Home School Curriculum Experts

One of my favorite times of the year is coming up next week. Not because we get to eat a lot (although that is definitely a plus) and not even because we get to see our extended family (which is also, for the most part :), a plus). No, it is because this holiday is one that is based solely on what we give, rather than on what we get. And what we are giving is our thanks. Doesn’t cost us any money, doesn’t run up our credit card bill., and it always fits and doesn’t have to be returned. And the thanks is, for the most part, not given to another person – it is given to God. And have you noticed, Thanksgiving is one of the lowest-keyed and least commercialized holidays (heck, the stores and even homes around here have skipped right from Halloween to Christmas). To top all that off, in the giving of thanks, we receive some things for ourselves. Joy. Humbleness. Gratitude. Hope.
Several of my friends on facebook have started posting daily until Thanksgiving the things they are thankful for. Even in reading what other people are thankful for, it makes me more thankful. So with that in mind and in no particular order, here goes…
I am thankful for…
- a husband who has been with me through really good and really bad times, who loves our kids like I do, and who is here to stay.
- my closest friends, who know me well and love me anyway, who support and encourage me, and who have my back always.
- $1.50 movies and Redbox
- the freedom to homeschool my children and the people who fought and suffered far more than I have so that I could have this freedom
- my home and my new low fixed rate!
- hair highlights and pedicures – sometimes they just make life worth livin’ :)
- my autistic son’s long-suffering and loving teachers at school, and how they try really hard not to call me
- my mom, whom I did not call a friend until I was married with kids, but who is now one of the closest friends I have
- my various jobs which, while they are hard, enable me to continue staying home with my kids
- my kids at co-op, who make it a joy to teach
- and their parents, who mostly do, too :)
- sports teams of all flavors, which entertain my family, keep them active, and provide lots of healthy competition and conversation
- my son with special needs, without whom I fear I would judge other parents by their kids’ behaviors, and also without whom I would never hear “are you my baby, mommy?” from a precious 10-year-old boy
- my dad who, although he pushes every button I have, taught me the value of education, hard work, and resourcefulness
- paint…it does wonders for your home and your mood for not much money
- potties you can sit on – I have been camping and have visited other countries - - trust me, this is something to be thankful for
- dollar menus. Sometimes you just really, really don’t want to cook
- my church and all the people in it that I love, who inspire me, encourage me, challenge me, take care of and teach my kids, and have been my family for many years
- cell phones. I don’t think I need to say more.
- my children, who bring me immeasurable pride, immeasurable frustration, and unending joy
- a computer which helps me to organize and manage my life, research everything under the sun, and keep up with my friends…all on my own timetable.
- ibuprofen,,the magic bullet
- a dead-end street to raise kids on
- fall in Tennessee
- Jan Karon books
- God, who has never left me or forsaken me, although I have many times been unfaithful
- good curriculum, without which this homeschool mom could not be homeschooling 
- vans that still run, albeit with over 200,000 miles, fluids leaking from everywhere, and more hang-ups and glitches than I can name
….and more that I will share next time…