We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled School Day . . .

. . . to Bring You Life. This has been the case for the last couple of months. I can't even tell you the last time we have had a couple of full days in a row, much less a full week of school. Each morning I wake up and just know that today will be the day that we will accomplish the one simple goal of finishing all of school.

By finishing a school day, I mean not only Math and Bible, which we do every morning, but History, Geography, Science etc. And almost every day by 10:30ish, something happens to derail us. Those happenings can be good, such as buying our brand new camper. Or, they can be bad, like the untimely death of our beloved dog Angel.

It wears on me. The fact that we can't seem to get a couple of days in a row, rattles around in my brain like a squeak in your car that you just can't put your finger on. It is not for lack of trying. I don't wake up in the A.M. and say "Let's find something to do to avoid school today." Quite the opposite is true. "We ARE doing a full day today!!" Then something totally out of my control happens.

I have asked God numerous times why He allows all of this distraction when He is the one who called me to homeschool. I wonder how other families manage. Families, that I am sure, have WAY more going on then us. This whole "goings on" thing is SO contrary to my personality.

But, yesterday, it was put in perspective, at least for the moment. Last week, I threatened to put the kids in school over a spilled glass of milk. (Which happens WAY more than it should. But, I digress.) So, I thought, maybe, just maybe it was time. I don't honestly feel that is what God wants from us. But, we just didn't seem to be getting anywhere. And, at times, it seemed like we were going backwards.

As we were contemplating Angel's death, I said to the girls "You know, if you had been in school, you would never have had as much time with Angel as you did." Every time the kids were outside, Angel was always right there with them, keeping watch. They were able to go to her well doggie check-ups, they fed her and watered her everyday, brushed her and gave her treats constantly. They would throw the ball for her and encourage her to do her many tricks. They would watch and see what she was barking at, or stalking. All kinds of experiences they had with her.

My next sentence was "You are not going to school. You will be home with me to experience life." Yes, education is important. But, what happens in our home on a daily, hourly, minutely basis is way more important than any story they could read. Or experiment they could do. They are learning about life. How to live life. How to handle life from a godly perspective. Life is not neat. Life is not organized. And life definitely does not go according to plan.

What is knowledge? What is intelligence? What is smart? What is successful? As I see my 7 year old rock her baby to the music on my iPod, as I see my 4 year old try to pacify my 18 month old, as my 9 year old brings me the encyclopedia with the sculpture of David in it (which she found by researching, on her own I might add, information on dolphins), I have redefined what a lot of those words mean. I want my children to be joyful in life, truly joyful. Maybe, right now, that is what we are all learning.

I know there are no guarantees, but I do feel the valuable lessons my children (and I) are learning right now, will serve us well in the days to come. Even if they are not coming out of a book . . .