One of "those" people...

This week marks our third week homeschooling and also the start of Ethan's classes.  One of the things I love about HomeLink is the fact that he gets to take all sorts of classes not available in public school, Tae Kwan Do for example.  Yesterday he had two classes here on our local campus, cooking art and computer class.  The fact that this program is so family oriented is amazing.  They encouraged us to stay for the whole class, at least for the first couple of weeks to make sure our kids were comfortable and also to allow us to see what goes on.  They have a large designated "mothers room" full of comfy couches, kitchen tables, toys for the little ones, a TV with movies, computer station, pretty much anything you could need if you wanted to stay and hang out there.  Seeing all the other young moms with young families such as myself was surprising!  I will admit, even though homeschooling was something my husband and I had talked about for a good couple of years, I was figuring I was going to be the one breaking all the "rules" for everything from how my kids dress, to the fact that I had a cell phone.  This is part of the stigma surrounding homeschooling and homeschooled children that I think everyone gravitates towards.  Today, Ethan had three classes on a campus about 10 minutes from here, in a historical school house that has recently been remodeled and it is GORGEOUS!  Tae Kwan Do was by far his favorite and boy was that serious business.  The instructor is a black belt and he isn't messing around, even on the first day!  I met quite a few moms around my age, all who also had little ones, from newborns to toddlers.  Most of whom crack jokes about what they thought they would find being a homeschooling parent.  We all took turns shifting our kids from inside to outside (I had Isaac with me the whole time, Bryce was at preschool) to keep them from losing it.  We all were about at our wits end near the end of the first part of the day as our little ones were needing naps but it was still nice to have people to laugh with and talk to.  I asked Ethan what he thought of his first day and his response was "I LOVE IT".  Makes me feel like we're doing something right.

I was talking to my mother-in-law a while ago and told her I feel like I am becoming one of "those" people, aside from my being a health conscious label reader on just about anything we buy, I've made my own baby food for both Bryce and Isaac, clip coupons and bargain hunt, recently decided to make my own laundry detergent and dish soap and now I homeschool?!?!  I laugh at myself because I know I am doing all these things not just because they are healthier/greener options but because I love crafts and bargains!  I am the one who does the budgeting in the house and being that we are pretty much a one-income family, it's only natural that I find ways to cut back here and there to give us a little extra cushion for other things. It's kind of like a game for me, to see what I can pull off.  Let me just share with you my latest bargain:  Ever visit your local bakery outlet?  I recently went to the Franz outlet and purchased 3 loaves of their Oregon Trail whole wheat bread, 3 packages of whole wheat sandwich thins, a package of whole wheat hamburger buns and a package of hot dog buns, all without high fructose corn syrup, made with whole grain for a total of.......any guesses?  $4.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was one happy momma coming out of that store, let me just tell ya!

Happy Fall!
Your coupon-clipping, crazy label-reading, homeschooling friend, Courtney.