First, let me welcome you to my little home on the web. "I Forgot To Socialize The Kids!" is a blog that has been in the works for some time now, and I am finally gaining the momentum and confidence I need to get it started. I post about everything from homeschool, life as a single parent, office life and everything in between.
I have dreamed of homeschooling my children since before they were even a glimmer in my heart, and with the help of their wonderful father and the support of my family, it has become a reality. Lets be real, though. The reality of our homeschool looks nothing like the storybook dreams I had, and it looks nothing like the way you homeschool. This is perfectly okay. It's more than ok; it is WONDERFUL!
When I began this journey, I was a happily married Army Wife with one baby and another on the way. We did TotSchool, had passes to every museum, I was home with my son, playing and learning with him, preparing for his brother. I thought this was what the rest of my life would be like: pseudo-perfect. But the reality is, nothing is perfect.
Life happened and things changed. Everything changed.
I am now a single, working, and yes, still homeschooling mom.
We have had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of trial and error. Luckily, my boys were still young enough that I had the time to make 1000 mistakes in figuring out how homeschool would fit into our new life. I didn't know how this would work, but I knew it had to.
In the spirit of complete transparency, I will tell you that this is the most difficult decision I have ever made. It is also the most gratifying.
Just like every other parent who chooses to homeschool their children, I have the same fears; the same questions: "Am I doing enough? What am I missing? Do I really have the time? Am I a good enough teacher? Should they be in school?" Yet, my fear and frustration is outweighed by the immense joy I get in being present for those, "AH-HA!" moments; by reminding myself that, at the end of the day this is my top priority, and I will never falter in giving my children the absolute best I have to offer. Homeschooling is a slow journey, but each and every day I see those little payoffs that give me the courage to keep going.
As for me, the person who actually writes the blog...
I am a 29 year old mom to 2 amazing little men. I am a lifelong vegetarian and passionate about urban farming. I work in IT administration and am lucky enough to have the type of job that allows me to cater to my children's needs.
I am not religious, but very spiritual. I practice daily meditation and dabble in healing energy.
There is so much more to who I am as an individual, which I hope you will learn as you visit my blog.
The boys... They are my moon and my sun. They are the reason I have the strength to make it through each day and push onto the next with a smile on my face. Every day they teach me to be a better person. Without them, I would not be the woman I am today.
Gauge is six years old, reviewing his Kinder work over the summer before we start First Grade! (Where has the time gone??) He really is the man of the house. He is kind hearted and helpful almost all the time, and is so excited to finally be reading! We toyed with the idea of public school, due to my own insecurities, but decided that was not what was best for our family, (Yes, this is a decision my son and I came to together.) and he couldn't be more excited! He loves sports and science, and wants to be a race car driving veterinarian when he grows up.
Vash is a special guy with a BIG personality! He has some sensory issues, which I talk a lot about.
He is 4 years old, and will be beginning Preschool in the fall. He has a love for cars and costumes, and just wants to be the center of attention all the time. One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that we can do things his way!
The bottom line is, I am online for a number of reasons. Firstly, I regret the lack of serious documentation I have done about my boys' lives, and our journey. I not only want to jot down these memories for myself, but I want to share with other. When I became this single, homeschooling mama I turned to the internet for advice and support. I moved home after a decade away and realized how much everything had changed: my friends had become strangers, familiar places felt foreign. I was lost. My local homeschooling group has a very religious background, which made me feel rather uncomfortable, and everyone I talked to about the idea of educating my boys solo told me I was crazy. I was hoping to find a community of women who I could fit right in with- who had been where I am now, but I found very little. So here is a shout out to everyone who is walking in my shoes- YOU CAN DO THIS! And to everyone who is not, you can too!
this is our journey- I hope you enjoy the ride!
