Monday - the 6th day of school

Before I start rambling, you need to know 2 things. Homeschool is going awesome! I couldn't have expected it to be better. And, I have no pics for this blog post.

With that said, I'm facing new challenges today.

1. Mat's schedule is different than your normal 8-5 M-F. You think - yeah, then it's great that you homeschool. I have the ability to be flexible, but this morning represents the challenge this give ME personally. Mat had to go in late b/c he's dealing with clients on the west coast with a 3 hour time difference. So instead of starting our school at 9am as I have been doing, I decided that it was most important for the kids to have "Daddy time" while they could. Inside my head I was fighting the change in routine, and I was snappy to my whole family or at times just quiet. I wasn't mad. I was just having an internal battle. I got over it, but I'm sure I'll always find that as THINGS come up to change our day that I'll still cringe inside.

2. Andrew is a super bright kid. He's well above average, and I'm not just saying it because he's my son. He is smart. I have to think of ways to cover the basics and enrich his mind at the same time. So I've decided to stick to the book lessons (sometimes covering 2 lessons at a time), and then give an enrichment lesson for things that are not taught until a child is typically older. I do this for both reading/phonics and math. Keeps me on my toes, and it makes our days a little bit longer which brings me to my 3rd challenge.

3. Andrew is 5. He is so smart, but he still has the attention span of a 5 year old. I'm struggling to know when to push him to do more and when to call it quits. I'm doing a good job of it, but it's still something that I'm constantly aware of. We live in a world where most people don't push their kids, and when you push your child, you are even criticized. I witnessed it first hand from an excellent group of mothers and friends I hung out with the other day. They weren't talking about Andrew, but they were talking about another friend who pushes her children - a woman I highly respect. I don't mind people criticizing me, but it got me thinking about "is there a line of when you shouldn't push your child?" and if there is, "where is that line?" I expect a lot out of my son. I want him to learn responsibility, and I want to push him to the point at which he is excelling and being challenged daily.

I'm realizing that I'm going to grow as a mother, a person, and a leader through this experience...likely as much as Andrew is going to grow. I also hope to grow in my walk with Christ. This journey will bring challenges that I never imagined, but it will make me stronger and better...if I turn to Christ. Because on my own, I will yell at my children, and flap my mouth too much in public and at home. I don't want that for myself or my children. I choose Christ....now if I could just make time to spend with HIM each day like I should be doing.