So … how’s it going you want to know?  Well … in a few words, a lot more difficult than I’d anticipated {duh!}, but at the same time … my heart is happy.

Taylor officially started on her courses on Tuesday.  She’s doing a complete online {Christian} homeschooling program.  Everything she does is online.  Her tutorials, “books,” tests, quizzes, homework, writing assignments … they’re all done online and submitted directly online.  Seems easy enough, right?  I touted that I would “just be keeping her on task.”  Yeah.

Fortunately, there is a suggested planner-type thing that lays out her coursework for the quarter, but seriously, it’s a lot more than I anticipated making sure that we’re staying on course.  Taylor’s been great, though, at finishing her assignments and even working ahead to the next day.

I think the hardest part is that my time isn’t my time anymore.  In my mind, she would be doing her schoolwork and I would be doing my work.  Instead it goes a little something like this, “mom, I need help … mom, my printer isn’t working … mom, i don’t understand this … mom, what’s for lunch … mom, can you spend some time with me … mom, whatcha doing?”

But that’s the sacrifice I signed up for … and honestly … bring it on!

I found a great Christian homeschooling planner and the following popped out at me the other day {reasons why a mom chose to home school}:

Parents need not deprogram or reteach values the child hears for seven hours a day.
They have the child’s full attention at any time of the day and can give him full
attention; he is not absorbing two different value systems daily.

There were other things mentioned that speak to having all your children home and how the family unit bonds in that … makes me kinda wanna home school all the girls!  Anyway.  What I mention here is exactly why I’ve got Taylor at home with me.

She’s doing devotion daily {something that I’ve let slip with her}.  I was able to tell her yesterday how proud I am of her … “why?” she asked … and I was able to list out five things that made me proud.  She’s been riding during the day.  She applied for a volunteer position at a local pet store.  We’re able to have lunch together and talk.

I know there’s sacrifice involved … I knew that going in … and I know we’ve got lots of adjusting and figuring out our way … but ultimately, at this moment … my heart couldn’t be happier.  And I’ve got a strong feeling … hers either.

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Join me at the MODsquad today where I’m recapping chapters 15-18.  I’ve also got a little somethin’ I’m giving away!

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Full-circle.

Taylor started riding when she was four years old.  We were on a trip to Ireland, decided to go horseback riding and Taylor was instantly hooked!  When we got home she started lessons almost right away and her passion for the sport only got stronger and stronger.

{Taylor :: 8 years old}

Taylor stopped riding about a year ago.  But on our recent trip to Ireland, guess what we did?  And guess who’s hooked?

It was beautiful watching her ride again.  It was just like old times … her whole face lights up when she’s on the back of a horse.  Seems she didn’t forget a thing …

Seems I didn’t either … there’s this feeling I get taking photos of her riding.  Somehow hard to explain, but almost like we’re one … her, the horse, and my lens.  I think my passion for photography got strongest when she was riding.  It was a great thrill to snap the shutter just as she was mid-air and flying over a jump.

I even had a riding website for Taylor and it’s still active if you care to take a look-see.  I browsed through it yesterday … and all those memories seem like mere moments ago.  It reminds me once again that we have them for but mere moments.  We need to remember to cherish, enjoy and make memories while we can …

This post is linked up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky

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I started a tradition last year with these back-to-school schultüte’s and brought them out again this year.  I was a little late in the game in getting some goodies to fill them with … but that turned out to be a blessing!

When I bumped into this earlier in the week, I knew it would be perfect and scrambled to get it together for the girls.  I was worried they would think “huh?”  But they totally loved it.  They gathered all their little things together and sat around me, picking up each item as we read the corresponding note to go with it.  Piper even taped her little cards to her bed.

Um, yeah.  Hunter’s been our little fashionista lately.  This headband is a photo prop, but she’s sort of claimed it as her own.  She even wore it to school yesterday … Lord, help us!  But I s’pose, if anyone can pull it off, my cutie pie can!

And here are my girlies on their first day of school.  Well … actually, Taylor hasn’t started yet.  I’m running into some glitches and red tape in getting her curriculum, but hopefully sometime next week she’ll be starting.  It’s been nice having her hanging around with me though!

Hope your school year is off to a great start!  Oh! and those Ireland photos I threatened promised you? hopefully next week … things have been a wee bit unexpected {with a tad of crazy thrown in} around here!

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My word will not return to me until it accomplishes what I intended.
Isaiah 55:11

Some people were hoping my teaser last week meant that CJ has been saved … I’m sorry to report that’s not the case … yet!  I still believe that he will be … unfortunately, I have to be patient and wait for God’s timing on that one.

But … I am happy to report that CJ has agreed to letting me homeschool Taylor.  I even think he’s a little excited about it!  If you know CJ, and the relationship he has with Taylor … you know this is a miracle!

We had an appointment with Taylor’s counselor to talk about homeschooling her.  CJ was.not on board.  I won’t bore you with all the ugly details, but one quote from him was, “let’s understand here that Taylor isn’t a girl with special needs.”  To which the counselor replied, “no, but she is a special girl with needs.”  {loved that!}.

Again … I won’t go into all the ugly details, but to nutshell it … CJ thinks Taylor gets whatever Taylor wants, that she’s manipulative, spoiled, coddled, and the list goes on.  So he fights tooth & nail {where did that saying ever come from!?} to go the opposite direction to make sure she doesn’t get what she wants.

CJ and I see a counselor ourselves, so we called an emergency meeting with her.  I listed all my reasons for wanting to homeschool Taylor.  He gave all his reasons why we shouldn’t.  The counselor, of course, stated we both had valid reasons and that one of us would have to give.  Her exact words were, “one of you is going to have to love the other enough to sacrifice your wishes.”  I spoke up and said that I absolutely love CJ enough that I would forgo homeschooling her.  But what hurts most is knowing my husband doesn’t feel the same way.  He said nothing.  And that was the end of our session.

And it was date night.  Never schedule a counselor appointment on date night.

We spent the first half of dinner not speaking.

Then we talked.  CJ agreed that I know Taylor best and he would do his best to “accept” homeschooling.  I told him I need more than that because {based on our history}, I didn’t want him to end up resenting me or Taylor.  We talked and talked.  He asked if there was something he could do to show me he would really try.  I asked him to read two books.  The first, “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.”  He read it in 4 days.  As he was reading, I was praying that God would open his heart.  He did.

CJ even bought a book on his own, “Homeschoolers’ College Admissions Handbook.”  Again, if you knew us, our family dynamics and our history … you’d understand how huge that is!

{CJ & Taylor :: 2001}

I think this might be the last photo of them I have together like this.  It breaks my heart to know that Taylor has experienced this loss {their relationship} as well.  But … I suppose that’s another post.

Anyway.  I wanted to share that my goal for Taylor this year go beyond her academics.  My goal is to educate her heart.  And I truly believe CJ is beginning to understand how important this is and how it just may be a new beginning for Taylor … for all of us really.

CJ works mostly from home and cherishes the time he and I have together.  He’s made many mentions of us “starting a new life once Taylor leaves for school {college}.”  And yeah … that’s another whole post.  But I wanted to share that, to show how having her home for homeschooling is sacrificing on so many levels of our family life.

Anyway.

I would like to share some changes in CJ since we’ve met.  When we met, he was pretty much agnostic … almost to the point of being an atheist.  Granted … I wasn’t anywhere near in my faith as I am today.  That said, I’d like to list out where he’s at today:

• He talks about sin, and what’s right or wrong … almost quoting the bible and having a higher standard for Christians.  He’s very much aware of what behavior should be expected from Christians.
• He made mention of God the other day … and then corrected himself and said, “I mean your God.  I guess it would be my higher power.”
• He’s starting to volunteer to pray every once and a while at mealtime.
• He made a point of making sure that we said a prayer for Ariel before she died.  And the next day, made a point of getting me {I stayed in the house with Piper} to come outside and say a prayer before her burial.

Keep praying for us … I know God has BIG plans for our family!

This post is linked up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky

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