The Hughes Family: Schools out for summer!!! Oh wait...I mean forever!

Well, here it is...the LAST day of school! I did not think we would EVER make it! This year has been so wonderful and at the same time, SOOOOO long! Katherine was in VPK this year (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) and Caroline was in Toddler Preschool. They both had the BEST teachers anyone could ask for and both loved school SOOO much. We were so blessed! The year started off rough since we lost little Avery literally days before school started, but through the year we overcame our grief for sweet Avery and then experienced the JOY of expecting another little Hughes to join our family! What a rollercoaster! The girls are thrilled with their "little brother" on the way, and Chris and I are as well. :) During this year we decided that we are going to homeschool both girls next year (with a newborn at home...what are we thinking?!). So the end of this school year is truly a milestone for everyone in our family! For Katherine it marks the end of her three year career at Eastminster Preschool and her graduation into "big girl school" and Kindergarten. For Caroline it marks the end of her very first year of preschool. For Chris it marks the end of a semi-sane wife and mother...haha! I'm just kidding...sort of. :) And for me, it marks the end of my "freedom" in the mornings, but also ends all of the hectic rushing around and multiple schedules to juggle for others. The cool things are that we are now "on our own schedule", we have the freedom and ability to do things as a family when we want to do them and are not bound by rigid school schedules, Chris will be able to "pop" in on us at home and have lunch or just check on us, and we will all learn A LOT. I can't wait for the journey to begin!!! :) :) :) :) :)

The past 8 weeks have been so incredibly stressful that I swear the good Lord did it on purpose so that I would be so ready for "school" to end and "homeschool" to begin. He has also been reminding me that I need to document all of the things that I will NOT miss about "normal" school so that when I am feeling crazy or like I may lose my sanity at any given moment, I can look back and reflect on all of the negative things about "normal school." So here goes the things I will NOT miss about "normal school."

I think the number one thing I will not miss is constantly working on someone else's schedule! I swear everyday it's rush, rush, rush to get to school with whatever is required of each kiddo for that day. Then hurry up, drop off, ok, go RUSH to get errands done, now rush back to school and pick the kids up. Rush, rush, rush, rush, rush! I'm over it!
I will NOT miss how much the kids play in the sand box. I know, I'm weird, but I cannot stand sand...and yes, I do realize that I live in FL! I don't mind going to the beach and getting sandy, because that is to be expected, but EVERY SINGLE DAY the kids come home with shoes FULL of sand. They always end up dumping it either in my car on the way home, or in the middle of the floor once we get home...then guess who gets to clean it up?! It sticks in their socks and no matter how well I shake, scrub and wash them, they STILL have residual sand in them...which the girls HATE and constantly fuss about. So...no more sandbox! YIPPEE!!!
I really love that the kids get to be creative and do so many really cool art projects at school, but really?! My office is about to explode from all of the artwork that gets sent home each day.
All of the organized activities that are associated with school, such as the PTA-type stuff, the play days, field days, water day, Christmas play, Spring Play, Mother's Day tea, etc, etc, etc. It's cute, I get it, but holy moly when you have more than one kid it becomes a bit overwhelming!
The kids you aren't so fond of...there is always at least one kid in the class that your kid picks up their bad behaviour/attitude/language/etc. I realize that's all part of socialization and that the kids need to be exposed to all types of people, but really?! Some of that I could do with out!
The overachiever parents. Let's face it, there are always going to be "those" parents who go WAY above and beyond the call of duty to buy more stuff for the classroom, attend more things, give the teacher 10 gifts instead of 1 at Christmas, etc, etc, and then look down their noses at "everyone else." Really?! It's about the kids, not the parents!

I know there are things I am forgetting, but that's a pretty good list to get started with. :) Now, there are SO many things that I am so unbelievably excited about!

Chris and I will be in charge of what the girls are learning and how they learn it. We can tailor our education to fit each kid's needs and style of learning so that they can achieve their best and not just the standard that someone else sets for them.
Creativity and Flexibility: Oh my goodness, the possibilities are endless! We will be able to take trips and incorporate the history, literature, science or even math that we have been learning about. We don't have to stay in our seats inside a building for 8 hours a day to learn. We can have our science lessons about weather outside looking at the actual weather! We can have our lessons about animals at the ZOO! How cool is that?! If the kids are tired of sitting and want to do their math standing up at the whiteboard, GO for it!
Biblical World View: Chris and I will be able to ensure that their history and science (mainly) will be firmly rooted in a Christian world-view and that the history they learn is accurate and not edited to remove parts that someone didn't like. We can incorporate the Bible into any and all discussions and can make sure that the girls (and boy eventually) are grounded in their faith and know what we believe.
Chris and I will be in charge of their moral training and teaching. It is our responsibility to instill the values and morals that we believe into our children. NOT the school's and certainly not a poor teacher who has 30 kids to worry about all at once! We can be instilling these values and morals in our day to day activity and not have to worry what "untraining" is happening at school while we are away.
Socialization: Yeah, this is pretty much the reason most people will give for NOT homeschooling, but I think they will have MORE opportunities for socialization at home. For one, our schooling will mostly be one on one and communication will be vital. Second, since we will be moving at the child's pace, we will probably need way less time "in school" than a "normal" kid is in "normal" school. Therefore, in our extra time we can be involved in sports, music, art, theater, church, and volunteering in the community, and of course the most important part of socialization is within the family itself. Chris and I will be able to have thorough and meaningful conversations with the kids throughout the day, not just when they are home from school and not involved in some other activity.
Love: I do not think you can possibly "over love" your child. For goodness sake, Jesus loved us so much He DIED for us! I don't think there is anything more drastic you could possibly do, so in following Jesus, we will be able to love on our kids all day long. We can encourage, discipline, listen to, play with, snuggle, challenge and demonstrate our love for each of them individually each day throughout the entire day. What a blessing!
Love of learning: Chris and I both hated middle and high school, so we really want to make sure that our kids LOVE to learn and never lose that. With homeschooling, we can make sure that each child is learning in the best way for them. Whether that's sitting in a room and doing more "traditional" school or learning their multiplication tables while doing jumping jacks because movement helps their brain work better. We want to foster and encourage their love of learning that is so strong in both of them right now. That doesn't mean we won't challenge them or make them do things they don't want to do...that's part of learning. But for the most part we want them to figure out how they learn best and go for it. That way they will never want to quit learning as they grow up.

I am not naive enough to think this is going to be all roses and lollipops, it's going to be hard. I realize that and know that there will be days I think I may go absolutely insane if I do not get away from my kids for a few minutes of "me time." But I also firmly believe that the Lord has called us to do this and He will equip us and meet us where we need Him. I am also SO blessed to have a SUPER supportive husband who is just as excited about this as I am. I know that if I had a day where I was seriously losing my mind, he would be to my rescue at the drop of a hat. I also know that he will encourage me to take time for myself and will also reign me in when I get out of control or too anal-retentive about something. (I know, shocking that I could possibly be anal-retentive about anything isn't it?! :)) He is truly my better half and a help mate that will make this endeavour possible. Third, I am blessed to have great supportive parents and in-laws. My parents live down the street and are excited to help and give me some "time off" every once in a while, so that they can teach the girls cooking, building, etc. Chris's parents are a little farther away in VA, but I know that if we needed help for a few days CiCi would hop on the next flight and be southbound in a jiffy! PaPa would as well, but he has to work, so I realize that will not be practical very often! :) Finally, I have found a wonderful group of homeschooling moms that are willing and excited to serve as a support group for me. We can cry, scream, and whine together when days are really tough, and then share in the joy and celebration of our kids' achievements and successes together. This is going to be an amazing journey and although I am a little sad that "normal school" is done for us, for now, I am definitely more excited to see what God has in store for us!!! :) Stay tuned for updates on our journey!!! It's gonna a wild ride that's for sure!

Here are some pictures of the girls from this morning: