It's happening... it's that time of year...
Children are gathering at the bus stop. Their school bags have been meticulously packed the night before with sharpened pencils and new crayons, stacks of ruled paper and colourful binders. Their lunch looks like it has been prepared my the Mother-of-the-Year or a gourmet chef, and their outfit has been carefully selected to respect the newest trends. Dad is waving goodbye from the front porch, while mom wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. The children are happy and smiling as they make their way down the driveway. Soon, they will be greeting the big shiny yellow bus that will take them to a new learning adventure. It's that time of year...
Well, that would never happen at our house!
The truth of the matter is, we're usually not that organized, though we like to think we are. The school bags would be packed as the kids are scrambling out the door, tripping over each other, to run for the bus stop (late, may I add). They would be disheveled (as would I) from running around to get ready and their mismatched outfits would be covered in milk and peanut butter (as usual). The tears shed would more likely be over a lost Lego man that we desperately need to find, RIGHT NOW. And the lunches, well, there is a cafeteria at the school right?
But our lack of organization, compounded by the presence of a "family vortex" (more on this in an upcoming post), has little to do with our kids making it to the bus stop on time and in one piece. You see, our kids will not be taking the 80 minute bus ride to the local French school. We have decided to embrace the wonderful chaos that is our life and add to our adventure by home educating our oldest son. It's official. We sent in our registration to the Nova Scotia Department of Education via email. CheChe is five years old and is starting grade primary.
Lili's sense of style!
This of course does not guarantee that all of our mornings will be stress free. I am sure I will still find my husband's full cup of java in the microwave because he will have reheated it and forgotten about it in the frenzy of the morning. My darlings' peculiar sense of style will not naturally improve just because we are not rushing out the door - and yes, what you see up here are red socks in purple crocs, green and grey flowery shorts, a fluorescent pink t-shirt with a chiwawa on it, a rain coat and a winter hat in 30 degree Celsius. And who am I kidding? There will always be either peanut butter, Rice Crispies or maple syrup on my lap from the kids wiping their faces on my pant leg. It simply means that we will have more flexibility to start our day off right - and more time to wipe whatever sticky mess off our clothes (if and when we do leave the house).
But all joking aside, I am excited about this new stage in my family's life. I invite you to share with us on our journey of home education, homemaking, homesteading and home (life) organizing!
Later that afternoon, I silently watched the other children climb off the bus in front of our house. It was bittersweet. I feel blessed that I get to keep my baby boy at home with me longer. I am eager and excited about home educating. And yet I can't help but wonder if CheChe will be okay with us at home. All summer, everyone from unknowing family members to cashiers at the store have been asking him if he's excited about going to school. And every time he has answered them "Yes!" with glowing eyes. How can he not get excited about going to school when everyone is asking him about it? I truly feel that this is the best decision for our family, yet, all of this somehow makes me feel like I will be depriving him of something; that he'll somehow be missing out on something by not going to a "building" school.
