Hand-me-downs

I hadn't always intended to home school.  Big Dad and I attended a church in San Diego before having kids.  The church pastor and his wife have 8 children whom they home school.  Many of the families there also had many children and home schooled.  Before the Jor Man was even conceived we got to know many wonderful families with children of all ages.  And I saw two things:

1) The kids impressed me.  They were fun, intelligent and polite.  They had great relationships with their families.

2)  The moms were not brain surgeons or rocket scientists.  They were moms who loved their kids, and wanted to spend time with them.

I began to see that home schooling my children was something that I wanted to do, and could do - even before there were any students in our family!

Once Jor Man was born, I began learning everything I could from these ladies.  I asked questions.  We visited and watched.  They were so generous.  They gave me books, curriculum and materials long before I could use them.

I also went to curriculum resale events put on by the local home school groups.  This, when the Jor Man was 3 and Campster was a baby, yielded me many more books and much advice.  People who have homeschooled little ones and lived to tell about it, are thrilled to share their knowledge, their enthusiasm and their hand-me-down materials.

The best gift they gave me was the confidence that I could help my children to learn and that I wouldn't "Ruin Them".   And all the free stuff was great, too.

Just last week, a friend with older kids asked me to come by and get boxes of games and books her kids had grown out of.  What a blessing!!  The pictures are of just some of the loot.

Wish you were here!