"Owning It --- Homeschooler Chic."

"You're the homeschooling  one aren't you?",

she asked, leaning forward and tilting her head.

" I remember M had a homeschooling friend, who was into all that kind of stuff, and that's you right?"

"Well, yes, I mean we've talked about it and thought about it and we're leaning towards that, yes".

"Ya, I was pretty sure you were the homeschooling one" 

She settled back, satisfied she's made the right call....

and in that moment I decided to own it too, 

"Yup." I smiled "That'd be me."

And suddenly it is.

We've been warming up to the idea of homeschooling our kids for quite some time now, it's the thing in my heart I can't get rid of, sometimes it makes no sense (even to me) but it's there and it inspires me and the more I have thought about doing it, the more I have realized I already am.

Now, I don't know exactly where I fall on the unschooled spectrum or what methodology I will adopt in the years to come; will we be more or less structured?... or will we even still be doing it further down the road? I don't know, but these days we are building learning into our everyday life and preparing for whatever comes our way.

Homeschooling, I have already discovered is very much take-each-day-as-it-comes type of adventure and today we found ourselves planing a garden, doing show-n-tell, washing dishes, tracing numbers, and learning all about the letter "E".

 This is Ava's collection of things starting with the letter "E"  including some eggs, an "Etch-a-sketch" a magnet letter "E" , Mr. Potato Head's ear, A book and toy of an elephant and her "easter shoes". The jar in the center is her "letter jar" where every time she found something beginning with the letter "E" she gets to put a penny in the jar to redeem later .

I am realizing all the time how naturally unfolding the learning process can be and is for my little girl, how improved our days are with a little more structure and focus and how unconventional I am willing to be and become in order to accomplish this for her and for us.

Already the furniture in our house has been put in a strange configuration because, well, the nature table needed to go by the window and the seedlings need the light and the chalkboard needs to be accessible and her writing table needs a space in the kitchen and the kitchen table is now the language table and craft table etc. etc.  This home is turning into a little classroom and just being so lived in and every part of it feels so right.

I told a friend that my home decorating style could be best explained as "Homeschooler Chic" and I think I like that... alot.

I've been going through all kinds of deep conversations with myself and my Maker in this past little while, sharing my thoughts with those closest to my heart. I've been discovering new and unknown territories of myself, giving up expectations and being given new hopes and dreams. Getting more comfortable all the time in my own skin.

I'm changing, in little drips and dribbles and in great  spilling over bucketfuls of terrifying goodness. 

Most of all I'm owning it... 

this is me 

this is us

and it's good to the last drop.