"I don't know how you do it?!"

If that is not a question I have gotten countless times... 5 kids?! "I don't know HOW you do it!" Homeschooling?! (Insert Gasp and shocked(and slightly dismissive) face) "I don't know how you do it?!! I could NEVER do that!"

Well, it's my turn!! "I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT!!" This goes out to all my friends, foes and all around strangers that SEND their kids to school! Week one of Brick and Mortar school for my kids: I am wiped. I do NOT know how a full year of this with after school activities, and homework and running around, and feeding people and turning in papers, and making sure the uniform is correct...i could go on... I quite literally don't know how it all gets done, will get done, balanced, whatever. How have moms (and dads) done it all? We were always finished with our days work by 2 or 3 o'clock. Then, my kids had some down time, we'd get ready for sports and have dinner, and go. Don't get me wrong, we had the night time scramble just like anyone else. But I didn't have the homework piece, and I was not beholden to other teachers, their timelines, their ideas, etc.(in most cases--my kids had some classes outside home which they had work for--but mostly completed in school hours).

This is a learning curve for sure! I have had some good tips from seasoned moms(feed my kids dinner right when we get home...AWESOMESAUCE! Thanks Mary ! (I love seasoned moms, they make everything better--homeschooling or sending kids to school moms, they know what you need to know!!) But honestly, in  homeschooling, when I had a question, what do i do about XYZ? I knew who to ask. There are "groups," friends, what-have-you. With the big leap into the Brick and Mortal school world, who do I ask? I mean, I need a seminar folks! I can't pull out of the carpool line? Cool, thanks for the heads up! haha. I should not walk my kids in to the school? *facepalm* Sorry kids for embarrassing you. My 6th grader doesn't know to bring his text books home for homework...seems obvious, right? Not for a kid who has always had his books in our school room. OH, the white crew socks are for gym day? eek...a 9 year olds worst nightmare, WRONG SOCKS!!


So this post is for all my ladies who have always sent their school, who are old hat at this. Kudos, because this stuff ain't easy--I Don't know HOW you do it! But the good news for me, is this: GOD DOES!! I have come back to this time and again(this year and in my homeschooling years by the way!)

"I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!" Phil 4:13

I have been asked countless times by my friends and family members how things are going. The truth is, overall pretty well. My girls are really happy. My son is finding the transition tough--not unexpectedly so as he did not want to go. My answer to my homeschooling Mama friends is this: "I've traded the crazy of the school time hours for the crazy of the afternoon/evening hours." It is a lot quieter at my home during the school day(which is both nice and also a little sad), After school, the peace has vanished amidst a whirlwind of homework, dinner, sports, etc. I still have my 1st/2nd grader at home as well as my 3 year old...so things are never TOO quiet. But it is different. For sure.