Homeschooling is for Crazy People - Reason #2

From the second you walk into our house, you can tell we have kid and that we love books. We wear our homeschooling on our sleeve. It's obvious that it has taken over our lives. Which is  just another reason why homeschooling is for crazy people. 

Homeschooling is for Crazy People

Reason #2 - It takes over your life! 

Why it's Crazy:

Brain overtaken.  Once you make the decision to homeschool, there's a lot of work to be done. Lots of research to do. What style of teaching do you prefer? What kind learners are your children? Which curricula will you choose? Will you make up your own lessons? What extra-curricular activities will your kids be involved in? Is there room for much else? Homeschooling can quickly fill your brain with questions, thoughts, and ideas. Sometimes you forget that kids just need to play and moms should probably clean houses.

Physically messy.  Since you and your children are home for a good portion of each day, there's wear and tear on the house. Dishes can pile up, lest you disturb the flow of learning to wash them.  Your home begins to resemble a library. There's literally books scattered in every room, including the garage and bathrooms. Beautiful artwork and projects cover your counter tops. Science experiments sit on the table while you wait for bacteria and/or sweet potatoes to grow.

Of course this is my kitchen counter.

Expensive.  Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. I know plenty of thrifty ladies who use entirely free resources to educate their kids. But, and this is a big BUT, when educating your children becomes a way of life, it sure is easy to justify purchases.  After all, they need this for LEARNING! We wouldn't want to forego something that could help our kids become smarter, better educated people, now would we? Top quality art supplies to help your kiddo make pretty pictures develop their passion? A pack of beautiful, quality books to teach them to LOVE reading about history and science? A box of small parts that allows her to build whatever her heart desires whilst also teaching math concepts and spatial reasoning? Sounds like $400 well spent.

Yes, there are pieces of this set all over the house.

Theory v.  Practice. Do you enjoy planning? I think 90% of the homeschooling moms I know actually enjoy keeping a planner. (Don't forget to color-code with your erasable Frixion pens!) Developing exciting, hands-on tasks that support learning can be a really fun way to spend your time. The idea of schooling at home is fun for those of us who enjoy learning. Many homeschoolers have a teaching background. But beware, it's easy to spend more time thinking about, reading about and planning than actually doing school. It can become a hobby. We crazy homeschoolers sometimes forget to carry out those beautifully color-coded plans.

Why it's Awesome:

Way of life.  When you're a crazy homeschooler, being with your kids and exploring the world becomes what you do. You think about life and learning differently. You realize that learning is life. We crazy homeschoolers have to look up the questions our kids ask us rather than just wondering. We check out piles books when something interests us or our children. We owe the library lots and lots of money, but we don't mind, because we know this money will be spent on new books...that we will probably return late too. 

So many books, so little time.

You learn too. When you're a dedicated homeschooling parent, you learn right along with your kids. In teaching my daughter first grade Spelling, I have learned rules about the English language that I had never heard before. I've learned techniques for mental math that surely would have made me a more confident math student. After watching my daughter have a blast and learn how to defend herself at karate class, I couldn't help but sign up too.

Awesome friends.  Initially, I worried that homeschooling could be a lonely endeavor. Fortunately, I was wrong. Contrary to popular assumption belief, you are never alone. There are homeschoolers everywhere, and when you begin searching for them, you find some really special people. These are great friends who are in the trenches in nearly the exact same way you are. They get what you are going through and they have worried, cried, yelled, and wanted to ship their kids off too. And since children need to socialize, you have the perfect excuse for getting together regularly with these fellow crazy people! (I looked everywhere but I do not have a picture of them. I promise I didn't make them up!)

Rewarding work. As all teachers know, there is nothing quite as rewarding as watching a child who has struggled with a concept finally grasp it. We call these "Aha!" moments and we live for them. It feels so great to know that I am helping my kids learn to navigate the world around them and develop into competent human beings. Their struggles become my struggles and their triumphs make me want to celebrate too. Since I am the one teaching them virtually everything, I get to experience this wonderful feeling all the time. Which, perhaps, is why we crazy homeschoolers do it. 

She can read! And write! And do math! Not gonna lie, I taught her all that.

If you, too, would like to learn more about having a giant box of small parts in your house, just let me know in the comments!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Homeschooling is for Crazy People - Reason #1

I'm a crazy homeschooling mom and I don't care who knows it. This is the start of a series in which I'm going to share the secret life of homeschooling with you. I can't promise it'll be predictably regular, but as I uncover more reasons why homeschooling is crazy, I'll be sure to share them with you.  

First and foremost, I love what we do.  There are days that make me want to ship the kids off on the next bus outa here, but in general, I'm happy with my choice.  But there are certain things about homeschooling that require, well, someone...special. A crazy person.  Today, I took my kids to my doctor appointment and the first reason that homeschoolers are a little crazy came to me right away.

Reason #1 that Homeschooling is for crazy people:
We're ALWAYS together. 

Why this is crazy:

Doctor appointments.  With children in tow, doctor appointments can become awkward.  I love my general practitioner.  He goes above and beyond to talk with my kids and has told me that they are more important than him and if they need something during my appointment, he should be the one to wait.  Wow, do I love him!  That being said, certain appointments (rhymes with synetologist)  can be awkward.  I try to get someone to watch them for those but they've joined me more than once, and came away without being scarred for life.  

Chilling in the waiting room, which became 10x louder upon our arrival.

Constant chatter.  I enjoy chatting with my kids and my little one has an adorable cartoon character voice, but sometimes, I just want to hear the sound of my own thoughts.  I typically cannot make it through a good song on the radio without input from the backseat.

Extra "help".  Some tasks, such as shopping for feminine products, making a phone call to an insurance and/or cable company, or running a series of errands, are just easier without the help of children. I can run into the store and grab a few things in just a few minutes, but when the kids are with me, I have to get them out of their car seats, remind them not to touch everything they see, and keep them corralled while I try to remember why I'm at the store in the first place.

Lack of alone time. You know that thing you'd choose to do if you had absolutely nothing else on your list? Like binge watching Netflix or reading more than two paragraphs of a book in one sitting?  Yeah, kids can sense when you're jonesing for some me time and derail it instantly.  Sometimes when they are playing nicely, I'll slip away to my room to read, but they quickly notice my absence and invite me to join them in watching mind-numbing children's shows or taking every book we own off the book shelf.

Permanent audience.  Certain activities, like trying on underwear (or last year's swim suit, yikes!) do not need to be witnessed by anyone.  How bout when you step on a pile of Legos and obscenities flow from your lips? Or when you've discovered cat poop in the basement again and straight up scream at your pet? It can be hard to have these most private moments witnessed by young people.  

Why this is awesome:

We function well together. "My kids would hate being with me that much!" someone once confided to me.  Well, when you're around each other this much, you learn how to deal.  You don't have a choice. The circumstances require that you learn how to live together, semi-peacefully. We've learned how to get along and not kill each other.  We've learned to accept each other's quirks and support one another's weird endeavors. Do we sometimes drive each other crazy? Of course. But over the course of (most) days, we're enjoying each other far more than annoying each other. Which brings me to...

Sisterly bonding. My girls are great friends. They are two years and eight months apart in age, but they play very well together. They bicker, like all siblings, but they have heard me say, "People are more important than things" enough times and they know that they have to work things out. They don't realize that they are in separate grades and would be segregated if they went to a traditional school. At homeschool gatherings, they play with one another's friends. Age is not something that divides them. All this time together has made them buddies.

They sure love each other.

Increased patience.  People often say, "Oh, I don't have the patience to be with my kids all day!" and I laugh inside.  Do you think I did when I first started? Absolutely not.  It has been a learning experience. My patience has increased tenfold out of necessity.  I pick my battles.  I can't let every little thing they do get to me, or else I'll be annoyed all day.  I've gained a lot of perspective from being around my kids day in and day out.  Some hills, annoying as they may be, are not worth dying on.  They are little people that are learning about this world and they deserve grace, just as I do when I have a temper tantrum and yell at the cats.

Real world learning. They come along with me wherever we need to go, which leads to a lot of learning. When they asked why I needed to go to the doctor, I explained that I haven't been feeling well because my iron was low. This led to a discussion of all the different things our bodies need to function, which spiraled into a discussion of different vitamins our bodies need and what we can eat to get them. A trip to the post office leads to an explanation of how the mail comes to arrive in our box every day. A drive through the ATM and I'm explaining to the kids that the machine does NOT just spit out money, but actually withdraws it from my account. The opportunities for learning are endless when you're out in the real world.

Perk of being together: Good behavior gets noticed!

So while there are some frustrating aspects to having my kids go everywhere I go, I wouldn't change it.  I've learned to save my grocery shopping for weekends (shopping alone takes half the time of shopping with kids) and I regularly attend Mom's Night Out events. Some days I call in the reinforcements (aka Grandparents) and feel blessed to have the time to myself, even if it is so I can go to the dentist. 

One thing is certain: I'm a crazy homeschooler, and I love it. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

5 Times Being a Parent Pays Off

I enjoy being a parent. There are hard times, don't get me wrong. There are times when I want to clock out, or fire myself. Most days are decent though. I like being home with my kids and I don't want that to change. But there are some instances when being a parent RULES and totally makes up for all the worry/exhaustion/annoyance/lack of sleep!

1. Halloween
Ever heard of the candy tax? That's when your kid collect a bucket of candy and you eat it while they sleep. As we were heading out to trick-or-treat, I told my youngest that I would be taking 30-50% of her candy because I'm her mom and I've earned it. Now don't think that I eat ALL of her candy, because that would be mean. I don't do that. I make sure to leave plenty of her favorites and eat mostly chocolate. And Swedish Fish. And Mike and Ike's. I love Halloween.

Come to me, sweet rewards!

2. Holidays in general, actuallyHolidays rock when you're a kid. Presents, food, cool decorations, fun traditions. They are a good time. Then you become a teen and you're in an awkward place where you want to participate but it might not be entirely socially acceptable. Then you become an adult without kids and some holidays become kind of a bummer. But having a kid makes holidays magical. The look on their faces on Christmas morning. Getting to be the one to hide eggs in really tricky places. Eating candy. That never gets old. Holidays with kids are awesome because their excitement totally rubs off. Don't forget to ask them what they are getting you for Christmas.

3. When you manage to teach your kid something cool. Kids are sponges, as the saying goes. Sometimes though, they manage to soak in something extra cool or something directly from you, and it feels really awesome when they show it. Like when my kid starts using a funny catch phrase she totally picked up from me, or, y'know, learns to read. Now that is awesome. It's amazing to watch them evolve into unique people with actual skills. My kid is learning to draw and she's actually good. I like to think she got some of that from me, either through genetics or because I sit down to draw a lot with them. Either way, I enjoy seeing my kids learn new skills.

I taught this kid to read and now she stays up late doing it!

4. When you need someone to geek out with.
Your kid loves you and thinks that everything you love is awesome by default. So when your spouse is tired of hearing you talk about Pokemon (here's looking at you, Tim!) your kid will be there to nerd out with you. When you need an excuse to re-read all of the Harry Potter books, just start reading them to your kid. Soon they will become a nerd just like you and you can enjoy it together.

5. When you need someone in your corner.
There are plenty of people out there that can make you feel like crap. Some days, you might replay a conversation in your head over and over again and feel like an idiot because of something you said. Sometimes, people out in your workplace or friend group just don't get you and it's a huge bummer. If you haven't tried venting to your kid yet, you need to. The other day I was upset by something that someone said to me and after being sad about it for a while, I told my oldest all about it. She cried with me and we talked about how it's important to be careful with what we say so we don't hurt others. She was totally in my corner, and I'm not going to lie, it felt great.

This cutie is 100% Team Mom

So, what do YOU think makes parenthood extra awesome?

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.