What I love...

 What I love about homeschooling...I guess this is sort of my list of pros and cons of homeschooling.  There are so many reasons it's wonderful, and only a few reasons why it's not.  Sometimes it's easy for me to forget that though, and I lose focus of why I am really doing this.  So, here's a list for me to look at when I forget and am ready to send the kids back to school (because there are days that I really want to).  I may just keep adding to this list over time too.

What I love...

The boys watering the garden together

• I love this blog called Latter-day homeschooling!  There are some really great ideas, and it's very inspiring.  
• I love these Download 'n go unit studies from This old schoolhouse.
• I love nature study, and that April has been totally inspired by Lanie to start really noticing the nature she sees everyday.  She even got a new "field notes" book (nature journal), and put stickers of birds on the inside cover with names of each bird.
• I love building our library of books.  Since I've started homeschooling I'm always on the prowl for good books and making our supply at home bigger.  It is fun, and has made me and my children realize just how much we really love books.
• I love lapbooking.  This is a way of learning that my children really love.  Miss April loves to go back and read her lapbooks and it's a great way to preserve work.
• I love that I'm inspired to do more great things with my kids.
• I love homeschool blogs, and even non-homeschool blogs they really keep me going some days.  I see what others are doing and it all doesn't seem so hard any more.  Just pick something to learn about and go with it.
• I love taking pictures of all the fun things my kids do in our homeschool.  Once in a while we will start an activity and I won't have the camera, Miss April will say "where's the camera, aren't you going to take a picture?  Isn't that your favorite part of school?"  "Why, yes, it is!  (at least one part)
• I love workboxes...although we have stopped using them for a time, I hope to get back to them soon.  
• I love all that I've learned while homeschooling both educationally and how to be a better Mother and teacher.  There are a lot of things that I'm learning right along side my kiddos.  I love it. 
• I love that I get to spend all day with my kids.  It really is a treat though sometimes very hard.
• I love that my kids can take time to eat their lunch and have some good conversation with them.
• I love that we can learn pretty much whatever the kids want to study.  They often find something interesting and ask "mom can we learn about this?"  I always jump on that and try my best to start in some way learning about it.

What I don't love about homeschooling...

• I don't love that there aren't more opportunities for co-ops and clubs close to us.  
• I don't love that sometimes I have SO much to do, it's overwhelming and often homeschool gets pushed aside when things get busy.
• I don't love that it's just me leading the way all day long, often with no breaks.  It's not all bad, but there are points in the day where I am just ready to be done. 
• I don't love that everyone thinks I'm some kind of supermom because I homeschool.  I'm not.
• I don't love the non-existent time I need to get everything done that needs to be done each day.
• I don't love chasing after the materials and supplies I need.  I often find a great activity and there is always something that I don't have whether it be the book, or the materials, or the right place/space.  This would probably be solved with better planning and organization.
• I don't love how unorganized I am.  When it comes to homeschool, I will admit that I don't have every day planned out like I should.

Like I said I'm sure I could keep adding to this list as I remember things I've thought in the past about homeschooling, and come up with new ones.