Life Goes On…

We’re in year two of school, ‘building school’ as we call it.  Before this we homeschooled (read An Accidental Homeschool Mom).  We’ve had our ups and downs.  Fortunately, we’ve had more ups than downs.

I will confess, however, that in the back of my mind I had this idea that once school started life as we knew it would end.  Sure, life has changed fairly drastically.  I still don’t enjoy packing lunches (probably my least favorite of the school chores).  Then there is the homework (though there is less of that than anticipated).  There are teacher conferences (so far, so good).  Playground drama has been steady but not pervasive and the kids love their friends and teachers.

But life has not ended.

As you probably already know, I take lots of pictures and going through them, posting the occasional ones on Facebook, I get to relive those moments of joy that exemplify the larger life of joy.  Because, lets be honest, life is a series of good and bad and everything in between but when I look at those pictures and see the smiles, the overall joy that is my family, I know that the majority of life is on the ‘good’ end of the scale.  Sure, I could focus on the mornings we’re running late and the tone of voice gets raised, a lot.  Or the days the kids forget to brush their teeth, bring their piano books to class, don’t turn in homework.  That stuff happens.  It’s going to happen.  Instead, I choose to focus on the bicycle rides and playing at the creek and going to a festival or out for yogurt.  I see the smiles and sleepy heads and my husband sitting on the couch with the kids and me snuggling in bed with my baby girl.

Yeah, life has changed since starting ‘building school’.  We’re more intentional about sleep and schedules.  But we’re also more intentional about enjoying those precious moments, the moments that count.  School is important.  I love that my kids are learning and making friends and have teachers that care.  I’m also glad that learning opens their minds to what the world is all about, travel, family, caring for others.

Life didn’t end on the first day of school, it just broadened their horizons.