The Truth About Homeschool

Lately, I have noticed something that makes my heart pretty happy.  I have noticed a big influx in the number of families I know who are homeschooling.  Now, I don't know if this is like when you buy a new car then see a thousand of that car on the road with you when you never noticed one before or if there really are more people moving toward this lifestyle.  Either way, I know several families who are about to embark (or are thinking about embarking) on this journey.  Because of that, I thought I'd use this opportunity to inject a little truth I've found over our first year.  I'm by no means an expert, but for us, homeschooling hasn't been so much a challenge.  It's been more of an....adjustment. (And really, this was true for me for lots of times in my life- including when a new baby was born, which we also had this year!)

*Just a fair warning, the pictures you're about to see may shock and horrify you. 

It has taken me months and months to realize I can't do everything.  I have to pick my battles, so to speak, so here is a list of a few of our...adjustments.

Not that I've always loved doing dishes, but even with a dishwasher, my kitchen usually looks like this until at least after lunch.

Babies often go without being fully dressed...and they learn to love their rocking chairs.

Breakfast is often store bought.  (I know you won't believe me, but these cinnamon rolls are as good as my home made ones!)

Projects tend to go without being finished for a while.  I've been working on this calendar for weeks now.

And no matter how hard I try, I can't get messes to clean themselves up- not even for company! The nerve...

Many days, hair goes without being properly fixed.


And don't get me started on our potty training woes.

Even the school kids themselves can feel disengaged at times.

And the simple act of coloring one more page can become cumbersome and frustrating...not our best work comes out every day.

But let me tell you this: of all the adjustments I've seen in our family over the last year, the best have far outweighed the bad.  I taught my son to read, to write, to understand arithmetic, started journal writing, and the best...by far the best...has been watching these two become life long friends.  I still break up fights, and there are still tears, (from all 5 of us at times) but there is so much good in this house because we are prayerfully learning and adjusting so often in it...and that education has gone far beyond our kindergarten curriculum.