Back-To-School ... well, soon.

Most of my friend's kids have started school by now, whether it be public, private, or homeschool. I know a few who school year round and others who have yet to start. We haven't started yet and probably won't for another week. The main reason was because of money and expenses. I've had to put off ordering my books until the last minute. I'm waiting for some of those to get in still. And the other reason is because I'm sick. It's a good thing we haven't started because I'm feeling pretty awful. Hopefully, by next week I'll be over this crazy cold thing. It's mostly head congestion with a nasty sore, and very dry throat.

This will be our 15th year homeschooling. It's far from a new thing for us, so it's pretty easy to start back up, even after a summer break. A lot of people ask me how and why I started homeschooling. I began with my girls in 1998. They started their schooling in a great private school, but it just got too expensive. We switched to a fairly new school our church had started, hoping to save a little money. That was a nightmare from the start. By October, I was at my wits end, and bought my first book on homeschooling to see if it was something I wanted to do. I haven't looked back since.

Both my girls are in college this year. Nicole is in Billings, which is about eight hours from here. Nichelle is attending the local college, so she can easily commute back and forth. So, it's just me and the boys now, kind of like when I first started with the girls. Nathan is in 8th grade and Neil is in 5th grade this year. We'll still do fun, and often corny themed-weeks with crafts and things, but the boys like that. They're getting into the harder academics now, so simple crafts keep it fun for them. Nathan is ready to start back up again, but I'm not so sure about Neil. The good thing is that my classroom is already cleaned up, so at least I don't have to deal with that. I just need to get all my books so I can work on the schedule. Even if they don't all come in by next week, I have plenty to start them up with. It's amazing what you can accumulate in 15 years -- egads.