Ok, so I’m a little behind on my weekly wrap-ups. Perhaps monthly or even seasonal wrap ups may be in order??? HA!
So, this month we survived our first month of homeschooling!!! We’ve been home for 4 weeks and A) my children are still alive and B) I still love them!!! Overall, it’s going very well. I admit I had pretty low expectations. Over the past 6 mos. I’ve had numerous people look at me in shock and say “ALL FIVE???” “I will pray for you!”. This left me thinking “what are all the homeschool moms online not telling me, because they seem to love it?”. Well, for now I can say that I love it. (this may change mid-February) These are my top 5 reasons
5) Flexibility – Both in academics and in life. Joe was struggling with the math program so we switched it and said goodbye to the frustration. We can drop everything for a last minute field trip.
4) NO homework in the evenings - This was a huge stress for us for the last two years. Joe has practice 2 nights a week and the girls have games 2 nights a week but there’s no worries about when they’re going to get their work done. (this is Matt’s top reason)
3) Time (see #4) - I feel like I’ve been given the gift of time with the kids. Yes, what everyone has been telling me for the last 14 years is true – It goes SO fast! Hannah is going to be leaving us in 5 short years, and I am loving the ages the girls are right now. So I am enjoying just being with them.
2) Lesson Planning - I love all the organization of planning. I love the books and getting things ready for the week. Most weeks I don’t get through 1/2 of what I planned but I still enjoy doing it. I’m sure I’ll get tired of it eventually but for now I really like it.
1) Less stress!! – Our days are so much more relaxed. This has been the biggest blessing. It just seems to be a more relaxed lifestyle. The mornings are quiet and relaxed, and the day just seems to have a nice flow.
The kids are adjusting better than I thought they would. There are things they really like about it. Getting up later, finishing by 1:00, no homework seem to be the top three. They miss their friends a lot but they have made some new friends through sports and homeschool group. I am so proud of them for their good attitudes and effort to meet new people. Volleyball has been wonderful for the girls. The girls enjoy having my mom for History and English. She comes here one day and we go there one day. It seems to be a pretty good balance.
Here are some pics of our first month
We went to the beach when everyone else was having their first day of school. I knew the older three would struggle not going to school to see their friends so we enjoyed the empty beach for the afternoon and then got ice cream on the way home.
Our first field trip was to the Renaissance Festival with Grandma & Grandpa Nicola.
Joe is in the homeschool beginning band. He is playing the saxophone. He really looks forward to Tuesdays because his good friend Joe is also in the band. Isn’t he cute in his shirt? 
Fifi loves homeschooling because she gets to spend more time with Hannah.
I can’t believe how fast the weeks are flying by. I’m still welcoming those prayers because even though things are going surprising well it’s still not easy. There are daily struggles with getting along, lack of motivation, (by both kids and mom) and bad attitudes. There are days when I doubt myself and whether or not I can/should be doing this. I am finding that at the end of the day God has given me just enough grace to get through it.
