Amy Writes

I guess the fact that my "Day 1" post was a month ago is an indicator of how we're doing so far. We're busy. But then, again, we're not that busy. We're not nearly as busy as we used to be. We're not rushing to get out the door in the morning, rushing to get home and do homework before an evening activity, rushing to get into bed on time because tomorrow's a school day. I'm not running from drop-off to drop-off or pick-up to pick-up, racing to get to a volunteer commitment or a school party. Maybe the word isn't "busy." Maybe the word is "together." We're just together. All the time. I get one, three-hour window a week completely to myself while the girls are at P.E. This is the first time I'm getting to take advantage of it and I've been practically paralyzed by my array of options. Should I exercise/cleanthehouse/dolaundry/write/read/dobiblestudy/practicepiano? Should I shop/planmeals/cutcoupons/getcoffee? So f...

I lay in bed last night, wide awake. So physically anxious that sleep was out of the question. Had I planned enough? Would the girls be interested? Could I fill a day - or even just a morning - with activities that would engage them? Or had I planned too much? Would I be rushing to get through my lesson plans? Did we make the right decision? Should I get up and work some more on the bulletin board? Knowing that the alarm was set for our early-family-exercise session, I desperately tried to shut down. My level of anxiety was a complete surprise. After a scalding, almost-midnight shower by eucalyptus-mint candlelight (I pulled out all the stops...), sleep won at last. The girls, on the other hand, were super-excited to get started. Eden found me on the playroom floor ripping apart perforated calendar numbers right before bed. "Mom. I need to ask you a question. About homeschooling." "Yes? Ask away." "What time should I meet you? And where? And what should I be w...

I remember talking to a mom who was taking her daughter out of private preschool after one year. She was telling me all about how excited she was about homeschooling, how she couldn't think of anything better than spending all of that time with her child, and why would she want to continue to let anyone else raise her child and on and on. It was a hard sell, and I could tell she was selling herself on it as much as she was trying to sell me. We were doing the same thing - pulling E out after one year in favor of a free program - so I just said something like, "oh, really? right. well, we just didn't want to pay anymore." I didn't have a good feeling about homeschooling after that conversation, and I've met plenty of other moms who have given me similar pitches. I don't appreciate those pitches. I like the ones where the moms hesitate for a minute and then say, "well, we love it, but..." Honesty, please. So, lest anyone think I have it all togethe...

Several writers have suggested that home school families have a mission statement. Mission statements can serve as a filter when deciding what activities to add & subtract from our daily schedule. This seems like a good idea, so we wrote one. The Wright Family Mission Statement, 2010-2011 School Year We aim to honor God as we live a better story by learning, playing and serving together. We will focus on 3 main values: Creativity - We believe that, according to Psalm 150, God has given us many gifts, all of which are designed to bring him Glory. We will praise Him in creative ways. 1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, ...

Seriously. Make one little decision, tell a few people and WHAM! - the inbox is filled with insights, advice and formerly-irrelevant-but-suddenly-spot-on marketing messages. It's like the universe, or at least MY universe, has been waiting for us to decide to homeschool. With a collectively breathed " at last ," sources across space and time are unloading the wisdom that they have been courteously holding back for a few years. Focus on the Family sends me regular emails, which I regularly delete before reading. But I was physically unable to delete this week's, which had the words "effective" and "homeschool" in it. I figured maybe God had pushed Dr. Dobson aside and was trying to get my attention. My theory was confirmed when 2 other people forwarded me the same email. The article was encouraging and included a link to an entire series of practical, how-to-start-homeschooling posts. Over the last couple of weeks I have alternated between reading b...

Twenty years ago, I was a middle-schooler sneaking episodes of 21 Jumpstreet. A look at the walls of my bedroom would write the story I planned to live: I would complete astronaut training. Between missions, I would grace Broadway stages in New York or visit the set of my husband's current film. My husband Johnny Depp, that is. Now the walls of my rooms tell a very different story - one of food-covered grins, tiny, sandy toes and sun-kissed pigtails. I watch shuttle launches from my backyard and catch Broadway tours from Left Orchestra. My husband, Not Johnny Depp, and I are watching an episode of 21 Jumpstreet right now. Seriously. We bought it at Wal-Mart for $5. One day, a few years ago, I realized I was living every girl's dream. I'd had some fun jobs. I had a wonderful husband, two healthy, beautiful children, a house with a backyard...and a full helping of boredom. The dream I was living was not mine. In fact, I had stopped dreaming altogether. My life - my story - w...

So, maybe I shouldn't have waited until summer, when my kids are home with me all the time, to make a decision about whether I want my kids home with me all the time. I've found myself dipping into the cons of homeschooling quite a bit - particularly the ones that affect my ability to get anything done. I am trying to find the line between selfish and practical. Is it selfish to want some time to read a book, write a book (or even just a blog, for goodness sake!), exercise in peace, see some friends or just plan a dinner? Or should I embrace the challenge of getting those things done WHILE pouring my own life into my kids? And as they run through the house yelling at each other at this very moment, I am asking myself: When does school start? But yesterday I was reminded of why this debate began again this year - not because there was anything wrong with our school experience, but because the school experience itself is simply exhausting. Mornings spent racing out the door + af...