About

Why do I blog?

I've been an avid writer and reader my whole life. With the birth of my second child, I felt compelled to begin writing an ever-evolving love story to each of my babies--to share with them a small portion of the narrative that God has already written for each of their lives. Blogging was my way of not only leaving a lasting legacy of love but also of faith.

So, I began to blog my thoughts. Since my words were written merely for a preservation of memories for my children, I had my blog locked. Only invited readers could join in on the unfolding accounts. No lurkers allowed. Eventually, others learned of my chronology and asked to be apart of the journey. And so, my blog readership began to grow.

Obviously, as homeschoolers, homeschooling was a large portion of our daily lives and consequently my blog. Our homeschool happenings propelled more readers to join. As a writer, it was exciting to see so many interested folks pulling up chairs joining the discussion, but as a mother whose very personal thoughts towards her children were being sprinkled out, I began to feel a little uneasy. I never wanted my children to feel like the personal was becoming public. There were just certain posts that I held too dear to offer to the world.

One day, I was encouraged by a few faithful friends, to make the homeschooling portion of my blog more public. After about six months of prayer, God began to show me that this could be the perfect way to protect the sacred in our personal family blog and that it could also be an opportunity for ministry and influence to other mothers traveling the same journey. I took the leap. And the Unlikely Homeschool was born!

Why the "unlikely" in the Unlikely Homeschool?

Although I feel so blessed to be able to walk my children towards the Gospel every day--to be the first one to witness the passing of monumental spiritual, physical, and educational milestones, there was a time, that the very idea of homeschooling seemed very unlikely.

For the following reasons...

I earned a B.S. in Elementary Education.  

For those of you who are also among that camp, you can understand how complicated the decision to homeschool can be--to surrender to the idea that a mother's love for, knowledge of, and passion for her children can equip her with the necessary skills to teach them. For an educator to admit to that, basically makes her many years of study a very moot point. It's a difficult needle to thread and often garners public outcry. I have, obviously, realized just how flimsy that line of thinking truly is. For, you see, I am surrounded by mothers who have used those very elements: love for, knowledge of, and passion for their children to do an above excellent job stewarding their educations.

My children have a free ride to a local private school.  

I often say that I was a teacher "in a former life"--meaning before having children. I taught for several years at a local private school who awards free tuition for the children of its staff members. In addition, it began offering an in-house daycare for staff who had infants through preschoolers, free of charge. It certainly would've been easy for me to grab for that. It almost seemed like it was my moral imperative to do so. My working hours and vacation days would have run parallel to my children's. My younger ones would have received free childcare. My older ones would have earned an excellent education from teachers who shared my same faith. I would have banked a decent salary while also being fully-present in the lives of my children. But, God's ways are not our ways. He had other plans for me and mine.

My husband was directly opposed to the idea.  

Notice the key word in that statement: was. The Hubs was, himself, homeschooled for most of his formative years. He began his educational journey where most children do, in public school. But, due to some early on-set health issues that required him to be educated from home for a short time, he was assigned a few home tutors. After seeing their son thrive in the home environment, my in-laws considered and finally made the decision to discontinue his involvement with public education. With untried courage, they began to homeschool.

Although, my husband can certainly acknowledge how valuable homeschooling was in the development of his character, as a teen and beyond, he struggled with a sense of "outsider" syndrome. Twenty or so years ago, homeschooling was such an uncharted approach to education that not many people even knew it existed. He had no one to link arms with. And don't we all need someone in our corner? He spent many useless years proving himself to the world, trying to establish a feeling of validation and place.

Fast-forward a few years later and he was married, with child. 

When I approached him with my desire to home educate our, then, only child, Sweetie Pea, his answer was an emphatic "NO!" He had no desire to see her struggle through sin, blame, and rebellion like he did. I did not press the issue any further but determined to pray and give him some soul space--to allow the hidden, silent work of God to change his heart or mine.

As I was currently a stay-at-home mom, he agreed to let me soldier through home preschool until the day we would have to enroll our girl in the local kindergarten program. One day, in a complete act of Providence, he stayed home sick from work. That day found him resting on the couch in full view of our morning preschool routine. Those brief moments were gentle but effective. God began to soften his heart. My husband saw how much fun our daughter had learning from home where she got the teacher's undivided attention and love.

Since we were currently a part of a preschool playgroup filled with other homeschooling hopefuls, he later saw how the social boundaries of homeschooling had grown by leaps and bounds since his own experiences. Mind you, he was not ignorant to the knowledge that homeschooling was still a fringe movement and that it could still be tender and tumultuous at times. But, he was finally able to acknowledge all the untended bitterness in his heart and surrender to the plan that God was clearly laying out for us.

So I homeschool and I blog--two highly unlikely plot points in the grand story God continues to write in my life and the lives of those I love the most.

My favorite homeschooling posts...

Why My Kids Don't Read Many Award Winners

The Unedited Truth About Homeschooling {the Pros and Cons}

100 Resources for the Newbie Homeschooler

5 Homeschooling Myths and the Truth that Will Set You Free

"But What About Socialization?" 
How We Homeschool Without Grade Levels
How Front-Post, Back-Post Homeschooling Changes Things
101Reasons Why I #HEART Homeschooling
The Year of Hygge for Homeschooling

My favorite non-homeschooling posts...

Why I DON'T Want My Kids to be Happy
How to Make a Boy HATE Reading in 7 Easy Steps
Establishing a God-Worth With a Book of Twelve

The Evolution of Halloween in Our Home

10 Thoughts on Raising Boys to be Men

100 Manners to Teach Your Kids Before They Turn 18
Confessions of an Organized Mess

The Week I Went Gluten Free and What it Taught Me About My Faith
2 Holiday Hacks for a Stress-Free Christmas Season

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