Check!

Fill out withdrawal form stating Bean's last day at public school will be June 8, 2012.  Check!

Print out Letter of Intent to Homeschool so I can send it in early.  Check!

Write up Education Plan for Bean to send with Letter of Intent.  Check!

Order first grade materials for Bean.  Check!

Order third grade materials for Bug.  Check!

Looks like things are totally coming together for our homeschooling family!

Third Grade!

Today my Little Bug finished his core second grade materials and officially became a third grader!

We cheered!

We celebrated!

We danced around like crazy people!

We laughed!

We smiled!

And now we're taking a week off to just chill out and relax.  Then we will do some super fun science stuff as we become explores of this great earth!  Our plan is to spend the month of May just being scientists and discovering all we can discover (think Sid the Science Kid) then in June we will take another break (the plan is two weeks) and then we will start up our third grade materials.

That's the plan, we'll see how it goes, but for now let's celebrate!  Join me in congratulating Bug on a job well done and giving him a virtual high-five for now being in third grade!!

Prayer, God, He Answers

I'm happy to report that Bean's speech services will continue.  You know I was worried that they would try to get out of it, but apparently they've seen the light - or maybe it's just that through testing you simply can't argue with the results.  Whatever the case, Bean's speech services have been mapped out for another year.

Why yes, anti-homeschooling psychologist, I am planning to homeschool her for first grade... I'm also happy to report that I didn't have to go momma bear on the school psych.  I remained calm and collected and through what I believe to be an answer to prayer, it didn't even become that much of an issue.

You see, here's the thing... I have been feeling the attack coming for weeks.  I was attacked when I pulled Bug and it did things to my confidence.  It took months for me to get over the nasty things that were said to me so I think it only natural for me to worry a bit about what was to come in Bean's meeting.  Well, I worried and I felt the enemy waging an all-out attack on my confidence and self-esteem.  It was because of that, and my faith, that I decided to ask some of the nice ladies at church (prayer warriors, they are!) to pray with me over the situation on Sunday.

They did.

And today I arrived to find a situation that I wasn't really planning to see.

It started with the psychologist being a bit flustered as two people were mysteriously absent.  As of yesterday both of these people were confirmed for the meeting, but yet this morning they weren't there.

Hmm...

So two people were called to fill in.

One lady just needed to sign some papers so she signed and then she left.  The other gal was there to sign papers as well, but we are just going to refer to her from here on out as my cheerleader.

As the meeting progressed it came out, "So, Rebecca, you plan to homeschool Bean next year."

The psychologist looked up in shock, "What?  Homeschool her?  I didn't know that."

"Yes, that is the decision we've made."

"Well, but, are you sure? Why?" The look on her face was one that told me it was coming.  I knew where she was going to go.

But just then the gal who wasn't even supposed to be there today yet mysteriously got called in, my cheerleader, spoke up...

"How is Bug doing?"

"Oh he's doing well, thank you."

"Yeah, I've seen such a huge difference in him since you pulled him out.  He's really done well at home. You know, Bean is going to be fine and if you need anything you can just let me know.  Oh, and don't forget if you want her or Bug to participate in any activities just let us know because they can participate in anything here at the school from music class to science fairs."

"Thank you, I did know that.  And it's great that I can bring them up for their therapy services."

*scowling psychologist... if looks could kill*

The cheerleader continued, "I think you're doing a great job."

And it went on for a while.  And every time the psychologist started to speak my cheerleader said something else in my favor.

It was mind blowing!

She wasn't even supposed to be there today!

It was not a coincidence.  It was a God-incidence.

Spring Break

Bean is on her Spring Break this week.

Technically, she doesn't have to do any schoolwork... But, both yesterday and today she has asked me to do work with her.  She's like a little sponge - so eager to absorb all that she can learn.

She isn't gaining much at kindergarten and part of me just thinks about not even sending her back, but I won't do that.

Like I've said before, she will finish out her year.

Meanwhile, I am working on piecing together what I'm going to do with her for first grade.  I have a plan and it's coming together nicely.  With Bug I tend to buy the kits that come from A Beka and then add a few things here and there, but with Bean I'm not going to be buying a full kit.  For her I will just be getting a little of this and a little of that.  I'm having fun going through catalogs and planning for her.

Having her home this week feels good.  I don't know how to explain it other than to say what I've said before: I feel physically ill when I drop her off at the school.

*Wasn't she just adorable on Easter?*

Here's the Plan

We're entering the homestretch for second grade with Bug.  Just two more weeks of regular lessons and he will officially be done with second grade.  After that we are going to spend a good month or so just doing fun science stuff - outdoors as much as possible, experiments, enjoying learning about God's great world and what makes it tick.

Then we'll be taking a short break - after all, everyone needs some summer fun.

But as you know, when I say short break I really mean it.  Bug lasts two weeks before he shuts down so two weeks is all we go between anything.

And then we'll start third grade.

And I plan to focus on nothing but reading with Bean for the entire summer and then come this fall we will dive into first grade for her.

Welcome to Holland

It's Autism Awareness Month so I thought I would share this with you...

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Written by Emily Perl Kingsley