The "Lifestyle" part of Homeschooling

Making the decision to homeschool is unlike other schooling options as it changes your whole lifestyle.  Often that means that if Mama worked outside the home, that job and her potential income is sacrificed to support this chosen way of life. 

Like many of you, I worked before children, had moved up the ladder,  and was certain of a successful career.  Then, on February 28, 1994, Elizabeth came into our world, and that career I thought was so delicious, now tasted like shoe polish.  I wanted out.  Now.

I wasn't able to stay home until we were expecting our triplets, when Elizabeth was two.  Luckily, my best pal Shelly, just next door to me, took care of my girl during those two years, so Guy could finish school and I could get home. 

The thing is, this decision hasn't meant all our troubles were gone.  Financial hardship has caused me to quit homeschooling once, only to return to see that it didn't help after paying for five kids in Catholic school, and it was stressful, on all of us.  I feel that God has called us to a simpler lifestyle, one very different from our two income friends.  Something that is hard to remember when I see they have things my children or I would like, and when the nay sayers try to place doubt in our hearts because, we let them.

Plus, when you are working, you get to engage other adults regularly and get accolades for a job well done.  Staying at home with your kids, all the time, can get maddening sometimes.  Plus, there's no cheerleader standing over me at home, when I've managed to show my second grader how to trade a ten for ones, while reviewing a middle school essay on Helen Keller and nursing a half grown baby at the same time.  No one sees...except God.  But we don't always hear His cheers.  It's easy to forget it when we are doing a job well done.  And on some days, that may mean we didn't necessarily finish out a great day of education, but we did demonstrate some virtues, ministered to our family, and accepted God's will for that particular day.

Having your children with you all of the time does mean having to sacrifice your time.  Having to take a half dozen kids to the grocery store, or to a doctor appointment, or the mechanic, is no-fun-at-all.  Sometimes you have to step back and laugh at your own nonsense.  I have gotten used to the looks, especially after having my triplets.  I remember thinking I would never get to leave the house again, until one day, I just did, and we were fine.  I used to load up my triple stroller and my five car seats and take us all to Sam's every few Saturdays and we looked like a circus act, but I had to get over it and see that this is who we are. 

And now, I know my kids better than I did before.  We have a "groove" in our day, in our choreography of our family life.  I feel so lucky to actually get to raise my kids and spend the time with them I missed so much before, when we lived the traditional school life I talked about here.  Just last week I took my six pack of kids from almost 12 down to 19 months to Piccadilly for their 99 cent lunch, all by myself.  It was fine, but people looked at us as if we were the entertainment.  But remember, God sees. 

Once a lady came up to me in Cracker Barrel as we were leaving and said, "When y'all got here and were seated next to us, I have to say that I was annoyed because I knew my meal would be ruined with all those kids so close by, but your children were so well behaved and were such a treat to watch, and I just had to tell you that you're doing a great job and have a  beautiful family". 

All that time I thought I was viewed as the one who drives the clown car and brought the show, never to be taken seriously.  "There's that nutty homeschooler Kathy, with all those kids!"  Then, this little blue haired lady comes along, and may have spoken the words to me, but I know it was really God, cheering me on.