Day 96,97,98,99

These days time is flying by.  I also have a headcold and we are working on getting our bedroom painted (it's been 10 years this month, and it was with flat paint-yuck!)

We did have a major blow-out this week, and we have been considering school for next year.  There are a few good reasons to think about it, not the least of which would be an extra paycheck.  I decided to make a list of the pros and cons of sending Luke and Emily to school.  I put on the list everything I could think of, then I turned it out to the kids, and told them to add whatever they thought would be relevant.  I even made it like a bar graph (each reason has only one line, and pro and con are next to each other going up the page). 

I was a little hesitant about letting them add their own pros and cons, but I think it was a good idea.  As it turns out, homeschooling is winning out 11-5 so far.  I'll keep the list going for a while just so I can be sure, but homeschooling may be in my future for next year.  One advantage of doing this list is that I can see where I'm having trouble, and where the kids might need something changed too.  One thing that came up in the pro column was "Be away from each other a while".  I can understand that one.  But now that it's been written down it seems more real and I can deal with it, and we can make some adjustments to our schedule to allow for some differently structured time.

I have to admit I was very upset about the idea of the kids going to school, of my 'failure' as a homeschool parent, of changing our entire lives.  For most of this year, if the subject came up, I got quite emotional.  However, having discussed it with the kids and husband realistically, I can say that I feel better about it.  I don't exactly know why, but now I feel more like if it happens, it happens.  I got to have them home and sheltered and, in some ways, better educated for much longer than most.

Anyway, we're still homeschooling for now, and already I find myself finding things for next year.  I'm willing to bet that in the face of the list, homeschooling is indeed in my future.  So much for an extra paycheck!  :)