I tell you ladies, you all have got me thinking so very much on this situation now and looking at things in a MUCH more positive light. It is actually surprising me quite a bit... in a good way.
I have just finished making a list of pro's and con's for homeschooling vs public school. The list of pro's strongly outweigh the con's! I actually went to write the con's and couldn't think of anything truly substantial to put there. Pretty funny.
Also, I was looking at losing two of my children due to the mom losing her job as a really bad thing. Of course, I was thinking financially. Yes, I will miss my little Ella and I was excited about getting her baby brother in the fall, but financially I was immediately concerned.
Now, I am trying to see it in a more positive light (maybe this is what God wanted me to see all along). Yes, we will be tighter financially, but when I began looking at what my new situation will be, it is definitely more "homeschool friendly". By this, I mean that I will now only have two full time children each week and one part time child (two days a week). Both of my full time children will be gone by 3:30 each day because their parents are teachers. This will happen three days a week most weeks. The other two days, my part timer will be here till 5-5:30.
When I look at this, I see that not only will I have time to homeschool my son during nap times, but I can also plan some schooling for the afternoon's when I don't have any other children. It will also be a prime time to schedule playdates for my son with other children because they will be out of PS at that time in the afternoon also.
Had everything stayed the way it was going to be, I would have six children most days throughout the week, and most of those days I would have three of them until 5:30 each day. Keeping up with five other children, plus my son, plus homeschooling and just taking care of regular, everyday things may have actually proved to be too much for me.
So, if we can get through this financially without me having to take on another child, this will work out wonderfully! Now, I am thinking that maybe I can figure something else out to provide some extra income if we do see we need it. Maybe sell items ebay or craigslist here and there. My sister even mentioned that I could possibly tutor a couple of elementary kids a few hours a week and make extra money that way. Something to think about anyway.
The more I think about all this, the more I can't help but think that this is indeed what God was trying to get me to see all along. I just couldn't see it clearly because I had a thick fog of financial worry covering me.
Anyway, I wanted to share my new thoughts with each of you who have been so kind to share advice and suggestions with me. You each have truly helped me just in the past couple of days. I am feeling that a burden I have been carrying for a few weeks now is finally lifting and I can breath easier now. Also, just being on the board again has renewed my excitement for homeschooling. That is wonderful!
A big thanks to each of you!!! Have a great day. : )