You know every time I go somewhere and the kids are with me or even if they are not and school comes up, I do not hide the fact that I homeschool. I tell them as if it is an everyday occurrence. Well, I guess it really is, for me! Well, let me tell you a story of the last couple of months for me. These are thoughts and occurrences that I do not normally write or if I do I do not elaborate on them during my weekly post of our school.
These last couple of months have been real hard on me physically. Besides dealing with the 4 years of physical pain of severe arthritis in my hip and lower back and the pain of having hip dysplasia and not having any, what-so-ever cartilage left in my hip. But for whatever reason, that does not seem to be enough aliments to land on me as of recent. Since Thanksgiving, I have been sick. Just as I get better, I am struck with another flu. I was sick at the beginning of December, sick on Christmas, sick for New Years. Oh wait I was OK during the middle of January. But now I am sick again! I have even had a friend suggest that it could be because I am a vegetarian. LOL! That’s why every article tells you to eat more fruit and veggies to get better faster. Oh well, whatever!
My fist flu took me out of my part time job teaching choir, my volunteer job teaching choir at my church as well as the two ministries I sing for each week because of laryngitis. It also put me out for 4 days of homeschooling. You know what my kids did? They brought me water, breakfast, lunch, dinner and even my little 2oz of love, my bird Crackers etc. When I finally felt good enough to come downstairs from my bed, yea, the house was not where I wanted it, but it was not a disaster, the kids rooms were somewhat neat and all was well in homeland. My daughter had even made me a picture of her running to me because she said she missed me.
My second flu, was more probably like a cold. This one I worked through with my jobs, but had to give up any singing on my part because I was struck with laryngitis again. School was so hard for me. The type of schooling we do for History, Geography etc is a ton of reading. So I would read a little and then my son would try to read for me. My son helped my daughter with her reading and spelling during the week of laryngitis. Again the kids were of such great help to me around the house. I was not up in energy so I needed the help. They spend so much time with each-other playing games and really keeping each-other company after school so I could nap and get my energy renewed for all my jobs in the evening.
My third flu I was struck with uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea. This landed me in bed for 3 full days. During those 3 days, my children again brought me water (no food, yuck) and checked up on me every so often. My son even offered to rub my feet to see if that would help make me feel better. Luckily this one was over a weekend so I did not have to miss too much of my jobs or singing or school. But I did miss my kids playing at snow day at church. Now remember we live in Southern California. No snow! So our church trucks in fake snow once a year and we have snow day. My daughter said to me that it was not the same without me and that she tried to bring home snow for me but it melted. Made me cry (good cry). My son sat with me after church and told me all the things that happened at church that day. Brought me my bird and just stayed with me for a little while to “Keep me company!”
This last flu (currently still working on it) was the worst of all of them. Maybe because my body is so physically worn out from being sick so long, but it was BAD! Well, maybe not as bad as 3 days of vomit. OK, maybe equal but longer. Hows that?! My son every morning has gotten up and come into my room first thing to see if there was anything I needed and of course brought me my Crackers to nap with me. My daughter has come up many time during the day and just popped her head in to say “I Love You Mommy!” Of course there was the bringing of water, ice cream ( you know the necessities of a flu) and once again, the house was not torn apart. The kids kept up on cleaning it up and making sure it was up to have company at any time, etc. (My goal is that the house is ready and comfortable for company anytime , not perfect, but ready. Open door policy with my friends. No need to call to come over)
OK, you’ll get a kick from this. My family went for a bike ride while I was sick and my son offered to pull me in the wagon just because he wanted me to go with. Needless to say, I declined. But everyday, no all day they reminded me how much they loved me and how much I meant to them. Popping in to say Hi. They don’t know this but even though sometimes I was asleep I would wake up when they would open the door. My daughter would stand there for a moment just looking at me, my son would come in next to the bed and look at me. Just a check up. That’s love.
Each of these illnesses I have laid in my bed listening to the kids play on the trampoline laughing and having fun with each-other. Each time I have been sick I have had that little, sweet face bringing me a glass of water, or a smile or an “I Love You” or just a “How are you today mommy?” They have brought me the things that they know make me smile. Crackers, a picture, and I love you, a smile.
What would I have done if they would have been in school? Who would have brought me all those wonderful glasses of water, the bird or that sweet smile? Now Honey, I know you would have, but you know what I mean here! I would have missed those moments when my kids showed how much they really care, how much I mean to them and showing me how much they have learned about showing a caring and serving heart.
I would have missed those moments laying in bed listening to my girl singing in her room songs about Jesus, or the two of them outside laughing so hard or even my daughter reading her books to my son just in the other room. They don’t have any idea how much all these things they did impacted me when I was sick, but they did. Those kind words and acts of service meant a ton to me and not just from the kiddos but from my hubby too. Each moment I lay there and just as I needed something there was one of the three of them there ready to service me and not asking for anything in return. Not a single one of them will know how much it meant to me their acts of love!
So my point? Today I had to go get a blood test. The lady asked me how many kids I had and what I did for a living. I told her I homeschooled. She said “Wow! That’s hard isn’t it? Don’t you get tired of never being alone?” This is what I told her.
“Yes, it is hard work. Beside all the volunteer work I do and a very small part time job, shopping, cleaning, cooking and dealing with the physical ailments of my body, I am exhausted at the end of the day. I crash into bed every night wondering if I have finished everything I had on my to-do list. And every night I realized I have left something out. But every morning I get to see my children, we do not rush to get ready to run off to school on time (to some extent), I spend every afternoon eating a leisure lunch with them talking about the day we have in store and the things we learned during school (yes school is done by 12:30), they help me with the chores around the house in the afternoons and then I am allowed by our gracious Lord to be with them all afternoon to play games or read or sometime we have to run errands or whatever. I know that every night for dinner my kids will be there to either tell me they love my meal, or tell me “yea, it’s OK” which means they don’t really like it a lot, but they eat it anyway. Now that love!”
You know what the best part of all is? When I am sick, they take care of me just as good as I were to take care of them. If they were in school, that would never happen. So all the hard work I put into raising them and schooling them, cooking, cleaning shopping for food, menu planning etc., is so well worth that one “Are you OK Mommy?” look when I am sick.”
So when there are those days when I am absolutely exhausted and DO NOT want to do school, or those days when someone around me makes me feel like I am not doing a good job homeschooling or even when I put it upon myself that maybe I am not doing enough and I should consider public school, I remember days like I have had over these last couple months and I remember that I can NEVER get the days of the past back. They are gone forever and I would not in any way want to miss one moment of their growing up, their I love you’s, their laugh out in the yard, their sweet worried faces when I am sick. If I had to miss one moment I could never get it back. And I don’t ever want to say down the road, “Man, if only I had….. not worked so much, or spent so much time on the computer or, or, or that so many parents today say when their kids are all grown up and out on their own. I love them too much to miss one moment!
Is it hard to volunteer 7 hours a week, work a couple hours, keep my home clean, cook, laundry, raise the kids in the way of the Lord and be a homemaker and add in homeschooling? Yup, for sure!
Is it worth it, no doubt in my mind that it is worth every blood, sweat and tear!!!!!
Leave a Reply