One Big Happy Family

Here is a picture of my mom's family on vacation. We all went to a local restaurant for their pizza buffet for one of our meals. They graciously seated us in their back room so we had it all to ourselves. I'm sure they appreciated having us contained in one room, too. The noise level was high at times. :) The food was delicious, the service was excellent and it was a nice change of pace.

I think it's pretty amazing that a group of this size (42 on the average for the week) actually gets along so well and really wants to spend a week together. Most of us don't see each other except for a couple times a year but because of our heritage, we recognize what an important thing family is.

I should also note that we're not crammed in tiny spaces together - we do recognize that having some personal space is important and perhaps vital to getting along together for a week. But being with people who genuinely care about each other helps, too. :)

-photo taken by Lee Rhodes

Why Do I Homeschool?

I am frequently asked this question and still don't have an answer ready. Ironically, it is usually asked by fellow homeschoolers, not by those who choose to not homeschool. I could speculate on why that is but will choose to not do that here. This is also usually one of the first questions I ask when I discover someone else who has decided to go this route. I'm not really looking for a new answer - just some confirmation that I'm not the only one out there crazy enough to do this.

I should clarify - I have lots of reasons why I homeschool but have a hard time articulating it to others. It's kind of like asking someone why they have kids - what answer do you give? There isn't really one main reason - it's a lot of little ones and even those sound superficial or shallow when said out loud. What it really boils down to is that I want to.

No, I don't want the responsibility of choosing my children's curriculum every year and deciding what they should learn and how. And no, I don't really want to spend every waking minute with them. I like my quiet time and time with other adults! I'm not a fan of dissecting anything or doing major projects.

But in spite of all these things that I don't want to do, my heart tells me to homeschool my kids. The idea of sending them to a brick building on a yellow bus seems so strange to me.

When Brendan was born, I had already decided that I wanted to stay home with him and be the one to take care of him. Thankfully, Josh agreed with this decision and supported me 100% - financially, emotionally, physically, any way he could. We had talked about homeschooling and the different ways it appealed to both of us, even though both of us had gone to public school. So it was kind of the plan all along but at the same time, I wondered how I would really feel when Brendan turned 5 and the big day came.

I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was to not send him to school. Why did he need to be gone from home 4 hours every morning (or now all day at most schools) to learn his abc's and numbers and how to write his name? I know at most schools they are trying to teach more at kindergarten but that is another topic. Why did he need to wait to get a drink when he was thirsty? To sit at a desk? To only go outside for a brief period of time when he was told? Why did he need that much freedom taken from him?

Every day that year, I watched him play with toys and become more independent and helpful around the house and play with his sister and learn to entertain himself and I was so thankful that he was home.

I have struggled with homeschooling - there have been different times that I have wished I could send them somewhere else. This last year was especially challenging with Rachel and Owen. When I would get them down for a nap, the last thing I wanted to do was go find Brendan and Tori and do some schoolwork.

Through this process, though, I can definitely see God working in my life. And I see fruits in their lives as well. I like that we share so many experiences together. I like that they are with their family more than friends. I like that they have more free time to read and draw and use their imagination. I like that our schedule is flexible and we can go visit family or take a vacation whenever we want. I like that I can learn more about my kids and how they think and learn and that I can give them the freedom to learn at their own pace - there is no competition or right or wrong age to learn skills.

For those who are not homeschooling, this post is not about you so don't get defensive about it. This is about me and why I am doing what I do. I'm not going to try and say what is right or wrong. I know that for me, homeschooling is right. And again, Josh agrees 100% and supports me in any way possible and I am so incredibly thankful for that.

There is more I could say but maybe it will have to wait for another time. I feel I have rambled on long enough. And there is no photo to make this more interesting! I realized today that I started this blog to share more about myself and my family. I've shared lots about my family but hadn't shared much about myself so decided to dive right in.

Vacation Highlights

We stayed at a resort in Cedarville, MI called Island View Resort. It's right on Lake Huron and was just beautiful. To be able to wake up every morning and see this view all day long was amazing. I would love to be able to rent a place on a lake for a month sometime. Honestly, I'd love to live there year-round but I'll go for realistic.

There was a family softball game one night, a variety show one night and lots of games and laughs every night. Tori did pieces of her ballet recital without any music. She did so good at remembering all the steps - I don't know where she gets the desire to perform from.

There was also an incident with the paddleboat. On it's 2nd run of the week, some boys took it out too far and needed help getting back in. Somehow the rope got wound around something, making it difficult to peddle and when they tried to force the peddles to go, it broke. A boat was sent out to rescue the paddleboat but the boys were on their own. :)

Another highlight was frog-catching. That is one of the best parts about a vacation like this. For a whole week, my kids get to do things like catch frogs and worms and parts of crayfish. I like that they get those experiences but I also like that it only happens a few times a year.

Some other highlights is that there were no major injuries (unless you count the time I bit my tongue really hard, which did affect my ability to read books out loud to Owen and Rachel clearly for a day) and no major sunburns (except for a stupid spot on my knee and also my toes - and I used sunscreen!) All in all, it was a great vacation. And I haven't even talked about our craft projects yet! I'll post about that next and how Owen and Rachel did in a big lake.

Vacation

We are leaving tomorrow for vacation. My mom's family rents a bunch of cabins for a week in northern Michigan and vacations together on a lake. The location has changed several times over the years but the main idea is the same - a place that we can have all to ourselves on a lake. We take turns making meals and play lots of games together. The younger cousins play together and the older ones get re-acquainted and share stories from younger years. There are boat rides, songs around the campfire and delicious snacks. My grandma generously paid for the vacation until she passed away last year. Now it is uncertain if the tradition can continue. Life is always uncertain so we will enjoy our time together on a beautiful lake and make new memories. I am already anticipating good conversation and lots of laughs. :)

We've decided to drive up to my parents tomorrow to make the trip on Saturday a little shorter. Because of that, we started packing up the truck tonight. Because of that, I didn't get much done as far as emptying the house today. And when we get back, Josh will work midnights the next week for a project at work. I can't really guess how that will go and what I will be able to get done and if I'll even end up staying here. I'm trying to be flexible - but that goes completely against my planner personality. I want to know what's going on! A deep breath - and I'm okay. I just have to remember to do that several times throughout the day. A deep breath and a prayer and I'm good to go - for another 10 minutes. :)