Last Day to get the April Freebie from Tools for School: The Banana Rules of Grammar !

Click here to get this FREEBIE!

Deeply Thankful

Thankful

As a parent we become increasingly more aware of the things in this world that God allows for purposes we'll only know when we are with Him one day. The desire to protect our little ones is great and tornado season always makes me nervous. Last night, we had strong severe storms roll through our area and my husband and I were up late watching and waiting. God chose to protect us, however, many others this week have loss.
A loved family, the Tittles, reformationkidz.com, lost their father and two daughters in the Arkansas tornado string on April 27th this week.  Please help them if you are able at this time.

Introducing My Homeschool Help

                  Do you homeschool? Do have an interest in doing so, but aren't sure it's for you? Do you have a friend who homeschools and you wonder what in the world that even looks like?  A 2012 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau found that homeschool children make up 1.5 million of American children (Anne Zeis, of A2Z Homeschooling).  As you may already know, I am a former public school educator and I plan on homeschooling my children. Homeschooling should not intimidate me. After all, I bravely taught years of children, methodically planned lessons, researched and developed professionally, implemented new ideas into my classroom, monitored, assessed and directed learning paths.  However, I find myself screaming, "HELP!" I know nothing about homeschooling. So, when one knows very little, she asks her best friend, of course.  So, without further a-due, I introduce to you my dear friend, Kristi, who does homeschool and has so graciously agreed to share in this endeavor with me:

                   “I don't do blogs.” is what claim.  They overwhelm me, they can make me feel inadequate and inferior.  A few years back, I started a little blog of my own just to remember little tidbits of my daily life with, at the time, two kids.  I've never been an avid follower of any other blog.  I never tried to bring up an audience on my own little web log of stories about my baby and toddler.  So, when asked me to join in a new adventure of blogging, I remembered my claim (see opening line for a reminder).  So, I felt a little hypocritical when I agreed to write a weekly post for this blog.  Oh well, life is full of fulfilling those things in which we stated we would never do...

Which brings me to homeschooling. I never thought I would do this, even after my first child was born.  I was a public school kid all my life until after graduation when I attended a small christian college.  Yet here I am, educating my two kiddos Mae (first grade) and Nate (Kindergarten) at home.  We school around a two year old bundle of blessings, Jake. 

Sometimes I am asked why I choose to home-school instead of private or public schooling.  The answer to this question evolves and grows day after day.  I almost can't remember the initial reason I started to home-school.  My husband, Jon, has always been an advocate for homeschooling.  He was home-schooled until middle school when he was sent to a public school.  He also had a year or two of experience in a private school.  He graduated as a homeschooler, so he had experienced it all.  I trusted his judgment, and I would've given up homeschooling at Kindergarten if he hadn't been the encouraging force I needed to keep going.  

It was a rough start, as I think many people experience when first home-school.  At first, we tried a curriculum that I despised and never completed.  I had read too many blogs about how great homeschooling is and read how everyone else has it all together.  We joined a co-op that we quit (for many reasons) after the first few weeks.  We had another baby who added his own opinion on how and when we did school.  Through all of this, one thing stuck in my mind.  That thing was that I will never regret spending more time with my kids. 

By having them at home, I will never wonder how many moments I missed with them, teaching them, watching them learn.  

We have finally found our niche...for now.  I'm still learning, at 32 years of age, that life is always changing.  We love our curriculum and our new home school community.  Jake's opinions on school are less invasive.  Plus, he is super excited about joining a mothers' morning out program in the fall!     

The next question I am usually asked is, “How do you do it?!”.  “By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” I answer with a slight chuckle.  

Let's just say I don't know how NOT to home-school.  Getting up at the wee hours of the morning, five days a week, and getting everyone out the door to go to school sounds much more intimating than homeschooling!  In my opinion, there is much more sacrifice involved in taking kids to school than keeping them home for school.  I am no saint or martyr for teaching my own children at home.  

I take a very stick-and-sand approach to education.  I could teach my children the same information, in the same manner as if I had to teach it with a stick on a deserted island.  It doesn't take worksheets, technology or lofty ideals from some blog.  Don't get me wrong, I find myself on blogs of all sorts.  I get lots of craft ideas and recipes from some great people who give a lot of  their time to post such things.  I just have to keep it in check. Even though I sometimes use these approaches, it's not essential.  Knowing this, takes a load off my back!  Those things which I teach that have the most meaning aren't even planned.

I love sharing so many teachable moments with my kids.  I can't speak from the other side since I've never not home-schooled the kids.  But from the prospective of homeschooling, I look back to so many random moments in our days, when they would normally be at school, that allow me to share in their growth and development.  These are the moments I want to write about, remember and re-read when they are grown.  I truly believe these moments are spirit led to draw my children and myself closer to His wisdom.

 There are so many other reasons that we home school our kids that I will get around to writing about... eventually.  A HUGE reason I educate at home is because God told me to.  He commands me to, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds...Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  (Deuteronomy 11:17-18).  Of course, you can teach your kids the Word of God outside of the schoolhouse as do many of my friends whose children are in public or private school.  Since we have school at home, however, we have the opportunity to point everything back to God.  We glorify God as we learn more about history, geography, science, math, Latin and even English grammar.  

God, thank you for your creation and giving us a higher mind to discover and learn science.  Lord, thank you for creating order as we observe math in scripture (ordering the days, measurements of the ark, etc...).  We praise you, Lord, for your sovereignty and creating all the languages at the tower of babel.  As we study geography and history, we see your handiwork and know that there is no authority except from you, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1).  There is no school subject set aside for “bible” time.  The Word of God is woven through our entire day.  As a Christian, I am called to glorify God in all that I do.  In school, work and play I should bring glory to God.  I am so humbled and honored that the Lord has given me these children to raise for His glory.  We are just starting our homeschooling journey, but I've already learned so much and gone through so many doubts and affirmations about our decision to take this path.  I'm so thankful for the blessing and freedom to write about our journey as it comes and goes.  

Follow along with us!     

With sticks and sand- 

Kristi 

Do you Homeschool?

Do you prefer to homeschool your children or have you thought about homeschooling?  We have an upcoming feature here on Freshly Chewed.  Teachable Moments will be hosted and written by my life-long best friend. You will meet her soon as she will be posting an introduction. Just a quick note! Please share our blog with homeschool moms you know. She will be a valuable asset to you as we will be able to build a community around home-based education! Check back within the next week to meet her!

"Seriously? She uses cloth diapers?"

You better believe it, girl!  I do...and I LOVE IT.  It's not difficult or time consuming. I can say that honestly because my time is precious. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old!  Here's my journey and some pointers that may help you get started if you're wondering about taking the plunge:

A few of my initial concerns included price (we are a one income teacher family), time (like I have time to do even one more thing, right?), and general grossness. Is that a word? Okay, so let's get to it. I did a bit of research, but the most helpful source were three friends who have used/use them.  One friend used them with all three of her boys- twins in that bunch, to say the least.  Another friend used them with a newborn (whom with which you would think-leaks?) My third friend's little guy was much older and she started using them when he was on solids to avoid a messy diaper.

So, let's get down and dirty.


Price 
*It's important  to note before we get started that if you're short on cash and you want an investment, you should purchase the "one size" cloth diapers (most brands make them). There is no need to buy small, medium and large sizes. You want Baby to wear them and they all adjust to Baby's size with snaps or velcro. 
I started with really reasonably priced "Oh Baby Ka" brand from China and bought them through ebay. They were priced at  $2.37/diaper and inserts.  I only bought 5 just to start with and try out this whole cloth diaper thing.
I used just 5  with disposables for a month or so. I washed them every day (which was not a big deal-will talk about that more specifically later in the post).  This might be a good suggestion for you if you're a little skeptical about this process.

After a month or so, I did decide to purchase another set, but my friend had given me two Charlie Banana brand diapers at my baby shower. I really thought they were cute, stylish and they had a lot of pros- like a bra-strap like adjustment inside the diaper leg and the fabric was sleek and soft.  They are considerably more than the previous brand averaging $99-$116 for a box of 6 on ebay, amazon, or in major retail stores.  Charlie Banana Diapers on Amazon
Now, I'm wondering: How many do I really need?
 I read that some people like to  have a two day supply or more, but again, we're a one income family, so it was fine with me to have just a small amount. Please don't be afraid of washing them- it is not time consuming at all. (We'll talk more later, remember?) 
There is a third brand that I did try. After another month, I purchased several Alva Baby brand diapers from amazon.  I REALLY like these the best. They average $50-$60 for a pack of 6 with inserts. I like the price and I LOVE the designs. They are very cute. I'll make sure to put a picture on this post for you to see.
Alva Baby Cloth Diapers on Amazon
You also need to plan for either buying two inserts per diaper or buying natural fiber made prefolds (cloth like burp cloth type things) you can place between Baby's hiny and the diaper cover for older babies who need more protection.

Did my water bill go up?
It did- by just $7 a month. It is holding steady around that.  Even though I collected more diapers and only have to wash every other day now (again, my little one is 7 months old and doesn't go through as many as a newborn) it still doesn't use much water to wash a load every day if I need to.  
What detergent do I buy?
We bought "ALL" free and clear- the big container with the drip spout.  It only takes a VERY small amount of detergent to run a small load of diapers.  You do not need fabric softner- if you use it, it clogs the pores of the fabric. Most instructions on your diapers say not to use that and to only use a free and clear detergent.
How much of my time does it take?
I do put a diaper load in every day to every other day. You don't want a pee smell- even though most people use a lid closed plastic trash can or dry pail. I use an open lid small white trash can from walmart -$2- and sprinkle baking soda into it to hold the smell down if I can't get to or don't want to wash a load every day.  I found a time that would work for me to throw the diapers in the wash. You ideally need to air dry them, but that takes a while. I found it's quicker to put them in the dryer on low heat at least until they're almost dry.  It takes me an average of 15 uninterrupted minutes to stuff diapers with inserts. 
Is it gross? Do they stain?
At first, I was afraid my diapers would stain and rinsed out poopies then soaked in a bit of detergent and cold water.  DO NOT DO THIS. It clogs the pores of the diapers. The diapers have not stained a bit yet.  Mallory Kate, my little one, has even started solids (of all colors) and her diapers are still as white as the Easter bunny. No worries. (My husband, Corey, was quite worried about this at the beginning.) 
The Great Leaks
MaK (Mallory Kate, my little one) had some leaks early on when I was soaking the diapers in detergent before washing them. This is a no, no because it does clog the pores.  You can easily get rid of clogged pores by putting 1-2 TBSP of the blue DAWN dish soap into your wash and then putting the diapers on an extra rinse cycle makes sure to get it all out.  If your baby is at least 6 months old, and he/she is having leaks, it's time for another insert or added prefold. Cloth diapers work great at night when you use extra inserts. It does make their little hinys balloons, but it keeps the leaks down. Natural fiber prefolds absorb better too.
The Poopy Problem
No, this is not an episode of PBS Kids' Peg + Cat where the episodes are always labeled "The  _________ Problem", but let's face it. Poop can be a problem.  It's easy with a disposable. You toss it. With your cloth diapers, this requires some work. For some people, this is a "no go" decision. For me, it didn't matter. The pros outweighed this one little con.  A lot of people use a diaper sprayer (around $50) which is like a kitchen sprayer but hooks to your potty line and you spray the poopy off the diaper. I did find a blog that explained how to DIY, but it costs almost as much and there was a great debate as to whether or not the yucky stuff would back up in the line or if there would be "splashing". 
So,  I needed a quick fix for waxy poop.  Eureka. Are you ready for this? Cheap, plastic kitchen spatula from Walmart (I only had a tiny one and it works just fine). I scrape the poopy into the toilet and then wipe the spatcula with toilet paper. Then I Lysol it and store it safely up high near the toilet on toilet paper. I have a cheap $2 pail from walmart next to the toilet and proceed to run cold water in it to rinse and wring out the diaper. It then goes into the lidded small stainless steel trash can next to the toilet with the plastic lift out insert bucket. I got that at Walmart too! *This is a nice item because I can lift the insert out and take it to the washing machine without touching a dirty diaper. Last,  I wash, wash, wash my hands with soap and warm water thouroughly and then Lysol the pail I rinsed the diaper in. Litterly, this takes only a couple of minutes. I can't stand the thought of putting my hands in the toilet- which is where some people rinse their diapers out. That's fine for them, but not for me!
What about Going out?
At first, we just took a few disposables with us, but as I grew more confident, I just took a wet/dry bag- which you can purchase online. wet dry bag My wet/dry bag is a gallon size zip-loc. :)  I just put the dirty diaper in it and keep it until we get home.   I also really like these  Arm & Hammer Bags.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-Wheel-Chart-1216860

Tools for School

Sharing some resources with you. Please go to my store front to see the full catalog of teacher and homeschool educator resources available to you at affordable prices!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tools-For-School-Teacher-Resources

Horizons Discounts

Click here to go to Educents.com!

 

Upcoming Feature

I'm very excited about a new feature for Freshly Chewed. 

Teacher Feature will be unveiled within the next week and will feature educators and homeschool moms who deserve a pat on the back.  As a teacher, you get a lot of flack but very seldom does anyone think what you're doing is grand- and it IS!  Teachers and homeschool moms do tons of things that go unnoticed and unappreciated.

(c) http://freshlychewedcrayons.blogspot.com/

So, speak up! We will highlight talent, creativity, love for life long learning and teaching, love and care for students, organization, management and much more!  If you know a teacher or homeschool mom who would be a great candidate for our Teacher Feature, please send me an email at toolsforschoolbyslee@gmail.com. You can nominate this person by filling out the following within the email:
Name
School/Homeschool
State
Brief Background
(They need to write about something they do in their classroom about which they are very excited or proud to share.) 
Include 1-3 pictures in jpg format.
*We do not accept provocative material or any adult language or content.
*It may take several weeks to be contacted depending on the load of nominees. We wish to feature everyone we can!

Tightening My Laces

Are you in the trenches or feeling just down in the dumps? Are you deflated, defeated and disappointed?  Well...you might be a mom- or a teacher for that matter. Or anyone. Life can be overwhelming and we find it hard to get through always wondering if someone else faces the same situations or circumstances that we do. Some people find it hard to share or want to hide their problems as if they didn't have any and they often miss out on an encouraging moment- the kind that happens when honest friends get together. Maybe you have a friend like that?

 I had the privilege this morning to share time with a sweet friend and discuss those overwhelming things. Of course, it was a play date and there were expected interruptions while we intervened with our toddlers occasionally.  However, between those short interruptions, it was a breath of fresh air to get to talk to someone. Yes! Another adult. If you aren't a stay at home, you may not totally understand that one.  Just humor me. Getting to have a conversation in person is well...a delicacy to feast upon.

So in our conversation we learned a bit about each other as mothers and wives.  It was good to know we both struggle with some of the same challenges. Probably what most of us struggle with-whether or not we're a stay at home or a working mom like I used to be. We all wonder if what we're doing for our families and our children is the best; is it right?   We all fall short daily and we all wish we had done something different at some point.  It's good to have the encouragement of a friend, to share our lives and see that we're just not all that different. Then slowly, I began not to feel so deflated or dumpy. Defeat was not on the map and I would not be passing by disappointment any time soon because I knew what I was seeing along the way was NORMAL. Encouragement of a good friend is so important!  Whatever your career, whatever your path in life, it's good to know how to pray for one another and to be encouraged to keep on the path. That is priceless. It's like carb loading in a race; now I feel like I can run a few more miles this week. So, thank you, Dear Friend.
Better go tighten my laces.

Teacher Resources at Educents.com

Looking for affordable teacher resources and or homeschool materials?

Checking out this website is well worth your time.

Educents.com

  What is it? Sells affordable discounted educational materials.

Get perky!  Some perks include: 

- Average of items discounted at 30% or more (some 100%-well that's free, isn't it) Hello!

-Spend $5.99 shipping on your first item, $1.99 on every additional item after that. Oo, La, La!

-Get 5% cash back on all your purchases. (Not a credit card, just adding credit to your pocket.)
-GIVEAWAYS: Currently 30+ giveaways 

-Enter to win a family beach vacation or $1,000 Educents Shopping Spree

-20% off Alpha and Omega Curriculum and free shipping on $75 or more

PLUS

Is today a day of the week? Well, good. You can find a load of daily deals at educents.com.

So, go ahead. What are you waiting for? Get the "I found a deal today high".

http://www.educents.com/#FreshlyChewedCrayonstoEducents

You can find this post later under my Teacher Resources page and Homeschool

Love Note: The Bear Who Shared

My first official "Love Note" goes to a book we really enjoy reading with our girls (and we really love to read good books around here, so there will be many more to follow, I'm sure).  What? Did you forget, teacher here!  Oh, and my husband is a teacher too! Okay, so back to the LN.  This book is called, "The Bear Who Shared" written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner. The art work is soft and clean. I love the simplicity of the pictures and this is not a "wordy" book, great for little sweeties who need to get in the bed and, hey, you'll easily meet your story quota for the night! haha!  It's about Norris, the wise bear who decides to share with his acquaintances and thereby ends up gaining a couple of new friends. The name of the fruit is a little hard to pronounce: "plorringe". I've never heard of a plorringe and I wonder if it's a real fruit. The book makes it sound very yummy, so if you know of a plorringe out there, I might want to try it!

Home School Curriculum

Oh, my! This is going to be a long post. Let me start by saying the following:
1. I never knew there was such a "to-do" about home schooling even though I know a lot of people who do it.
2. It seems like there are so many varieties out there of methods and curriculum, everyone does something a little different and everyone is hard core about their choices (as they should be).
3. I chose to home school for several reasons, of which I'll tell you about later when I have time.
4. Just because I'm a teacher, doesn't mean I feel entirely comfortable about it; actually, it makes me extremely more picky in choosing curriculum(s).

Currently, my Ava Rae is 3, so she's doing some prek things. We are using ABC Mouse.com with her and she is loving it. I like it because I can differentiate and chose the level she needs to be on. She likes the variety of learning experiences and it was SO, SO, SO affordable for our one income family. Love, Love, Love! I guess I need to do a Love Note about it.
I am also researching Classical Conversations (have a couple friends who use it) and Sonlight (because I like using literature to teach). I also am interested in Singapore Math for K5.  Anyone have any thoughts on these?

New Teacher Resources

Two most recent products added to my site are "Home Team" Clipart by Shelley's Art Box and "The Sum of Them Addition Intervention.

Freshly Chewed Crayons

Well, I have a 3 year old, just turned and she's a joy, but a challenge- a challenge to challenge, that is.  Why do children this age need to eat objects that don't belong in their bodies?  You come around the corner to find that all the paper is missing from the crayons and someone's mouth is blue...and teeth...and hands...and the carpet...and...   Okay, so you get the picture.  At this point, some parents would just laugh, but those parents aren't busy mommies who are tired of cleaning messes. Let's be honest here, once you clean up one spill and another two minutes after, it DOES get old.  Lucky me, I've decided to change from being a type A to ... some other letter farther away down the alphabet. :)  Well, how about an "h" for "happy"?  I've got a new post it on the kitchen window to see everyday, all day long (which is how I learn to change). PS This is very effective!  The note says, "I will choose to be happy this minute."  Difficult, right?  Well...it's not as hard as it looks- unfortunately. Then I'd have an easy excuse for letting things bother me my whole adult life.  My wise husband was correct (shh, don't tell him); it IS a choice and you make your life what it is in how you react to well, LIFE.  Oh, bother! So, next time I see some freshly chewed crayons, I have a choice. You can bet I'll be in the kitchen reading my window.

Those who CAN, Teach

I grew up in a county where educators were revered with respect. As an adult, and a sacrificial teacher, I soon learned that was not the case as not everyone in the world outside the school walls held the same bit of respect.  "Those who can't, teach." I heard.  Well, this post is to shed some light on what it REALLY means to be an educator in TODAY'S world.


Teachers are managers of many things all day long. We catch the brunt from both ends: The administration and the parents. We have to please everyone and all the while assess our kids to the tee in every subject to know them inside and out in order to meet their learning needs and help them reach goals we set for them and they set for themselves.

MYTH: Educators only work 9 months out of the year and so they shouldn't be complaining about their jobs.
TRUTH: We do work only 9 months out of the year if we work in a public school that doesn't participate in year-round school (Home school moms can choose to do year round school). However, that simply means we don't have students during those three months. We still work. We design lessons and units that are so complex with so many different attributes and characteristics to meet all the learning needs of all the 20 something children in our classrooms we are solely responsible for.

MYTH: You do cutesy things all day and babysit.
TRUTH: Some teachers like to do some cutesy things, but those are mostly appropriate for kindergarten and even kindergarteners now do what was first and second grade work (called curriculum) when we went to school. All students learn a far greater volume of concepts, vocabulary and skills than we did and on a far deeper level. School is not fluffy.

MYTH: All teachers do is follow a text book that says what they're supposed to say.
TRUTH: Nope. Far from it. At the last school I taught, I researched, collected, designed and wrote all my lessons for 7 subjects. I integrated differentiation strategies to meet the needs of English Language Learners, special needs kids and even excelled learners that needed a challenge. I had several levels of math groups and reading groups. I used technology called a smart board in the classroom and trained my students to use it. I integrated and made units using quality children's literature. I chose guided reading books about hundreds of topics throughout the year leveled just right for my small groups and let's not forget- I taught my students to read. Not just read the words, read them fluently, recognize context clues, find main ideas and use details in their writing (four genres to be exact), compare and contrast non-fiction text concepts from trade books (those are real books about Science and Historic content), draw conclusions, visualize, gather and research for facts, write a five paragraph essay from what they read and these were 8 year olds. Let's not mention all the concept vocabulary these kids learn.

Oh, and Babysitting? Far from it. Teachers motivate and engage learners all day long. We create behavior charts and guide students who need help in choosing correct character.  We are the steady face in the mornings kids see who are from broken homes, the comfort of a listener and someone who cares. We are mentors and counselors. We are a hundred things to a child. We are INVALUABLE.

Tony Campolo said, "It doesn't matter what the course is-learning at the feet of a great scholar marks a student forever. ...the influence of a memorable instructor stays with you for a lifetime."

Maybe you had a teacher who inspired you, believed in you, was tough on you to get you in line, or just helped you get through a tough time. If so, THANK him or her who gave sacrificially for you.

Building Project

"Except the LORD build a house, they labor in vain that build it." Psalm 127:1

Boy, is that true!  We're learning this all to well.  Maybe you can relate or know some one who is experiencing this too. Our terrible twos have carried into the three's. (Right now moms who are reading this are nodding their heads and chuckling to themselves).   Corey and I have read what seems like tons of books- don't get me wrong- helpful books they were. Just to rattle off a few:   The Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson, Toddler Wise by the Ezzos, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, several blogs, and let's not forget, the Bible. I have even written down all the verses I could find that dealt with parenting a child properly.

 This is serious business- raising and training children. After all, they are gifts from God.  And it is quite trying when you're oh so tired and your little darling has another melt down over something you can't quite decipher. Whatever it was, it was important to him or her and you're finding yourself standing there wondering what the proper and calm way to handle it would be while imagining yourself having a meltdown too. Funny. haha. No really, I am laughing inside because I'm not currently hearing this tantrum from Ms. Naughty.  But we all know toddlers almost can't help it. It's their sin nature because we're all sinners and especially me. So, in that split second, I find myself wondering, "How am I supposed to train this child in the way of the LORD?"  Well, the answer simply is, I can't, but God can. My job is pray continually over my little darlings. Define continually- all day- whenever they are being difficult, challenging, sweet, nurturing, fun, amazing.  All the time, whenever I think to.  Once you make this a habit, it's easier and easier to do.  Then, I'm to trust that God will do HIS will and work in them through me. I sure am not equipped to do it. I mean, come on, I was just a camp counselor and teacher for most of my adult life. I was around kids all the stinking time. I should know how to raise my own kids right? HA! But here's the catch:  Psalm 127:1 reminds us that "except the LORD builds a house, they labor in vain that build it." No good work can come from me that will last, nor my husband. Only with our submission to the designer of families, can we know that our girls will turn out "right". 
LORD, help me today and every day to do what is pleasing to you. Work though me and help me be the mom you want me to be for my girls. I know I am the Jesus they see.

People tend to wonder...
Why did I leave the classoom?    Was it because I didn't want to spend yet another year repeating the third grade? haha! Was it because I was tired of teaching already? Well. No, and no to a lot of other questions similar to those. The most prominent reason I left was because I had a little beaming girl at home whose smile I couldn't get out of my mind and this nagging problem: I was giving my everything for these precious dears who needed a someone to teach them, to believe in them, to love them (which is what a teacher's real job is) and all the while, my dearest little dear was under someone else's care.  I BURNED inside to be with HER. I know moms chose to work for many different reasons and I did-for a time, but it was time I invested time in my own Love.
Don't think it was an easy decision. On the contrary. Have you ever had to make a LIFE ALTERING, people think you're crazy to cut your income by TWO-THIRDS, no telling where we'll end up on this JOURNEY kind of decision? Well, of course, sure you have.
This time was one of those. In 2012, a year after my Ava was born, I took the plunge. I left the career I'd prepared for for years. I left my pay check, the security it promised every month and I left a lifestyle.  Do you MISS any of it?   Sure. I do miss it sometimes, but I stepped out on faith and hoped that God would take care of us.  Faith means trusting in God to do what HE deems is best for you. (Just learned that.)  Faith isn't something we can muster up enough of to pull ourselves through a hard time, a challenging chapter.
Anyway, I took the plunge with my husband's prayerful permission. I became a stay at home mom (SAHM) which I didn't know what that acronym meant until last year! ha!  So we decided it was best for our family to have me here. Sometimes I say, in my prison, small home with so many toys and stray socks, I can hardly walk. ;) But, it's worth it. Its the darn hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life- why?  Because being a parent who wants the best for her girls pushes my buttons, pulls me to the edge of the cliff and leaves me a deflated balloon at the end of the day. BUT if I had never taken this step of faith (step sounds like a small move), then I wouldn't have opened myself up to know all these terrible things about my ugly self that God is changing about me. Oh, joy! :)  Chuckle.  Here we are two years later and I'm adjusting. One day, I can say to my girls- look what your mom did for you. And hopefully, they'll appreciate it. In the mean time, I can kiss their cheeks whenever I want and know that I'm giving my all (and then some in the reserve tank) to give them what they need each minute of each day.