First Year Down.....

Wow! I can't believe that it's been a month and a half since I last blogged. Then again, it's not really surprising. There has been a whirlwind of activity here- VBS, a certain baby crawling all over the place, then pulling up, now cruising, several trips to the pool, and, of course, finishing up our first official year of homeschooling. All of this in addition to everyday life.

This may seem a little unusual to some, but for our family it works. We are going to pretty much school year round. That doesn't mean no breaks. That just means shorter, more frequent breaks. When Daddy's off work, no school! When we're busy swimming and playing in the summer, no school that day. Which, in turn means that in the cold winter months, we may be having school on Saturday mornings so that we have more flexibility when the weather is better. It works for us and still allows for plenty of play time.

I digress. The intention of this post was not to inform of our school days schedule, but rather to celebrate our official year being on the books. (Pun totally intended!)

Our five year old finished kindergarten Saturday, June 26! As we approached the finish line, I reminded him, 'When we finish with this, we're going to take a break.' And take a break we have! Swimming, loafing, playing, watching movies....of course, there has been a lot of book reading going on, too. So, while the book work is on the back burner, learning is still happening.

(Sidebar- We had a little graduation celebration! A big accomplishment in such a young life! Complete with diploma, cap and gown.)

There have been lots of teachable moments to me this year. My husband and I have seen clearer and clearer the hand of God at work in our lives individually and collectively as a family. We've seen God provide in ways that we hadn't imagined were possible and in ways we didn't even know we needed. He is always, always, always ahead of us and right here with us all at the same time.

I've learned my child doesn't have to do every single cursive worksheet in the book. (Hey, the kids in 'real' school don't finish every last one, either, so I am not going to lose sleep if my kids don't do a few practice sheets in there. Provided, of course, that they know the material!)

I've also learned how to let things go. Having a pristine home isn't nearly as important as toys scattered on the floor, art projects littering the table, and the breakfast dishes still in the sink. It means we have a healthy baby who has a natural curiosity and enjoys play. It means an older child is developing his creativity, and it means we have food to eat!

Basically, my priorities are getting more, well, prioritized.

Best of all, I'm learning by putting God first, spending time with Him each morning and asking for His provision and guidance throughout the day, that He will not put more on me than I can bear. He also will give me wisdom.

I'm pleased to report that we didn't survive the first year. We THRIVED! All by the grace of God. Nothing we have done could have gotten us through this uncertainty.

Sure, there were bad days and obstacles that seemed (and still seem, at times, insurmountable). But there has been more than enough grace to cover our days.

And the really awesome thing?

There's even more grace to get us through whatever challenges await.

And even more awesome than that?

There's more than enough grace to get everyone through whatever challenges await!

And, now that we have reached the end of our first official year, we are more certain than ever that the choice we've made is the right one. It's what we've been called to do. We wouldn't have joy anywhere else.

Grace. That word sums up what we live under, what we claim, what we know to be true.

Maybe we should give our little homeschool a name now that we are 'official'.

I'm thinking Grace Christian Academy sounds about right.