To Homeschool or Not To Homeschool

For the past couple of month homeschooling has been on my mind again. I know I've been there done that before. I just can't seem to knock the feeling that it is what I should be doing. Have you ever had that nagging feeling deep down in your gut that you should do something? Well that is what I have been feeling lately. I never could get over the bad feeling of putting the boys in public schools again. Lately that feeling just seems to be getting stronger. The boys are both making great grades in school. Actually they are both at the top of of the kids in there class. So that is not the issue. There are several reasons I am considering homeschooling again. First, I just plain miss them. I admit I have enjoyed having some time to myself but most of the time I just miss having them around. I can't wait for them to get home. I know some of you probably think that is crazy. Second, I miss being involved in there learning. Helping Sean with his homework just doesn't cut it. I want to teach them. Which leads me to reason three. I don't think either of the boys are learning to the best of their abilities. I can't help but think of all they could have learned this past year and a half. I was talking to Joshua's teacher this last week. He is the top reader in his class. He is such a bright child. They are both highly intelligent. With homeschooling I can tailor their schooling to fit their individual learning styles. Public school just aims for that middle ground. Slower kids are not the only ones that get the short end of the stick. The really bright ones do too. Fourth, with homeschooling the schedule is more flexible. We don't have to schedule our vacations around school. I remember that was always nice. Schooling is just more fun. The kids enjoy it more. Which brings me to the fifth reason. Sean still wants to be home schooled. He has not given up on the idea. He brings it up on a regular basis.
Finally, I don't like the influence that public school has on my children. Sean recently came home and asked me what it means to show your middle finger to someone and if it is bad. I know he is going to get that other places but at least I can influence him more when he is with me more.
I recently finished a book called Boys should be boys. I must say that this book is probably one of the major reasons I am seriously considering homeschooling again. It talks in this book about how the most important thing parents can do for their boys is be with them as much as they possibly can. I want to be the major influence in my boys lives. Not a public school teacher who doesn't know my child the way I do or have the same goals and aspiration for them that I do. Not their friends that they have made at school. I want my kids to grow up to become men of integrity, courage, humility, meekness, and kindness. I want my boys to grow up and become men of God. The more time I have with them the better chance they will have to become those kind of men. They are not going to learn that from the public school system. I know that kids grow up and become wonderful christian people that have gone to public schools. All the kids in my family went to public schools. We didn't turn out to bad. But I also know some of the things that I had to be a part of that I just don't want for my boys. And it is worse now than it use to be. Things are changing in the public school system and I don't want to be a part of it. One of these days in the not to distant future more things will be taught that will go against the very fiber of what is to be Christian. There are already enough things for me. I am going to give myself the rest of this year to think on it and pray about it. But I believe that my mind and heart are already together on the matter.

Credit Card First Not the Car

Those of you that know Matt and I well know that we have been following Dave Ramsey's get out of debt principles. We are finally nearing the end of our battle with debt and will be debt free by the end of the summer. We have two more big debts to pay off. One of them is our fleece on our Toyota Sienna minivan and the other is a chase credit card. They both are within a couple thousand dollars of each other. But the plan states that you pay off least to greatest. So the minivan was next on the list. Notice I said "was". That's right, "was". This next week we were going to pay off our remaining balance of approximately $15,000. I know that is a lot. But recent dirty activities of JPMorgan Chase Bank have changed our plans.

In January Chase decided to start charging a $20 monthly fee to credit card holders that have a fixed low rate of 2.99%-5.99% for the life of the balance on their card. They are also doubling the minimum payment on those cards from 2.5% to 5% of the balance. So far this has not happened to us. But we have decided to go ahead and pay off Chase first just out of principle. We think what Chase is doing is wrong. So, all the money that we have been saving up to pay off our van is now going to Chase. As of next Saturday our last credit card will bite the dust. This will in no way change our busting debt deadline. We will still be out of debt by the end of the summer.

We have also decided to change banks too. Yes, we bank with them too.

Wow, What a Book!

I just finished a book that I would recommend to anyone that has boys. The book is titled Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker, M.D. But I warn you. This book will get in your face. It speaks to both mothers and fathers on the things we should or shouldn't be doing to get our boys to become the men that we all know they can be. Men of integrity, courage, humility, meekness, and kindness. Men of God.

This book speaks strongly on the impact that media, friends, family and God has on them. How we as parents and God are the most important thing in a boys life. As mother and father we each have a different role to play but each are just as important. This book will make you want to take everything media out of their lives. It will scare you and give you hope at the same time. It will make you laugh, cry and worry. It will make you want to be a better parent. I strongly urge you to ready it.