School

School has been weighing heavily on our minds lately. We have been homeschooling Levi for this past year. It has had good and bad moments.

Good moments:
Time spent with Levi, watching him learn
Teaching him how to read, and watching him read his own stories
Exploring together
Doing things on our own time table

Bad moments:
The days seem long, hard, and at times, very isolating
A sick pregnant Mama, does not, a good teacher, make.
Figuring out how to juggle schedules, work, kids, and just general time to do "life" related activities.

Levi's favorite thing: playing math games, so he says. :)
least favorite: learning new things (read: things that are hard for him to understand)

So, with that... we've been weighing our options for next year.. Do we continue to homeschool him? Do we try private school? Do we go with public school? Do we do charter school?

Homeschool
Let me just be real for a moment, mkay? While it's been fun to teach him new things, I have not loved homeschooling. It's hard, and it's long (not the time, but just the continuing nature of it), for me, it's isolating, It's hard to find a good balance with homeschooling and me working, I feel like we end up using up every ounce of our day between the two things, and there is just no give in the schedule... this year? school got dropped if we needed to do something else, which felt slightly okay since it was just preschool, but next year Kindergarten? yea... not okay.
I'm also really concerned about balancing a 5.5 2.5 and a 6 month old next fall..... it kind of makes my head spin when I think about it.
But, I LOVE being home with my little learner, I love watching him learn about things he loves, we are currently working on learning to tell time because HE wants to do that.   I read good books about homeschooling, and think yes... that's what I want for my kids, but gosh darn't... it's a hard sell for this extrovert Mama who likes to do things. Which of course, typing that, reminds me of just how selfish our own human desires are.... and that seems so silly and contrite a reason to not homeschool.

Private School
I think both Mike and I feel most content with this option, minus the $6000 pricetag that comes with it. yea. That kind of $$ just isn't even possible. They offer scholarships, but they are minimal, and I highly doubt that even a scholarship would allow us the semi-ability to pay for school. It was a fun idea, but I just don't see how there is any earthly way it will ever happen.

Public School
We fortunately live in a very good school district, with excellent teachers\staff, and all that goes along with that. Most people just kind of stare at us when we say we're thinking about other options, because why on earth would you consider anything else with the district were in. I can't even really tell you why, because I don't know why ourselves, but its' just something we're considering, I suppose.  I HATE the idea of him being gone for 7 hours a day.. he's my baby, my first kid love, and I can't imagine not having him home all the time. The harder part yet, is how this would change what I do... I will not teach lessons 4 nights a week and have my kid gone every day until 7. I'd never see him, and I'm NOT okay with that... but what that means? I don't know. Do I bow out and not teach for a while, do I continue to teach but in a smaller capacity, do I teach but only say 2 nights a week? I just feel like there are lots of hard questions, and not a lot of great answers..

Charter School
This option feels kind of like an interesting middle to public\private.  I read good and bad things about Charter school, I hear good and bad things from parents.  I don't know what to say about it really other than it seems like maybe somewhat of a middle ground.... maybe.


Last year, we felt that the Lord had really called us to homeschool this year, and we felt confident in that decision... I haven't felt any sort of "pull" in any direction this spring, which I suppose makes it a little harder. I could talk on and on and on and..... well, you get the idea, about my thoughts on school, and truly, depending on the day, who I am talking with, and how the kids are behaving, can seriously impact what I am considering in that moment. ;)

our life in bullets

Is anyone out there?

You have no obligation to be, because I certainly haven't kept up my end of the bargain...
I don't even have a good excuse, really, other than just life, 2 kids, pregnancy, laundry, you know... things like that... which is really just life, which doesn't feel like a good excuse, but we always use it, so there ya go.

Bullet form to catch us up

• Levi turned 5 on January 27. He's amazing, and I'm convinced that he is going to grow up to be a a marine biologist, or some kind of animal behaviorist type of person. He can talk your ear off about animals for as long as you let him, particularly about lions, crocodiles, and sharks. He currently tells us he's a) saving his money for a shark boat b) when he's grown up he is going to learn how to dive, swim with sharks, and discover why they are disappearing. I can't make this stuff up, people. He has a passion for learning that I truly pray never dies. He is reading, basic 3 letter words, as well as simple blends. He enjoys it, but isn't to the point where he wants to sit down and do it by himself. He is doing basic math in school, can count to 100, and is starting to work on basic addition. He has recently taken a turn to wanting to learn how to tell time, so we've been working on that. He loves to be outside climbing trees, jumping in mud puddles, and doing all things boy. He is an adventurer. Yesterday he was outside, in the rain, in his snow pants, snow boots, raincoat, and climbing trees... :)  He also LOVES to draw. By love, I mean, he could spend hours doing it, and often creates huge posters of things for me to look at. I would love to find an art\drawing class of some kind for him this summer. Last summer we did one 2 hour class together and he STILL talks about it. He's also beyond sensitive, and very aware of how other people are feeling. More than once, he has started crying because Ruby is upset, and he is truly upset for her.  I don't think I could ever sum up how, on a daily basis, he never ceases to amaze me. 

• Ruby is 2, and she is ALL 2 ALL the time. She's a crazy fun ball of energy, who, contrary to her brother, zero interest in learning, but IS interested in playing with her brothers legos, and learning to dive bomb jump off the back of the couch.  I say this all the time, but Levi was never 2. Ruby however? ALL 2. Throws fits with the best of them, runs away from me saying, no, Mama, no! I mean, really, sometimes I just shake my head and think, really kiddo? not okay. We'll get there, slowly but surely....it's just a far cry from Levi who at 2 knew all of his letters, and would sit quietly beside me playing with playdoh... Ruby runs through the house and smears playdoh on every imaginable surface.  She has a soft spot for her babies, and I really think she is going to be a little mama to baby 3, but generally she just LOVES life. Sleeping, she does not love, however. The kids go to bed at 7, Ruby generally takes probably over an hour to actually FALL asleep, and is up unconscionably early every day, normally between 5:15-5:45.  I know, right? It makes you just want to drink a cup of coffee... please. do. :) She takes one nap during the day, about two hours, and there ya have it. She gets less sleep than Levi does... how that works, I will never understand.

• Baby Bean... oh I apologize now sweet one for the lack of documentation that is going to happen in your life. Here we are at 36 weeks, and I've hardly documented anything. Let me give you a brief run down. You are growing, you make me sick and queasy on a regular basis, and you caused a brief run in with labor and delivery at 33 weeks due to me being sick, dehydrated, and having contractions. Thank you for staying put for a while longer. We do appreciate it. :) not really much else to report. I'm ready to meet you, to KNOW if you are a boy or a girl... p.s. We still don't have a name picked out, and I apologize for that as well, it's just really hard to settle on one, when we don't' know what we're having. I promise we'll name you before we leave the hospital, truly, I do.  Right now, you are scheduled to arrive on April 18, via c-section, unless you should joyfully make an early appearance.. by the way, you are completely welcome to do that, but if you could not do so before April 12, that would be great, as Mama is working that day. I know, I'm already making demands, and you're not even here yet. We truly are excited to meet you, get to know you, and fall in love with you, even more than we already are. 

•  So there ya have it.. bullet form to catch you up, which is really just a kid update. :)  We're good. Doing a lot of thinking\praying in regards to school for Levi next year. It's such a big decision, and one that I frankly feel completely overwhelmed by most days. Life is good, and we are so thankful for the busyness and the blessings that come with the craziness of life and kids.