Setting the Stage ~

For those of you who don't know ... I was a public school teacher before I had my girls.. (I can hear the gasps from some :) I went to university for a fine arts degree in music (classical voice) and then onto teacher's college for a bachelor of education that focused on integrating the arts into the curriculum. It was an amazing year of learning and getting my feet wet in a 'real' classroom.

I was a die-hard public school person! I had gone to a public elementary school, as well as a public high school and had turned out alright (try to muffle your laughter!) so why wouldn't I put my own kids into that system? That's what I thought! Homeschooling was a foreign thought to me and I was not shy about telling people that we would not be doing that!! Oh, how foolish I was!! Now, this is where the best part comes in ~ it's called mercy!!

The Lord, in His gentleness and mercy, worked on this old girls heart and I had to literally eat my words when I started saying to my husband 'what about homeschooling?' Who was this stranger that was suddenly saying the words 'homeschool' 'our' and 'girls' in the same sentence?!
But the Lord also gave my husband great wisdom and his response was 'let's pray about it!' So.... we prayed and the Lord showed us the purpose He had for me. In a nutshell ~ to be a homeschooling mom ~

One thing I have learned through this years journey, with its mountain tops and deepest of vallie's, is that when you are following what the Lord's will is for YOUR life, then you are at peace~ content and happy! Does that mean that I am always happy when I am doing school with the girls? I wish I was!!! But it DOES mean that I have a great peace with the Lord about how we are schooling and training up our girls. I am praying that our girls will follow Him (the Lord), love Him, TRUST Him, honour Him, and SERVE Him with all their little beings! I want them to know that we are their biggest supporters, and we want them to be successful, learning everything they can, and most of all, learning of the Great Saviour's matchless love!

Now...with that said ~ is homeschooling for everyone? I don't believe so. I truly believe that the Lord lays things on people's hearts and what He puts on my heart, He might not necessarily put on someone else's. That is the AMAZING thing about serving the One who 'knit us together in our mothers' womb!' He knows what we can handle, what we can't .... and all the in between stuff :) Isn't that just great?! That thrills my heart to no end! He knows me so well, and He knows what I should be doing and He puts these little stirrings in my heart to let me know!!!

So .. as these blogs progress ... and I am sure they will ~ please keep in mind that I do NOT feel that homeschooling is the only way to school. Each family is unique and needs to look to the Lord for guidance and help. Maybe it's a Christian school, a private school or something else....what we need to remember is that if we are in the Lord's will for our lives and our families ~ we as moms understand this ~ our spirits will be at peace!