Nursing School and Homeschooling!

I would have really loved to blogged my way through nursing school. It was such an adventure, unfortunately I did not have time, but I am going to give a brief overview of what it was like. I will never forget the complete overwhelming feeling I got the first day I met with my advisor....
She said, "So how many children do you have?"
"Four" I replied.
"Uh huh and you homeschool them?"
"Yes mam."
"So, what are you going to do when classes start?"
"I am going to continue to homeschooling we will just do schoolwork in the evening and weekends."
"Oh, and what does your husband do?"
"Well, he worked for the guide plant for 9 years and as you know it recently closed so, he is also going back to school."
"Let me get this straight, you are going to be a full time student. Your husband is a full time student, and you are going to homeschool your four children?"
"Yes mam"
"Wow, you are a brave woman!, I hope that works out for you."
That is when everyone started saying stuff like that. I came to realize that being called brave was not exactly a compliment, just pretty much a nice way of saying you are crazy!!! After my meeting with the advisor (and after I finally found where I had parked..hehe),  I remember sitting in my car just crying wondering if I could do the task that lay before me. There were many people/ things that helped me out along the way; I took one day at a time, had some great babysitters, a supportive family, began drinking coffee for the first time in my life, and a husband that is extremely understanding and willing to help out. It was full of challenges, scheduling was the biggest one, it was a nightmare. There were some quarters I didn't get my clinical schedule until the week before clinicals started. Tony was on the semester system, and I was at a different university on the quarter system. He tried to schedule night classes when he could, and mine were always during the day. I feel very fortunate that my children's lives didn't have to change very much. For the most part, they were either home with Tony, the babysitter, or me.  I was blessed along the way, I studied a lot, but passed every quarter and graduated at the exact perfect time. God's timing is wonderful. Our severance benefits from Tony's job ran out in March of 2009 and Tony and I both graduated in May of 2009. I began working immediately, it took Tony a little longer to find a job, but by August of 2009 we were both working. It was the first time I had worked in nine years, and we are still getting used to it. I am thankful for a job that I enjoy and for the opportunity to work nontraditional hours so I can be a homeschooling momma!!!

Why????

It seems like whenever I tell anyone that I homeschool my children the first question is always, "Why?".  Hmmmm... it is now such a part of our life, and it feels like we have been doing it for so long; it is almost hard for me to remember why. Let's see....five years ago when it was time for Laney to start kindergarten, Tony worked 3pm-11pm at the Guide plant. If Laney had attended school, she would not see her Dad all week. Family has always been extremely important so, this was unacceptable. Homeschooling was the only logical choice. Back then, I was a stay at home mom with the three little girls, and we had a ball. We played all day, and then when the two younger ones had nap time, I did school work with Laney. We fell in love with homeschooling. Having the freedom to teach what interests your child, flexible hours, the family bond it instills, the feeling you get when you teach your child to read, really studying the Bible, all of these things are reasons why I homeschool. But, the main reason I homeschool is because that is what my heart tells me I should do. So many times I push my feelings away and do what is easier, or what other people want me to do, but I am not budging on this one, it is in my heart therefore I  find a way to make it happen! Now that I am a working mom, it is more challenging than ever. There are days I want to chase that bus down, but when I stop and think about it, it doesn't take me long to remember all my reasons why....