the truth hurts...

i am beginning to realize having a gifted child makes me lazy sometimes. i was reviewing with a friend over the weekend the reasons i was homeschooling, and i realized some of these reasons are coming dangerously close to resurfacing... BECAUSE OF ME. 

that was really hard for me to swallow. i consider myself my son's greatest advocate. but he is so smart that i often neglect his schoolwork, because he can figure it out on his own. the bigger issue, i fear, is that i am training him by my example (so why is he going to give 100% when he doesn't see me giving it!?) all of that being said, i am really committing to shifting gears and giving 100% to his education. after all, i was the one who pulled him out of school because i was afraid his brain was going to waste. 

i recently heard somewhere that there is a difference between interest and commitment. obviously, we understand this, but the reality of it sunk in for me. i have A LOT of interests. but there are very few things to which i am committed (which i do not feel is all bad). i would say i am committed to homeschooling, but my actions show it more as an interest. my heart would disagree, especially since i love my son and truly want what is best for him. but if that is the bottom line, i must commit (by my actions) to his education. 

there are two words in our vocabulary that i wish could be deleted. one of those is vulnerable (that's for another day). the other is sacrifice. i am part of the crowd who can comprehend these words, and also can respect the need for them in my individual life. of course i have learned first hand through experience that both of these words produce a more fulfilled life and purposeful relationships. but these words are a stretch for me. i mean it. i have misspelled them both every time i have typed them. these are intentional words. i do not usually carelessly stumble into vulnerability or sacrifice. but in order to commit to something (anything, really) it must be intentional. and really, a synonym for commit should be sacrifice. whatever it is, if we truly commit to it, there is quite a bit of sacrifice involved. (now, here is where we can get on to all the different levels of sacrifice. obviously, i'm not talking anything near the extent of Christ's sacrifice. i'm just talking the nominal, everyday kind. like i can't sit and read all day because i have a family that relies on me to__________ (fill in the blank with any number of things!). if this example seems a frivolous sacrifice then you have no idea how much i love to read.)

i have spent the morning detailing a homeschool plan for the month of november. i have included the kinds of projects and things that i think grayson will really enjoy and be excited about. i am committing to follow through with this (i've also given myself an easy start, he is going hunting and will have 4 days off school, plus thanksgiving gives us another 3 off!). i am excited to report back with some of the things we will do! we're starting today with custom crossword puzzle and tomorrow we are building a paper model of columbus' santa maria. we are also going to build a replica of the mayflower for a thanksgiving centerpiece. i'll post some photos along the way, too!

 ADVENTURES IN HOMESCHOOLING?!

that's right. i said homeschool. anyone who knows me KNOWS this is the last thing i would be caught dead doing, but here i am. and yes, i have learned the valuable lesson of "never say never"! so "why?" you ask. to make a long story not as long, it all started last winter...
i was aware grayson, was spending an immense amount of time in the classroom reading books (i worked at the school, so i saw this first hand). don't get me wrong, i LOVE books. but it was all he was doing. he never, ever brought home homework. and our time at parent/teacher conferences was spent hearing about the antics of the class clown (wonder where he gets that from?!). we have been told since day one that he's likely gifted, and i know school comes easy to him, but the idea of giving him extra work wasn't cutting it for me. the turning point came while we were on a cruise over new years and he asked me a question about the lifeboats. his questions are absurd. ("hey mom, if all the water in the world was in a glass, would the glass, would the glass be wider or deeper?") but what really got to me was the realization that i hadn't heard one of these absurd questions in a LONG time. which told me that he clearly was not being challenged. so the more we prayed about this, we decided to get him tested. and as it turns out, he is indeed gifted. now what? i really felt homeschool was where we needed to be, but i was facing a severe inner struggle. i'm talking severe. but the more research i did, the more certain i was. so... i am officially a homeschool mom. we have an excellent resource through which we are getting curriculum, etc. and i am totally at peace with it. matt and i decided to leave berkley in school this year where she has been, since she really does well in a school environment.

the real adventure comes when two people who are alike in every possible way, are together all the time. the good news is, we learn alike, so that is helpful! there are so many ways this is wonderful, and so many ways it is still a challenge. it is the epitome of on the job training. i am thankful that we get to be together all the time, and i miss berkley everyday, more than i did when they were both in school. it is also forcing me to be crazy organized (i plan the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 2 weeks at a time and (hopefully) only make one trip to the store). i still haven't mastered balancing the house chores versus school. we work from 830 when i get home from taking berkley to school, and we usually stop around 3. so we have a very full day. some of those days i am sitting and working side by side with gray, and other days i abandon him for laundry, floors, etc. but its still early in the year and i have confidence i will learn to balance! stay tuned, one of my goals is to write more now that i am home all the time!

winter of our discontent featuring the best Christmas present ever!

it's been several months since my last post, and with the promise of summer comes my resolution to update this blog much more frequently. my new found change in circumstances (more on this later!) promises more time for just this type of goal. so, in an effort to make up for almost 10 months of radio silence, i will briefly summarize our winter... it's over. it's was blissfully uneventful, not even one single snow day to report.

that being said, we, as a family, did receive the most fabulous christmas present from my parents! on christmas eve, gigi and papaw presented their 7 grandchildren (and their parents) with a disney cruise departing christmas morning! (the adults, of course, knew ahead of time in order to take off work, pack in secret, acquire passports, etc.) it was a truly magical gift, and the memories will last forever! we spent the majority of christmas day in los angeles, and had an incredibly memorable christmas night filled with cocktails and hors'd ouevers around in a gorgeous waterfront fire pit. we were at sea for new years eve, attended a phenomenal pirate party (where black eyeliner was worn by EVERY member of our family), had a beautiful sunset dinner at an outdoor restaurant in cabo san lucas, spent the day on a pirate ship, and went on a very successful whale watching excursion! and the 5 girls in matching outfits we're arguably the cutest on the ship! these highlights don't even include the countless magical encounters with princess royalty, getting on an elevator with goofy, the excellent waitstaff who enchanted us day and night, 'round the clock child care (that the kids thought was a party in and of itself every time we dropped them off), bath towel oragami surprising us every evening and swimming outside in december! we will truly cherish those memories for the rest of our lives. anyone considering a disney cruise, i say run, don't walk! our kids ranged in age from 10 to 2, and there was always something for them to do and which to look forward

.i have a few pictures below, and promise to post again before early next week.  thanks for reading, enjoy the pictures, and check back next week for the latest! have a great week!

pettiskirts everywhere!!!

berkley lounging by the firepit

riding the luggage cart at the ritz in LA 

a day spent with the best pirates ever!

a lovely princess tea party

matt and shannah 

berkley and ariel