And we're off....

on this crazy adventure we've chosen called homeschooling. I'm not sure exactly what to expect along the way: times of pure joy, that's my hope; times of pure agony, that's a given. It's guaranteed to not be boring.

I struggled with the decision to HS. Was I doing it because I truly felt called to do so or was it a decision made in response to my own fears of sending my only daughter off to school? Not sure I can still honestly answer that question without saying probably a mixture of both. I did research and went to conventions. I talked (ad nauseum to many dear friends and family) about the pros and cons I was weighing. I seemed to have the hardest time to just say, "Yes, we're going to do it." My husband was totally behind it. Why couldn't I make the decision? Was I afraid of the time commitment involved? Maybe. Was I mourning the loss of the break I would get every day if she were in school which would equate to luxurious strolls though the aisles of Target or Walmart...alone or being able to clean my whole house in one setting? Big maybe. Would I be able to teach her the skills that she would learn just by being part of a group, especially since she is an only child? Huge maybe. Regardless of my indecision, we are in it now and I'm holding fast to the fact that I can only do so much, teach her so much and then it's up to God to fill the gaps. He will honor our sacrifices.

Rambling aside, today was our first day. We took a late family vacation to the beach (Off topic, I'm destined to live on a beach someday.), so we waited until after our return to begin. Of course, even with all of my planning on top of planning (with some planning added for good measure), I still didn't feel totally prepared for our beginning. I taught public school for 5 years in my previous life and was as nervous last night and this morning as I ever was on the first day of school. It's sort of like the anticipation of the arrival of a big, desired event with the splash of a root canal thrown in. As far as first day's go, it was pretty good. I got through everything I had planned and realized that I need to add even more activities to our schedule. We must get some clear cut school rules established and I need to figure out how to cut down on some of the wiggles.

Our motto for our HS this year is, "Duty is ours, results are God's." - John Adams.

Our trust is in him. Welcome to our journey. Might be best to buckle up.