Homeschoolin' aint cheap!

Ok, so someone told me one time that they homeschool for next to nothing.  In fact, their family spent less homeschooling four kiddos then they did when they had two in public school.  REALLY?!  I wish I had asked how.  I just took them at their word and figured I'd be able to do the same.  Um, no.

I guess I have up until now.  Our first year I think I spent about $200 to homeschool one kid.  The next year I homeschooled two kids for probably under $100.  I got everything used and utilized the library a lot.  We had a great library in Texarkana!  Year three was a lot like year two:  I had stuff people had given me, I found items at Kings Treasure Thrift Shop in Alamogordo, NM, and I used the Alamogordo Public Library.  OMW!  Lemme just say that the childrens librarian in Alamo is awesome!  Ms. Amy was a homeschool mom herself and was very helpful.  There was a huge selection of homeschool helps including curriculum.  Year four brought us a very dear friend giving us a good sum of money to buy homeschool stuff with.  PTL for great friends who listen to God's voice!

So now we're up to date.  We've moved to Clovis.  We're revamping our homeschool since momma is back home schoolin' the kidlets.  The library here is nice but doesn't have homeschool stuff.  The childrens librarian has never been there when I have been (and I've gone at all different times) so she's not been much help.  It seems poorly organized.  I honestly dread teaching the boys to use the library here.  Soooo the library isn't much help at all.  There are approximately TWO thrift stores here and neither of them have any homeschool things.  The only books I have found in them are cheesey romance novels.  <wrinkles nose>

Wendon and I have been blessed recently so I was able to order my dream curriculum this year.  When you start talking dreams, well dreams aint cheap.   We're using My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures as our main curriculum, Primary Language Lessons for Noah's english, Intermediate Language Lessons for Oliver's english, and Math-U-See for both boys' math.  My dad gave me Home Run Reading and I'm using that for Noah's reading program.  Oliver is well advanced in reading for his age so we're using the language lessons and LOTS of reading assignments with comprehension questions for him. 

Anyhow, back to dreams not being cheap.  ;)  I went shopping today for supplies for our homeschool.  Sigh.  All I can say is thank GOD I had budgeted for this.  Do you know how much 3-ring binders are?!  It's nuts.  Mason jars, string, potting soil, playdough, more pencils, erasers, earthworms...well, they all add up.

Having a dream homeschool aint cheap.  However, seeing my kids faces light up when I tell them we're going to see how earthworms turn the soil makes it worth it!

Happy homeschooling!

Blog Virgin

I like to watch the tv show Property Virgins from time to time.  It has humor, it has tears, it has joys:  What more could a girl want in a tv show?  ;)  Well, I'm not a property virgin as far as real estate goes but I am a blog virgin.  This is my first time.  I've thought about it for years but never took the plunge.  I felt like I really didn't have anything to blog about.  Maybe I don't.  My passions are my family, homeschooling, cooking and reading.  Of course there are TONS of blogs about homeschooling, cooking, and reading.  I'm not sure very many people want to read about my family either.  However, I've decided that I want to take the plunge and I'm just going to write about what I love and who the heck cares if everyone in the world has blogs about the same things. 

So, without further ado, Gidget goes blogging.