Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Year Is Half Over Check-In

Hi Readers!  I haven't forgotten you!  I have just put you on the way back burner for a long time- don't you feel special?  Ha, no, it's just been a busy few months around here.  I suppose a quickish recap is in order.

Blair completed kindergarten and is now preparing for 1st grade!  Crazy stuff.  I have been kicking around the idea of possibly homeschooling her next year via Classical Conversations.  More on that later, but there is still a chance she will be going to a local Christian school and we will know for sure in about a week or so.  We are waiting to see whether she has been awarded a scholarship and if so, how much she qualifies for.  If she does not receive it or the amount is too great, we will then return to the homeschool plan, much to my discomfort.  Sometimes I see, in my mind's eye, happy days filled with learning around the table and reading on the couch, family field trips to the zoo and museums, vacations on a whim with no need for school permission and close knit relationships between each family member... and then my reality yanks me out of that daydream when a fight breaks out in front of me over a spot on the couch and I look at the clock to see that it is only 8 AM and Daddy won't be home for many more hours.  So am I super excited about the prospect of homeschooling?  No.  I am "open" to it.  If necessary, I will do my best and jump in.  I know I will be uncomfortable.  I know I will be impatient.  I know I will fail way, way more than I wish I would. But I also know that I want what's best for my kids and I just don't feel like public school is best.  Christian school is not in our future for long if at all, sadly.  We cannot afford for more than one child to attend, no matter how well we save.  I have to accept that homeschooling is probably happening sometime in the next couple of years, even if it's not this year.  I'm coming to terms with that plan.  Pray for me!

Mark and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary a little late so we could wait until Blair was done with school.  We planned a 6 day trip that included a stop in Asheville, NC and then a few days on Tybee Island, GA.  It was wonderful!  We were very blessed by my in-laws who kept our kids safe for us at home while we were gone.  Being without those three was certainly strange and I will admit that I really missed them!  I really loved our getaway though!  We went hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, watched Netflix until late without little voices whining about what we were watching, ate lots of delicious food, took a historical trolley ride in Savannah, explored thrift stores, ran around the marsh, swam in the ocean, laid on the beach and marveled at the past ten years of our life together.  It was a great trip and we would love to share those places with the kids some day!

Blair has been involved in lots of summer activities- Mark coached her spring soccer team and though it was a rocky start, the team gelled and won the last 5 (of 7) games.  She was involved in 3 different VBSs and enjoyed them all!  This week, she is doing a drama camp that will have a final performance on Friday night.  At the end of July, she will begin fall soccer with a new team, again coached by Mark.  She is blossoming into a big girl by the day.

I am thinking about signing up for a half marathon... in September.  And I haven't run more than 3 times this summer.  I know this is crazy talk, but the race is in my home town and I want to get back there this year.  I haven't really talked to Mark about it yet, but the idea is literally running around in my head.  Maybe I will blog about trying to train in 10 weeks from pretty much nothing.  Keep checking back to see the process if I do decide to subject myself to this torture plan.

Okay, I'm off to watch (another!) thunderstorm roll by.  This summer has been a doozy in the rain department.  Peace out!