Why homeschooling isn't for us...right now.

Quite often when people find out I have five kids, they say this, "Wow, you have FIVE kids? Do you homeschool?" Our kids have always gone to public school, but homeschooling is something that I've constantly gone back and forth on. I was homeschooled for almost my entire K-12 life. So I know first hand the pros and cons when it comes to homeschooling. After a lot of prayer (and a test run on homeschooling this summer), Nate and I made the decision to send the kids back to public school this year.

I've spoken with a lot of moms who are in the same place as I am- trying to figure out if homeschooling is best for your kid. And then after you make a decision, having the question of whether or not you made the right choice. Here's a couple of reasons why we made the decision to keep the our children in public school:
First, they go to an amazing school. The principal is awesome, and that makes a huge difference in how a school is run. The faculty and staff are great and they all have good friends that they enjoy seeing. I can think of different reasons why they all benefit from being in school. The structure is good for them in different ways. One good thing about being homeschooled is that you have the ability to finish your work and then do whatever you want. My brother and I would get our work done by lunchtime, and the rest of the day we would spend outside playing, building forts, riding our bikes, reading, drawing. But I've found that when it's only two kids, playtime usually goes smoothly. But when it's five kids, it's a whole different story. A negative thing that comes with having so much free time after your work is done, is that study skills usually aren't formed. I'm speaking from experience. Every family who homeschools is different, just like every kid is different. But I didn't form any structured study skills when I was homeschooled and I struggled with that in college. I can see the same personality in some of my kids. A little structure is a good thing (:

The kids and I have had lots of fun this summer. I've planned activities, crafts, outings pretty much every day. They've been fabulous. But as the summer winds down, my sweet kiddos have gone from being helpful and kind to each other to picking at each other and fighting. They benefit from being in school, but honestly, so do I. I'm looking forward to spending time with just Ivan. My mommy guilt hits in when I think about the fact that hearing the term "back to school" literally makes me want to jump for joy! But we've had a fun summer. I gave homeschooling a shot, and even though it isn't right for us this year, I definitely see it happening in the future.

But for now, I'm totally looking forward to next week when school resumes and I regain a functioning brain!

Craft time.

They take "summer school" time seriously- for a little while anyway (: