Oh how life changes...

For 4+ years I have been studying and preparing and planning to homeschool my kids. I have read book after book after book. Talked to people, read blogs etc. I was set on it, no ifs ands or buts about it. Then life happens and you start to reevaluate your plans. Baby Sarah came along 6 months ago and life threw me for a loop. I've had a hard time adjusting to a third child and although things are much better than they were a couple months ago, I have contemplated a lot about what is best for me and my family. Darrell was homeschooled off and on during his growing up years. I went to public school and for the most part loved school. I have dreamed of homeschooling my kids for several years for many reasons, but mostly I just wanted my kids close to me and not gone all day. I wanted them to have more time to explore their interests instead of being in a classroom all day. Well after much internal struggle and discussion with Darrell we have decided to put Derek in Kindergarten in the fall. Yes...I plan my life way ahead...maybe why I have anxiety issues sometimes. This does not erase homeschool off our list of options for the future...maybe when we move to Snowflake, but for now I think it will be best as much as I hate to admit it. Derek being the oldest thinks he rules the roost and we hope that putting him in school with 19+ other children in a classroom will help him learn he can't always be the center of attention. By keeping him home he would still be taking a lot of my attention because he would be the only school aged child for the next 2 years. Of course now we have to convince him that it will be GREAT!!! When he has talked about school in the past we have explained that everyone does school differently and that our family would do school at home. He was always pouting and wanting a backpack and such. Now when we tell him about starting Kindergarten he says NO! I don't like school! So I have to work for the next several months on changing that view...hopefully with success. Anyway this has been a long post just to relieve my brain and emotions I suppose. Now of course knowing me I will still go back and forth up until the day before school and then I still might keep him home:) Well probably not...Darrell really thinks it's for the best too...he'll just have to remind me of that every couple of weeks until school starts. I will probably have more separation anxiety than Derek when it comes down to it. Okay I'm really done for now.