New School Year....Lots of Changes

We are finishing out our last week of Summer vacation.  Have a lot of family things planned this week to celebrate, plus a few necessary appointments.  Its gonna be a packed week.

We are on the fence with some school stuff this year.  It's interesting.  My kids are on a waitlist for a homeschool charter.  Was really hoping they would get in but it hasn't happened yet.  I ordered the necessary books yesterday and today.  (Was holding out because the charter if they get in will pay for books and some classes.) The non essentials I am going to hold out until October and a few other things that are digital I am waiting until the day before school starts.   I am a planner when it comes to school.  I don't think I have ever ordered later than the first week of July.  I am trying to roll with it.  It's good for me, these wrinkles in plans.  Helps me once again to trust God.  

Despite my lack of planning I am really looking forward to this next school year.  I am still going to teach art again at a co-op school regardless of if my kids get in the charter or not.  We were really wanting the charter to help pay for some special, very expensive music lessons for Jude.  He is really gifted in that area and we feel like now is the time.  But God is good because someone offered to pay his lessons until he gets into the charter.  I am super excited about watching him use his gifts.  Other than that I feel like my struggles this last spring/summer have given me a fresh outlook on life.  I really truly feel alive again.  I feel like I can filter what matters and what doesn't.  For so long so many things I wasn't doing hung like a black cloud over my head and now I really know that life is so much more simple and sweet when the kids and I aren't running around trying to keep up with everyone else but really honing in on what matters to our family.  There will be some running around, but it will be doing what matters to us.  There will be lots of down time to just enjoy one another, an afternoon hiking, dinners at the park.  There will (hopefully and prayerfully) be no comparison or guilt.  This is our life and we are  going to live it the way God is leading our family not the way John and Jane Doe down the street is leading theirs.  The weight is lifted and for that I have a smile on my face and a spring in my step.  

Well.....I want to write more on that but my one year old is calling....as in screaming and pulling my leg, literally.  So its time to hop off.