It comes up every month or so that the kids have been in public school: the need to justify our education decisions. Why must I prove to someone else why what I chose is best for MY children? Why must someone else prove that their choice for THEIR is better than mine? This is such a sensitive issue. It is especially touchy in my church full of affluent, highly educated parents who either have the money to send their children to one if the best private schools in the country, or who a capable of homeschooling, especially in the upper grades.
I am just growing weary of all my homeschooling friends constantly trying to prove that their education choice is the best, especially on Facebook where they don't have to look their friends in the face and tell them that what they're doing (in sending their children to public school) lazy, irresponsible, sinful, and is going to cause their children to lose their salvation. They wouldn't dare say this to their friends' faces, but hide behind blog links and newspaper columns. Why must they prove to me and everyone else that their to homeschool their children is best of all? Just because its best for them does not necessarily mean that it's best for all families. Have they been in my home, walked beside me day in and day out? Do they know my capabilities, my weaknesses? My children's capabilities and weaknesses? No. So why do they think they know what's best for my family? Let them prayerfully choose what is best for their family and leave me and my family to do the same.
End of my rant.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I feels like a huge weight has been removed from our shoulders. We've sold our house! Well, almost. We're under contract and the inspector comes Monday. The house went on the MLS around midnight Friday. We had about twenty showings between saturday and Sunday, and five offers. Or realtor came over Sunday night and we hammered out the details of the contract until a out 10:30. We were offered 20K more than our asking price by two different people! We were just blown away by the speed at which everything happened! We are also amazed at God's provision for us. We bought the house for $145K ten years ago and are selling it for $335K!
This house has been Brian and my pet project. We have put so much blood, sweat, and tears (ok, maybe not tears, yet, but those will come when we walk out the door for the last time) into this home. It had been our dream to have an old house we could fix up, and this was the oldest one we could afford in Austin at the time. It has been so much fun! Where were going we won't have the same opportunity. The houses are new, lack character, and won't need major renovating, but I think it will be good for our family. We can spend our weekends playing together instead of working around the house all the time.
Margaret and Samuel went back to school yesterday. I think they enjoyed their spring break even though we didn't do a whole lot. They spent part of it with Brian's parents and part with my mom while Brian and I worked to get the house up for sale. We will owe them some kind if camping trip or some other fun.
Margaret has her first track meet on Thursday. She's running the mile and half mile, I believe, as well as doing the long jump.
Hazel has her fifteen month well check today, although she's really sixteen months old now. When you're not following a vaccination chart you forget to go in for those well checks.
I guess that's all I have time for right now. Happy Tuesday!
This house has been Brian and my pet project. We have put so much blood, sweat, and tears (ok, maybe not tears, yet, but those will come when we walk out the door for the last time) into this home. It had been our dream to have an old house we could fix up, and this was the oldest one we could afford in Austin at the time. It has been so much fun! Where were going we won't have the same opportunity. The houses are new, lack character, and won't need major renovating, but I think it will be good for our family. We can spend our weekends playing together instead of working around the house all the time.
Margaret and Samuel went back to school yesterday. I think they enjoyed their spring break even though we didn't do a whole lot. They spent part of it with Brian's parents and part with my mom while Brian and I worked to get the house up for sale. We will owe them some kind if camping trip or some other fun.
Margaret has her first track meet on Thursday. She's running the mile and half mile, I believe, as well as doing the long jump.
Hazel has her fifteen month well check today, although she's really sixteen months old now. When you're not following a vaccination chart you forget to go in for those well checks.
I guess that's all I have time for right now. Happy Tuesday!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Spring Break is here! We aren't asking a trip this year, just hanging around here and working on getting the house ready to list this Friday. The photographer comes Thursday and the house gets listed Friday. Between now and then we have a pretty long list of little jobs that need to be done. We made a lot if progress over the weekend. The boys spent the weekend with my mom and Margaret stayed with us to help with Hazel. We've never really had time with just the two girls. How quiet and peaceful everything seemed!
Yesterday after church we met our realtor in Steiner Ranch to look at three houses. We liked one in particular. We can't put an offer until after we've listed ours, so maybe it'll still be around next weekend. Things in Austin are selling like hotcakes, often with competing offers and offers above the asking price. I sure hope that's the case in the selling of our home!
Margaret and I went for a long run Saturday morning that included a stop in at Central Market for trail mix and a stop at the thrift store. So much fun! She's the best running partner!
I was nodding off to sleep on the couch, streaming an R.C. Sproul broadcast, when the front door opened and I heard several little voices and a couple of big voices. It was the Koplins, the family that Margaret babysits for. They had rented out their house at Mueller for SXSW and in the meantime were house sitting for friends who live a few streets over from us. They stayed and visited a couple of hours. I think it's best when friends drop in unexpectedly. It keeps me from focusing on having everything perfect and instead concentrating on my guests. A d things were far from perfect yesterday, paint cans and drop cloths spread all over the living room, a stinky kitchen trash, dirty dishes in the sink, and me with smeared eye makeup from napping. I love the Koplin family, and they love Margaret. They even want her to come live with them for part of the summer after we move. Not that we will be that far away, just too far for her to walk or ride over for a daily babysitting gig. They are so trusting of her, it's really an honor. They starting hiring her to babysit when she was eleven.
Well, gonna have to cut this short to get my little people moving. Have a blessed Monday!
Yesterday after church we met our realtor in Steiner Ranch to look at three houses. We liked one in particular. We can't put an offer until after we've listed ours, so maybe it'll still be around next weekend. Things in Austin are selling like hotcakes, often with competing offers and offers above the asking price. I sure hope that's the case in the selling of our home!
Margaret and I went for a long run Saturday morning that included a stop in at Central Market for trail mix and a stop at the thrift store. So much fun! She's the best running partner!
I was nodding off to sleep on the couch, streaming an R.C. Sproul broadcast, when the front door opened and I heard several little voices and a couple of big voices. It was the Koplins, the family that Margaret babysits for. They had rented out their house at Mueller for SXSW and in the meantime were house sitting for friends who live a few streets over from us. They stayed and visited a couple of hours. I think it's best when friends drop in unexpectedly. It keeps me from focusing on having everything perfect and instead concentrating on my guests. A d things were far from perfect yesterday, paint cans and drop cloths spread all over the living room, a stinky kitchen trash, dirty dishes in the sink, and me with smeared eye makeup from napping. I love the Koplin family, and they love Margaret. They even want her to come live with them for part of the summer after we move. Not that we will be that far away, just too far for her to walk or ride over for a daily babysitting gig. They are so trusting of her, it's really an honor. They starting hiring her to babysit when she was eleven.
Well, gonna have to cut this short to get my little people moving. Have a blessed Monday!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Brian and I just got home from hearing Sinclair Ferguson at church. He was speaking to Redeemer Seminary on John Calvin and the work of the Holy Spirit. It was good, a message I needed to hear. I've been struggling to understand the Holy Spirit. Ad it was nice to get out with Brian for an hour or so.
We've been plugging away at school. William and John are doing well, especially in math, despite my best efforts to confuse them. Haha. We took a picnic lunch to the park and enjoyed several hours out in the sun today, plus a two mile walk. We've been enjoying a lot of read a loud time lately. That's something I really, really enjoy, reading aloud to the kids.
Hazel is a constant source of entertainment for us. She still doesn't talk, but understand most of the things we tell her or ask her. She is the busiest child and seems to be like Margaret and I in that she loves to clean house. Of course, she also love to make messes, too, but she has really picked up on the cleaning part. She's an old soul, and usually has a serious expression (actually all my kids it john have been that way). She loves to have books read to her, and William is her book buddy. She trusts Margaret and Samuel most of the four, but knows William is a buddy she can go to. Now John, he's a little unpredictable and she has to be on her toes around him, though he does make her laugh. They all think she's wonderful. The other day Samuel said, "I just can't imagine life without Hazel!"
Hazel still nurses several times a day and half the night. She nurses more than she eats solids. I guess that's ok. She seems to be growing alright. I would like for her to start sleeping through the night sooner or later. She goes down in her bed, but wakes up in the night crying every night.
Tomorrow she'll be 16 months! It's hard to believe that William didn't start walking until he was that age! She's been walking since she was 11 months, my earliest walker.
Gonna have to cut this short. It's getting late and 5 am. will be here before I know it.
We've been plugging away at school. William and John are doing well, especially in math, despite my best efforts to confuse them. Haha. We took a picnic lunch to the park and enjoyed several hours out in the sun today, plus a two mile walk. We've been enjoying a lot of read a loud time lately. That's something I really, really enjoy, reading aloud to the kids.
Hazel is a constant source of entertainment for us. She still doesn't talk, but understand most of the things we tell her or ask her. She is the busiest child and seems to be like Margaret and I in that she loves to clean house. Of course, she also love to make messes, too, but she has really picked up on the cleaning part. She's an old soul, and usually has a serious expression (actually all my kids it john have been that way). She loves to have books read to her, and William is her book buddy. She trusts Margaret and Samuel most of the four, but knows William is a buddy she can go to. Now John, he's a little unpredictable and she has to be on her toes around him, though he does make her laugh. They all think she's wonderful. The other day Samuel said, "I just can't imagine life without Hazel!"
Hazel still nurses several times a day and half the night. She nurses more than she eats solids. I guess that's ok. She seems to be growing alright. I would like for her to start sleeping through the night sooner or later. She goes down in her bed, but wakes up in the night crying every night.
Tomorrow she'll be 16 months! It's hard to believe that William didn't start walking until he was that age! She's been walking since she was 11 months, my earliest walker.
Gonna have to cut this short. It's getting late and 5 am. will be here before I know it.
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