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Hi everyone -- I finally took the plunge & ordered Beyond for my first year of homeschool with my daughter (6). I have a strong desire to hs but I often feel overwhelmed as the mom of 4 children pretty close in age (6, 4, 3 yr twins) & I struggle with organization just in daily life. Adding more to my plate when I have my first glimpse of a "break" (fully day school) seemed crazy in logic, but the more God laid this on my heart, the stronger my desire grew & I couldn't let it go. How could I give up the gift of time with my children, the chance to pour into them & guide them God's way, all for the trade-off of a spotless home? (hopefully my guy will come around on that one! )
Anyway, I have spent hours on this Web site, reading all your posts & find this an amazing group to be a part of! Although I am nervous about this decision, I am extremely excited & have felt a sigh of relief for the first time as I submitted my order last night. I walked into my bedroom this afternoon, to find my daughter on my eliptical trainer. I said "What are you doing?" She said "I have too much energy about my first grade books coming & I had to get it out!" (it's a rainy day here -- no outside fun) Just was a little bit of confirmation that we've made the right choice! Looking forward to a great year ahead & will be praying for you all!

Hi 2plus2!

Welcome to HOD and homeschooling! I am new to HOD for this coming school year, but going into my third year of homeschooling. I, too, am not a naturally organized person and often wish I was! I just wanted to encourage you that if God has called you to homeschool and put that on your heart, He will give you the strength, energy, and ability to do it! I have begun to really see some of the fruits of homeschooling and would not trade them for anything! My first year was hard...I schooled DS1 for K, had a 2.5 year old and a newborn! Through God, we made it and overall had a great year! He is Faithful!!!

Also, I think if I had started in K with HOD, it would have been a much smoother first year! So, you already have that going for you!! Looking forward to getting to know you!

Just wanted to say hello! This will be our first year homeschooling as well (so happy we found HOD )! I will be praying for you as you make all of the adjustments and as you balance time between schooling your daughter and the time you will need for your other precious children (have you thought about using Little Hands to Heaven with them?? )...as well as all of the other stuff that comes along with being the wife, mom, homemaker, etc. God wants you to be. I could have echoed your statement of why you are homeschooling- it is so encouraging to find others with similar goals, faith, & lots of little ones. Anyway... just wanted to say Welcome & I'm praying for you right now!
Jessica

Thanks so much for your encouraging words & Jessica- I did wind up ordering LHTH for my younger ones. Just posted trying to figure out how to utilize the combo of both best, but I'm sure it'll all work itself out!! We're soooo very excited to have found this curriculum too. Looking forward to keeping in touch this year!!

2plus2,

Your story about your daughter on the eliptical trainer was hilarious! I can just see her in my mind with all her energy!

I'm excited that you've placed your order and now can breathe a sigh of relief. If you get a chance to share your BOX DAY when it arrives that would be fun too!

My boys have been swamped packing orders, and we're praising God for His faithfulness in sharing HOD with others daily!

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi! I just wanted to pop in and give you another friendly welcome! This board is filled with like-minded, encouraging, godly ladies. It is just wonderfully refreshing to interact with others with the same goals. You are exactly right that the blessing of homeschooling your children will far outweigh the sacrifice and inconvenience! (Most of the time... )

Kathleen

Embarrassing, but I originally thought your post was about actually ordering butterflies! I thought, "I don't remember any butterflies." Well, I'm glad I clicked open your post. I loved the story about your daughter also. Have a great year!

8arrows,

That is TOO funny!

Blessings,
Carrie