Project Update #1: Here goes nothing...

Let's get to the point... major announcement from the Branda house...

We've decided to homeschool for 2013 - 2014!

Yeah. I know. I swore I'd never do it. Not that there is anything wrong with homeschooling, I was homeschooled and loved every minute. I know the benefits, the positives, and all the other great things that happen in homeschooling, but...

For me? I said I'd never do it for two reasons: First, I'm not THAT mom. I don't do all the educational, healthy, motivational thing. I don't count the hours that my kids play video games or watch cheesy Disney TV shows, I don't make sure their lunches have something from all the food groups and I don't let my kids win UNO to boost their self-esteem. The other reason? Oh yeah. I just didn't want to.

But sometimes God has a way of taking what you want and pushing you into something else to grow you into something else and to remind you that he is God.

So here we are.

I had been praying about what to do with the kids for schooling this next year and it just kinda happened. I talked with the husband and we decided that everything just made sense to homeschool. So, I am making the switch. Instead of teaching high school, I will become a one-room schoolmarm for 6th, 5th and 3rd grade.

While the thought of that doesn't exactly excite me, (sorry all you die-hard homeschoolers, I'm not giddy about it yet), here is what I AM excited about. I am excited about taking a year and spending time with my kids. Not just to have fun and learn some stuff, but to take this year and really pour into them what God has been pouring into me.

I am calling it "The LOVE project". Over the past couple of years, God has been showing me how we spend too much time nit-picking and judging, when really God tells us over and over again how important it is to love. As I use the aBeka curriculum, I will be adding my own flair in teaching my kids to love. We will be focusing on three areas: love God, love family. love people. I'll be journaling through these next few months on exactly what that will look like, so make sure you bookmark the site if you're interested in our adventure.

It's going to be interesting. It's going to be fun. I'm praying that it's going to be life-changing.