crosses over your body so you can have free hands. My 6 year old saw one & told me I needed one like it and I agreed. My 2 hour break was just enough time to clear my head and begin to relax. Then I came home and drank a cup of coffee so I'm awake typing in my blog at 12:23 a.m. (I'm beginning to think I'll never learn this lesson, as it's become a regular occurrence)
In other news: In case you didn't see on FB, it is now public knowledge that we are part of a new church plant that's happening in our town. After much prayer and over 6 months of laying the ground work, we are ready to see what God has in store for this church.
I must say that this is the busiest season in each, my hubby's & my life, yet there is a peaceful calmness. We are both focusing on what we feel the Lord has called us to do. So, as chaotic as our schedules seem- and as heavy as the responsibilities before us are, WE WILL PRESS ON- Prayerfully taking every step in obedience to the calling. Saddle up your horses- This is the great adventure!

Beginning week five!

It certainly doesn't feel like I've been a teacher for nearly 5 weeks. Home schooling has gone better than I could've imagined, although I have had a few surprises along the way. While I was preparing for this journey, I just knew I was going to struggle with my strong-willed first born. It was honestly one of my biggest fears that every instruction I gave him would be met with a bad attitude. I am SO pleased to announce that he proved me wrong! He has done a fabulous job. My second born, however, hasn't made as easy of a transition. He will tell us that he likes home school better than public school, but you certainly wouldn't be convinced by all the pouting he dishes out in the few hours we are doing school work. I'm pretty sure it just boils down to him missing his friends at school. We have joined a local group and attend play dates every Friday. He seems to be making new friends and settling in nicely with the others. I feel like the attitude will subside with time. He's thrilled that we will be picking up one of his old buddies from school tomorrow so they can spend a few hours together. I'm excited for him. My oldest daughter is doing great so far. We usually finish her work up in about an hour & 1/2. That doesn't include our read-aloud time. The toddler is always glad to have her big sister all to herself while I continue on with the boys for a couple more hours. Speaking of the little one, she is loving her 2 days a week of Mother's Day Out. She always asks when she can go to home school :) From time to time, I will let her practice her cutting skills at the bar while the others work at the table or let her play with pattern blocks and coloring pages. Every once in a while Dora will step in and offer some lessons in Spanish. She's been a real life saver ;) All 3 school-aged kids are doing great in their studies. I feel like they are getting a good balance of familiar review and challenges. I plan to do a little tweaking to our English/grammar curriculum, but other than that, I have been pleased. It's hard to believe that according to the public school schedule, we are almost a 6th of the way through our year. I'm curious to see when we will finish up. Time will tell. Speaking of time...my alarm will go off in about 7 hours, so I think I will head off to bed now. Sweet dreams!

Williams Academy

Since many friends have begun asking which teachers my children will be learning from this year at Spring Hill, I've decided to announce it here, on my blog. Ready? (drum roll) Mrs. Courtney Williams!!! That's right. Me. We've decided to teach our children at home this year. I know what you're thinking. "Have you lost your mind?" Quite possibly. "Girl, you are crazy." You are probably right. "Aren't you worried about their social skills?" Hello? Have you met their father? No worries. "What are your qualifications to teach?" Quite frankly? None. I struggled to get through high school and quit college after 6 weeks with a 1.5 GPA. "Why would you want to home school?" Well, I had a strong desire to home school when our oldest was in preschool. My husband didn't share my desire at that time, so I let it go. Our oldest 3 children have done well at their father's alma matter for 5, 2 and 1 year(s). We didn't have a bad public school experience that "forced" us to pull them out. Some may assume our decision is based on "religious" reasons due to the fact that my husband has served in some form of vocational ministry for most of our marriage. Though that may have influenced our decision, it wasn't the cause for it. We aren't trying to "shelter them from the evil forces of the world and beat them over the head with the Bible daily". Don't get me wrong. We will strive to follow the instructions given to us as parents in Deuteronomy 6 by diligently teaching our children through our every word & action to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls and might...just as we've always tried to do when they were in public school. My husband was thinking a few weeks ago of how quickly our children are growing before our eyes. He did some math and figured out approximately how many hours he has left with our oldest son before he flies the coop. It struck a chord with him and he approached me about home schooling. Since it had already been a desire of mine, he didn't have to twist my arm. We've spent the last couple of weeks talking to family, friends we have who home school, as well as people we know who have, themselves, been home schooled trying to glean as much wisdom on the subject as we could. While I am a little anxious about my new role as "teacher", I am comforted by the amount of support and resources available to me as well as my children. I want everyone to know that we are not anti-public school. We are just pro-home school for this season in our family's life. This was a personal choice for OUR family. The children are ecstatic. Let the new journey begin!!!!