Well, we're doing it!

Homeschooling, that is! I've always wanted to, and it just seemed to be the right time. Elijah had a wonderful Kindergarten teacher in Mountain Home last year and was so happy to go to school, but he didn't seem to be having a good time in first grade. He was excelling, but not happy. They only had one 30-minute recess in a 7.5-hour day, and he was expected to do an hour or two of homework every night in addition to his work during the school day. It was just too much for him, and he was unhappy. He didn't get enough social time, plus he is gifted and was bored being taught words he's known how to read and spell for over two years. There is no gifted program where we live, so that was out as an option. He can honestly get more social time doing homeschool with all the activities we have planned, which seems funny to say because usually that is the first argument people make against homeschooling.

We love homeschooling so far! I've been teaching subtraction, counting money, and telling time for math, he's reading a chapter book, we're working on writing and spelling several sight words, spending tons of time outside, and doing lots of Fall and Halloween projects and activities! I've also contacted several homeschool co-ops and just need to decide which to get involved with. Madelyn and Ethan are getting in on the homeschool fun with their older brother. Ethan still goes to special needs preschool from 7:45-10:45 each morning, but participates in most of the activities we do outside of that timeframe.

Today, in addition to our academic work, we made fist-painted pumpkin patches! They were super easy and fun to make because the kids (and Mama) got to put their hands in paint. These were made while Ethan was at school, which is why he didn't make one. I put some orange paint in a bowl, they dipped their fists in the paint, and kind of (gently) punched the paper. The little fist marks really capture the texture of pumpkins! After the orange paint dried, we painted stems and vines in green. Here are some pictures of the project, and a couple more of Elijah's drawing and story about Halloween/his Jango Fett (from Star Wars) costume:

On the eve of 31.

Tonight I'm trying to enjoy being 30. That's right, tomorrow is my 31st birthday. I'm happier and more settled on this birthday than I have been on any of my previous birthdays in my adult life. I am happy. I love my husband, and I'm extra lucky because he loves me back. I love my three kids. I love having so many kids. A lot of people freaked out when we announced that we were going to have our third child, and then again when we got pregnant with #4 in November, but I couldn't be happier about having 3. (I miscarried on New Year's Eve, if you're wondering about why I'm not pregnant now.)

I am not sure why people have this cookie-cutter view about how many children a family should have. It's like you're supposed to have one boy and one girl and that's it. And if you mess up and have two of the same gender, then you're really just screwed and should call it quits. If you have three or more, no matter what, people look at you and say, "Wow, you have your hands FULL," and, "Well, you finally got your girl so now you can stop," or my very favorite, "When is Travis getting a vasectomy?"  I am tired of those people, and I am through caring what other people think. It's not that we are going to have more kids. We don't even know that if we tried we would get blessed with one. It's just that it is no one's business but our own. When I was younger, I cared what a lot of people thought about me. As I got older, I only cared what my family and close friends thought. Now I can say for certain that I only care what I think, and I will give Travis's opinions equal consideration. The number of kids one chooses to have is just like anything else, I suppose. People have this idea of how things should be: two children, one boy and one girl, house, picket fence, public school, quarterback, cheerleader, college, great career, and the cycle starts all over. And if you stray from that "ideal" at any point people will tell you that you messed up. Or worse, that you are messing your children up.

Wow. All that from a post that started with me saying how happy I am. And I am very, very happy. I sat and watched Elijah play t-ball this evening. After he crossed home plate in the first inning he came out to the stands to give me a hug and tell me he loves me. He is the sweetest, most wonderful boy. I have plans for two raised garden beds for all my fruits and veggies that are currently in containers (all the containers have taken over my front and back porches!). I really want to get the chicken coop thing figured out so we can add that to the backyard as well. I dream of the perfect backyard with several garden areas, a chicken coop and run, a compost area, and a clothesline area. Travis added a giant hammock to the backyard dream. After we get the gardens built in the next week or so, the chickens are the only thing left. Urban homesteading has become very close to my heart in the past months, and I am glad Travis feels the same way so we can give it a solid go. That, and we agreed that I would homeschool Elijah next year and see how it goes for 1st grade. I am just so happy. I feel like I am really living the life I was meant to live.

Here's to 31. May it be the best year yet.

(I thought I would end with some pictures of our day yesterday. That's Ethan's hair in the fuzzy pic with me. He was sitting on my lap but started getting up before the picture took.)